Vagaries of Fate

Machinations of a Madman

A/N: Another warning here. This whole chapter is rather intense, but there is a section about halfway through or so that will again be difficult. There is no blood or anything like that, but it is still considered torture. Please read with caution.

Chapter 41 

Clarissa could tell even before her eyes were open that something had changed. She couldn't place what it was through her drug-induced haze, but it didn't take her long to figure out when she rolled over with a groan. She froze as she tried to blink the blurriness from her eyes.

She hadn't imagined it. She was no longer bound to that abominable table. She tried to stifle a groan as she finally pushed herself into a sitting position. The clank of metal drew her eyes, and she saw that her limbs were all chained. Though there seemed to be several feet of slack.

She was curious about the change, but before she did anything else, she grabbed a length of the chain attached to one wrist and tried to see if she could break it. She had barely begun to yank on the links when she heard a voice behind her. "That will do you no good. Those chains were designed to hold even a First Class Soldier."

Despite how wobbly she still was, Clarissa jumped to her feet and spun around when she recognized the voice. She snarled as soon as she saw Fuhito and tried to lunge for him. She was jerked to a halt several feet away as she came to the end of the slack. She quit trying to yank on them when she realized he was telling the truth, but she still pinned him with a glare. "I don't know what you have planned, but I will not help you. The only thing I plan to do for you is to put you out of your misery."

Fuhito sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he shook his head. He then gave her a longsuffering look. "I understand that you must believe many of the lies about me, but I promise I only want what is best for the planet. This would be less problematic for us both if you quit fighting."

Clarissa wanted to punch that condescending look off his face but settled for glaring. "We both know they aren't lies."

Fuhito frowned at her insistence but didn't respond again as he moved to a panel a little further away. It was at that point that she realized they weren't alone in the room. There were several other men that looked like scientists, including Hollander and a troubled looking Shears. She ignored the latter and gave the former a look to rival the one she shot to Fuhito. Though she didn't have time to say more before she heard a beep and felt a chill enter her veins.

Her glare shot to the mad scientist as she reached around to try and yank out whatever line he still had attached to her. Her hands encountered nothing but her gown and a small lump. Despite her rising horror at her predicament, she still had to rein herself in to keep from yelling. "Will you stop drugging me!"

He tsked at her before he came around the panel and a little closer. Still not close enough for her to reach him. His eyes had taken on an excited look that had her worried. Especially when she realized she wasn't asleep yet, even if it was getting harder to concentrate.

It was several minutes later that Clarissa found herself on her knees with her head in her hands. She wasn't out of it, but she almost felt like she was floating. The room around her had started to warp, and her eyes couldn't focus properly. It was only a few moments after she hit the ground that Fuhito spoke again. "Have no fear. That drug is not meant to put you back to sleep. It is a modified version of the 'truth serum.' It should not make you drowsy, but it will hopefully enable us to come to some form of agreement."

He then stepped a little closer. Clarissa wasn't sure if it was close enough to grab him, but she couldn't have managed it anyway. She was having a hard enough time concentrating on his words. "I'm sure you noticed that we have removed your IV. Instead, I have installed an easily refillable auto-injector just under the skin in your back. Hopefully, that will make this process easier for us both."