Chained In Servility

7

TWs: Panic attack, not being able to hear, descriptions of pain

Once Pau and Pat came back to Tord's room, they weren't sure whether to be shocked or neutral as to what was taking place.

Tord seemed to make a whole map diagram of the 3rd floor on his whiteboard in black marker, using a red marker to point certain things out or make a trail out of lines. The handwriting was still shaky, but this time you could tell what it was.

Tord was pacing, and muttering to himself. The red marker he was using was pulled up to his chin as he planned what to write next.

Then they were surprised as they noticed Tord's robot arm was twitching and flexing.

The younger didn't seem to notice the development as he wrote something else on the board.

"Uh, Red?" Pat called.

Tord glanced behind him, finally noticing the two, "Finally you guys are back. I thought I would have to do this by myself."

The robot arm stopped moving once he noticed them, much to the soldiers' dismay.

Pat looked at the whiteboard, "What's with all of... this?"

"It looks like your failed science experiment you did when you were 6 years old," Pau stated, getting a hard glare from Tord.

"Hey, that science experiment was sabotaged!" Tord claimed.

"Uh-huh, and I'm sure other 6-year-olds know how to do that," Pau smirked.

Tord huffed, looking at his whiteboard, "This is the escape route! Or rather... a part of the escape route."

"Oh?" Pat pondered, gazing at the map diagram, "where exactly are we going to escape?"

The Norski froze, then put the marker up to his chin as he delved deep into his thoughts again, "I haven't figured it out yet. The only blindspot on this floor is this corner."

Tord marked the upper right corner of the map.

"The only room that's within the vicinity is the archives." Tord explained, "but I don't think there's a way down from the archives."

"Actually," Pau cut in, "there is."

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Once Pau moved the rolling shelves unit, there was something out of place on the wall. A thin line seemed to outline a doorway. Pau went up to it and pressed his hands against it, causing the wall to slide out of the way. Tord and Pat peered inside, seeing a metal stairway that's been rusting over time.

"This has been here the whole time?" Pat asked.

"Yep." Pau nodded.

"Huh, and to think I've lived here most of my life. This has been here the whole fucking time." Tord glowered.

"Oh, there are more places you don't know about." Pau huffed.

Tord whipped his head, "Hva faen!? You've been holding out on me?"

"You never asked about hidden locations in the base, so I didn't give it to you." Pau shrugged.

"I shouldn't have to ask, you should always tell your leader if you find something of use," Tord explained.

"First off, you're technically not our leader anymore. Second... the places aren't that interesting. Trust me." Pau said.

Tord's mouth opened, then closed. Then he muttered, "Faen deg..."

"No thanks," Pau said.

Pat looked at them tiredly, 'This is like babysitting...'

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Pau helped Tord figure out the rest of the escape route. Tord also was able to get a bit of self-control over his robot arm. He managed to be able to lift the wrist and some fingers. The arm itself, however, was still hard to raise.

Tord was halfway completed with his hearing aids, only a few more components to add, and he was done.

Then there was a slight ringing in his right ear. Tord paid it no mind, continuing to work on his hearing aids. Until it got louder that it was unbearable to work on his project.

Tord gasped as he felt a piercing pang in his right ear. Almost like there was a sewing needle stabbing into it.

He didn't realize his breathing was unsteady, that he was leaning over his desk, or that he closed his eyes. All he could focus on was the pain and discomfort, and the muffles.

He was underwater again. He didn't like it. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't hear. He just felt agonizing pain rush through his body like a tidal wave, and most of the right side of his body felt like it was on fire all over again.

Then there was a weight, a heavy one. Not overbearing or suffocating, and it felt comforting. Tord heard something on his left. It was muted, yet Tord could slightly hear it; a melody.

He blearily opened his eyes, blinking a few tears away before noticing a phone next to him. It was the source of the music. The Norski glanced around slowly, seeing his weighted blanket around him. He saw Pat and Pau a few feet away from him, both looking uneasy.

The ringing and pinching in his ear had lowered to a moderate level of pain. It was still annoying, so Tord rested his head upon his workbench. He grimaced whenever there was a short spike of discomfort in his ear.

Tord didn't realize when he had fallen asleep until he was suddenly revisiting old memories with old friends, only to later wake up in his bed, cold and his heart yearning for something that he couldn't place his finger on.

He sat up, only to notice Pau sitting at his workbench writing something. It wasn't uncommon for Pau to be up late. He was a night owl, just like Tord. Pat, on the other hand, sticks to a strict schedule and hates when anything or anyone gets in the way of it.

The robot arm was laying next to him on the nightstand, as the doctor firmly instructed Tord not to wear it to bed. He decided to not put it on, opting to see what Pau was doing.

When he walked up to the taller, he noticed Pau was organizing the escape route.

'Pau? Organizing? That's new.' Tord cocked his eyebrow.

Pau noticed Tord's presence, moving some of the layouts for Tord to see, "What do you think?"

Tord blinked, "Since when can you organize?"

Pau slightly glared at him. Tord chuckled a bit as he raised his hand.

"I kid, I kid." He grinned, then glanced down at the plans, "Looks good, though."

"We'll probably need a few distractions..." Pau sighed.

"Distractions...?" Tord hummed, then smirked as he got an idea, "I know a kid."

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Norwegian =
Hva faen - What the fuck
Faen deg - Fuck you

(Translations brought to you by Google Translate)