Seeing Red

Two - Great Help

Matt's eyes scanned the room. There had to be a way out, right? He needed to get out of this place. Edd and Tom were probably worried sick without him! Yeah, they'll be coming for him any second now...

Any minute now...

After sitting there for what felt like an hour but was truly only half that, the familiar sound of heels clicking reproached the bars to the cell.

Except it wasn't Tord, it was his two goons. One of them had thick brown eyebrows with an upside-down name tag he couldn't read, and the other one's name was supposedly Pat. The first one was talking to the other in a voice he couldn't comprehend, likely another language, as Pat handed him the keys. The man unlocked the cell, stepping in and walking in front of Matt. Pat followed behind him.

"Listen, Red Leader wants you in his office soon. You're better off not resisting, he's a busy guy and doesn't have time for nonsense." The man said briefly, and now that he was closer, Matt could make out his name tag. It read "Paul."

Paul made a hand motion to spat, who nodded and approached Matt. The ginger jerked his body away, apprehensive of the two guards. Pat backed off slightly.

"Buddy, I said no nonsense." Paul repeated sternly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out what looked like a small remote. The ginger watched him for a moment before Paul pressed a button on it. The ginger's body twitched at a sudden pinch in his neck, a burning feeling spreading through his body. He tried to keep quiet, but it was so hard to do when this was so painful. He screamed, hands curling into fists in the chains.

Paul finally let go of the button, the pain ceasing immediately but still being remembered. Matt breathed heavily, staring up at him with a deadpan look in his eyes. Pat moved in again, and this time, he didn't resist. Everything was hurting too much. Pat went to his arms, taking out a set of handcuffs. He locked them firmly on Matt's hands before undoing the chains that kept him bound to the wall.

"Well? Let's get going." He bent down, grabbing Matt's forearm roughly and lifting him to his feet. He stumbled a little, and Pat noticed, quickly moving to help Matt stand up.

"I'm sorry, but Red Leader told us to use it on you if you didn't cooperate..." Pat murmured in a hushed voice.

Matt now understood the true severity of the situation; His friends had no idea where he was, and likely wouldn't see him for a long time. Tord had him in his grasp and he wasn't going to risk the chance of Matt escaping. He was a prisoner.

The three of them made their way out of the cell block, down some hallways Matt couldn't tell you what were for if his life depended on it, and an elevator ride. They emptied out onto a new floor, decorated with a red carpet and matching banners on the walls leading up to a few rooms. This was where the higher-ups in the base lived, and rightfully so, were the most well-designed. They continued down the hallway, Matt slowly regaining his strength every step of the way as they stopped at a door.

Pat approached it, leaning to a panel at the side and pressing and holding a button.
"Sir? We brought the prisoner you requested." He announced into the panel, letting go of the button. A few seconds later, the door slid upwards, opening and letting them inside.

The office was colored a deep crimson color, while the floor was stained a dark chocolate brown, covered in a red rug.
In the room, there was a big desk with a large chair behind it, and on Matt's side, two other smaller chairs. There was a gun cabinet to the left and a smaller cupboard to the right, complete with a bucket of ice and alcoholic beverages on top of it.
Tord's desk was a rich mahogany, bearing an ash tray, a rather large pile of paperwork, a laptop, other office utensils, boring stuff- and a golden desk tag that read proudly, "Red Leader."

He didn't notice it before, but there was a door behind the chair of the desk. It slid upwards like the front office door had, and a familiar face-well, half a familiar face-walked out, taking a seat in the chair.

"Ah, Matthew! It is a pleasure to see you again. I take it he didn't cause any trouble for you two?" He pressed his fingertips together as he leaned back in the chair, staring expectantly at Pat.

"Well- actually, Sir," he began, "We had to use the stinger, but only once. It worked like a charm."

Tord's face lit up as he straightened his posture. "Wonderful news! I want those mass-produced soon," he hummed with delight, then returned his gaze to Matt. "Can you believe it? You were the first successful test subject for this! Thanks to you, millions more will find themselves obeying my command..." Tord leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. "Thank you, Matt." His voice seemed laced with an emotion he couldn't describe; Not angry, but maniacal.
"As always, you are a great help."