Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Imprisoned ❯ Imprisoned 2 ( Chapter 2 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Helios82 
PLOT! no pr0n, though soem girl/girl petting.
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Hentai | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 07.26.2007 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.9K | Visits: 480 | Status: Work In Progress
PLOT! no pr0n, though soem girl/girl petting.
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Hentai | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 07.26.2007 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.9K | Visits: 480 | Status: Work In Progress
AN: Still unbeta'd. Typos are all me so feel free to let me know when they pop up. Concrit welcome and needed. Enjoy.
Imprisoned 2
Ashur hovered in the corner of the small room. He watched as Finweh's lifeless body was carried out of the room. Her long hair brushed the floor and her naked body gleamed with cool sweat and drying blood.
One of the men carrying her stopped and turned to the general area where Ashur was. “You are to go back to your designated area and await further instruction.” He turned back and helped guide Finweh's body down the narrow corridor and into an elevator.
Ashur concentrated on getting his astral self back into his physical body. Molecules shifted and in seconds he was opening his eyes to a dimly lit room. He sat up slowly and rubbed his forehead. Her magic was strong and left him dizzy. Everything about her had left him weak and reeling. He grinned. Another successful mission.
He was tired from being astral for so long and the sex had definitely taken its toll. He swung his long legs over the side of the bed and stood slowly. His legs were shaky and his stomach grumbled loudly.
“My goodness, didn't you get your fill with the witch or do you still need more?” A sultry voice greeted him from a dark corner of his room. He started then relaxed as he recognized the familiar features of Dark. Her dog, Dragon, sat by her side looking Ashur over with curiosity. Dragon had always made Ashur uncomfortable, as if the dog was more than a mere dog. He'd asked Dark many times if she was sure her wolfhound mix wasn't a shape shifter. She would laugh and assure him that Dragon was just a dog.
“Are you offering yourself as my dessert?” He grinned at her playfully. It was a shame that she had no interest in men. She was quite beautiful, with long auburn hair and piercing blue eyes. She was as tall as he was and carried herself like a proud warrior. She'd been in The Institution far longer than he had, but rarely spoke of her time there.
Dark stood and walked to him, looking him over maternally, checking for wounds. “You know better than that,” She walked around him, inspecting his back and arms. “You were astral for a long time. Are you alright?”
He nodded. “Yeah, it was her power that wore me out, truthfully. She was the princess of her tribe and was blessed with a wealth of uncontrolled elemental power. It was almost like a second personality was hidden away in her, and when she released her restraints, this other being emerged and she was magnificent.” His mouth watered with lust as he recalled her impressive magical talents. What he wouldn't give to possess such extreme power for more than just a few hours...
“It was your mission to kill her, right?” Dark folded her arms across her ample chest. When he didn't respond, she poked him in the ribs. “Ash, did you kill her?”
“Huh?” Her voice roused him from his reverie. “Oh, yeah. Of course I did.” He grinned, “You know I love the kill.” He smiled at the disgusted look on her face.
“It still surprises me how cold you can be. You are exactly what They wanted you to be, Ashur.” She rest her palm on Dragon's head as he began a low rumble of growling.
“Nobody made me anything. They just helped me better myself.” Ashur spat out, anger rising as the dark witch scoffed at his remark He didn't understand why she always insisted on arguing with him about morals. Killing was what he was trained for. It was what he was good at. He didn't know who had captured him or why, all he knew was that they had given him invaluable skills and enhanced his powers tenfold.
Dark strode towards him, backing him up against the wall. She pulled a dagger free from a belt at her hip. The silver blade touched his throat lightly. He could hear Dragon's snarling, but he didn't flinch. The two had fought before, in forced combat, but neither had been able to top the other. He waited, chin raised, exposing himself more to her.
“Better than what?” She pressed her body against his, daring him to touch her. Her voice dropped to a low whisper and her warm breath caressed his cheek. She definitely fought dirty. A grin spread across her face and he felt the blade press harder into his skin. “You were nothing but a waste of power, a meaningless existence filled with murdering and stealing for money, shelter, and whatever else you could profit from it. Getting caught was the best thing that could happen to you, isn't that what you think?”
He frowned at her and resisted the urge to grab her and push her away. He knew she'd hurt him if he touched her. Nobody touched Dark without her permission. He's seen the damage she could inflict; bodies combusting, limbs freezing and shattering, electricity frying people alive. He narrowed his green eyes at her. “Think ya got me pegged, huh? Think I was worthless?” He dared touching her, hoping this was another of their games, “If I was such a waste, why did they take me?” His hands rest on her hips, pushing her off him gently.
Dragon stepped closer to them and bared his fangs, snarling loudly. His shackles were raised and he lowered his head, assuming a fighting stance. Dark grinned at Ashur and dragged the blade across his skin, drawing a thin line of blood. This was something new for them. “They took you because as worthless as you are, your powers are valuable to them. They are using you. And you like it.”
The blade cutting into his skin made him narrow his eyes at her angrily. They had never drawn blood on purpose before. This was no game. She'd never spoken to him like this, so hurtfully, so cruelly. He shoved her away from him with a burst of power and rubbed at his neck gently. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He huffed.
She stumbled backwards, caught off guard by his sudden power. She dropped the knife and it slid across the floor and under his bed. The red on his throat caught her eye and she frowned. She hadn't meant to actually cut him, they were only playing, weren't they?
Dark glanced at Dragon, who was still snarling, and quieted him with a shaking palm on his head. Her head spun and she couldn't believe the words she'd said came out of her mouth. These were things that she'd always thought, but would never tell her only friend for fear of losing him, a fear that was now a serious reality. Yet her pride kept her quiet. She hurried over to him to check his wound, but stopped when he backed away from her. His eyes were narrowed with suspicion and she could feel his power radiating from him in huge waves. He was ready to attack her.
“I didn't mean to get carried away,” she explained by way of an apology, inching towards him, “Sekai can heal that for you, if you don't mind him being that close to you.” The mention of the resident healer whom she knew made Ashur uncomfortable did nothing to alleviate his anger, like she'd hoped. She reached for him, but a loud buzzing sound above his door made her snatch her hand back and step away from him. The Institution forbid any type of unauthorized, unsupervised physical contact.
The door opened and a tall woman strode in, looking down at a metallic clip board in her hands. Dark recognized the woman and allowed a small smile to creep across her face as memories of dark closets and tampered with surveillance cameras crowded her mind. She stroked Dragon's head absently, keeping her eyes on the woman as she spoke to Ashur without looking up from her clip board.
“A11482,” she addressed him by his inmate number, ever reminding them of their place in this concrete world they were now a part of. “You will go to building nine for debriefing and your next assignment,” she said in a monotone voice, ignoring the stares she received from the witch in the room. “You will then proceed to the medical building for tests.”
Ashur kept his hand over his bloodied throat, trying to think of an excuse as to how he got the cut. He was angry at Dark, but he couldn't get her in trouble. Then the words of the officer hit him. “Tests? What kind of tests?” He'd ever had to take medical tests before, what was the need this time? Was Finweh really that powerful?
“A11482, do not question orders. You are to leave immediately.” The woman raised her eyes finally and Ashur looked away, disgusted. She was a strange sort of half breed. A human mixed with a fox. Rumor had it she had been engineered as a prototype at The Institution and had been “defective” in combat, so they kept her on as staff. The only physical quality that gave her away as being non-human was her left eye. It was deeper set and glowed a deep golden yellow. It was slanted upwards was said to be able to see the power levels of other creatures. Half breeds were not held in high regard by the magical world, especially if they were part human. She had her golden eye fixed on him at the moment, waiting for him to leave.
“Fine.” He trudged out without a look to Dark.
Dark sat back down in the chair and crossed her long legs, enjoying the other woman's discomfort and trying not to think about what had happened with Ashur. She'd speak to him later, she decided.
'”Aeron, it's been a while, thought you might have forgotten about me.”
The woman looked at her and frowned. “Please do not address me by my first name, D52673.” She glanced quickly at the camera above Ashur's bed in explanation for her coldness.
Dark nodded slightly in understanding, then headed towards the door to leave. Dragon followed, stopping to sniff at Aeron before growling lowly in recognition. “Excuse me, Officer Ocean.”
“No, I have orders for you as well. Come with me.” Dark had long since stopped questioning how They always seemed to know where she was. Aeron led the way down the hall and stopped in front of elevators, not looking at Dark. She pressed the down button and waited, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.
Dark waited beside the other woman, hoping for some kind of signal that it was okay to talk to her. She hadn't seen the half breed in over a month and had actually begun to miss their liaisons. She wrinkled her nose in dislike at the stiff red braid that hung down an even stiffer back. Something was definitely wrong. “Aeron?” she whispered, looking around casually for security cameras. She sent a sharp glance at Dragon, urging him to go back to their cell and wait for her. He huffed, but obeyed, keeping close to the walls as he stalked off.
There was no response from the woman other than the stainless steel doors opening and the officer stepping in, holding the door for Dark. As the witch crossed into the elevator, Aeron barely whispered, “Glamour.” She pressed 11 and turned her attention to her clip board.
Dark grinned, finally getting the signal she needed. She concentrated on the doors in front of her and said a silent spell, similar to looping the video on the camera to look as if nothing was happening. The spell was going to be short lived because there were beings here who were trained to detect these types of spells and would catch on quickly. The spell itself it was not one of her natural spells, she'd had to learn this one from another witch specifically at the request of Aeron when they'd first become intimate.
As soon as she was sure the spell was in effect, she turned and roughly pushed the other woman against the wall of the elevator, capturing her mouth in a kiss. She moaned as Aeron returned the kiss hungrily and pulled her slender hips against her body.
“I could never forget about you, Dark,” she mumbled as she felt hands ravage her body eagerly.
Dark pulled away, but kept her hands on Aeron, grateful for the few moments they had together. “Where have you been? I haven't had an assignment in weeks.” She lowered her head and nuzzled the other's neck, taking comfort in the familiar scent of the fox.
Aeron tried to resist the urge to strip the already barely dressed witch, but controlled herself. “I have news for you. I have been on an assignment of my own, Dark.”
There was fear in her voice and her body was tensed. Dark raised her head and looked at her lover, waiting.
“They have had me scanning and testing the DNA and blood samples of all the inmates here. They've had me on constant surveillance, I was never alone,” she idly stroked Dark's cheek as she spoke. “They have a new way to 'create' their own army, and you are part of their plan. I don't know details, all I know is that They have a list of about 10 males and 10 females that They are going to use somehow, in some elaborate breeding process. You are on the list.”
Dark stepped away from Aeron, a feeling of primal mistrust rearing it's ugly head. Her mind tried to wrap around the information she'd just been given, but she kept faltering at the idea of breeding. Her breathing was coming in short gasps and the familiar tug on her senses of a fading spell nagged at the periphery of mind.
“I don't understand,” Dark muttered, backing up again as she felt the spell end. Aeron fixed her mismatched eyes on the witch and tried to regain her former posture of authority. She could also tell that the spell was ending, most likely cut short due to Dark's sudden inability to concentrate. She sighed and began the task of straightening her clothes and adjusting her mussed hair.
The elevator hummed softly, the only noise in the small space. They rode in silence until the doors opened and Aeron led them down another narrow hallway. She kept her back rigid and her face a blank slate, an act she had perfected over time.
At a set of glass doors, she punched in her security code and gestured for Dark to enter ahead of her. The room on the other side of the door was one of many white debriefing rooms that most of the beings in The Institution were familiar with. Dark sat on one side of a stainless steel table and placed her hands on it, palms flat against the cool steel.
A man entered the room and both women grimaced at the hiss of the door sealing shut. These rooms were all guarded by magic of all kinds, meant to deplete the power of it's non-human inhabitants, including Aeron. She watched Dark squeeze her eyes shut as the power drained from her, the golden glow of her own fox eye simmering down to a dull hue. She could no longer sense the magic around her and found it as disarming this time as she did each time it happened. She took her place standing against the wall behind the man, who was now seated across from Dark.
He cleared his throat and gestured the the glass pitcher in the middle of the table. “Water, D52673?” He smiled at her politely.
Dark shook her head, red bangs falling in her eyes. She refused to look at this human. Her natural dislike of humans was amplified when he was around. She knew him to be the creator of Aeron, and the one in charge of direct interaction between the humans and the inmates. He was usually encouraging the mistreatment of them by the guards and frequently subjected many beings to needless, cruel forms of torture. His smile as he watched them being beaten insured her that this particular human was inherently evil.
He nodded slightly and looked through a manila file he'd brought with him. His hands clasped together on top of the papers and he finally looked up at her after what seemed a lifetime of reading. He still said nothing, just looked her over with that same nauseating smile plastered to his face.
The red head controlled the urge to holler at him, digging her nails into the steel and gritting her teeth. She chanced a look at his face now, waiting impatiently for him to elaborate on what Aeron had already told her.
“Well, Dark, I am here to tell you about your next assignment. It's a fun one!” His smile got impossibly wider as he looked her over. She did not respond.
“We have decided to continue our research on creating the perfect breed of creature, much like our Officer Ocean here,” he gestured absently to Aeron before continuing, “But the problem lies in getting the right balance of human rationale and inmate power.”
Dark stifled the scoff that begged to escape her lips at the thought of applying the word rationale to humans. Instead she nodded for him to keep going.
“With Officer Ocean, we got the power right, but not the rationale.” Dark cocked her head slightly, confused. She thought Aeron would be exactly what they wanted; a perfect mix of useful power and calculating manipulation.
His voice darkened with his next words. “Had she been a better prototype, she would not be sneaking around with you.”
Twin gasps resounded in the room as the women realized they had been caught. Dark caught Aeron's eye and tried to convey a silent apology. She regretted the last time they had spent together, wishing for another chance to tell the half breed how she felt.
Aeron slumped against the wall and could not hear the man speaking anymore as he explained how they had been caught and that They'd known all along. She knew what her punishment would be, but still she feared not having another moment with Dark more than her now impending death. Her body felt heavy and her heartbeat drummed loudly in her ears. She cast her eyes to the floor and fought to not cry.
The man droned on, ignoring the disbelief on the witch's face. “We need someone whose power is dark enough to drown out the human imperfections, such as need and sympathy. You possess such a power, being a dark witch.” He chuckled at this, finding humor in her name and her power.
Finally she looked in his eyes. They were black as night and deep set in his face. She could see no warmth there, no compassion. She frowned as the smile that pulled at his lips did not reach those black pools of evil. The menace there radiated across the table and she suddenly felt that even at full power, she would be no match for this human.
“Anyway, the engineers have devised a way to breed multiple specimens with little to no casualties. You see,” he leaned closer to her as if they were friends sharing a secret, “We were using blood and semen samples from inmates and trying to cross breed them with blood samples from select humans, but we failed.
Our problems were such that only beginners make, but we have learned from our mistakes. We were using blood samples at first and doing everything in the lab. Then we tried injecting the blood into a living human, which ended fatally for the test subjects. Turns out that we don't react well with your filthy blood contaminating ours.” He sneered as he spoke, oblivious to Dark's glare.
“At last we decided to use semen samples injected into human females, and our hopes were high. What a let down when woman after woman died before the second trimester.” Dark was appalled. This man, these people were willing to sacrifice countless of their own to further the need for power. They were everything that she had been taught to hate, everything vile and loathsome about humanity was embodied in this place and it's ruthless workers.
“We discovered that the problem was, unfortunately, the fault of the human participants. They were not strong enough to handle the infusions we gave them. And besides that, it was getting expensive to find subjects to test on. We couldn't exactly tell them what we were doing, now could we?” The man sat back and crossed his legs. He was enjoying her discomfort, it was obvious by the smug look on his face.
“The females of your kind are now our new test subjects. And to add some spice to the mix, we are not only going to breed you with humans, we are going to cross breed between the various types of beings we have collected in our little menagerie.”
This was news to Aeron, but it explained why she had been doing so much research on the inmate's powers and collecting data for the past month. She hadn't known what she was doing, only following orders. She glanced at Dark and sighed unhappily as she recognized confusion on her lover's pretty face, but she dared not speak out of turn.
The man stood and began pacing on his side of the room, gaining a feral smile from Dark. She knew he wouldn't cross over to her side, and that he'd keep his distance from Aeron as well, especially knowing that the half breed had disobeyed them already. He still fears us even when he knows we are powerless in here. He may not be so stupid after all.
“We are going to bypass infusions this time around to save time and money. Also, as much as our resources say that your kind is dispensable, we would rather not have to go through the tedious process of disposing of you when things don't work.” He held up his hands in apology, as if she should be grateful for the practicality of all of this.
“I suppose you wonder how this concerns you, don't you?” He didn't wait for her to reply. “You, along with four other women, will be bred with five inmates of a certain appearance and DNA type. You have been selected for two reasons; your humanoid features and your incredible powers. The other five women of the ten of you will be mated with humans to balance out the chance of getting non-humanoid features. They are the variable group, where as you are in the control group. Not everyone can be as beautiful as you, Dark.” He laughed again and stopped pacing, staring at her to see her reaction.
She had been silent the whole time in order to not get punished for speaking out of turn. Her silence now was due to her complete disbelief at what she had just been told. Her 'assignment' was to mate with other inmates that were specifically chosen for her and produce offspring that would later be used in some twisted, half breed army of magical drones.
The initial surges of defiance and rage were barely reigned in the slender body sitting at the low table. Dark thought about her options as she watched the man across from her. He'd stopped looking at her now and was instructing Aeron on where to take D52673 for the first round of her assignment.
She could refuse, and be put to death. Or she could try to escape, which she'd already done. That had rewarded her with a session of horrific torture followed by a full month in solitary with no food or water. Apparently, They had learned that her kind could survive longer without either substance. Escape this time would lead to more torture, which in turn would end in her death.
Red hair fell over her shoulders as she hung her head in defeat. There was nothing she could do at this point. Better to think things over and not rush into anything. She needed to stay alive long enough to work out a plan.
His voice interrupted her thoughts and drew her eyes to his. “You will now go with Officer Ocean to the medical wing. Your first male is awaiting you.” He crossed his arms over his broad chest and followed her movements as she rose and headed towards the sealed doors.
The women were almost out the door when he called to Aeron. “Officer Ocean, you will report to me immediately when you are done escorting the inmate.” There was no need for him to tell her not to try to escape, nor was there any need for explanation of what was going to happen to her. She nodded her acquiescence and briskly led Dark across the building in silence.
oOo
Ashur was still in shock after his debriefing. He'd let the Leech do it's thing and drain him of the magic he'd stolen from Finweh. It was slightly painful and left him feeling empty after it detached itself from his hand.
He'd been expecting a new target, but was stunned to silence when he was told he would be required to mate with another of his kind in order to produce offspring. No power stealing, no using his astral self. Just sex with some chick. Five chicks! In theory, he could not see how this would be bad at all. In fact, he thought he was being rewarded for good behaviour. He didn't even mind the idea of kids.
But then he was told their goal. An army of beings created with specific powers and used only for destruction. He was chosen because of his unique gift of absorption and his ability to project an astral body. He was virtually invincible, and he loved it.
When They'd brought him here, he could barely contain one weak power for more than a few minutes, and his astral self was hardly able to be corporeal at all. They had cast a spell on him, an awakening, and all of a sudden he could take three or four extremely strong powers and keep them for up to five hours. His astral body was no longer a flimsy hologram, but could be a solid being if he so desired and could be projected over many miles, though it taxed him to do so.
The drawback to taking the powers of another was that that other being had to die. There was no way for him to control how much he took. When he was learning how to use his powers as a child, he tried to stop it, to put a limit on it, but it never worked. The feeling of taking was too strong and it overwhelmed him. He would sob after, laying his small body over theirs and crying out to whoever was listening that he was sorry.
After a while, he stopped using his powers and tried to live among humans, but that too failed. He learned that he could drain humans of their life force just by touching them. He didn't even need to concentrate on using his powers, it just happened. His heart broke when the girl in his arms fell listlessly to the floor. His kiss, he thought, had killed her.
It wasn't long until he started to block out the pain. He began to harden, steeling himself against the hurt it caused him. He took jobs for people, magical and not. It brought him money and shelter and he spent millions trying to soothe the ache that loneliness had given him. They found him as he was dumping the body of a human man into a river. They did not need to say much to get his cooperation. He went with Them willingly, eager for the power boost they promised and eager satisfy the need to kill again that had grown in him.
Dark was right, he was no more than a puppet to them, but she didn't know how much he loved it. She had no idea the adrenaline that coursed through his veins after taking a very potent power and letting it fill him up. The body he stole it from was nothing more than a curious thing for him now. He needed to feel filled, and if someone had to die to make that burning need go away, so be it. He was invincible, nothing could touch him. When Finweh had taken her last breath, it as as if he had stolen that as well as her magnificent power.
The burning crept back now that he'd been drained, but he shoved it down as he sat waiting for his first mate to show up. He'd been silent about the whole plan, ignoring the nagging feeling of wrongness that was hovering in the back of his mind. It was sex, which was good, but his main concern was how to not absorb this creatures power. Sex made it hard for him to concentrate. He hoped They had another spell up their sleeve, because even though a magical being could withstand it, eventually, they would die too, and then there would be no offspring to corrupt.
A frown tugged at his lips and he tried to think of more pleasant things, like the supple body that was going to be all his. Hell, They know what they are doing, I just need to do as I'm told. He chuckled. His eyes closed as he imagined Dark writhing under him. Her body would betray her desire for only women. He would show her what she'd been missing. He would hurt her for hurting him.
His thoughts consumed him and he didn't hear the footsteps approach. “What a lecherous grin you have, A11482.”
He looked up at the officer standing in front of him and his grin faded. “Just thinking of all the ways I can please Them in this assignment, Officer.”
The squat man frowned at him. He was obviously tired from the way he was slouching and in no mood for jokes from the likes of this inmate. He shoved a timid looking girl at Ashur and pointed to one of the examination rooms. “You will be under surveillance. There is a time limit of one hour. If you cannot complete the assignment, you will be punished. If you fail a second time, you will be put down.”
Ashur nodded. Surveillance meant there would be people watching and spells and wards in place so that their power would either be limited or completely disabled. His didn't like the feeling of not having his powers if he needed them, but why would he need to use them against this girl?
He looked her over and sighed. She was almost a foot shorter than him, with shock of black hair hanging ear length. Her eyes were dark gray and focused on him with a look of total fear. Her arms were crossed over her small chest and she kept shifting her weight from side to side. He was disappointed, but sex was sex. He wasn't about to turn it down.
The officer punched in his code and the door to the nearest examination room opened with a loud hiss. He motioned for them to enter. “A11482, this is D10150. You have one hour.” He closed the door and they could hear the beeping of keys as his code locked them in.
After feeling all his power drain, he glanced around, noting no windows or doors, and no two-way mirror that he'd expected. D10150 scampered to the nearest wall and plastered herself against it. He smiled at her. He liked the chase.
“So, you know they are watching us, somehow.” Ashur ventured as he pressed his hand against the mattress of the cot they were given. He figured that small talk would make her ease up, and give him time to adjust to the brightness of the lights above them, and the overall stark, unsexiness of the room. Guess I'm not gonna be romancing her in these accommodations.
She was at his throat as he turned to offer her a smile. Her lips were pulled back, baring her teeth, and her sharp nails were digging into his throat. “You don't recognize me, do you?”
He swallowed thickly. How come she had her powers, but he didn't have his? Her nails dug deeper, demanding a reply from him.
“No,” He croaked. He wondered how much was allowed before someone came in to put a stop to their fighting.
Gray eyes narrowed at him and she emitted a low growl. She moved her nose close to his face and took a deep breath. He swallowed again, excitement building in him. He liked it a little rough.
“It's me, Dragon.”
Imprisoned 2
Ashur hovered in the corner of the small room. He watched as Finweh's lifeless body was carried out of the room. Her long hair brushed the floor and her naked body gleamed with cool sweat and drying blood.
One of the men carrying her stopped and turned to the general area where Ashur was. “You are to go back to your designated area and await further instruction.” He turned back and helped guide Finweh's body down the narrow corridor and into an elevator.
Ashur concentrated on getting his astral self back into his physical body. Molecules shifted and in seconds he was opening his eyes to a dimly lit room. He sat up slowly and rubbed his forehead. Her magic was strong and left him dizzy. Everything about her had left him weak and reeling. He grinned. Another successful mission.
He was tired from being astral for so long and the sex had definitely taken its toll. He swung his long legs over the side of the bed and stood slowly. His legs were shaky and his stomach grumbled loudly.
“My goodness, didn't you get your fill with the witch or do you still need more?” A sultry voice greeted him from a dark corner of his room. He started then relaxed as he recognized the familiar features of Dark. Her dog, Dragon, sat by her side looking Ashur over with curiosity. Dragon had always made Ashur uncomfortable, as if the dog was more than a mere dog. He'd asked Dark many times if she was sure her wolfhound mix wasn't a shape shifter. She would laugh and assure him that Dragon was just a dog.
“Are you offering yourself as my dessert?” He grinned at her playfully. It was a shame that she had no interest in men. She was quite beautiful, with long auburn hair and piercing blue eyes. She was as tall as he was and carried herself like a proud warrior. She'd been in The Institution far longer than he had, but rarely spoke of her time there.
Dark stood and walked to him, looking him over maternally, checking for wounds. “You know better than that,” She walked around him, inspecting his back and arms. “You were astral for a long time. Are you alright?”
He nodded. “Yeah, it was her power that wore me out, truthfully. She was the princess of her tribe and was blessed with a wealth of uncontrolled elemental power. It was almost like a second personality was hidden away in her, and when she released her restraints, this other being emerged and she was magnificent.” His mouth watered with lust as he recalled her impressive magical talents. What he wouldn't give to possess such extreme power for more than just a few hours...
“It was your mission to kill her, right?” Dark folded her arms across her ample chest. When he didn't respond, she poked him in the ribs. “Ash, did you kill her?”
“Huh?” Her voice roused him from his reverie. “Oh, yeah. Of course I did.” He grinned, “You know I love the kill.” He smiled at the disgusted look on her face.
“It still surprises me how cold you can be. You are exactly what They wanted you to be, Ashur.” She rest her palm on Dragon's head as he began a low rumble of growling.
“Nobody made me anything. They just helped me better myself.” Ashur spat out, anger rising as the dark witch scoffed at his remark He didn't understand why she always insisted on arguing with him about morals. Killing was what he was trained for. It was what he was good at. He didn't know who had captured him or why, all he knew was that they had given him invaluable skills and enhanced his powers tenfold.
Dark strode towards him, backing him up against the wall. She pulled a dagger free from a belt at her hip. The silver blade touched his throat lightly. He could hear Dragon's snarling, but he didn't flinch. The two had fought before, in forced combat, but neither had been able to top the other. He waited, chin raised, exposing himself more to her.
“Better than what?” She pressed her body against his, daring him to touch her. Her voice dropped to a low whisper and her warm breath caressed his cheek. She definitely fought dirty. A grin spread across her face and he felt the blade press harder into his skin. “You were nothing but a waste of power, a meaningless existence filled with murdering and stealing for money, shelter, and whatever else you could profit from it. Getting caught was the best thing that could happen to you, isn't that what you think?”
He frowned at her and resisted the urge to grab her and push her away. He knew she'd hurt him if he touched her. Nobody touched Dark without her permission. He's seen the damage she could inflict; bodies combusting, limbs freezing and shattering, electricity frying people alive. He narrowed his green eyes at her. “Think ya got me pegged, huh? Think I was worthless?” He dared touching her, hoping this was another of their games, “If I was such a waste, why did they take me?” His hands rest on her hips, pushing her off him gently.
Dragon stepped closer to them and bared his fangs, snarling loudly. His shackles were raised and he lowered his head, assuming a fighting stance. Dark grinned at Ashur and dragged the blade across his skin, drawing a thin line of blood. This was something new for them. “They took you because as worthless as you are, your powers are valuable to them. They are using you. And you like it.”
The blade cutting into his skin made him narrow his eyes at her angrily. They had never drawn blood on purpose before. This was no game. She'd never spoken to him like this, so hurtfully, so cruelly. He shoved her away from him with a burst of power and rubbed at his neck gently. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He huffed.
She stumbled backwards, caught off guard by his sudden power. She dropped the knife and it slid across the floor and under his bed. The red on his throat caught her eye and she frowned. She hadn't meant to actually cut him, they were only playing, weren't they?
Dark glanced at Dragon, who was still snarling, and quieted him with a shaking palm on his head. Her head spun and she couldn't believe the words she'd said came out of her mouth. These were things that she'd always thought, but would never tell her only friend for fear of losing him, a fear that was now a serious reality. Yet her pride kept her quiet. She hurried over to him to check his wound, but stopped when he backed away from her. His eyes were narrowed with suspicion and she could feel his power radiating from him in huge waves. He was ready to attack her.
“I didn't mean to get carried away,” she explained by way of an apology, inching towards him, “Sekai can heal that for you, if you don't mind him being that close to you.” The mention of the resident healer whom she knew made Ashur uncomfortable did nothing to alleviate his anger, like she'd hoped. She reached for him, but a loud buzzing sound above his door made her snatch her hand back and step away from him. The Institution forbid any type of unauthorized, unsupervised physical contact.
The door opened and a tall woman strode in, looking down at a metallic clip board in her hands. Dark recognized the woman and allowed a small smile to creep across her face as memories of dark closets and tampered with surveillance cameras crowded her mind. She stroked Dragon's head absently, keeping her eyes on the woman as she spoke to Ashur without looking up from her clip board.
“A11482,” she addressed him by his inmate number, ever reminding them of their place in this concrete world they were now a part of. “You will go to building nine for debriefing and your next assignment,” she said in a monotone voice, ignoring the stares she received from the witch in the room. “You will then proceed to the medical building for tests.”
Ashur kept his hand over his bloodied throat, trying to think of an excuse as to how he got the cut. He was angry at Dark, but he couldn't get her in trouble. Then the words of the officer hit him. “Tests? What kind of tests?” He'd ever had to take medical tests before, what was the need this time? Was Finweh really that powerful?
“A11482, do not question orders. You are to leave immediately.” The woman raised her eyes finally and Ashur looked away, disgusted. She was a strange sort of half breed. A human mixed with a fox. Rumor had it she had been engineered as a prototype at The Institution and had been “defective” in combat, so they kept her on as staff. The only physical quality that gave her away as being non-human was her left eye. It was deeper set and glowed a deep golden yellow. It was slanted upwards was said to be able to see the power levels of other creatures. Half breeds were not held in high regard by the magical world, especially if they were part human. She had her golden eye fixed on him at the moment, waiting for him to leave.
“Fine.” He trudged out without a look to Dark.
Dark sat back down in the chair and crossed her long legs, enjoying the other woman's discomfort and trying not to think about what had happened with Ashur. She'd speak to him later, she decided.
'”Aeron, it's been a while, thought you might have forgotten about me.”
The woman looked at her and frowned. “Please do not address me by my first name, D52673.” She glanced quickly at the camera above Ashur's bed in explanation for her coldness.
Dark nodded slightly in understanding, then headed towards the door to leave. Dragon followed, stopping to sniff at Aeron before growling lowly in recognition. “Excuse me, Officer Ocean.”
“No, I have orders for you as well. Come with me.” Dark had long since stopped questioning how They always seemed to know where she was. Aeron led the way down the hall and stopped in front of elevators, not looking at Dark. She pressed the down button and waited, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.
Dark waited beside the other woman, hoping for some kind of signal that it was okay to talk to her. She hadn't seen the half breed in over a month and had actually begun to miss their liaisons. She wrinkled her nose in dislike at the stiff red braid that hung down an even stiffer back. Something was definitely wrong. “Aeron?” she whispered, looking around casually for security cameras. She sent a sharp glance at Dragon, urging him to go back to their cell and wait for her. He huffed, but obeyed, keeping close to the walls as he stalked off.
There was no response from the woman other than the stainless steel doors opening and the officer stepping in, holding the door for Dark. As the witch crossed into the elevator, Aeron barely whispered, “Glamour.” She pressed 11 and turned her attention to her clip board.
Dark grinned, finally getting the signal she needed. She concentrated on the doors in front of her and said a silent spell, similar to looping the video on the camera to look as if nothing was happening. The spell was going to be short lived because there were beings here who were trained to detect these types of spells and would catch on quickly. The spell itself it was not one of her natural spells, she'd had to learn this one from another witch specifically at the request of Aeron when they'd first become intimate.
As soon as she was sure the spell was in effect, she turned and roughly pushed the other woman against the wall of the elevator, capturing her mouth in a kiss. She moaned as Aeron returned the kiss hungrily and pulled her slender hips against her body.
“I could never forget about you, Dark,” she mumbled as she felt hands ravage her body eagerly.
Dark pulled away, but kept her hands on Aeron, grateful for the few moments they had together. “Where have you been? I haven't had an assignment in weeks.” She lowered her head and nuzzled the other's neck, taking comfort in the familiar scent of the fox.
Aeron tried to resist the urge to strip the already barely dressed witch, but controlled herself. “I have news for you. I have been on an assignment of my own, Dark.”
There was fear in her voice and her body was tensed. Dark raised her head and looked at her lover, waiting.
“They have had me scanning and testing the DNA and blood samples of all the inmates here. They've had me on constant surveillance, I was never alone,” she idly stroked Dark's cheek as she spoke. “They have a new way to 'create' their own army, and you are part of their plan. I don't know details, all I know is that They have a list of about 10 males and 10 females that They are going to use somehow, in some elaborate breeding process. You are on the list.”
Dark stepped away from Aeron, a feeling of primal mistrust rearing it's ugly head. Her mind tried to wrap around the information she'd just been given, but she kept faltering at the idea of breeding. Her breathing was coming in short gasps and the familiar tug on her senses of a fading spell nagged at the periphery of mind.
“I don't understand,” Dark muttered, backing up again as she felt the spell end. Aeron fixed her mismatched eyes on the witch and tried to regain her former posture of authority. She could also tell that the spell was ending, most likely cut short due to Dark's sudden inability to concentrate. She sighed and began the task of straightening her clothes and adjusting her mussed hair.
The elevator hummed softly, the only noise in the small space. They rode in silence until the doors opened and Aeron led them down another narrow hallway. She kept her back rigid and her face a blank slate, an act she had perfected over time.
At a set of glass doors, she punched in her security code and gestured for Dark to enter ahead of her. The room on the other side of the door was one of many white debriefing rooms that most of the beings in The Institution were familiar with. Dark sat on one side of a stainless steel table and placed her hands on it, palms flat against the cool steel.
A man entered the room and both women grimaced at the hiss of the door sealing shut. These rooms were all guarded by magic of all kinds, meant to deplete the power of it's non-human inhabitants, including Aeron. She watched Dark squeeze her eyes shut as the power drained from her, the golden glow of her own fox eye simmering down to a dull hue. She could no longer sense the magic around her and found it as disarming this time as she did each time it happened. She took her place standing against the wall behind the man, who was now seated across from Dark.
He cleared his throat and gestured the the glass pitcher in the middle of the table. “Water, D52673?” He smiled at her politely.
Dark shook her head, red bangs falling in her eyes. She refused to look at this human. Her natural dislike of humans was amplified when he was around. She knew him to be the creator of Aeron, and the one in charge of direct interaction between the humans and the inmates. He was usually encouraging the mistreatment of them by the guards and frequently subjected many beings to needless, cruel forms of torture. His smile as he watched them being beaten insured her that this particular human was inherently evil.
He nodded slightly and looked through a manila file he'd brought with him. His hands clasped together on top of the papers and he finally looked up at her after what seemed a lifetime of reading. He still said nothing, just looked her over with that same nauseating smile plastered to his face.
The red head controlled the urge to holler at him, digging her nails into the steel and gritting her teeth. She chanced a look at his face now, waiting impatiently for him to elaborate on what Aeron had already told her.
“Well, Dark, I am here to tell you about your next assignment. It's a fun one!” His smile got impossibly wider as he looked her over. She did not respond.
“We have decided to continue our research on creating the perfect breed of creature, much like our Officer Ocean here,” he gestured absently to Aeron before continuing, “But the problem lies in getting the right balance of human rationale and inmate power.”
Dark stifled the scoff that begged to escape her lips at the thought of applying the word rationale to humans. Instead she nodded for him to keep going.
“With Officer Ocean, we got the power right, but not the rationale.” Dark cocked her head slightly, confused. She thought Aeron would be exactly what they wanted; a perfect mix of useful power and calculating manipulation.
His voice darkened with his next words. “Had she been a better prototype, she would not be sneaking around with you.”
Twin gasps resounded in the room as the women realized they had been caught. Dark caught Aeron's eye and tried to convey a silent apology. She regretted the last time they had spent together, wishing for another chance to tell the half breed how she felt.
Aeron slumped against the wall and could not hear the man speaking anymore as he explained how they had been caught and that They'd known all along. She knew what her punishment would be, but still she feared not having another moment with Dark more than her now impending death. Her body felt heavy and her heartbeat drummed loudly in her ears. She cast her eyes to the floor and fought to not cry.
The man droned on, ignoring the disbelief on the witch's face. “We need someone whose power is dark enough to drown out the human imperfections, such as need and sympathy. You possess such a power, being a dark witch.” He chuckled at this, finding humor in her name and her power.
Finally she looked in his eyes. They were black as night and deep set in his face. She could see no warmth there, no compassion. She frowned as the smile that pulled at his lips did not reach those black pools of evil. The menace there radiated across the table and she suddenly felt that even at full power, she would be no match for this human.
“Anyway, the engineers have devised a way to breed multiple specimens with little to no casualties. You see,” he leaned closer to her as if they were friends sharing a secret, “We were using blood and semen samples from inmates and trying to cross breed them with blood samples from select humans, but we failed.
Our problems were such that only beginners make, but we have learned from our mistakes. We were using blood samples at first and doing everything in the lab. Then we tried injecting the blood into a living human, which ended fatally for the test subjects. Turns out that we don't react well with your filthy blood contaminating ours.” He sneered as he spoke, oblivious to Dark's glare.
“At last we decided to use semen samples injected into human females, and our hopes were high. What a let down when woman after woman died before the second trimester.” Dark was appalled. This man, these people were willing to sacrifice countless of their own to further the need for power. They were everything that she had been taught to hate, everything vile and loathsome about humanity was embodied in this place and it's ruthless workers.
“We discovered that the problem was, unfortunately, the fault of the human participants. They were not strong enough to handle the infusions we gave them. And besides that, it was getting expensive to find subjects to test on. We couldn't exactly tell them what we were doing, now could we?” The man sat back and crossed his legs. He was enjoying her discomfort, it was obvious by the smug look on his face.
“The females of your kind are now our new test subjects. And to add some spice to the mix, we are not only going to breed you with humans, we are going to cross breed between the various types of beings we have collected in our little menagerie.”
This was news to Aeron, but it explained why she had been doing so much research on the inmate's powers and collecting data for the past month. She hadn't known what she was doing, only following orders. She glanced at Dark and sighed unhappily as she recognized confusion on her lover's pretty face, but she dared not speak out of turn.
The man stood and began pacing on his side of the room, gaining a feral smile from Dark. She knew he wouldn't cross over to her side, and that he'd keep his distance from Aeron as well, especially knowing that the half breed had disobeyed them already. He still fears us even when he knows we are powerless in here. He may not be so stupid after all.
“We are going to bypass infusions this time around to save time and money. Also, as much as our resources say that your kind is dispensable, we would rather not have to go through the tedious process of disposing of you when things don't work.” He held up his hands in apology, as if she should be grateful for the practicality of all of this.
“I suppose you wonder how this concerns you, don't you?” He didn't wait for her to reply. “You, along with four other women, will be bred with five inmates of a certain appearance and DNA type. You have been selected for two reasons; your humanoid features and your incredible powers. The other five women of the ten of you will be mated with humans to balance out the chance of getting non-humanoid features. They are the variable group, where as you are in the control group. Not everyone can be as beautiful as you, Dark.” He laughed again and stopped pacing, staring at her to see her reaction.
She had been silent the whole time in order to not get punished for speaking out of turn. Her silence now was due to her complete disbelief at what she had just been told. Her 'assignment' was to mate with other inmates that were specifically chosen for her and produce offspring that would later be used in some twisted, half breed army of magical drones.
The initial surges of defiance and rage were barely reigned in the slender body sitting at the low table. Dark thought about her options as she watched the man across from her. He'd stopped looking at her now and was instructing Aeron on where to take D52673 for the first round of her assignment.
She could refuse, and be put to death. Or she could try to escape, which she'd already done. That had rewarded her with a session of horrific torture followed by a full month in solitary with no food or water. Apparently, They had learned that her kind could survive longer without either substance. Escape this time would lead to more torture, which in turn would end in her death.
Red hair fell over her shoulders as she hung her head in defeat. There was nothing she could do at this point. Better to think things over and not rush into anything. She needed to stay alive long enough to work out a plan.
His voice interrupted her thoughts and drew her eyes to his. “You will now go with Officer Ocean to the medical wing. Your first male is awaiting you.” He crossed his arms over his broad chest and followed her movements as she rose and headed towards the sealed doors.
The women were almost out the door when he called to Aeron. “Officer Ocean, you will report to me immediately when you are done escorting the inmate.” There was no need for him to tell her not to try to escape, nor was there any need for explanation of what was going to happen to her. She nodded her acquiescence and briskly led Dark across the building in silence.
oOo
Ashur was still in shock after his debriefing. He'd let the Leech do it's thing and drain him of the magic he'd stolen from Finweh. It was slightly painful and left him feeling empty after it detached itself from his hand.
He'd been expecting a new target, but was stunned to silence when he was told he would be required to mate with another of his kind in order to produce offspring. No power stealing, no using his astral self. Just sex with some chick. Five chicks! In theory, he could not see how this would be bad at all. In fact, he thought he was being rewarded for good behaviour. He didn't even mind the idea of kids.
But then he was told their goal. An army of beings created with specific powers and used only for destruction. He was chosen because of his unique gift of absorption and his ability to project an astral body. He was virtually invincible, and he loved it.
When They'd brought him here, he could barely contain one weak power for more than a few minutes, and his astral self was hardly able to be corporeal at all. They had cast a spell on him, an awakening, and all of a sudden he could take three or four extremely strong powers and keep them for up to five hours. His astral body was no longer a flimsy hologram, but could be a solid being if he so desired and could be projected over many miles, though it taxed him to do so.
The drawback to taking the powers of another was that that other being had to die. There was no way for him to control how much he took. When he was learning how to use his powers as a child, he tried to stop it, to put a limit on it, but it never worked. The feeling of taking was too strong and it overwhelmed him. He would sob after, laying his small body over theirs and crying out to whoever was listening that he was sorry.
After a while, he stopped using his powers and tried to live among humans, but that too failed. He learned that he could drain humans of their life force just by touching them. He didn't even need to concentrate on using his powers, it just happened. His heart broke when the girl in his arms fell listlessly to the floor. His kiss, he thought, had killed her.
It wasn't long until he started to block out the pain. He began to harden, steeling himself against the hurt it caused him. He took jobs for people, magical and not. It brought him money and shelter and he spent millions trying to soothe the ache that loneliness had given him. They found him as he was dumping the body of a human man into a river. They did not need to say much to get his cooperation. He went with Them willingly, eager for the power boost they promised and eager satisfy the need to kill again that had grown in him.
Dark was right, he was no more than a puppet to them, but she didn't know how much he loved it. She had no idea the adrenaline that coursed through his veins after taking a very potent power and letting it fill him up. The body he stole it from was nothing more than a curious thing for him now. He needed to feel filled, and if someone had to die to make that burning need go away, so be it. He was invincible, nothing could touch him. When Finweh had taken her last breath, it as as if he had stolen that as well as her magnificent power.
The burning crept back now that he'd been drained, but he shoved it down as he sat waiting for his first mate to show up. He'd been silent about the whole plan, ignoring the nagging feeling of wrongness that was hovering in the back of his mind. It was sex, which was good, but his main concern was how to not absorb this creatures power. Sex made it hard for him to concentrate. He hoped They had another spell up their sleeve, because even though a magical being could withstand it, eventually, they would die too, and then there would be no offspring to corrupt.
A frown tugged at his lips and he tried to think of more pleasant things, like the supple body that was going to be all his. Hell, They know what they are doing, I just need to do as I'm told. He chuckled. His eyes closed as he imagined Dark writhing under him. Her body would betray her desire for only women. He would show her what she'd been missing. He would hurt her for hurting him.
His thoughts consumed him and he didn't hear the footsteps approach. “What a lecherous grin you have, A11482.”
He looked up at the officer standing in front of him and his grin faded. “Just thinking of all the ways I can please Them in this assignment, Officer.”
The squat man frowned at him. He was obviously tired from the way he was slouching and in no mood for jokes from the likes of this inmate. He shoved a timid looking girl at Ashur and pointed to one of the examination rooms. “You will be under surveillance. There is a time limit of one hour. If you cannot complete the assignment, you will be punished. If you fail a second time, you will be put down.”
Ashur nodded. Surveillance meant there would be people watching and spells and wards in place so that their power would either be limited or completely disabled. His didn't like the feeling of not having his powers if he needed them, but why would he need to use them against this girl?
He looked her over and sighed. She was almost a foot shorter than him, with shock of black hair hanging ear length. Her eyes were dark gray and focused on him with a look of total fear. Her arms were crossed over her small chest and she kept shifting her weight from side to side. He was disappointed, but sex was sex. He wasn't about to turn it down.
The officer punched in his code and the door to the nearest examination room opened with a loud hiss. He motioned for them to enter. “A11482, this is D10150. You have one hour.” He closed the door and they could hear the beeping of keys as his code locked them in.
After feeling all his power drain, he glanced around, noting no windows or doors, and no two-way mirror that he'd expected. D10150 scampered to the nearest wall and plastered herself against it. He smiled at her. He liked the chase.
“So, you know they are watching us, somehow.” Ashur ventured as he pressed his hand against the mattress of the cot they were given. He figured that small talk would make her ease up, and give him time to adjust to the brightness of the lights above them, and the overall stark, unsexiness of the room. Guess I'm not gonna be romancing her in these accommodations.
She was at his throat as he turned to offer her a smile. Her lips were pulled back, baring her teeth, and her sharp nails were digging into his throat. “You don't recognize me, do you?”
He swallowed thickly. How come she had her powers, but he didn't have his? Her nails dug deeper, demanding a reply from him.
“No,” He croaked. He wondered how much was allowed before someone came in to put a stop to their fighting.
Gray eyes narrowed at him and she emitted a low growl. She moved her nose close to his face and took a deep breath. He swallowed again, excitement building in him. He liked it a little rough.
“It's me, Dragon.”