Chapter Text
Takes place after Avalanche.
Riptide- The word is often used to describe a powerful, overwhelming, and hard-to-control feeling or force.
Look at him. Isn't he wonderful? Perfect in every way.
A dull amber eye watched the white clad staff bustle about the room while they talked softly among themselves, checking monitors. Not one of them addressed him or offered reassuring touches. Honestly he preferred they didn't since it would be hollow and meaningless at best, patronizing at worst. After all he was nothing to them other than an experiment, something to be poked and prodded.
It had been months, maybe longer since his capture. The constant sleep deprivation, the power sedatives and sadistic torture had left him drained and exhausted, had slowly eroded away most of his will to fight, to resist his tormenters. It was just easier to give in but he held onto a tiny ember of anger, carefully shielding it. As long as he could hold onto that tiny bit of raw emotion they wouldn't be able to completely break him but he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold out.
The door hissed open and the one person he dreaded seeing every day waltzed in, clearly in a good mood.
“Hello 1006, having a good morning?” Sawyer strode into the retrofitted lab while the overnight staff shuffled out past him. There’s no response other than the slight movement of the jester's head turning in his direction, thin glistening strings of saliva tinged red dripping from the edges of his mouth and around the cruel metal gag bit that had been jammed into his mouth to prevent biting.
“You could at least greet me given all the time we spend together. I must admit I do miss the banter and the threats.” It was a shame that 1006 stopped speaking after the last round of conditioning.
The doctor started to march around the restrained experiment, checking on the thick chains that kept the folded legs tightly bound. While there was a risk of atrophy since the bindings had been there since the Prototypes capture nearly a year ago, it hardly mattered. If it couldn't walk, it couldn't escape though some of the staff had taken to massaging and conditioning the muscles to keep them in good shape for the specimens physical well being.
The dull amber eye followed his tormentor as the wretched man walked around the large room, shoulders hunched and torso low.
Sawyer checked on the IVs that fed a potent cocktail of sedatives mixed into fluids into 1006’s veins, fingers prodding the pale flesh scared by countless surgeries, checking the fresh surgical wounds drawing a low hiss of pain.
“You’ve lost some more weight.” Sawyer noted how 1006’s thick ribs were becoming more prominent. He lowered the tattered tail coat and shirt. Probably should just strip those off at some point since the clothing didn’t serve a purpose and they were incredibly filthy. “It's not as if we don’t feed you. You simply refuse to ingest anything unless it's forced.”
The prototype looked away. Of course he refused to eat. His appetite, what little he had of one, had dried up with his hope of rescue. Not to mention their idea of ‘food’ was horrible, dried out rock hard kibble that wouldn't be fit to feed a dog. He dearly missed Preston and the things the man would sneak in for him risking his job and more to ensure he had what he needed.
After checking the restraints that kept 1006’s arms securely behind his back Sawyer walked off to a table covered in tools, a pair of coolers which contained the ever so important pint bags of 1006’s blood and a few containers of Osmolite half-gallon high-protein feeding formula. The experiment's condition meant they would have to put a hold on the blood draws until it recovered which could take a while but no matter, they had plenty of blood for now.
Seeing the dreaded tube Prototype shuddered hard and tried to clamp his jaw shut but the thick metal bar prevented that. How many times were they planning on shoving things down his throat instead of using whatever brain cells they had floating around in their nearly empty heads to realize why he wouldn’t eat? Of course they wouldn't, they rather torment him. The sadists.
He picked up one of the plastic wrapped feeding tubes and approached the beast who held its head high. “Don’t be that way. You know as well as I do that you need nutrition. Speaking of which, we need to get some iron into you.” Pills would be the fastest way and he did love shoving things down the beast’s throat just to get a reaction out of it.
Rolling his eye he wrapped his free hand around the thick leather leash dangling from the collar around 1006’s neck he pulled harshly on it. There was a moment of resistance before the beast complied reluctantly, meekly lowering his torso. “Ah, you recall what happens when you resist.” Another shudder passed through the large body.
Letting go of the leash Sawyer ripped the wrapping off the tube and uncoiled it, slowly pressing it past the gap between the metal bar and teeth. 1006 resisted, any living being would, gagging loudly around the thick tube.
He tried to pull away from the source of discomfort, only to have his head yanked back down by the awful metal gag causing the bar to slam painfully into the inflamed extremely sore gums. A rare hot flash of anger flared through the thick fog of sedatives. Fast as a striking viper he slammed his head into the asshole's screen with enough force to crack it and send Sawyer staggering.
Reaching up Sawyer touched the notable crack in his screen. A little harder and the screen would have been reduced to shrapnel. “Ill tempered arachnid.” He hissed, unclipped the shock baron and flicked it on. The beast's amber optic dilated in fear. He jammed the tip between the metal segments that protected and supported its torso causing muscles to contract painfully. The animalistic scream was music to his audios.
“Behave. “ He warned. “And here I thought that infamous temper of yours was gone for good.” The low hissing growl said otherwise though there was no further retaliation. Clicking the button off he clipped it back onto his belt. Much to his delight the amber optic remained dilated to the point only a thin band of amber was visible around the dark void of a pupil.
After connecting the container of Osmolite to the end of the tube and hung it up on the IV stand before retrieving a few instruments and placing them on a tray before walking back to 1006, noting the still dilated pupil. “Relax. Your wounds need to be tended to since the incisions are not healing properly. I may have to put you on antibiotics." Which again would affect blood draws but the beast’s well being was far more important then putting even more unnecessary stress on it.
Before the beast could move its head away he grabbed the large ring connected to the metal bit and pulled harshly. 1006 whined in the most pathetic manner possible, likely attempting to gain some sympathy. Something that often worked on staff but he wasn't fooled.
Prototype swallowed around the tube, throat bobbing. There was no escaping the constant pain from the cruel metal being pressed into the sides of his mouth. The moment he felt cold gloved fingers prodding at the sides of his mouth he growled and tried to jerk his head away only for the thick large ring attached to the straps and bit to be cruelly yanked causing the metal to slam into raw sore gums. Hissing he tilted his head in an attempt to relieve the pressure.
“Stubborn brute.”
The Prototype shuddered, tongue wrapping around the metal, a cold shiver of fear passing down his spine when his tormenter picked up a scalpel. Sucking in a shallow breath he tried not to pull away when the sharp blade sliced into the inflamed tissues of his gums, a garbled staticky sound working its way free of his throat, crimson welling up from the laceration. He hissed loudly when the wound was flushed out, hands twitching.
Sawyer put the scalpel down he picked up a needle and began suturing the wound closed while the beast shivered in pain.
The door hissed open as someone, likely morning staff walked in. The low thunderous rumble from 1006 told him otherwise. “It's unusual for you to come down here, Leith. Can't stand getting your suit dirty?”
“Hardly.” Leith scoffed. “I've been busy with so many god damn meetings I can do them in my sleep “ Slipping out of his expensive tailored suit, he neatly folded it and placed it on a table before putting on a lab coat. Much like Sawyer he ignored the threatening sounds. 1006 knew better than attacking them.
Or so he thought.
“What happened to your screen?”
Harley rolled his eye in annoyance. “It's nothing. 1006 threw a tantrum.” He realized the thick metal ring in favor of reaching for the scalpel so he could get the other pocket of infection. “I already punished the beast for its transgressions.”
Leith sighed while slipping some gloves on. “And here I thought it was obedient for once.” He cruelly twisted the metal, pressing it against the raw spots at the corner of its mouth while 1006 frantically tried to get its tongue under the bit to alleviate the pain. The pressure caused a pocket of infection to burst, pus mixed with blood and saliva that dripped down the corners of its mouth, splattering onto Leith's hand.
“It will take a lot more than some simple conditioning to break 1006. I actually prefer for there to be a little fight left in it rather than it be some braindead pathetic thing that just stares off into space.” Sawyer prodded at the insides of the creature's mouth with no fear of being bitten. A few minor ulcers but nothing to be concerned about.
Once done with the creature's mouth Sawyer stepped back, releasing the leash and predictably 1006 jerked its head up out of their reach with a growl, globs of slobber dripping from the sides of its mouth.
While they blithered on about the possibilities of making a serum out of his blood he glared at them then curled up the best he could on the cold hard floor. They refused to give him even the most basic of bedding material and he couldn't roll onto his side lest he be trapped like that so he had to make do with being extremely uncomfortable. It didn’t take long for exhaustion to sweep in despite the aches and pains of his abused body allowing him to drift off into a deep slumber.