Artificial Willpower

Contradictions

Executed.

The word hit him like a truck. When he was originally put on trial the death penalty was considered. He remembered his constant fear, and anxiety. He remembered how his heart stopped whenever anyone walked into his cell. He was always terrified of whatever news they may bring. He remembered thinking about how pointless it was. He had killed his parents to save his own life, and he'd end up dead anyways.

He remembered the relief that flooded him when it was finally decided. A life sentence. Not a life cut short.

Of course a life in prison was hardly worth living but what came after scared him more.

He wasn't sure what he preferred. The whole afterlife thing so many people believed in, or just plain... nothing. On one hand if there was an after life, he knew he was going straight to hell. That was scary to him. His guilt was hell enough.

But if there was nothing, then he could take no condolence that his parents still existed in some way. He knew they went to heaven. If there was one. His parents deserved a heaven.

But after he was formally sentenced he stopped thinking about it. He didn't want to think about it. But now it was staring him in the face again. But this time it wasn't just being considered. It was decided.

While drowning in his thoughts he had failed to notice Doctor Pitch had already left. Yancys fists clenched onto the thin knit sheet like blanket he was provided. He tried to stay calm. He couldn't panic again. It didn't help anything. But he had to take escape more seriously. Before he had wanted to play it safe, because he had thought there was no deadline. Now he knew he had an expiration date. Risks would have to be taken. He wondered how long they were planning. It couldn't be too long. There's only so many experiments and tests they could do.

He could have days or weeks. But he couldn't wait anymore. He couldn't wait for a shot he knew he could make. Just a shot that might be possible. 

He took a breath and snapped himself out of it. He let go of the useless blankets and took a good look at 'his' hand. He opened and closed the fist. He could hear the mechanics shifting and gliding. It was soft, but still there. It was just like moving a real hand. And It moved just like he wanted it too. But it couldn't feel anything. If he was looking away he'd have no way of knowing if it was moving.

He ran his human hand along it, trying to become familiar with the new part. It was cold, and smooth, with small grooves, where it was welded together. He found a small panel on the inside of the forearm. He thought for a moment before trying to pry it open. It didn't take him to realize it was screwed down. He sighed and looked at his foot. He pulled up his uniforms pant leg. He found it was the same as his arm, without the panel.

He took a breath. Now for the scariest part. The part he had been intentionally avoiding even thinking about. He brought his human hand to the left side of his face, where the metal was. It started just under his hairline. He traced where the metal met skin, It went around his eye, and followed the edge of his nose, before it curved and met where his ear started, and then went back to his hairline.

He closed his eyes and felt his eyelid. It was a thin metal sheet. Part of him was glad there was no mirror. He didn't want to know how horrific he looked. He took his hand away and opened his eyes.

He tried to stand up again, but felt his knees buckle under him as the same lightning-like pain shot through. He cursed as he hit the ground, and winced as the metal of his arm made a loud 'clang' against the concrete floor.

He grunted in pain. The agony radiated from where the metal knee met his skin. He figured it just hurt the most because of the weight it had to support. He didn't even realize he had been hyperventilating until a few minutes later. He forced his breathing to steady out. He heard the door open and he went tense. He sat up, and there was Benjamin, with food and a clipboard.