A NEW Beginning - Book 2

Chapter 6 - Day 1 - Adam

A/n: Trigger warnings (of course Lex, it's an Adam chapter... I promise you, things ARE turning around for Adam, I PROMISE!) this is explaining a bit about what Adam went through before he was found, and a little bit after, so there's a little bit of pain, a little bit of torture... an average day for Adam...
 

We moved to the living room. I took my origami out of the box hidden underneath my chair, but I couldn't focus. Everything had been getting to me more and more lately. I tried not to let it get to me, busied my days with rehab, and swimming, countless activities, and the people around me, but my conscience couldn't escape when I was asleep.

*****

I had been in a pretty bad crash during the war. My ship had been in such a mangled wreck when they found it, they had assumed that the reason that they couldn't find a body was that there was nothing of it left.

Unfortunately, I wish I had died. I lay there, in incredible pain, thinking of the people I was leaving behind, of the war still to be fought, of Keith, and finally Shiro. He swam before me as I took what I thought to be my last breath.

The next thing I knew was pain. Endless burning pain. My eyes fluttered open, and I saw white blinding lights above me. A jolt of electricity shot through me, and I screamed.
I realised I was strapped to a cold, hard, table. The Galra standing over me asked me question upon question, but I couldn't concentrate enough to understand what he was saying. He didn't give me the opportunity to collect my thoughts and answer before he shot an electric shockwave through me again, and again.
This went on for hours, days, weeks. I had no understanding of time in that place, but they must have eventually got bored with me, and I thought my end had finally come.

That was when I was taken, and shoved in a small hole in the wall. I sat there on the cold, hard ground, unable to stand, even if my legs would allow it.
They occasionally brought me food and would take me out for other torture sessions, trying to get information from me, but I had none. The last few weeks before my crash had disappeared from my mind. I recognised the Galra, and could form vague ideas about the situation, but no critical information was coming to me, so it became an endless cycle of torture, and that dark, cramped hole.

The pain in my legs started to lessen, and I knew the bones were beginning to knit together again, all at odd angles. I would wake up screaming in the middle of the night, in agony as my legs tensed and cramped in their twisted forms.

Eventually, I heard loud explosions in the air outside, and the guards stopped coming. I hadn't realised there were other prisoners until they started crying out for help. Their once strong voices getting weaker and weaker as the days went by.

I had given up again and was praying for it all to end when there came a commotion from above, and the beams of flashlights began bouncing off the walls. There came noises of excitement from the cells further up the hall, but I was out of hope.

The door swung open, and standing before me was the tallest man I think I had ever seen in my life.

"Well, look at you!" he said, taking in my current state, "let's get you out of here then!" I stared at him blankly as he bent down and picked me up, cradling me in his arms as he walked me up the hall, and towards the surface. I buried my face in the crook of his neck, the light from the sun blinding me.

I must have passed out at some point, because the next thing I know, I was waking up in a hospital bed. Needles stuck into me, and cords attached to my body. I panicked momentarily, the white, harsh lights taking me back to the cold hard tables I was used to, but then someone took my hand. My head was just a constant buzz. My head hurt, my legs hurt, my stomach was nauseous. I gave them a blank look, and closed my eyes again. Takashi was dead, Keith was probably dead too, the world had practically ended. All my friends were gone, and I was in pain. So much pain. Why couldn't they just let me die?

People came in and out of my room, talking to me, shining lights in my eyes. All I could bring myself to do was sleep, and stare blankly ahead. I would move my head towards sounds, but I could never focus on the individuals in front of me, or what they were saying.

I was blank and numb. I couldn't feel anything, inside or out. I was vaguely aware when they touched me, but I could do nothing about it. Even the knowledge of needles going into my arms, or blood being drawn, did nothing to change my state.

Until one day I became aware of noise outside of my room. This noise was different from any I had heard in a long time. It pulled on a string in my head, trying to get my attention, trying to get me to take notice.

The door opened, and I was aware that a group of people came in. One of them spoke to me, and I sat up, and turned towards them, like a robot. This is what I was supposed to do, right?

As my eyes adjusted to the room, I saw three figures standing by the door. The tugging in my head began again, pulling until I was looking at the boy closest to me. I blinked, and he slowly became clearer. There was a name, a familiar name, right there in my mouth, I could taste it. I just needed to make my brain cooperate with my tongue.

"Keith!" I finally whispered, and the figure on the bed gasped.
The boy ran to me and threw his arms around me. I was home.

*****

I stared blankly out the window. My breathing getting faster, and my mind a million miles away.

I could feel Lex's eyes on me now, as she glanced up from her book. She could tell something was going on behind my wall, but she knew me well enough that I was currently unable to talk about it.

She gently tapped her fingers on her book, bringing me back and grounding me. I focused on the noise until I was subconsciously tapping the arm of my couch. My breathing calmed, and I became focused on the noise, the movement, and the touch of the material on my fingertips.

As I calmed, she calmed, and with one final look, she returned to her book. I knew this wasn't the end of it though. I knew this was just a reprieve, and there would be a discussion later. Lex was amazing at knowing that I needed time, and being able to gauge when I was ready to talk. She did push me, a lot, but she also knew there was no point in talking to me when I was like this, and I loved her for that.

~

A clearing of a throat made me aware that someone had come into the room. I turned around to see the Cuban ray of sunshine that had become so important in my life. A smile broke across my face. It was hard to not be happy when Lance was around.