White Collar: The Labyrinth ch 9
Chapter Nine
"Damn it, Sawyer, what the fu…" Jake stopped himself with a frustrated sigh. "What are you still doing here? You won last night, your debt paid in full. Get out. I'm tired of dealing with you and your lackeys."
"Talk to your boss."
"Do you want to die down here?" Jake snarled. "Is that what this is?"
"You know what this is." Sawyer chuckled. "Give me what I want and I'll go away."
"I don't give anyone anything, you have to earn it."
"Fine." Sawyer shrugged. "I'll earn it. I got nothing but time and I kinda like it down here."
"You're sick." Jake sneered in disgust.
"Says the Lord of the Flies."
Jake ground his teeth in rage at Sawyer's mocking tone. Drawing his heavy metal baton as quick as any Old West gun slinger he charged into the commons room where Sawyer and his loyal gang were playing poker around a weathered card table. Sawyer was sitting on an old folding chair on the far side of the table with his cards and red solo cup of liquor held casually in one hand. The other four men around the table sitting on stacked milk crates had jumped up and away from the table when Jake rushed them but Sawyer stayed calm and seated. Ignoring the other men Jake slammed his weapon down on the playing surface, easily breaking the flimsy table in half which sent cards, money, and drinks flying and crashing to the floor.
When Jake raised his arm again to strike Sawyer one of the other men quickly stepped up to put himself between Jake and his prey. Changing his target Jake swung at his new challenger and slammed the metal baton into his stomach with devastating force. When their friend doubled over in pain the three other men instinctively took positions as though they were going to attack in unison but they all backed away with their hands held up in surrender the moment Jake glared at them.
"Don't even think about it!" Jake roared even though they'd already surrendered. "Don't forget you all will be stuck down here and starve without me! Even with your debt paid no one leaves without my say so. York fails to hear from me just once and this place becomes a sealed tomb for *everyone*, branded or not!"
"So you keep saying." Sawyer rolled his eyes.
"Want to test your luck?" Jake asked brazenly as he held his arms out in a defenseless pose. "Go ahead, kill me, see if your boys are so loyal to you when they are deciding who gets eaten first."
The four men that followed Sawyer like pilot fish around a great white shark all looked at one another in obvious terror as their leader decided his next move. Jake knew that none of them wanted to be down here any longer than they had to be, but there were great rewards for sticking with Sawyer as well as very real risks of leaving him. They didn't have debts to York the way Sawyer often did, but they were always allowed to accompany him. A band of personal bodyguards that followed him everywhere in the maze except the ring. The ring was really the only place Sawyer came even close to being vulnerable and even then he had never lost, which made him more bold about talking back to Jake.
Looking disinterested Sawyer tossed his now worthless hand of cards to the floor and drained the rest of his drink before dropping the plastic cup as well. Jake stood his ground as Sawyer got to his feet and stepped up to him, getting right in his face. Being fairly well matched in height, weight, and skill theirs would be a fight any man in the crowd would pay top dollar to see despite the 1 to 1 odds. Jake stared Sawyer down unblinkingly but internally he was relieved when Sawyer dropped eye contact first and backed off.
"You win Ring Master." Sawyer said with what sounded like genuine respect. "Just know that I'm going to get that Fed."
"When I decided it, he's all yours."
Sawyer smiled brightly like a child promised a long wanted gift come Christmas.
"Give me your key." Jake demanded.
Sawyer hesitated but he begrudgingly took the key that he wore around his neck off and handed it to Jake. With his dominance assured Jake stuffed the key in his pocket before he collapsed his baton and returned it to its place in the holder on the back of his belt. The commotion had attracted the attention of some of the other men who where down in the Labyrinth waiting for their turn in the ring who had been lounging in the the next room over. They scattered from the doorway when Jake turned to face them. It was Jake's hope that if Sawyer had decided to attack him that the other men without any loyalties to Sawyer would have intervened on Jake's behalf to keep from risking being trapped and left to die. It was a solid theory but one that Jake had never actually tested.
Having won Jake exited the scene before Sawyer could change his mind. Once he was away from the others a safe distance down one of the long abandoned halls Jake leaned against the cold concrete wall and allowed himself a moment to take a few deep breaths and let his racing heart race slow back down. Jake worked tirelessly to make sure that everyone understood he was untouchable, but in a den of wolves Alpha's job was never done. Looking down at his watch Jake pushed himself away from the wall and continued along at a brisk pace. To the untrained eye the corridors all looked the same, but to the Minotaur of the Labyrinth every turn was as familiar and as easy to navigate as the city streets above were to a native New Yorker.
Jake eventually came to a lonely steel door set apart from the more central areas. He looked up above the door near the ceiling where there were two small lights that were currently off. The lights were connected to sensors on the far side that would warn him if anyone was standing to either side of the door waiting to ambush him. With the way safe he pulled a key ring out of his pocket that held two keys and quietly used one to turn the lock.
Opening the door Jake looked in on his newest captives hoping they were both still alive. He had expected at least one of them to be awake but it seemed that Burke had fallen asleep on guard duty. Propped up with his back pressed into the far corner Burke held Caffrey tightly to his chest even in sleep. Jake furrowed his brow as he noticed that Caffrey had been blindfolded by one of the ties that Jake had left them with. Looking up at the two bare bulbs set in the tall ceiling that bathed the room in an eternal day Jake smiled.
The lights were on twenty-four seven for a reason, the disruption in circadian rhythm caused by constant light exposure quickly lead to sleep difficulties as well as mental disturbance including an increase in aggression. The tendency for constant light exposure to enhance violence was perfect for the ring and so the night had been erased. It was hard to tell down here what drove men insane first but Jake knew the lights were certainly a factor in speeding up their decent into madness. Branded men that lasted longer than a month often later knocked the lights down themselves to find relief which was quickly replaced by a claustrophobic fear as the perfect darkness crushed down on them. Often times they were driven out into the tunnels where the non-branded tended to torment them for sport. In the ring one-on-one the men paying debts weren't always brave but they quickly gained confidence in numbers in the open spaces of the underground compound.
The solution of blinding themselves rather than destroying the lights was not something any of the others had been smart enough to try. Even just identifying the light as a potential hazard before it was too late wasn't something Jake had seen before. Despite his difficult fight Caffrey had probably been unable to sleep with the stress of the glaring bulbs adding to his anxiety and one of them must had offered the tie up as a solution. It took a great amount of trust to sleep blind in a place like this. Jake guessed that Burke and Caffrey had probably planed to take turns sleeping but in his effort to allow his heavily abused partner to sleep as long as possible Burke had slipped into unconsciousness before he was able to change the watch over.
Caffrey proved that he was still alive by suddenly whimpering in his sleep as he started to breathe heavier, no doubt tormented by a nightmare that was mimicking his new waking world. Burke didn't wake fully but he did surface closer to consciousness as he instinctively curled up tighter around his distressed friend. Jake watched fascinated as Caffrey quickly calmed with the added pressure rather than feeling more trapped by it. Many men spoke of being loyal but they quickly showed their cowardice and penchant for self protection as soon as they found themselves truly threatened, instantly giving up on the other to avoid pain for themselves. So far that wasn't true with this unlikely partnership, Jake had been pleased to find that they fought for one another far more valiantly than they fought for themselves. Jake smiled at the bond that the pair shared as he started to wonder at what point it would break. Standing over the sleeping men Jake found himself looking forward to the trials ahead with them in a way he hadn't in more time than he could recall.
Jake knew it wasn't normal and he often recoiled in horror at his own desires, but there was still something he found undeniably deeply satisfying about destroying something beautiful.
"…and you two are nothing short of breathtaking."
Chapter 10: http://phoenix-cry79.livejournal.com/30291.html
"Damn it, Sawyer, what the fu…" Jake stopped himself with a frustrated sigh. "What are you still doing here? You won last night, your debt paid in full. Get out. I'm tired of dealing with you and your lackeys."
"Talk to your boss."
"Do you want to die down here?" Jake snarled. "Is that what this is?"
"You know what this is." Sawyer chuckled. "Give me what I want and I'll go away."
"I don't give anyone anything, you have to earn it."
"Fine." Sawyer shrugged. "I'll earn it. I got nothing but time and I kinda like it down here."
"You're sick." Jake sneered in disgust.
"Says the Lord of the Flies."
Jake ground his teeth in rage at Sawyer's mocking tone. Drawing his heavy metal baton as quick as any Old West gun slinger he charged into the commons room where Sawyer and his loyal gang were playing poker around a weathered card table. Sawyer was sitting on an old folding chair on the far side of the table with his cards and red solo cup of liquor held casually in one hand. The other four men around the table sitting on stacked milk crates had jumped up and away from the table when Jake rushed them but Sawyer stayed calm and seated. Ignoring the other men Jake slammed his weapon down on the playing surface, easily breaking the flimsy table in half which sent cards, money, and drinks flying and crashing to the floor.
When Jake raised his arm again to strike Sawyer one of the other men quickly stepped up to put himself between Jake and his prey. Changing his target Jake swung at his new challenger and slammed the metal baton into his stomach with devastating force. When their friend doubled over in pain the three other men instinctively took positions as though they were going to attack in unison but they all backed away with their hands held up in surrender the moment Jake glared at them.
"Don't even think about it!" Jake roared even though they'd already surrendered. "Don't forget you all will be stuck down here and starve without me! Even with your debt paid no one leaves without my say so. York fails to hear from me just once and this place becomes a sealed tomb for *everyone*, branded or not!"
"So you keep saying." Sawyer rolled his eyes.
"Want to test your luck?" Jake asked brazenly as he held his arms out in a defenseless pose. "Go ahead, kill me, see if your boys are so loyal to you when they are deciding who gets eaten first."
The four men that followed Sawyer like pilot fish around a great white shark all looked at one another in obvious terror as their leader decided his next move. Jake knew that none of them wanted to be down here any longer than they had to be, but there were great rewards for sticking with Sawyer as well as very real risks of leaving him. They didn't have debts to York the way Sawyer often did, but they were always allowed to accompany him. A band of personal bodyguards that followed him everywhere in the maze except the ring. The ring was really the only place Sawyer came even close to being vulnerable and even then he had never lost, which made him more bold about talking back to Jake.
Looking disinterested Sawyer tossed his now worthless hand of cards to the floor and drained the rest of his drink before dropping the plastic cup as well. Jake stood his ground as Sawyer got to his feet and stepped up to him, getting right in his face. Being fairly well matched in height, weight, and skill theirs would be a fight any man in the crowd would pay top dollar to see despite the 1 to 1 odds. Jake stared Sawyer down unblinkingly but internally he was relieved when Sawyer dropped eye contact first and backed off.
"You win Ring Master." Sawyer said with what sounded like genuine respect. "Just know that I'm going to get that Fed."
"When I decided it, he's all yours."
Sawyer smiled brightly like a child promised a long wanted gift come Christmas.
"Give me your key." Jake demanded.
Sawyer hesitated but he begrudgingly took the key that he wore around his neck off and handed it to Jake. With his dominance assured Jake stuffed the key in his pocket before he collapsed his baton and returned it to its place in the holder on the back of his belt. The commotion had attracted the attention of some of the other men who where down in the Labyrinth waiting for their turn in the ring who had been lounging in the the next room over. They scattered from the doorway when Jake turned to face them. It was Jake's hope that if Sawyer had decided to attack him that the other men without any loyalties to Sawyer would have intervened on Jake's behalf to keep from risking being trapped and left to die. It was a solid theory but one that Jake had never actually tested.
Having won Jake exited the scene before Sawyer could change his mind. Once he was away from the others a safe distance down one of the long abandoned halls Jake leaned against the cold concrete wall and allowed himself a moment to take a few deep breaths and let his racing heart race slow back down. Jake worked tirelessly to make sure that everyone understood he was untouchable, but in a den of wolves Alpha's job was never done. Looking down at his watch Jake pushed himself away from the wall and continued along at a brisk pace. To the untrained eye the corridors all looked the same, but to the Minotaur of the Labyrinth every turn was as familiar and as easy to navigate as the city streets above were to a native New Yorker.
Jake eventually came to a lonely steel door set apart from the more central areas. He looked up above the door near the ceiling where there were two small lights that were currently off. The lights were connected to sensors on the far side that would warn him if anyone was standing to either side of the door waiting to ambush him. With the way safe he pulled a key ring out of his pocket that held two keys and quietly used one to turn the lock.
Opening the door Jake looked in on his newest captives hoping they were both still alive. He had expected at least one of them to be awake but it seemed that Burke had fallen asleep on guard duty. Propped up with his back pressed into the far corner Burke held Caffrey tightly to his chest even in sleep. Jake furrowed his brow as he noticed that Caffrey had been blindfolded by one of the ties that Jake had left them with. Looking up at the two bare bulbs set in the tall ceiling that bathed the room in an eternal day Jake smiled.
The lights were on twenty-four seven for a reason, the disruption in circadian rhythm caused by constant light exposure quickly lead to sleep difficulties as well as mental disturbance including an increase in aggression. The tendency for constant light exposure to enhance violence was perfect for the ring and so the night had been erased. It was hard to tell down here what drove men insane first but Jake knew the lights were certainly a factor in speeding up their decent into madness. Branded men that lasted longer than a month often later knocked the lights down themselves to find relief which was quickly replaced by a claustrophobic fear as the perfect darkness crushed down on them. Often times they were driven out into the tunnels where the non-branded tended to torment them for sport. In the ring one-on-one the men paying debts weren't always brave but they quickly gained confidence in numbers in the open spaces of the underground compound.
The solution of blinding themselves rather than destroying the lights was not something any of the others had been smart enough to try. Even just identifying the light as a potential hazard before it was too late wasn't something Jake had seen before. Despite his difficult fight Caffrey had probably been unable to sleep with the stress of the glaring bulbs adding to his anxiety and one of them must had offered the tie up as a solution. It took a great amount of trust to sleep blind in a place like this. Jake guessed that Burke and Caffrey had probably planed to take turns sleeping but in his effort to allow his heavily abused partner to sleep as long as possible Burke had slipped into unconsciousness before he was able to change the watch over.
Caffrey proved that he was still alive by suddenly whimpering in his sleep as he started to breathe heavier, no doubt tormented by a nightmare that was mimicking his new waking world. Burke didn't wake fully but he did surface closer to consciousness as he instinctively curled up tighter around his distressed friend. Jake watched fascinated as Caffrey quickly calmed with the added pressure rather than feeling more trapped by it. Many men spoke of being loyal but they quickly showed their cowardice and penchant for self protection as soon as they found themselves truly threatened, instantly giving up on the other to avoid pain for themselves. So far that wasn't true with this unlikely partnership, Jake had been pleased to find that they fought for one another far more valiantly than they fought for themselves. Jake smiled at the bond that the pair shared as he started to wonder at what point it would break. Standing over the sleeping men Jake found himself looking forward to the trials ahead with them in a way he hadn't in more time than he could recall.
Jake knew it wasn't normal and he often recoiled in horror at his own desires, but there was still something he found undeniably deeply satisfying about destroying something beautiful.
"…and you two are nothing short of breathtaking."
Chapter 10: http://phoenix-cry79.livejournal.com/30291.html