damned_institute | NIGHT 69: DISCIPLINARY THERAPY ROOM 1 [M-U FOR LLOYD IRVING]

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lloyd,
m-u

NIGHT 69: DISCIPLINARY THERAPY ROOM 1 [M-U FOR LLOYD IRVING]

This had all worked out perfectly, hadn't it?

The doctor in question, who had already done some very promising work on Kratos, now had the honor of receiving the opportunity to perform a similar procedure on his son. Of course, Lloyd didn't know that, but that was what made this even more entertaining. The doctor had even made sure to book out the exact same room, and so Lloyd was laid out unconscious on the very table that his father had been two nights ago.

It was true that two days wasn't that long to analyze something as complicated as an Exsphere, but they had already taken plenty of readings on it and had all of that data to work with. Besides, even if the plan was to now give Lloyd his father's Exsphere, they were going to receive Lloyd's in return. So there would be no true loss in the end.

From what the doctor had read of Lloyd's file, he was far more expressive than Kratos, who had kept that stony expression through almost the entire procedure. So even if this was more or less a repeat of the previous experiment, the doctor was certain that it would be amusing in a very different way.

But first he had to wait for the sedative to wear off. When Lloyd did wake up, he'd find that he was restrained with metal clamps to an exam table with a bright light shining right down into his face -- and right out of view, the doctor was standing and watching him.

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Consciousness was slow and sluggish in returning, and it felt like he had to dig through wet cotton in his mind just to think enough to open his eyes. Ugh, what had happened? And why was the sun so bright? Wincing, he tried to turn his head away from it, tried to lift his hand-

He couldn't. His head turned, but he couldn't escape the light. His fingers twitched, but that was all. He couldn't move his arm to shield his eyes. With a low groan, he made a concerted effort to try to gather his thoughts, to claw through the thick blanket someone had stuffed into his head that was making it so hard to think. He just had to move his arm. How hard could that be? Finally, he tried again, struggling against the resistance - and hard metal dug into his skin.

With a grunt, Lloyd's eyes snapped back open, pain jolting his mind through the fog that had settled over it. Still too bright, far too bright, but that wasn't what was wrong. What was wrong was that his arm was trapped. He twisted and pulled, but-

But it wasn't just that arm. His other arm was just as pinned, resisting everything he did to pull it free. His legs, too, and- Alarm shot through him. His heart pounded in his chest. He wasn't just trapped. Someone had tied him down in place!

"What's going on?!" He meant the shout to come out as an angry demand for answers, but his eyes were wide. Too wide. He fought against the restraints again. Dammit, he had to break free!

Edited 2013-03-11 20:02 (UTC)

This was already a far cry from how things had gone with Kratos. He had been almost resigned to it, which made sense seeing how he had been here for so long. Lloyd, on the other hand, was fairly new. While he might have been told about the experiments they performed here, that didn't necessarily mean he'd been waiting for his turn to come around.

Still, most patients worked it out a little faster than this. The doctor was caught between being amused and exasperated as he crossed his arms over his chest and watched Lloyd struggle against the restraints.

The mix of anger and fear that came through in Lloyd's tone was common enough, though, and the doctor figured that the least he could do was answer the question. They were on a time limit of sorts, after all.

He took a step forward and shrugged his shoulders. "I thought that the exam table and the somewhat obvious lighting would have made it obvious. Hello, Lloyd."

The pieces were there, the clues telling him what this was, but some part of Lloyd had resisted putting them together even after he fought through the drugs. He'd been warned already what the Institute did, but on some level it still didn't feel entirely real. He didn't want to believe. He wanted to hold onto the hope that the people here wouldn't do things like that, no matter what people said.

His head snapped around when someone spoke, a voice he didn't recognize, but the light made it impossible to see the man's face. He had to hold back a wince as his still-bruised and -bandaged throat protested the sudden movement, but even squinting, he could only make out shoulders and arms dressed in what he thought might be a lab coat. The pieces were clicking into place faster than his hope could tune them out, and his stomach lurched with dread as realization sank in. This is... Obvious. He said it was obvious. But obvious meant it was something Lloyd knew, and Lloyd wasn't familiar with this. He'd never been strapped to a table before, never had his movement restricted like this, and lights this bright would always feel foreign to his experience. But this feeling of helplessness...

He was right. Lloyd did know this. Not the lights or the table, but the man himself, a looming figure smugly in control as Lloyd lay helpless, unable to fight. Do you want to see your father? Only this wasn't Yuan. This was someone else, someone whose motivations Lloyd didn't know. Not that Lloyd had any idea what Yuan was after either, but at least he didn't seem like the kind of man who'd run a Human Ranch. This man, though. This place...

Fear flashed in his eyes briefly before he glared at the man, straining against his bonds as much to prove that he wasn't going to take this lying down as it was an attempt to try to escape. He bolstered his courage with rising anger, hid his fear with a bristling barb.

"I thought you guys were calling me Nigel. Shouldn't you introduce yourself if you're going to call me by my name?"

And tried to buy himself some time as he struggled, his mind racing for a way to fight.

Edited 2013-03-12 12:02 (UTC)

It was an odd way to try and get a name out of him, but the doctor obviously knew better than that. While all of the doctors here were well-protected -- Landel had to convince most of them of that before they would even consider signing on -- it was still best to take precautions, just in case. Not offering his face or his name would help with that. As for his voice, that was only one detail and it wasn't as if he had a particularly peculiar one.

"Nigel... doesn't quite fit, does it? The nurses are one thing, but on this exam table I prefer if we address things for what they truly are." He didn't even bother mentioning the subject of his name. His complete lack of acknowledgment would most likely make it clear that he wasn't going to offer it, though he was already starting to expect that this Lloyd was a bit slower than most.

Which didn't exactly matter in this context anyway, so he moved on. "We've already performed this experiment once, so I can assure you it's completely safe."

He slid forward and grabbed for Lloyd's wrist, staring down at the back of his hand where the Exsphere was placed. "Hmm... Yours does look a little different, though."

Lloyd's hand jerked in response to the doctor's touch, the movement rendered ineffective by the band restraining his arm. Fear abruptly seized his chest, making it hard even to breathe, making it almost impossible for his heart even to beat, it felt like it was squeezing so tight. Beat it did, though, suddenly racing.

"Wh-what?" It wasn't that he didn't think he'd heard the doctor right. He knew he had, and that made it worse, especially with the way the man had spoken so casually about experimenting on another human life. No, it wasn't just that. It was what he had added after, reaching for Lloyd's hand and commenting that it looked different. Which meant not only had the doctor done this before, whatever "this" was going to be, but he'd done it to someone else like Lloyd, someone with an Exsphere on their hand. Fury and sick fear twisted in his gut. "Who was it? Who else did you bring in here?!"

His mind flashed briefly to Kratos, the man's hand wrapped in bandages- But no. Kratos had said he'd been injured in a fight. He'd run into a monster while trying to find Lloyd during that night when the doors hadn't worked, sending them to places they shouldn't have gone. Before that, Kratos had definitely still had his Exsphere, so it couldn't have been him. If it wasn't him, though, that meant it was someone else. The doctors had, or used to have, someone else from their world.

And the doctors knew what Exspheres were. Knew and were performing experiments on them. Lloyd wasn't sure which of those thoughts terrified him more. More important, though...

"What did you do to them?!"

"It was just the one, but he handled this a bit better than you did, I have to admit," the doctor replied, just as cool and collected as he'd been from the start. If Lloyd's panic was having any effect on him, there was no sign of it -- and why should it have any effect on him? This was his job, his passion, and if anything, he fed on the fear and the anger.

The doctor just so happened to know that Lloyd wasn't yet aware of who Kratos really was, and he'd put a lot of thought into how to present this. He could have let the cat out of the bag right here and now, but in the end it would be far more entertaining if Lloyd worked it out on his own and discovered that his own father had been lying to him this whole time. Lies on top of more lies...

"I wonder what he would think?" he murmured, as if pondering to himself. He lifted his hand up to his chin and tapped at it. "If he know how badly his own son was breaking under the pressure."

If the doctor had dropped a hammer on Lloyd, the kind Dirk used when pounding metal at his forge, it would have had about the same effect as those three simple words, slamming into Lloyd's gut and forcing the breath from his lungs with such finality that for a moment he thought he might never breathe again. His own son. His own son. Dirk-? No, Dirk didn't have an Exsphere. His own son. His father! The doctor had to be talking about-

"You bastard!" The teen threw himself against his restraints with every ounce of strength he had. He twisted, straining every which way he could, even trying to draw on his mana. It didn't answer his call, but Lloyd only struggled more furiously. He either didn't notice or didn't care when the metal broke through the skin on his wrists. "What did you do with my father! Where is he?!"

And how long must he have been here? Do you want to see your father? Dammit, Yuan had known his father would be here. Known and sent Lloyd to join him. If he'd done that much, who was to say he hadn't sent Lloyd's father here, too? Maybe that was why his father had never come back!

Fifteen years. Fifteen years! Rage boiled and something inside Lloyd snapped.

"Let him go right now!"

Well, well, well. It had been quite some time since he'd seen someone react this much while on his table. The doctor only smiled to himself, practically on the verge of laughter, as he watched Lloyd struggle and squirm. He focused on the small beads of blood that started to appear on Lloyd's wrist and felt victorious.

And they hadn't even gotten started yet. Though in a way, this kind of torture was much more fun. He'd done something similar with Kratos by implying that Lloyd would be next, and he hadn't broken that promise in the end. This was the most satisfying set of sessions that he'd had in a while.

"Do you really think I'm going to let him go just because he asked? Besides, that's not my call in the first place. Landel's the one who decides who leaves and who stays. I'm just in charge of cutting you up."

He didn't mind being direct about it, either. There was no point in beating around the bush now. Speaking of which, it was about time that they got into the swing of things. The doctor picked up a scalpel from the nearby surgery cart and then moved to the side of the exam table, letting the blade glint in the light overhead.

"I wasn't asking, I was telling you!" Lloyd shouted. "Let him go or else!" He didn't yet know what that 'what else' would be, but he'd be damned if he let something like this stand! With a snarl, he twisted his arm again, trying to find some point of leverage that would let him break through the metal band. The fact that twisting his hand around would make the Exsphere that much less accessible, trapping it against the table, was only an added bonus.

But while he was still furious enough keep jerking against his bonds, heedless of the edges that cut into his wrists and ankles the more he did, an even sharper edge of panic brought a lurch in his heartbeat. Despite himself, his eyes darted toward that flash of light. In charge of cutting me up? What did he-? What was he going to-?!

His struggles suddenly became more urgent, more desperate. He didn't want to find out!

Edited 2013-03-15 01:17 (UTC)

"Do you really think I have any obligation to listen to what you say? If that were the case, then you wouldn't be at my mercy like this." It was preposterous for Lloyd to think he could issue out any kind of order to him considering the position he was in, but it was endearing that he would even try. A far cry from his father, indeed.

The one thing that was slightly frustrating was the way that Lloyd was flailing his wrists around. He seemed to have no consideration for what the doctor was trying to do here -- which made sense, of course, but it wasn't the sort of obstacle the doctor found exciting to overcome.

"Resisting will get you nowhere," he said as he reached forward to twist Lloyd's wrist around and then pinned it down. With his other hand he pulled the scalpel forward, lowering it toward the edge of Lloyd's Exsphere. "If you struggle now, it will only end badly for you," he warned.

"I won't always be- Ugh!" He grunted as he fought the doctor's grip on his wrist. Against his will, his hand turned until the Exsphere faced up against. His Exsphere and every tendon in his hand. His heart raced wildly at the implications, the threat. He could see the scalpel for what it was now, no longer obscured by the glare of reflected light, and that sharp blade was headed straight for his hand. If it took off his Exsphere, if it cut through his tendons and nerves, not just the surface-

"No!" You try being told to hold still when someone's about to cut open your hand. Terror gripped him as the blade descended, threatening to cripple him, and he thrashed, desperately trying to pull his hand away. The anticipation only made it worse. "No, don't- Ah!" A new line of fire cut through his wrists when he pulled hard against the metal bands. No good, and that knife was almost to his skin! "You don't have to do this! Let me go!"

It wasn't as if the doctor had any kind of superhuman strength that would have allowed him to hold Lloyd down, but the fact was the Lloyd himself was both powerless and restrained, so it wasn't that difficult to pull off. It would have been easier if Lloyd wasn't squirming quite so much, but in the end he was the only one who would suffer if the doctor made a wrong cut.

This was something that had to be done very precisely, after all, and the doctor finally managed to make his first cut around the edge of the crest that had been embedded into Lloyd's hand. "Don't have to? Of course I don't. It's not as if I was forced into this, Lloyd." He'd picked this job and he was eager to hold onto it, so he was going to make sure that tonight was a success.

The first cut hurt. It didn't matter that Lloyd had suffered worse injuries battling against monsters and Desians. This wasn't the same. He hadn't been completely helpless against them, hadn't been forced to lie there and wait for them to sink claws or swords into his skin. He'd always had the option of defending or fighting back. Somehow the pain was worse when all he could do was wait for it to come. He cried out, back arching, and he had to ball his hand into a fist to try to fight the urge to jerk it again. He couldn't do that, not while the doctor was cutting him. Not if he wanted to keep the use of his hand!

"You're... you're sick!" He choked the words out, as much to cut off an involuntary sob as to express his disgust and horrified outrage. "How could you... How could you want to do something like this?! What did we ever do to you?" Even the Desians had reasons for what they did, reasons why they felt they were justified in being so cruel to the humans they had in their Ranches. Lloyd didn't agree with those reasons one bit, but at least there was something that Lloyd could halfway understand, something that kept them from being heartless monsters. It wasn't just out of the blue.

This wasn't the first time that the doctor had been called sick (or disgusting, or heartless, or cruel), and it wouldn't be the last, not by a long shot. He realized that most people couldn't wrap their heads around what they were doing here, so he usually didn't even bother trying to explain. Better to get the job done quick and easy, and then move on with his own studies. The subjects themselves hardly mattered; they observed them, yes, but that didn't require explaining anything to them.

Still, since Lloyd was asking, and so nicely, the doctor responded as he continued to carve out the Exsphere. He did what he did to not cut too deeply, not wanting the scalpel to hit bone or anything like that. "You did nothing to me, but what you're capable of -- what these Exspheres can do -- it's something we want to better understand and study for ourselves. And don't worry, I'll be replacing this one with another. We aren't all that interested in killing you, believe it or not." Not unless that was what Landel decided he wanted for some reason, but it was far more likely that they would torture the patients or brainwash them. People were more useful when they were still breathing.

Every careful slice sent another stab of pain through his hand, until the strain from the effort to just hold still left Lloyd shuddering, gasping with short, rapid breaths. Tears leaked from his eyes, and his body wracked itself with another cut-off sob when the scalpel pierced his skin again. He could feel the Key Crest starting to come free along the edge the doctor was working, and a moment of terror spiked through him at the realization that this wasn't the way an Exsphere was supposed to be taken off. The Key Crest was mounted around it, yes, but it was still touching his skin. What would it mean if the Crest came loose first, but the Exsphere was still touching him? What if that was enough for it to latch directly into his mana? He didn't know. He didn't know!

Stop it! Stop panicking! He said that this would be safe! And that thought nearly brought a bubble of hysterical laughter up. The doctor was the man who was cutting him up! His idea of what was safe was the last one Lloyd should trust!

"If you already have an Exsphere, why do... why do you need mine?!" He thought he already knew the answer, but he was desperate for something to distract him, and the doctor was the only one there. He threw his head back with another cry of pain when the doctor sliced through his skin again. "And why can't you just take it off?! It's not attached directly to me! You don't need to cut the Key Crest off with it!"

Lloyd wasn't exactly holding back, was he? No, he was crying out in pain, and were there some tears trailing out as well? It had been some time since the doctor had driven a patient to tears, he had to admit. Then again, Lloyd was still fairly young, so maybe it could be chalked up to that. It didn't feel like a true victory when the patient himself was more susceptible than most.

Still, the doctor could derive some enjoyment out of it. Whatever was going through Lloyd's mind, it was only making things worse for him. That was the thing about the human mind -- more often than not, instead of protecting itself, it took one thought and ran with it, coming up with the worst possible ideas and scenarios.

"Well, we do have your father's, it's true... But yours and his are rather different." That was something they'd been able to determine even with Lloyd's Exsphere still attached, but they clearly wanted to examine it in more detail. "Wouldn't you like to have something of his? Seeing how he hasn't deemed fit to give you anything else."

Besides, depending on what they did with Lloyd's Exsphere, they would need the key crest as well. So the doctor kept cutting until the whole thing sprung free from the back of Lloyd's hand, falling into his palm. "There."

Lloyd would have denied vehemently that he was crying at all if the doctor had mentioned it. Tears leaking from his eyes was not the same thing. That was a physical, involuntary reaction, a response to his pain, his terror and frustration. That wasn't the same as breaking down and bawling! He wasn't used to being tortured like this, to being tortured at all, but that didn't mean that he was weak! He thought he was holding up pretty well, considering.

But the doctor never brought it up. No, instead his words attacked something far more sensitive. Lloyd's heart lurched into his throat. Seeing how he hasn't...

Hasn't!

The cry that escaped from his throat when the Exsphere was finally sliced off held just as much shock as it did pain. He'd feared the worst when the doctor had said they'd had his father here before him, but he was speaking about him in present tense! He lunged up, only to be jerked to a halt by the restraints that still held him flat. "He's alive?! Where is he!?" His heart beat wildly in his chest, the pain in his bleeding hand nearly forgotten. "I don't want anything of his! I want you to let him go! Dammit, you have me now! You don't need him anymore! He's been here long enough!" Too long. Fifteen days would be too long, let alone fifteen years!

Edited 2013-03-18 01:09 (UTC)

Of course, the doctor had realized from the start of all this that bringing up Lloyd's father would be the equivalent of poking at a tender wound, but he was still impressed with the reaction he got out of Lloyd. He didn't care too much if Lloyd flopped around on the table like a fish out of water for the moment, since his knife was nowhere near him. No, he was happy to let him do so as he moved to the side of the room to set the removed Exsphere on ice.

It was interesting that Lloyd commented on how long his father had been here, because how would he know one way or another? Probably some conclusion he'd jumped to, and the doctor saw no reason to correct him. Besides, Kratos had been here for some time -- longer than most of the other patients here, in fact.

"Why would I tell you where he is? Don't you want the satisfaction of figuring it out for yourself?" The doctor smirked as he set the Exsphere into a cooling container to keep it safe, and then went about switching out his first pair of gloves for another. They'd need to be moving onto the next phase of the procedure soon.

Lloyd scowled in the direction he thought the doctor was, gritting his teeth in frustration. He hated when people wouldn't answer his questions, especially ones that should have simple answers. "The only satisfaction I want is to know where my father is!" He punctuated the statement with another attempt to break his bonds, ignoring the fact that it wasn't working. He wasn't about to give up!

Dimly, it occurred to him that if he hadn't been able to break the restraints before while he still had his Exsphere in, he didn't have a chance without it. He didn't feel any weaker than when he'd woken up on the table, but that wasn't really saying all that much. Somehow they'd found a way to nullify his powers even with the Exsphere on.

His jaw clenched. It doesn't matter. Even if I don't have any powers, that doesn't mean I'm helpless! Ignoring the fiery ache in his hand, other than to wince, eyes still stinging, or the way the blood dripped from his torn skin, he clenched his fists and strained again. There had to be something, some way to fight back. He refused to believe it didn't exist!

All of that fighting that Lloyd was doing would probably only aggravate the wound in his hand, but the doctor was planning to handle that soon enough. With the removed Exsphere tucked away, he could pull out the one that belonged to Kratos, which was in a similar container as the first. Not that Lloyd would be able to to see what he was doing -- all he'd hear was some shuffling, the sound of things opening and closing, and the tinking noise of ice.

Since he didn't think there was any other way to tell Lloyd that no, he wouldn't be telling him where his father was or releasing him, the doctor decided to not respond at all. He was more concerned with carefully handling Kratos' Exsphere as he moved it over to the cart next to the exam table.

"We've studied a fair amount about key crests and Exspheres by now. I think I've come up with a suitable substitute that will allow you to accept this one," he explained as he reached for another instrument. He wasn't bothering to narrate what he was doing at this point, but the tool was a metal probe that could be heated up for electrical cauterization. He'd need to cauterize the wound he'd cut into Lloyd's hand in order to apply the zircon and then set in the Exsphere itself.

"You've heard of zircon, right? It was a trouble to try and recreate it, but I think we've managed after all."

Though he couldn't see where the doctor was with the blinding light still shining in his eyes, Lloyd did his best to try to track him anyway, trying to guess from the sounds what he was doing. How far away was he, and would he notice if Lloyd did manage to break something free?

Unfortunately, the question was moot, because the doctor came back before Lloyd had a chance to find out. Back, and talking while he brought something to bear.

"Zircon?" Lloyd echoed the word with alarm. "But that's not- ah!" He cut off as something burned. For a moment, he couldn't think past the literally searing pain, his jaw locking to bite back another yell. When it was finally over, he was left gasping, a sob caught in the back of his throat. It took him several more long moments to remember. Himself, where he was, the doctor's words-

Zircon!

"That's not- Zircon's not-!" He tried to force the words out past the pain and rising panic, but it still took him time to drag in enough breath. "You have to use inhibitor ore! Zircon only helps for Rune Crests. You can't... you can't use it as the base! It's not strong enough!" If the doctor attached an Exsphere to him with only a zircon crest to restrict it- He struggled, breath caught, and he stared with wide-eyed fear stark on his face. How long would it be before the Exsphere sent his mana out of control? How long would it be before he turned into an Exbelua?!

Edited 2013-03-20 00:48 (UTC)

All things considered, Lloyd handled the cauterization fairly well. It was probably due to the fact that he was distracted by the whole zircon issue. Which -- well, the doctor knew that it wasn't full-proof, but this was the best that they had.

"Inhibitor ore isn't something we were able to produce here, not without your own world's resources," the doctor explained with a shrug. "Don't worry, we did heavy research into the dwarven language to make sure that this is as strong as possible."

Besides, part of the fun was knowing that Lloyd would live in fear of one day degenerating into the same kind of monster that his mother had become. What a legacy to inherit from her! And if Kratos learned about all this, which he no doubt would, then all the better. Especially as it would be his own Exsphere that would be doing his son in.

So the doctor picked up the makeshift key crest, ready to slot it in over the burnt part of Lloyd's hand. He placed it on carefully, waiting for it to fuse with the skin.

"If you could get me here, why couldn't you get inhibitor ore?!" Granted, inhibitor ore wasn't exactly all that common, but it wasn't that rare, either!

His heart raced in his chest when the doctor picked up the Key Crest, a small, slightly rounded plate of metal with runes he couldn't quite make out carved into its surface. The fact that they seemed like they might very well be Dwarven didn't comfort him in the least. Lloyd struggled to pull his hand back, twist it, anything to delay it, even though it wasn't the plate by itself that was dangerous. It was still one step closer to what the doctor was planning! "If you did your research," he shouted desperately, "you'd know you can't substitute inhibitor ore! You-!"

He cut off with a hiss when the Key Crest made contact with his skin. The sensation of metal fusing with his skin wasn't new to him, and hadn't been pleasant the first time, either, but last time his skin had been healthy at least. Not cut and cauterized and entirely too raw. Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut against the flare of pain, teeth clenching, until, after a few moments, it subsided, fading to a more tolerable level. He blinked, vision blurred with involuntary tears again, but as soon as he could see again, he glared in the doctor's direction. He still couldn't see the man, but honestly he couldn't care. The doctor could see him well enough.

"Don't you even care what happens to your patients here? What kind of doctor are you?!"

This one really didn't get it, did he? The doctor sighed, taking in the sight of that tear-streaked face with a small amount of triumph. Although at this point it almost felt like it was too easy with Lloyd. The doctor preferred a bit of a challenge, but he couldn't get exactly what he wanted all the time. The knowledge that the interactions between Kratos and Lloyd after this would be such a pleasure to watch made him feel a little better about it.

"Believe me, I did my research. I know the risk of what I've done, but I consider it a calculated one," he said with a flick of his hand. After all, it could be a number of years until Lloyd actually succumbed and turned into one of those hulking creatures. That was plenty of time for him to enjoy his life and tie up any loose ends. Completely reasonable, for the sake of science and progress.

"And I care plenty about what happens to my patients, Lloyd," he responded calmly as he prepared the Exsphere itself, gathering it carefully into his gloved hands. "I've put a lot of work into you, and I plan to keep a close eye on your progress after this is all done."

He drew closer, preparing to clasp the Exsphere in place. Lloyd might even catch a glimpse of it in the process...

"But doctors are supposed to make people better! Not worse!" And there was no way anyone could consider what this doctor was doing to him as making him better in any way. His breath quickened, eyes widening further, when he caught a glint of light reflecting of a jewel-like object in the doctor's hand. There wasn't anything extraordinary about it, not that Lloyd could see. The color wasn't anything different from most of the Exspheres he had seen, its size and shape were average, and it didn't glow any more or less than any other inactive Exsphere. Such a small and unassuming stone, and yet just the sight of it filled Lloyd with horror.

"No!" he shouted, struggling with renewed terror. His already abused arms and legs protested the abuse, but he didn't even stop to consider the damage he was doing to himself. If there was any chance to escape, he had to take it! "No! Please! Don't do this!"

Tck!

Stone hit metal with a nearly inaudible clink at the same time as cool pressure applied to the inflamed skin encircled by the crest, and all Lloyd's protests cut off with a sob as the finality sunk in. That was it. It was too late. He could already feel the Exsphere bonding with his mana, sending a chill up his hand. He couldn't tell if anything was going wrong, if it was just his imagination, or if his skin was crawling. He didn't feel any strong, any weaker, but with his powers dampened, who knew what the real effect would be?

His struggles weakened, but didn't end. Breathing hard, he pulled against the metal bands again. Over or not, he wasn't about to just give up and give in. "What happens if I become a monster or die, then? Won't that ruin all the work you've done?" He bit that one word out viciously, showing what he thought of what the man considered "work."

Despite all of Lloyd's fighting, there was nothing that could be done in the end. And wasn't that the story of all the patients here? Every single one struggled so much against their bonds, to the point that it was almost admirable, but in the end a session like this was bound to prove who was truly in charge.

The Exsphere fit into the key crest with no trouble, and the doctor took a few seconds to admire his work in the light as he then grabbed for his clipboard and wrote down some quick notes about the overall procedure. Lloyd had now properly inherited something from his father -- shouldn't that be seen as an upside in this whole situation?

As for Lloyd's question, it had a simple answer. "If that happens, well... of course it will be a shame, but in the end that's part of science. You have to crack a few eggs to make an omelette, as the saying goes." He watched with a raised eyebrow as Lloyd continued to struggle. Honestly, what was the point now?

The point was that Lloyd didn't know if it was over. He didn't know if the doctor had anything worse in store for him. He was still a prisoner, still chained to the table, and still at the mercy of a man with no regard for his health or life. Anxiety bit inside his gut. He had no idea what was going to happen next.

Then, too, there was the simple fact that he was trying not to think too hard about what the doctor had just done to him. Even glancing at his hand made his heart start to pound again. His skin wasn't turning gray, was it? And the churning in his stomach was just nervousness, not a sign of unbalancing mana. None of that could happen so soon to him. Could it? It couldn't. He had to still have some time to come up with a plan.

Whatever else could be said, the doctor's words provided a much-needed distraction for Lloyd, pulling his thoughts away from the death sentence he'd just been handed so he could growl at him. "That doesn't even make any sense. Omelette's aren't science or people! They're food! People don't care if you break eggs to make them!" He still wasn't having any luck breaking from, so he tried to fold his hand as small as he could to see if he could make his slip through the band. "But I bet you'd care more if it was you on this table! How would you like that, huh?! How do you know it won't happen to you, too?"

It was hard for the doctor to tell if Lloyd was simply being pedantic or if he really didn't understand the metaphor he'd used. It didn't exactly matter at this point, as the procedure had already finished and now he was simply indulging Lloyd because it was entertaining. He sighed and shook his head, but didn't bother to explain any further.

Not when Lloyd was tossing out accusations as if they actually held some weight. The doctor paused for a moment and then shrugged. "I suppose it's a possibility, but a very unlikely one," he responded. "And if it does happen, by some odd chance, then I'll accept it."

For one thing, he had no delusions that he wouldn't deserve such a thing. For another, he understood the course that science sometimes took. He didn't torture these people simply to be sadistic. There was a point to it all, underneath the pain and suffering. If he ended up being experimented on for some greater purpose, then so be it.

But today was not that day.

"Anyway, that's all for tonight, Lloyd. Shall I leave you to get acquainted with that new addition?" He smiled thinly.

Lloyd stared at that answer. How could he not? Who in their right mind was okay with the idea of being experimented on? "You're insane." That was the only conclusion he could make. Not even his Professor, who was nuts about research and science, would go so far as to subject herself to anything like this.

The abrupt declaration that they were done, though, caught Lloyd a little off guard. He started with surprise, then with no small amount of alarm at what the doctor was suggesting. "Wait, you're just going to leave me here? Like this?" He jerked against the restraints for emphasis. Trapped, alone, helpless, waiting for... For what? For morning? For his mana to consume him? For someone to come rescue him? The only people who might even know what had happened were Claude and Kratos, assuming Claude had managed to pass that message along. They probably didn't know where he was, though. Even if nothing else happened to stop them, they could end up searching all night. He really would be alone for hours at the least, or longer. Alone with only his thoughts for company. This thoughts...

And his father's Exsphere, slowly entwining itself deeper with his mana... He shuddered, trying to shake the thought away. It won't come to that. I'll find a way. I have to.

He wished he felt as confident as he tried to sound to himself.

That wasn't the first time he'd been called insane, and the doctor wasn't about to argue against it. He realized that he'd sacrificed plenty of things to get here, and yet he had no regrets about it. Some could argue that that was because he'd already lost any sense of who he was and what morals to adhere to, but it didn't bother him.

"That's the idea, yes. Don't worry, you'll be released soon enough. Have a nice night, Lloyd." The doctor moved away, picking up the container that held Lloyd's removed Exsphere, and with it tucked under his arm he headed for the door, stepping through and then letting it shut with a loud clang.

For a few moments there would be nothing but the echoing silence. Then the light above Lloyd's head would flicker out at the same time that his restraints came undone and the door unlocked. But the doctor would be long gone by that point.

Those few moments seemed to stretch into an eternity for Lloyd as a desperation sank into his chest, attacking his heart, making his breath come faster. Perversely, while the doctor had been here, he'd felt safer than being by himself. The doctor wouldn't stick around if there was any chance of Lloyd turning into a monster, not unless he truly was insane and didn't care if he risked his life. Locked up and alone, though, anything could happen, and he wouldn't have any way he could stop it. Not tied down like this! He pulled against his bonds again, struggling desperately despite the futility he'd already been proven this had.

Only to jerk and nearly fall off the table when the metal bands suddenly released his limbs. Lloyd let out a startled yelp, hastily reaching out to catch his balance by grabbing the edge of the table. His bruised wrist ached in protest at the move.

But he'd moved. He was free. As fast as he could, he scrambled off the table, gracelessly stumbling away with the irrational fear that he'd be trapped again if he stayed anywhere near the thing. His legs ached, too, as much from the damage he'd done to himself in his struggles to escape as from the fact that he'd been restrained for... for what? Hours? He didn't know, but it had been way too long. He had to slow down after a few steps before he lost his balance completely. He had to blink away spots of light as he recovered, afterimages of the blinding light that had been shining in his eyes, but even once they faded, he still couldn't see. The lights had turned off, leaving him in utter dark. That didn't stop him from practically lunging toward where he thought the the door was.

His aim was off. His hand ran into a wall, and it took several moments of blind groping before he found the knob of the door. He didn't run into anything else. He doubted there was anything else. The doctor had no doubt taken his tools with him, leaving nothing for Lloyd to arm himself with.

It didn't matter. He had to get out. That thought overruled even the realization that he was unarmed. It didn't matter even if his mana was still locked back. Even running into a monster out in the corridors would be better than staying here. Grabbing the knob, he twisted, fully prepared to throw himself at the door if it didn't open for him. Torn, cauterize skin screamed as muscles and tendons flexed with his fingers' grip, and he had to fight back a grunt.

But the door opened.

Not bothering to take the time to question his good fortune, not bothering to try to peer through the dark he fled, racing into the pitch black hall.

[To here.]

Edited 2013-03-25 16:04 (UTC)

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NIGHT 69: DISCIPLINARY THERAPY ROOM 1 [M-U FOR LLOYD IRVING]

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