I'm Waking Up [.plot-zwei.]

Dion's cell is next to Miller's in a little sub-room tucked out of the way. They are much like the others, with small cots, buckets, and little else. Light is a privilege denied to most of those present, only granted when they are to leave their cells or if they have a visitor.

Renata wanted to review her newest acquisitions. The school's proximity to her little hidey-hole was turning out to best part of her plan so far. She smiled softly, flanked by the water-elementalist that was perpetually by her side. He, in turn, was surrounded by undulating globes of water that seemed to be suspended in the air. There was an air of leashed dangerousness to him in the way he held himself, despite the flatness of his eyes and the lack of expression in his face.

It was standard operating procedure to take blood samples from each new acquisition. It was also standard operating procedure to use her powers on the more... volatile ones.

The shortish Cuban woman wore all black, which made her approach pretty hard to see, but a dim light flickered to life in the sub-room, illuminating her figure and her guard's. He was tall and solidly built where she was petite and curvaceous. Of the two, though, she was more dangerous.

Her dark eyes lingered on the forms in the cells. Calculating. Cold.

Miller’s own naivety had brought him to where he was. He should have known that the library was clustered with police. He had to check on that body. Perhaps he wouldn’t be trapped in the holding cell if he had any sort of common sense. Or maybe if the police squad that captured him were any better at escorting him without falling to crooks. He’s not quite sure which option he would have preferred, a federal jail or the cell he was put in. They both ultimately led to some sort of entrapment, although the jail cell would probably be nicer than the place he was given.

Miller was perched on his bed in silence. He didn’t even make an attempt to communicate with his neighbor. The lack of light was a nice perk of the room; at least he could see and wouldn’t be blinded. There wasn’t much to look at in the room anyway.

He heard the sound of someone walking and he turned his attention towards the woman and her male companion. The darkness of the figures didn’t make it any more difficult for him to analyze their features, but the sudden flicker of a dully lit bulb distracted him for a second or two. Luckily the room’s lighting was awful, so Miller could still see, but not as well. He still used his hand to block off some of the light. He recognised the boy that was with the girl, he just couldn’t remember his name, if he knew it at all. He knew the face though; it was the boy he had gotten into two fights with, the boy who caused his hand to be crippled for a couple months. He wasn’t sure if he could really call out for his help since they weren’t on the best of terms.

Miller tucked his head back down. He didn’t want to talk to them, he wanted silence. He just wanted to be left alone with his thoughts because he was not in the best of moods.

Renata's dark eyes lit on Miller, and she smiled. "Hello there, Miller. I hope you are finding your accommodations comfortable. It's the best we can get together on such short notice. You see, we had to act quickly when we found out that you were being brought in to the authorities." Her smile was supposed to be benevolent, but it wound up looking more predatory instead.

"Seeing how we rescued from a tight spot with them, would it be too much for me to ask that you cooperate with me? Or will I have to... convince you?" She placed a hand on her bodyguard's arm, re-exerting her power over him. "I hope you don't mind that we took a sample of your blood as well. I'm working on a... pet project." She laughed lightly at her private joke.

Miller’s shifted back upwards as he heard the mention of his name. How the woman knew it was a question he had, though it wasn’t the biggest issue he had on his mind. His facial features were quite the opposite compared to who he was speaking with as he wore a prominent frown. “Yes, saved me from one imprisonment and placed me in another. You’ve serviced me well” he spoke in a very spiteful manner. “I serve no one and I keep it that way.”

As the woman mentioned that they had taken a sample of his blood, his mouth shut and his jaw dropped. He hastily rose to his feet as his faced changed from depression to livid aggression. He knew as soon as he heard his DNA was being used for a project that his blood might be used to create more of himself, back at the laboratory he was created in he was threatened with that all time, so his mind immediately jumped there. His largest fear was the thought of more of him being created and he couldn’t hold himself back.

He sprinted the short distance between the bars and his bed and began to slash at the bars as rapidly as he could. His drive switched to pure emotion. “You won’t tamper with my DNA!” he shouted as he couldn’t think of much else to say. His breaths became larger as he quickly ran out of energy after noticing his blade had done minimal damage to the bars. If he were to continue for another half hour he might be able to break through, that is unless his blade becomes incredibly dull.

Renata's smile shifted a little. "I'm not in the habit of kowtowing to the wishes of those in my service. I will make use of your powers and you will know me as Mistress." Her eyes were half-lidded in boredom. She'd made this exact speech before, almost verbatim.

His attack on the cage only made her laugh humorlessly. "And what are you going to do once you get out of that cage? Try to kill me? Try to escape? All of the roads here lead to the same place. Maybe I'll send you in with full control first, just so you can see how futile it is to fight it. Then again, I don't want to deal with replacing parts of your cage."

A snap of her fingers and the bodyguard looked at Miller with eyes that knew only one purpose. The globes of water converged and encased Miller's arms and legs, freezing into place almost immediately. Alexander had been formidable even back when he knew societal limits; as a puppet, his power-control was terrifying.

The woman’s laugh toward Miller’s futile escape only sunk his heart deeper. He knew that there would be no easy way out and that nothing he could possibly could fix where he was, he just wanted to try something. That something quickly got his limbs encased in ice that restricted his movements. He budged all he could to try and break himself free, but again it failed to set him free. He could only blame himself for not being stronger.

Miller’s immediate plan to release himself from his frigid shackles was to get his blade free enough to break through the ice, but that would take a bit of time to accomplish. His eyes honed back onto Renata as he figured there was no possible way of escape any time soon. He hated her grin and he was full of more rage against her than anyone he’s met in a long while. “My will is my own, you can’t take it from me. I’m not the one to kill you, but I’m not going to be your pet either” he verbally spat at her.

His head lowered once again so that he could hide his nostrils from Alex as he was quick to remember the tactic he used against his skin hardening ability. Once it was in a position he was comfortable with, he continued speaking only being a bit more silent “You’ll find me difficult to work with.” Once he finished his skin morphed into a near impenetrable substance.

The woman tilted her head, folding her arms in a nonplussed way. "You're very boring, you know that? All of you say the same thing. 'You're never going to get away with this' and 'You're such an evil bitch, I'll never do what you want'. But if you look around, you'll notice that I'm not dead and I remain in absolute control of this place. I'd tell you to think about that, but that's a luxury you won't have for long."

Renata placed a hand on the side of Miller's stone face. One of her eyebrows shot up when she felt how hard his skin had become. She closed her eyes in concentration and her other hand drifted upwards to settle on the other side of the boy's face. This further contact allowed her to figure out his unique body biochemical makeup. The moment she had it figured out, she murmured, "You've already lost."

A minute or so later, she stepped back with a look of tentative satisfaction on her face. Her bodyguard took the movement to mean that he was to release Miller and the ice melted. Alexander moved forward slightly to angle his person to receive the brunt of any potential attack, as unlikely as it would be.

Miller’s thoughts went absolutely insane as he watched the woman approach him. Even within his solid state he couldn’t do anything to refute her. Her hand touching his face was the biggest insult toward him, which was that she could touch him yet she was so untouchable. Though once she made contact with his face, it almost felt like his independent thoughts were immediately sucked away. With that his skin returned to its fleshy form and soon after he was freed from his frigid restraints. He stood tall and left his bladed arm off to his side as he blinked a couple time while scanning the room.

His jaw fell loose as he gazed at Renata. “I should apologize for not cooperating earlier, only now do I realize how right you are. You saved my life and it is only fair that I give you it in return.” he muttered as though he was apologizing to a teacher for his wrong doings. His mind felt absolutely blank, as though he had no other real thoughts besides any that concerned his new master. “If there’s anything that can redeem my previous actions, I will do it” he spoke almost as though he was making an oath.

Dion awoke after Miller had been brainwashed, his head ached though as he sat up - and the young man looked down to see the a majority of his clothes were torn. Looking around the young man's expression grew confused, until he caught sight of what was happening in the cell right next to his. This though seemed less important as he looked down and saw that his arm had been wrapped up from having blood taken from him. Growing even more confused the young man turned back to watching what was happening before him, seeing how the other guy looked almost brainwashed. He wanted to help him, but he wasn't sure how and the words escaped him. Feeling as if it was best to stay unnoticed, Dion went back to sitting on the bed that he had gotten up from.

Renata smiled folding her arms over her chest in satisfaction. She inspected her new acquisition more thoroughly this time around. "I am glad you are finally seeing things my way," she purred. "You can redeem yourself by proving yourself in the ring and doing as I ask. In return, I will help you maximize your potential. I will feed you. Protect you against those who want to lock away your inner nature. Protect you from a world that doesn't want to understand you."

She turned, smiling over her shoulder. "Don't you worry, Dion. I've got plans for you too. You'll find your place soon enough. Everyone does."

Renata took a moment to gesture at Alexander and Miller, then began to stride off into the labyrinth of cells and passages. After she left, the light turned out.

Miller couldn’t help but to watch every movement that his new master made until she was out of sight. Given his ability to see through the darkness after the lights had switched off, it was quite a while until she wasn’t. It almost felt like the unnatural lighting being turned off was a gift from her, he felt honoured by it, a joyous smirk growing on his face as his eyes adjusted to a more comfortable light setting.

Though, with his master now gone, there wasn’t much for him to do. He began to wonder what it was he should be doing, feeling as though every second was precious time he could be using to somehow make her proud of him. To make her happy was to make him happy, that’s how his mind wrapped around it. There were still two other people within his vision, but he frankly didn’t care about either of them nor did he put much thought toward them.

Miller frantically investigated his space in an attempt to figure out what he could possibly do. After a bit of pondering, he gently placed himself on the floor with his back facing the ceiling. He slammed his only hand onto the ground immediately next to him, getting a firm grip onto it as he did. He started doing one handed push-ups. He had to increase his physique, he had to be stronger, he had to show his master that he was the strongest. Miller struggled slightly since it had been a while since he last did any sort of workout, but he persevered regardless. Determination was radiating off his face, even though no one else could really see it. They could probably hear his grunting which were at the same intervals as when he lifted himself up and then back down.

The woman that passed by his cage passed him what sounding like a threatening statement to him, which caused an involuntary shiver to run up the young man's spine. The interaction he saw between the woman and the other young man that was in the cell next to him was confusing to say the least. Standing up after she left, Dion had a hard time seeing in the dark. The noises though made it obvious that the person in the cell next to him was doing something. "Hello?" Dion asked the darkness with uncertainty as he hands wrapped around the bars in front of him.

Something in the room changed and the cage doors swung open on squeaky hinges. A distant roar of many voices could be heard echoing through the labyrinth that was the underground hell.

A figure spoke from the dark, "It's time. The mistress wants you both in the arena. Tandem fight against some hype-heads. Make sure the Bear arrives." Based on the voice, it was clear that it was Alexander, the bully from before. His presence disappeared, leaving only a void and a path that had but one destination.

The arena.

Miller’s workout was short lived. When his cage door swung open he hopped back onto his feet. His head tilted curiously as he gazed at it, but soon enough the reason behind his temporary freedom was given by a voice he couldn’t trace. The loud echoing mess of voices rang through his ear, which drew his attention toward it. He quickly yet cautiously stepped out of his cell and began to wander toward the sound of the voices.

As he passed by the other person’s cell, he glanced at the unknown boy. Miller had paid little attention to him earlier. He debated whether to wait for him or not, but he didn’t want to disappoint his mistress with tardiness. He made a gesture with his head that signaled him to follow. Though he forgot that not everyone could see in such low light. His mind was more so wrapped around how he had such a quick shot at redemption, to prove to his mistress that he had worth.

Miller continued to follow the sounds in a straight path searching for the arena.

Dion being completely unsure of this whole situation, made his way slowly toward the only path that was available. Instead of feeling normal, the young man felt like a sheep and images of his family flooded his mind before suddenly bright lights hit him in the face along with what appeared to him to be thousands of people. Dion shaded his eyes from the light quickly, confused as to why he was even in this situation in the first place.

The young man then looked to Miller for a moment, trying to see if there was any sense left in him. There didn't seem to be and Dion suddenly started to get a hopeless feeling in the pit of his stomach. Was this some sort of cruel joke? God forbid Delia had been kidnapped. His worry not enough passing over Constantine for the moment.