Gravity Rises (S3)

PP: Part Eleven

Lee hated being a prisoner of the minotaurs.

Yes, he was treated well: The hut was magically kept warm; the minotaurs had brought him a real cot to sleep on instead of the hard bench; Xítway was a fine conversationalist. Other minotaurs came to visit sometimes, too, and Ford came often. Ford had come the evening of January seventh — the day Lincoln had been taken captive — and he made a point to visit at least once a day after that. Lee was glad for his company, even if Xítway had to tie Lee's hands to a stake every time Ford came to visit. She untied them after Ford was inside, and it was worth it to Lee if it meant spending time with his brother.

But, despite the minotaurs' efforts to keep Lee comfortable, Lee still found himself restless and noticeably uncomfortable. The hut felt barely big enough to breathe, and there was certainly no room to run around and siphon off energy. Lincoln tried to exercise as best he could in the small space: pushups, running in place, throwing punches at the air (and sometimes at a willing Xítway, who turned out to be a great sparring partner). But it didn't feel like enough. Lee wished he could leave the hut and run around outside.

Besides the physical confines of the hut, there were also frequent reminders of Lincoln's spiritual bondage to Bill Cipher. After the first conversation between Andrew and Bill (which seemed to have shaken Andrew more than he wanted to admit), the minotaurs insisted on making "possession checks" on Lee. This meant asking the question, "Who are you?" at random times. If Bill was possessing Lincoln, the demon would have to answer, "I'm Bill Cipher"; the magic of his prison would compel him. If Bill wasn't possessing Lincoln, then Lincoln could simply answer that he was himself.

But Lincoln didn't know who "himself" was.

The first few times Xítway asked, "Who are you?", Lincoln answered that he was Lincoln. But. . . that didn't feel right. "Lincoln" was the name of the man who had been kidnapped by Percy, who had been brainwashed by Bill. "Lincoln" was the name of the leader of the Order, and Lee certainly had no desire to have that job any longer.

So he stopped answering Lincoln and started saying, "Lee." It was the only name that described him both before and after his memory loss. Yet it felt too short, too simple to really describe him. Was "Lee" really the name of a man who had lost his memory, his brother, his freedom? Could he be Lee again, with the things he'd done and the cult he'd led?

He didn't answer Stanley. The name Stanley felt too removed from the reality of who he was. Stanley had been an energetic man with a simple love for his brother. Stanley hadn't dealt with demons. Lincoln didn't deserve the name, and it wasn't an accurate description.

Who was he, then? Lincoln, Lee, Stanley? Someone else entirely? He only felt more confused the more he thought about it.

The hours dragged on. The entire experience of his captivity reminded Lincoln of his first year at the Order, before he made his very first deal with Bill. The restlessness, the feeling that he didn't belong here — it was similar to that year in the eighties. This time, however, Lincoln didn't have his anger to cushion his frustration. Bill had taken it away when he'd taken Lincoln's soul. Whenever Lee thought that he should be getting angry, he only slipped back down into despondency and depression. His emotions couldn't crest the hill to anger; they could only linger in the valley of melancholy. He had to force himself to move, to exercise, to do something other than lay on his cot and stare at the thatched ceiling of the hut.

By the morning of January tenth, only three days after Lincoln had been taken captive by the minotaurs, he felt pushed to his limit. The small hut, the possession checks, the depression — it all threatened to crush him. When Xítway brought Lee his breakfast (which had been brought to the hut by another minotaur; Xítway never left Lincoln's side), she asked her customary, "Who are you?"