The Boy from the Bunker - Season 8

Episode Four, Part 4:

Episode Four, Part 5:
Small Sacrifices

And there's nothing that I can do
except bury my love for you.

As the guards dragged Wynn to the other side of the mess hall, he as relieved to see that Quill and Elara were no longer in sight and his sister wasn't around to realised what he had done. But there was someone else who seemed to be lingering behind the back of all their people as if to make sure everyone was safe and accounted for: Sol.

As Wynn's watery visions focused on her, Sol looked over in realisation of what was happening.

She wanted to run to him; Wynn could see it on her face, even from the great distance he was now being pulled to, but she didn't. He hoped it was because she could understand the signals he was trying to send her way: stay; I know what I'm doing; trust that this is the right thing. But before he could sense any kind of an answer from her, Wynn was torn through the doors and out of sight from Sol, left to brave his fate alone.

"Bump this one up on the queue for the trials," Leander smirked, harshly shoving Wynn into the arms of two other guards. "I don't care who's supposed to be next; I need it to be this him."

"Sure thing, Leander," one of the guards answered, sounding somewhat afraid of him. They abandoned the paperwork they had in their hands and secured the Sovereign in their hold, leading him through a set of locked doors behind him and down two levels of stairs.

Each step hurt to walk from the pounding Wynn could feel in his side - almost as if every inhale was another, constant beating to his ribs, but he breathed through it nonetheless.

Finally, Wynn was taken into a large, open room with a medical bed waiting for him in the middle. He didn't even try to resist, despite the fear that was surrounding his heart, choosing to focus only on the fact that he needed to do this for Kodiak; for Sol and Dreea; for Elara.

He was forced onto the medical bed, hating that he didn't have a moment to stretch out his pain before he was positioned down, and all four of his limbs were chained down to the bed.

"What is this?" He asked, realising they would be expecting questions from him. If he gave away that he was prepared - that he knew what was coming, then Neptunum would start to wonder why.

One of the guards began to speak but was promptly cut short, turning around as the doors behind them opened once again. Wynn watched as a woman strutted in, smiling warmly at him as if she was making some kind of heroic entrance and just one glance at her would be all it would take for Wynn to feel a sense of ease.

He recognised her from one of the many screens in the mess hall that had been on during their first serving of rations. But her name.... He couldn't quite remem-

"Athena Archelaus. Nice to meet you," she beamed, walking up to his side and looking down at him. 'I"m the woman in charge of Neptunum and the trials we will be conducting today."

"Trials?" He continued his act.

Athena nodded. "Just collecting data on our pain responses and tolerance so we can help develop an immunity to it; a cure, if you will. It sounds like scary stuff, I know, but it'll help us a lot. And, once you're finished here, we have a nice recovery wing where you can stay until you feel better."

"Feel better? Why? What are you going to do?"

"It's best if I don't tell you," Athena said. "You'd only try and resist and it's in your interest if you can be as calm as possible for this. Again, I know it's pretty terrifying once you're in the trial, but the first time is always the worst. You'll be more prepared next time and it won't be half as bad. Now, can you tell me your name for your records? I need to figure out which cell you're from and mark you down as complete."