The Forgotten Zodiac

Reluctantly scowling angrily, Rynyn got in the back as he was told. He sat beside Subject and glared at the floor oof the van while Laurie frowned up at the guard. "I'd really rather not." She said quietly. She would probably regret saying that, but she knew about what happened at Tolos and wanted to avoid going there. 

"That's nice. Now get in the car." The guard grabbed her by the arm, pushing the gun up against her head. He dragged her to the truck as the other guard was handcuffing Rynyn to his seat, grabbing the bag of weapons and clothes and taking it away.

Subject was crying, barely containing wails of anguish and fear. He would probably start that when they got closer to Tolos. He glanced up as Laurie was half-dragged inside, but he turned away, curled up as much as he could with the straightjacket holding his arms down and his ankle handcuffed to the chair.

Laurie submitted once the gun was pointed at her head. She dropped her gaze to the ground as the guard forced her into the back with her commpanions. 
Rynyn sighed loudly and reached his free hand out to Subject. "Hey, it's okay." He said, hoping to quiet him down a little as Laurie was cuffed to her seat as well.

"No...it's not okay..." Subject trembled, shying away from Rynyn's hand as much as possible. He looked terrified. "They never caught me...they weren't supposed to catch me...when they got close, I...I killed them all, a-and...and now this happened, and I'll be taken back there. I don't want to kill people, Rynyn...I hate it, I-I just want t-to go home wi-with Mister Rabbit, and b-be left alone, a-and..." He paled further, as if that were possible. "Mister Rabbit..." He whispered. "I don't have him. Rynyn, I don't have Mister Rabbit, she's going to make me kill people and hurt people, even though I don't want to, and...she might make me hurt you!" He wailed, slipping off his chair with a 'thunk'. He just lay there, trembling and crying, making no attempt to get back up.

Rynyn backed up as far as the cuff on his wrist would allow, not knowing what to say to that. He stared sympathetically down at his friend, then looked down without sparing Laurie a look. 
Laurie was on the verge of tears herself.  She had her head down and her shoulders trembled as she started to let herself cry.

The drive continued in silence, no words coming from the guards sitting up front. There was no guard hanging around in the back, for some reason. In truth, it was because of the stories they had heard about Subject. What he said was true; any time anyone from any prison got close to Subject without his meaning to be around them, he turned into a murderous machine. Which was what the 'Different Place' had intended him to be, but they hadn't quite intended for him to be broken out before they finished their work on his mind.

Rynyn was quiet, wondering how far it was until they reached Tolos and he could try to see Myst. He frowned, wondering how long she'd been in Tolos. He sighed then glanced at Subject again. Frowning a bit deeper, he wondered what they might be doing to her if they'd done this to Subject. He started to raise his hands to his head with a loud sigh of frustration, then his arm jerked as his movement tugged on the cuff. He grunted and glared at his arm, then sighed again.

Subject eventually got up again, somehow wiggling into a sitting position, finally standing back up and plopping down in his seat. He leaned against Rynyn this time, not having the tears to cry anymore. "Rynyn...I don't want to hurt you." Subject said, his tone soft and slightly desperate.

Rynyn glanced down at Subject who was suddenly against his side. "Huh? Oh. Yeah..." He sighed and nodded slightly. "I know you don't." He smiled slightly "But I'll tell ya, I'd rather it be you than these people." He glared at the floor and shook his head. "We'll get outta here somehow."

"We can't," Subject said quietly. "We can't at all, ever, not without someone from the outside breaking in...it's impossible to get out from the inside, I...I tried everything. They always caught me. I never figured out why..." He shifted uncomfortably in the off-white straightjacket, closing his eyes. "You should probably rest. They don't normally let newcomers sleep much..."

Rynyn sighed and glanced down at Subject as he spoke. "Then I'll try it all again." He muttered, looking away until Subject mentioned sleep. "I don't care." He muttered, looking over at Laurie, who had fallen asleep a long time ago. He grunted quietly then looked down at the floor.

Subject just sighed, then said, "Goodbye, Rynyn. I'm sorry for leading you into this...I should have remembered the cameras. I'm sorry," He closed his eyes, still leaning against Rynyn. He fell asleep after that, worn out from his crying.

"It's alright." Rynyn didn't move as Subject spoke again before falling asleep. Once he felt that the boy was asleep he heaved a loud sigh and shook his head. The way he saw things now, he'd see his sister again, and then they would get killed by the people here.  By now, he didn't mind that last part so much.

It was a long time before the transport vehicle slowed. Subject jerked awake at once. He bit his lip, his mind churning sluggishly in the few moments that he could think without being in danger of any voices. What was there to do? How could he escape from here? They were getting close to Tolos now, and he knew that there wasn't going to be any way out. He would have no choice but to follow along with the experiments, with the pain, with the cells...Subject sat up slowly and the voice in his head chuckled.

'You want to be here, stupid. You need to be. It's where you belong.'

"No, it's not..." Subject mumbled out loud, though he knew that talking to her was only making it worse.

'Yes, it is. Who else fed you, gave you a bed when you behaved, congratulated you for killing your cellmates? Who gave you blankets when you were cold, or gave you medicine when you were sick? Not that dirty city. You lived in a dumpster! People threw trash on your head without realizing it. You should have killed them all and come back here to begin with, but you refused to listen to me. Now look where you are! You'll be punished. You'll have to kill more than ever.'

"Killing isn't okay...it's wrong, and I don't want to do it."

'Killing is fine. It's what you were trained to do. What else can you do?'

"I...I don't know...just...shut up!" Subject wailed, trying to cover his ears using just his shoulders.

Rynyn also jerk when Subject awoke, a little startled by Subject suddenly being awake after the relatively silent and still ride. "Subject?..." Rynyn looked down at him as he started thinking aloud. When he started wailing, Laurie woke up at how loud he was being. "Subject! She frowned, concerned again, though she quickly forgot about that and looked away, remembering last time she tried to help him.

Subject was still and silent for a moment more, then relaxed. "I...I'm okay..." He said.

Then the van pulled to a stop.

Subject immediately started screaming at the top of his lungs, kicking and pulling against both the handcuff around his ankle and the straightjacket that held him fast. "I don't want to be here! Leave me alone, I won't go in there!" He screeched, even though the back door wasn't even opened yet.

Rynyn sighed and smiled lightly, until they stopped. A sickening feeling in his stomach arose as the reality of where they were began to really set in. "SUBJECT!" He shouted after a few seconds of his shouting. "STOP IT!" 

Subject continued until the back of the truck was opened (which was a curiously long while), and a baton thudded into his leg. "Quiet please. Welcome back to Tolos." The speaker didn't look like a guard of any sort. First off, it was a she. Secondly, she was wearing a dress. It was red, with frills and fluffs at every crease, it seemed. She wore diamond-shaped jewelry, her ginger hair pulled back in a tight bun. This was the head of Tolos, Lady Red. She stepped back, and a guard stepped forward and unlocked the handcuff that was around Subject's ankle. He slid out of the vehicle, not looking up at the lady in red, choosing instead to stare at the ground.

The van had apparently been moved since stopping. It now stood at the end of a dead-end hall. Thing was, the place hardly looked like a prison. It looked more like the inside of a castle. The floors were tiled, the walls white and adorned with beautiful paintings, the entire place lit by hanging chandeliers. A couple women dressed like maids mopping the floor nearby. "You two, out," Lady Red peered at Rynyn and Laurie. "Come now, I don't bite. Rest assured, though, you'll have snipers trained on your positions at all times, so I wouldn't suggest trying anything."

Rynyn stared up at the woman, this Lady Red, not noticing the guard's lack of looking at her as Subject was wacked in an attempt to silence him. 
Laurie looked past the lady, at the hallway infront of them. Or more correctly, at their side. In any case, she frowned and quickly put her head down.
When Lady Red ordered them out, Rynyn just glared at her and jerked his arm up, making the handcuff rattle irritatedly. 
Laurie glanced up at Lady Red when she heard him, then sighed. "We're still tied down." She said meekly.

Lady Red sighed in mild exasperation, glaring at the guard who had unlocked Subject's handcuffs. "Free them. But leave the handcuffs on the man. I don't think he quite understands where he is now," She tutted. The guard climbed into the vehicle again, unlocking Laurie's handcuff. He did Rynyn next, but he cuffed Rynyn's hands together (though thankfully in front rather than behind).

"Miss, do I have to be in this?" Subject asked quietly, shifting his arms about uncomfortably.

"I'm afraid so. My guards haven't quite regained their trust in you just yet. At the very least, though, I convinced them to let you onto my floor. You've never been here before, Subject 4-3-6. But I thought it fitting for you to join me for lunch before you are taken to the experimental floors again. I'm sorry to say that they still have some work they wish to do on you."

"Yes, Lady Red. Thank you." Subject fell silent again, sounding completely and utterly defeated.