mia_j
in
occhallenge
Trust
Claim: Character - Mia Jesbar
Fandom: Star Wars (EU)
Prompt: Trust, Table 1
Warnings/Rating: PG-13? R? Contains some torture and references to it.
Notes: This is for part of a roleplay plotline that's a crossover with the Stargate universe. Takes place after this and this.
Word Count: 1,761
Comments: here.
The first session with the alien device seemed to last just short of forever. There was so much leftover pain radiating in every nerve, even after he deactivated the device, that her brain had been left numb and empty just to try and process -- or maybe try to ignore -- what the device had done to her. Her thoughts and awareness slowly came back to her as she tried to simply breathe normally again. She was left alone during that time, which she needed desperately.
But she knew they were only letting her get lucid long enough to feel the next round. Because when she still refused to help them, the device was used again. And again. Whatever it was doing to her, she knew it was slowly killing her, or could do so outright if they wished. In between rounds while she was allowed to recover just enough, they would try to convince her to help them or they'd kill her, blah blah. She always refused, and it always led to the same thing. Along with her refusals, she tried to ask seemingly innocent questions and gather as much information about what they wanted her to do. She didn't garner much, but it was something.
In between sessions with that mind-torture device, sometimes the paid thugs took turns. Her face was banged up by now, her ribs and sides had taken several beatings, and they seemed to have fun leaving burn marks on her skin by various means. She wasn't so fond of that either. Nor did she like the drugs they sometimes injected her with, but they seemed to mostly be sedatives or paralyzers to keep her from trying to escape. She couldn't move more than her head, but they could still inflict pain. Being bound to that metal chair wasn't comfortable at all and her body ached to lay down. Thankfully, they left her fingers alone, as they were smart enough to know she'd need them for whatever hacking or coding they apparently wanted her to do.
The man in charge, who they were careful to never call by name around her, grew increasingly frustrated and angry with her each time she refused. Sometimes all she had the strength for was a shake of the head, and other times she didn't respond at all, whether from weakness or stubbornness. Other times she mouthed off again. She took pleasure in pissing them off when she could. They were going to torture her again anyway, so why not?
Mia knew she had to draw this out as long as possible, give someone time to find her, even though by now everything was blurring together. She hadn't eaten or really slept in Force knew how long, and even if the drugs wore off and she could get free, she wasn't sure she'd have the strength needed to be able to run and fight her way out. Still, she kept herself half-sane and focused by thinking of other things while they were torturing her.
Think of flying. Think of home. Think of John. Think of John here with you. Think of flying. Think of space. Think of mom. Think of Brodin and Toshia and Lili and Wes and Frank and Aidan and Kit. Think of anything but here.
The Head Guy, as she grew to think of him, seemed to sense she was trying to hold out. It must have been why he switched tactics the next time he entered the small room, flaunting a water bottle but giving her nothing to drink. "Why are you making me do this?" he asked, his voice sounding frighteningly gentle, only because she knew what he was capable of. "There's no point to saying no. You're ours now. If you're holding out because you think anyone from the SGC will come and rescue you, you're wrong."
That got her attention enough to make her raise her head. One eye was swollen slightly, and she had to blink away some of the sweat so it made it a little harder to see him, but he had her curious.
"For one, your transmitter's been removed. They're never going to find which planet you're on."
Her frown instantly grew. Was it possible she was really on another planet? How could they have used the stargate without getting caught? Could they have used a ship? How long had she really been gone?
Her kidnapper played with the alien mind-torture device in plain sight, obviously meant to intimidate her. "And if you think Colonel Sheppard is going to come bursting through that door to save you, you're highly mistaken. By the time he finishes his investigation, he won't want anything to have to do with you. He won't ever want to see you again."
"What are you talking about?" Her voice was hoarse and her throat was parched.
"What's more," he was looking pleased at getting a reaction out of her, "even if they could find you, they don't even want to find you. And if they are looking, it's only to arrest you for treason, or possibly shoot you on sight with the secrets you know and what you've done."
A strain of cold fear wound its way through her and gripped her insides tightly. "What did you do?"
He chuckled darkly, clearly pleased with his own efforts. "You were set up so well, that even your own mother would believe you betrayed them."
"You obviously don't know my mother," she said with a glare.
He waved it off. "The point is, your Colonel Sheppard and the entire organization all know that you betrayed them. By now, you've completed a successful systems hack and information download on the SGC mainframe, packed up, and skipped town, never to be heard from again. You can't ever go back, or you'll be interrogated and imprisoned or killed for treason. I'm offering you a chance at life, by working for us. Otherwise, we will kill you, and they will never know the difference, nor will they care."
She swallowed hard as he spoke, unable to fight a measure of panic from spreading and causing her breathing to become erratic. They wouldn't believe she would do something like that, would they? John would never believe that, would he? He had to be looking for her right now. Even if Wes and Aidan weren't back from Aruba yet to notice she was missing, if there'd been a supposed systems hack done by her, the SGC would know something was wrong. John would know something was wrong. Right?
He chuckled as if he knew what she was thinking. The disbelief, along with the uncertainty, was plain on her face. "Even if Sheppard wanted to believe you were innocent, he'd have no say since his superiors are convinced you're guilty. And once he's looked at all the evidence stacked against you, he'll know that you used him and betrayed him. Trust me. No one's coming for you, Mia. But you can end all this right now by just saying you'll help us."
Mia had to try very hard to not let the defeat show on her face. She wasn't sure it worked. She was exhausted in every way, ached and beaten from head to toe, and approaching broken. It hurt to think. Hell, it hurt to breathe. Wes and Aidan had to know she was missing, right? If they'd come back from Aruba on time? And Frank and Kit were out of town, and... these guys had really picked the perfect time to do this and they didn't even know how much of a perfect set-up she was. But someone had to be looking for her. Didn't they?
"I can't," she said in a broken whisper, fighting the tightness in her throat. "I've already seen your faces. No matter what I say, you'll kill me when you're done with me."
"If you're useful, you may be allowed to live. You can help us, and you will -- that is, if you don't want to die very, very slowly and painfully. And this room will be the last thing you ever see."
What if all this guy was saying was true? What if there wasn't really any hope--
She jerked her mind from that line of thinking, knowing it was a dangerous, slippery road, no matter how tired she was. Think of flying. Think of a Jumper. Think of an X-wing. Think of John. Think of John holding you. Think of Brodin. Toshia. Mom. Home. Atlantis. Earth. Think of anything except--
"I'm losing patience!" he snapped.
Her thoughts disappeared as he activated the alien device again. All she knew was fiery pain, so much that even her brain physically hurt. It lasted forever, it lasted seconds, it lasted long enough to leave her gasping for air. Her body was shaking by the time he finished. He stayed in the room this time instead of leaving like he usually did. While her head was still swimming, he snapped his fingers and one of the thugs came forward to hold a gun to her head.
Mia slowly came to awareness again as she felt the cold metal of the gun muzzle against her temple. She had to figure out what her next plan of action was. She had to decide how to handle this, how to play this. She knew she could very well die here no matter what her answer was. But 'agreeing' to help could buy her some time. She just had to trust that someone was looking for her, whether John or someone else. And she hated the thought that she might never see John again. What was more, she hated the thought that John might ever think, even for a second, that she'd betrayed him. She hated the thought that she might never get a chance to explain what happened. Unbidden, whether from the physical pain or the emotional burden, a few tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes.
"There's no going back," he said harshly. "I'm tired of these games! You have five seconds to decide." The thug took off the safety and pushed the gun painfully against her head.
Mia looked up at him. She was exhausted, drugged, bruised, bloodied, battered, still trying to catch her breath. If she refused again, they would likely shoot her, and even if he used the mind-torture device she wasn't sure how much longer her body would hold out under that anymore. "Fine," she whispered in exhaustion. "Tell me what you want me to do."
Fandom: Star Wars (EU)
Prompt: Trust, Table 1
Warnings/Rating: PG-13? R? Contains some torture and references to it.
Notes: This is for part of a roleplay plotline that's a crossover with the Stargate universe. Takes place after this and this.
Word Count: 1,761
Comments: here.
The first session with the alien device seemed to last just short of forever. There was so much leftover pain radiating in every nerve, even after he deactivated the device, that her brain had been left numb and empty just to try and process -- or maybe try to ignore -- what the device had done to her. Her thoughts and awareness slowly came back to her as she tried to simply breathe normally again. She was left alone during that time, which she needed desperately.
But she knew they were only letting her get lucid long enough to feel the next round. Because when she still refused to help them, the device was used again. And again. Whatever it was doing to her, she knew it was slowly killing her, or could do so outright if they wished. In between rounds while she was allowed to recover just enough, they would try to convince her to help them or they'd kill her, blah blah. She always refused, and it always led to the same thing. Along with her refusals, she tried to ask seemingly innocent questions and gather as much information about what they wanted her to do. She didn't garner much, but it was something.
In between sessions with that mind-torture device, sometimes the paid thugs took turns. Her face was banged up by now, her ribs and sides had taken several beatings, and they seemed to have fun leaving burn marks on her skin by various means. She wasn't so fond of that either. Nor did she like the drugs they sometimes injected her with, but they seemed to mostly be sedatives or paralyzers to keep her from trying to escape. She couldn't move more than her head, but they could still inflict pain. Being bound to that metal chair wasn't comfortable at all and her body ached to lay down. Thankfully, they left her fingers alone, as they were smart enough to know she'd need them for whatever hacking or coding they apparently wanted her to do.
The man in charge, who they were careful to never call by name around her, grew increasingly frustrated and angry with her each time she refused. Sometimes all she had the strength for was a shake of the head, and other times she didn't respond at all, whether from weakness or stubbornness. Other times she mouthed off again. She took pleasure in pissing them off when she could. They were going to torture her again anyway, so why not?
Mia knew she had to draw this out as long as possible, give someone time to find her, even though by now everything was blurring together. She hadn't eaten or really slept in Force knew how long, and even if the drugs wore off and she could get free, she wasn't sure she'd have the strength needed to be able to run and fight her way out. Still, she kept herself half-sane and focused by thinking of other things while they were torturing her.
Think of flying. Think of home. Think of John. Think of John here with you. Think of flying. Think of space. Think of mom. Think of Brodin and Toshia and Lili and Wes and Frank and Aidan and Kit. Think of anything but here.
The Head Guy, as she grew to think of him, seemed to sense she was trying to hold out. It must have been why he switched tactics the next time he entered the small room, flaunting a water bottle but giving her nothing to drink. "Why are you making me do this?" he asked, his voice sounding frighteningly gentle, only because she knew what he was capable of. "There's no point to saying no. You're ours now. If you're holding out because you think anyone from the SGC will come and rescue you, you're wrong."
That got her attention enough to make her raise her head. One eye was swollen slightly, and she had to blink away some of the sweat so it made it a little harder to see him, but he had her curious.
"For one, your transmitter's been removed. They're never going to find which planet you're on."
Her frown instantly grew. Was it possible she was really on another planet? How could they have used the stargate without getting caught? Could they have used a ship? How long had she really been gone?
Her kidnapper played with the alien mind-torture device in plain sight, obviously meant to intimidate her. "And if you think Colonel Sheppard is going to come bursting through that door to save you, you're highly mistaken. By the time he finishes his investigation, he won't want anything to have to do with you. He won't ever want to see you again."
"What are you talking about?" Her voice was hoarse and her throat was parched.
"What's more," he was looking pleased at getting a reaction out of her, "even if they could find you, they don't even want to find you. And if they are looking, it's only to arrest you for treason, or possibly shoot you on sight with the secrets you know and what you've done."
A strain of cold fear wound its way through her and gripped her insides tightly. "What did you do?"
He chuckled darkly, clearly pleased with his own efforts. "You were set up so well, that even your own mother would believe you betrayed them."
"You obviously don't know my mother," she said with a glare.
He waved it off. "The point is, your Colonel Sheppard and the entire organization all know that you betrayed them. By now, you've completed a successful systems hack and information download on the SGC mainframe, packed up, and skipped town, never to be heard from again. You can't ever go back, or you'll be interrogated and imprisoned or killed for treason. I'm offering you a chance at life, by working for us. Otherwise, we will kill you, and they will never know the difference, nor will they care."
She swallowed hard as he spoke, unable to fight a measure of panic from spreading and causing her breathing to become erratic. They wouldn't believe she would do something like that, would they? John would never believe that, would he? He had to be looking for her right now. Even if Wes and Aidan weren't back from Aruba yet to notice she was missing, if there'd been a supposed systems hack done by her, the SGC would know something was wrong. John would know something was wrong. Right?
He chuckled as if he knew what she was thinking. The disbelief, along with the uncertainty, was plain on her face. "Even if Sheppard wanted to believe you were innocent, he'd have no say since his superiors are convinced you're guilty. And once he's looked at all the evidence stacked against you, he'll know that you used him and betrayed him. Trust me. No one's coming for you, Mia. But you can end all this right now by just saying you'll help us."
Mia had to try very hard to not let the defeat show on her face. She wasn't sure it worked. She was exhausted in every way, ached and beaten from head to toe, and approaching broken. It hurt to think. Hell, it hurt to breathe. Wes and Aidan had to know she was missing, right? If they'd come back from Aruba on time? And Frank and Kit were out of town, and... these guys had really picked the perfect time to do this and they didn't even know how much of a perfect set-up she was. But someone had to be looking for her. Didn't they?
"I can't," she said in a broken whisper, fighting the tightness in her throat. "I've already seen your faces. No matter what I say, you'll kill me when you're done with me."
"If you're useful, you may be allowed to live. You can help us, and you will -- that is, if you don't want to die very, very slowly and painfully. And this room will be the last thing you ever see."
What if all this guy was saying was true? What if there wasn't really any hope--
She jerked her mind from that line of thinking, knowing it was a dangerous, slippery road, no matter how tired she was. Think of flying. Think of a Jumper. Think of an X-wing. Think of John. Think of John holding you. Think of Brodin. Toshia. Mom. Home. Atlantis. Earth. Think of anything except--
"I'm losing patience!" he snapped.
Her thoughts disappeared as he activated the alien device again. All she knew was fiery pain, so much that even her brain physically hurt. It lasted forever, it lasted seconds, it lasted long enough to leave her gasping for air. Her body was shaking by the time he finished. He stayed in the room this time instead of leaving like he usually did. While her head was still swimming, he snapped his fingers and one of the thugs came forward to hold a gun to her head.
Mia slowly came to awareness again as she felt the cold metal of the gun muzzle against her temple. She had to figure out what her next plan of action was. She had to decide how to handle this, how to play this. She knew she could very well die here no matter what her answer was. But 'agreeing' to help could buy her some time. She just had to trust that someone was looking for her, whether John or someone else. And she hated the thought that she might never see John again. What was more, she hated the thought that John might ever think, even for a second, that she'd betrayed him. She hated the thought that she might never get a chance to explain what happened. Unbidden, whether from the physical pain or the emotional burden, a few tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes.
"There's no going back," he said harshly. "I'm tired of these games! You have five seconds to decide." The thug took off the safety and pushed the gun painfully against her head.
Mia looked up at him. She was exhausted, drugged, bruised, bloodied, battered, still trying to catch her breath. If she refused again, they would likely shoot her, and even if he used the mind-torture device she wasn't sure how much longer her body would hold out under that anymore. "Fine," she whispered in exhaustion. "Tell me what you want me to do."