Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was all just a bad dream. Any moment now, and Adora would wake up from it, comfortable in her own bed with Wyatt beside her to greet her “good morning”, and everything would be back to the way it was. However, looking around her surroundings, Adora knew that this was no dream. The cell she and Jeb had been thrown in was bare and dark, and it stank of whatever had been in it last. And it was cold.

All Adora could do right now was hold Jeb tight against her, enjoying the softness of his hair and the knowledge of his presence. She loved her son more than anything, even more than she loved Wyatt, and that was a strong love indeed. The last thing she wanted now was to lose Jeb. After being separated from her husband, to be torn away from her only child would be too painful to bear.

The two did not speak a single word for what felt like an eternity, seated on the dirty floor against the wall with Jeb’s head rested against his mother’s chest, Adora’s eyes staring blankly at the iron door that served as their only means in or out. She began to ask herself how long it would be before the Longcoats came back, for surely they wouldn’t leave her and Jeb alone in this cell for long. Well, at least the Longcoats were giving them this moment at all.

Finally, through the silence, Jeb’s soft voice broke through: “They’re going to keep us here forever, aren’t they . . . They won’t let us see father again . . .”

Adora bit her lip, resting her chin against Jeb’s head. “Now, don’t say that, Jeb,” she whispered harshly yet gently, kissing his hair. “And your father is going to be all right.”

Jeb did not have anything to say in answer to this. He wanted to believe that his mother’s words were true, but he was no fool. He understood full-well the gravity of their situation and he was old enough to know who the bad guys were and what kinds of things they would do to people such as him and his family. He had to thank his father for that knowledge – Although Wyatt had never spoken to him directly about the Longcoats, Jeb was good at picking up information, though most would consider such information-gathering as spying or eavesdropping. But, he was good at it. It was one of the reasons he thought he’d be an excellent choice for running reconnaissance on the Longcoats once he was old enough to join the Resistance.

And Adora, she too knew that there was little hope for escape from here, and the chances of being freed were slim, if not impossible. Wyatt had been a member of the Resistance and therefore a “traitor” to Azkadellia’s rule, and that placed danger on not only him but his entire family. The Longcoats were not lenient, were not merciful. Adora and Jeb were to be stuck here, lest a miracle occurred.

Suddenly, the sound of a latch being unlocked caused Adora and Jeb to snap their heads up with a start, and Adora’s hold on Jeb tightened ever so slightly. The door creaked open as if with a great effort, revealing several forms standing in the doorway. At the front of the group, not to Adora’s great surprise, stood Zero, his hands clasped before him and the same smug look plastered onto his face. He nodded his head with a quick jerk, and the other Longcoats stepped into the cell, approaching Adora and Jeb. As they did, Adora held Jeb tighter to her than ever, and Jeb gripped at her clothing. But the Longcoats reached out for them anyway, one man ripping Jeb away from Adora even as the two fought against the separation, Adora spewing desperate cries of protest, Jeb trying to fight his way out of the Longcoat’s hold. There was fire in the boy’s eyes. Two other men then came for Adora, grabbing her by both arms and hauling her onto her feet. She, too, tried to resist, attempting to swing her fists at them, though their holds on her arms would not allow it. All the while the Longcoats smiled at both of their futile attempts, and managed to eventually drag the two out of the cell.

Adora felt herself panic. She could tell that she and her son were to be separated. It was a sick feeling she felt now, and all she could do was walk timidly as the Longcoats led them down the hall. They passed doors that all looked alike, taking several turns down connected hallways. Wherever it was Zero was taking them, it was somewhere very specific.

At last, Zero stopped, prompting the other Longcoats to halt as well. Adora didn’t notice anything different about this particular hallway. The mystery of it all was gnawing at her. Then, two doors on opposite sides of the hall were opened, and Adora felt herself be pulled towards one of them. She whipped her head about, seeing to her horror that Jeb was being taken to the room opposite hers. She called out his name, but it was too late, for she was already in the room and the door began to close behind her. The Longcoats still held onto her.

As soon as Adora’s eyes had adjusted to the dim lighting, she took the moment to look around her. When she did, she saw that this room was not the same as the cell she and Jeb had been thrown in earlier. A single light was fixed to the ceiling, its weak light shining down on a simple yet intimidating steel chair set in the middle of the room. What made it intimidating to Adora was its cold metal sheen and the fact that she could see traces of dried blood that had not been washed out staining the ground around it. This was a torture room if Adora ever saw one.

The Longcoats pushed her forward. However, fear kicked-in, and she stood stock-still, her eyes glued to the chair, all her muscles tensing. She could tell they wanted her to sit in the chair, but she would not let them. The men pushed on her harder, but that only made Adora resist more. However, in the end, the Longcoats proved stronger, and with a cry she found herself being forced into the chair, her skull hitting the back of it. The next thing she knew, she felt cold metal touch her wrists, and looked down to see the Longcoats shackling her to the chair. She was breathing hard now, perspiration dotting her forehead. As the two men stepped back, she fought against the shackles, trying to pull her hands through them, but that only hurt her, and she groaned with frustration, tears beginning to build in her eyes. When the Longcoats did nothing, Adora lifted her head. Another Longcoat was in the room with her. She saw the man make a motion of his hand, and in that instant the light above turned suddenly bright, blinding Adora for a second, and she slammed her eyes shut. When she opened them again and the dots in her vision finally receded, she was terrified to see none other than Zero standing before her.

“Comfortable, I hope?” he said with an all-too present smirk. “Don’t worry; you won’t be here for long.”

“Give me back my son!” Adora shot, ignoring Zero’s words. She could only think about Jeb, wondering if he now was in the same position she was at this moment. The thought frightened her.

Zero cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, yes, your son . . . What was his name . . . ?”

“It’s Jeb!” she responded fiercely, pulling at the shackles. Her muscles felt all wound-up.

“Jeb, huh?” Zero mused, gently rubbing his chin. “I should do well to remember it.”

Adora glared hard at Zero, her hands curled into tight fists. How she hated him, after all he had done to her family thus far. And now she could tell that he was only going to make it worse. How could one man be so terrible? She now found it almost impossible to believe that he had, at one time, been a Tin Man alongside her husband.

“Let me ask you this,” Adora said briskly, her hands gripping the ends of the chair’s armrests. “Do you have a family?” She stared at Zero, awaiting a response. Her question may not have seemed of any importance, but Adora already knew what she was going after. So, she watched him.

Zero simply looked at her, changing the position of his arms, his lips pursed in a thoughtful manner. At last, in a strangely calm tone, he replied, “Once. But, she was unfaithful . . . As was I.” He smiled shrewdly with those last words, causing Adora to regret having ever asked the question. So . . . he had no empathy at all . . .

Deeming the conversation to be over, Zero turned to look at one of the Longcoats, and with a nod, the man stepped towards Adora. As he did so, Adora noticed a short rod held in his hand with a round piece fixed to one end. For such a simple-looking object, she could then see that is was surprisingly complex. The Longcoat stopped before Adora, and he thumbed a switch, causing a series of sparks to fly from it with a crackle of electricity, and Adora flinched.

“Your initiation,” Zero’s voice explained from behind the man.

Adora looked up at the Longcoat who stood before her, not at all pleased with the grin on the man’s face. He aimed the device at her right shoulder. Adora flinched again. This time, a sharp pain surged through her arm and into her chest. Without meaning to, she screamed. As the electricity flowed through her, it felt like a thousand sharp needles being stabbed into her, inside and out, and was the most terrible pain she had ever experienced. She could feel her muscles convulsing on their own accord as the electricity kept coming, and still she screamed, her cries broken by pained sobs and gasps for air.

She could not tell how long the ordeal went on for, but after what felt like a very long time indeed, the Longcoat turned the device off and the electricity ceased. However, that did not stop the pain or the slight twitching of Adora’s muscles. Her entire right arm felt numb and tingly, and yet coursed with searing pain at the same time. She let her head drop, soft sobs forcing their way between her clenched teeth. She wanted to cry, but the tears refused to leave her eyes which she had slammed shut. She could feel her heart beat erratically, and she could not control her own breathing. She didn’t even notice how tightly her hands were curled, her nails digging into her palms.

When she finally willed herself to lift her head back up, she saw Zero’s face before her, which was unsmiling. Then, one corner of his mouth slowly curled. “Congratulations, Adora. You passed.”



After a rather dazed and hazy walk through the compound’s hallways, Adora found herself back in the cell she had first been thrown into, and, this time when the Longcoats threw her down, she didn’t even bother getting up. She lay where she had fallen, her nails wanting to dig into the metal floor as tears finally flowed down her cheeks. She curled herself up, pulling her knees up to her chest. Her entire body shook.

Then, a familiar voice reached Adora’s ears. “Mother . . . ?” the voice of her son said faintly. Adora slowly raised her head to see Jeb seated with his back against the wall, his knees bent. He appeared strangely exhausted, his hair a complete mess. Slowly, Adora lifted herself up, urging her muscles to pull herself across the floor. She had never felt so weak in her whole life. At last, she reached Jeb, sitting up and pulling him towards her, and in that moment they shared a tight embrace. As she held him, Adora could feel Jeb’s body trembling. No doubt he had received the same form of torture she had. The scent of ozone was present on his clothes and hair.

Together again, Adora and Jeb spoke not a single word. They remained where they were in each other’s arms, both equally frightened by their ordeal. And, in the darkness of their cell, the two managed to drift off to sleep, and it was the most welcoming thing either of them could hope to do.

The Longcoat’s voice came sharp and gruff: “Dinner-time!” The next thing Adora knew, an unpleasant splattering noise reached her ears, and she sat up to see something dripping from a hatch in the ceiling into a bowl on the floor. She wondered why she had never noticed it before until now.

Gently, Adora shook Jeb awake, and the young boy opened his eyes, not appearing at all rested. Adora then got up onto her feet, her legs still weak from the electric shock torture, and made her way to the bowl – which she now realized was built in to the floor – and knelt down. She grimaced. It did not look at all appetizing. She couldn’t tell if it was mashed-up fruit or just plain mush. It was orange and wet and in large clumps, and there didn’t seem to be nearly enough to pass as a decent meal for even one individual. Despite what uncertainties she had about this mystery food, Adora reached out a hand and cautiously picked up a mushy piece with her thumb and forefinger as if it would come alive and bite her. She lifted it to her nose. Gods, it smelled worse than it looked! She only hoped it tasted half-way decent.

Well, she was half right. It wasn’t terrible, but then it wasn’t even close to being near good-tasting. It still tasted rather wretched, though. But what was probably worse than its taste, look, and smell was the mystery food’s texture as she chewed it and it slithered down her throat. That in itself made her want to gag.

By now, Jeb had made his way over to his mother, and he glanced down at the “food” with a not too pleased expression. He then looked up at Adora, and she easily recognized the look on his face as a “Do I really have to?” kind of look. She had been a mother long enough to know that face.

“I know it may not be the best thing we’ve ever had, Jeb, but you have to eat something,” Adora said in as gentle a manner as she could. “You need your strength, after all.”

Jeb couldn’t argue with his mother’s point, so he sat down and slowly began eating. Upon first glance, Adora could tell that Jeb was no fan of this prison food, either, but he simply swallowed it down and took another piece. This was the first time Adora had seen Jeb actually eat something he didn’t like and not even complain about it. Perhaps, after this, she thought whimsically to herself, he’d be more willing to eat some of his most “hated” home-cooked foods.

If they were to get out of this place at all, she then realized.

After they had finished their sparse and rather unsatisfying “meal”, Jeb asked, “You don’t suppose they’ll give us anything to drink, do you?”

Adora wiped her now sticky fingers on the side of her dress. “I would suppose so,” she said quietly. “I can’t say if it would be clean water, if this . . .” She motioned to the empty bowl. “. . . is what they feed us.”

Jeb wrapped his arms around his bent knees, resting his chin between them. “Better than nothing,” he muttered.

After several minutes had passed by, the door to their cell opened. Several Longcoats were there, and they walked in, coming over to grab Jeb and Adora. Fearful about what was to happen to them this time, the two instinctively ran for each other, Jeb wrapping his arms around his mother’s waist, Adora holding his head close to her. With her son in her arms, Adora looked up at the Longcoats, and her eyes were bright with a burning fire. She was to hold her ground, even if it was futile.

The first man reached for Jeb. However, Adora reacted fast, bringing her hand hard upon the man’s wrist, swatting him away. The man looked to her in surprise for a brief moment, but his surprise was then replaced by mild entertainment. He reached out his hand again, and again Adora slapped his wrist. Now the man was just looking for fun. Even the other Longcoats chuckled slightly at Adora’s passion.

The Longcoat took a step towards Adora and Jeb, and Adora took a step back, keeping her son close to her. He took another step, and again Adora retreated. One more step and one more retreat found Adora with her back against the wall, and she stiffened slightly. The man drew closer. This time, Adora side-stepped, moving her and Jeb to his right. The other Longcoats simply stood by, curious to see how this little scene would play out.

Now the man was tired of playing nice. He strode briskly towards Adora, a slight grin on his rugged face, and as Adora tried to move away from him, he swiftly grabbed at her, his hand snatching her long hair as she turned her head. She cried out, releasing Jeb, and found herself in the man’s clutches, Jeb now seized by the other Longcoats. She was in front of the man, his hands holding on to her wrists which she had up. She tried to wrestle her way out his hold, but it was useless.

“Hey, I heard you broke my buddy’s nose,” the Longcoat stated with a smile. “You must be a real fighter, huh?”

Adora continued to struggle, not saying a word.

The man looked to the other Longcoats, who were holding back Jeb who appeared ready to spring from their grasps at any moment. “You think she’d hurt me too much?”

One of the Longcoats shook his head with a grin. “Man, even an overused whore could hurt you! This woman would probably murder you!” The men laughed in amusement.

However, Adora was far from amused, and in one quick jerk, she kicked the man in the shin as hard as she could. Even though he was wearing boots, they weren’t all that thick, and her kick caused him to gasp in pain. That moment was all she needed. She pulled away from the man, and without thinking made a dash for the open door. To her surprise, she was able to run out, but not before hearing the Longcoats’ angry shouts. Her heart pounding, Adora turned to run down the hall, but she barely got a single step before she ran into someone heading the opposite direction. The next thing she knew, she once again had her wrists held in a man’s strong hands.

“Running again, Adora?” the man asked.

Adora jerked her head up and felt her heart sink. It was Zero, but, then again, was Adora all that surprised at his presence?

Zero looked up to see the other men standing in the hallway, Jeb held by two of them. The man who Adora had kicked in the shin stepped forward.
“I’ll take her, Captain,” he said sternly.

Zero’s face darkened. “No, you will not. I was on my way to oversee the next stage of her initiation, anyway.”

The man tried to protest, but gave up. “Very well, then,” was all he could say, and he stepped aside.

Zero changed his hold on Adora, holding her so that she was forced to walk in front of him. His grip on her upper arms was unusually tight, causing her to wince. She supposed he was not happy to see she had managed to escape from her captors again. Either that or he was simply translating his frustration with his incompetent inferiors physically onto Adora. The latter seemed more likely.

Not to Adora’s surprise, she was brought back to the torture room from earlier and forced to sit in the metal chair with her wrists shackled to the armrests. Zero and two other men were in the room with her, much like last time. However, she didn’t see any sign of the electroshock device, causing her to wonder what form of torture would befall her this time around.

One of the Longcoats approached her. Again, Zero stayed in the shadows, his dark eyes watching her with a strange intensity.

Then, it came. Without warning, the Longcoat struck Adora across the face, and she felt her cheek smart with the blow. She blinked, wincing, but not before another hit came, this time on her other cheek. The man was not using his fists, she noticed, but it still hurt to be backhanded. Again and again the man struck. At first, Adora was able to shrug it off, but with each hit came more pain, and without meaning to she found herself crying out. At last, her face hurt so much that she couldn’t help but try to beg for the man to stop, but her pleas were choked by the tears that now ran down her face. Why was she crying so? She was stronger than this! She had to be, for Wyatt, for Jeb. But no matter how hard she tried, she wasn’t strong enough. She was just one woman, defenseless.

The Longcoat raised his hand to deliver another blow when Zero’s voice barked through the darkness: “That’s enough!” The man let his hand fall to his side, regarding Adora with a brief glance before stepping aside for Zero who approached the woman.

And, just like last time, Adora found herself raising her head to look into Zero’s gruff, cruel face. With a faint smile on his lips, he brought his hand up to wipe away a small trail of blood from the corner of Adora’s mouth, then again at a small cut on her cheek. But Adora would not accept his false kindness and after having recovered herself, used what little saliva there was in her mouth to spit at Zero’s face. He flinched at this, wiping his face with the back of his hand. When he looked at Adora next, he was smiling once again.

“You know what, Adora?” he asked softly, gently grabbing her chin with his hand. “I’m going to enjoy breaking you.” He then stood up, and that was the signal for the Longcoats to release Adora and haul her back up onto her feet. They held her in place, giving Adora and Zero a moment to look at one another, Adora’s eyes full of hate and disgust, Zero’s of some sick entertainment.

With that, the Longcoats dragged her back to her cell and threw her in, and this time she did not fall, instead stumbling, but staying on her feet. The door closed and locked behind her, and her heart sank when she discovered that Jeb was not in the cell with her. She couldn’t stand the thought of her son being beaten, and she prayed that Jeb would be returned to her soon.

Adora lowered herself down onto the floor, pressing her back against the far wall. Her face was a mixture of numbness and pain, and she was almost glad that there were no mirrors in this place for her to see how her bruises and cuts would make her look. Not that she really cared about her appearance anymore – Wyatt was the only man she would ever need to impress. But, bruises or not, the men of this place would still attempt their advancements, Adora knew. She was a woman, they were men; it was the natural order of all living creatures.

Right now, all Adora wanted was to be with Wyatt again. How she missed him! He had all the qualities any woman in the O.Z. would yearn for in a husband: kind and gentle, determined, focused, loyal, a sense of humor, sharp wit, a great family man, and an excellent lover. Yes, he was stubborn at times, especially when it came to his job, but that was one of the quirks Adora loved so much about him. And sometimes he could be just a bit too serious, but Adora knew that that was just a byproduct of his stressful job as a Tin Man in Central City. All sorts of problems went on there – Adora had seen it for herself.

Once again, Adora found herself wondering how Wyatt was, if he was even still alive. She tried not to think about it, tried to instead think about how happy she’d feel when Jeb was brought back to her. Right now, he was all she had left. Even if Wyatt was alive, she still could not touch him, could not hold him. Jeb was the only one she could hold now, and that brought to Adora some form of contentment.

Remaining where she was seated, Adora kept her eyes glued to the door in front of her, and she waited.

Jeb had to fight it – He had to! However, all he could do was simply sit there while the man in black struck him across the face, hitting him in the nose, the jaw, his temple. He was sure he would black-out any moment, but that moment never came for Jeb knew he was stronger than that. He took the hits, not because he wanted to, but because he had no other choice. If he could, he would have sprung from the chair and drove the Longcoat to the ground in order to beat him. But Jeb knew that he was just a kid, no matter how confident he was in his abilities to stand his own. If only his father was here, he’d have the strength.

And, all the while, the other man in black never moved, standing still as a statue in the shadows. Jeb couldn’t see the man’s features, but he knew well enough who he was. The dim light that managed to reflect off of the man’s armored left arm was a dead giveaway to Jeb. It was Zero, the Longcoat who had ruined Jeb’s life. But why did he just stand there? Was he watching, weighing Jeb’s reaction and resistance to the torture? Or was he just there to enjoy seeing the boy be beaten? Jeb honestly did not want to know what Zero’s true intentions behind his presence were.

The final blow nailed Jeb on his cheekbone. When he realized that the Longcoat was finished with him, Jeb lifted his head, tears mingling with the blood that oozed out of small cuts. He didn’t want to cry, but he couldn’t control it. And yet he kept a strong face, stifling his cries and keeping his gaze forward.

“You’re strong, kid, I’ll give you that,” Zero commented from his position among the shadows. “You could even be stronger than your father was . . .”

“What do you know about my father?” Jeb spat. It took all his strength to keep his words straight. His beating had surprisingly weakened him.

Zero shifted his weight where he stood, and Jeb could only guess that there was a thoughtful expression on the man’s face. “Well, he was stubborn, for one thing. He made a good Tin Man, too. You should be proud of that. However . . . when it came to putting him in the suit . . .”

Jeb tensed, swallowing hard. What exactly had that suit been for, anyway . . . ?

“. . . He showed weakness,” Zero continued, now smiling his familiar sneer. “I don’t think he’ll even survive it . . .”

Jeb shook his head, his hands curled into tight fists. “You’re lying!” he found himself screaming. “My father, he’s strong! He made me strong! And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll let him out right now!”

Zero chuckled, causing a shiver to run up Jeb’s spine, and the fierceness in his eyes dimmed a bit. “You really think I’d take threats from a boy?” Zero chided with a slight tilt of his head. “No, you’d have to beg harder than that to sway me.”

Indeed, Jeb wanted to, but nothing would come out of his mouth. His throat felt dry, and his tongue would not work. And when no rebuke would come forth from the boy, Zero jerked his head, and two Longcoats came forward to undo Jeb’s shackles and haul him out of the chair. They then dragged him to the door, feeling no resistance in Jeb’s movements. Jeb flashed a glance up at Zero. The man simply stared down at him, his face emotionless, yet a deeply-burrowed anger festered beneath; an anger that seemed to drive every expression, every word, every movement of this man. Jeb doubted he’d ever understand him.

In no time at all, Jeb was tossed back into his cell, and the heavy door closed with a loud bang behind him. When his eyes got used to the dim lighting, he could see his mother seated on the floor against the far wall. Like him, her face was also covered in growing bruises and small cuts, yet, to Jeb, that could do little to affect how beautiful he thought his mother was. He always thought she was beautiful. She was his mother, after all, the most perfect human-being on the planet next to his father. But seeing the bruises also made Jeb feel sad and angry. It was one thing to beat him, who was just a kid, but to beat a woman, his very mother? That was a crime in itself!

Wiping his tears with the sleeve of his shirt, Jeb shuffled over to his mother, and her head perked up at his approach. Her long hair fell past her shoulders and was untidy, though it was obvious that she had been attempting to smooth it out not too recently. And when she looked up at Jeb, her eyes lit-up with a strange mixture of joy and sadness. No doubt Jeb’s current appearance made her ache, too.

Without having to speak any words, Jeb fell to his knees beside his mother, and with a soft sigh laid his head in her arms, and the two still did not speak, nor did Jeb even consider mentioning Zero’s words.



The next day was much the same as the previous one. Adora and Jeb slept little before being taken to the torture rooms where they were prodded with the electroshock devices, and this time both could have sworn that the voltage had been increased since yesterday. They were then taken back to their cell where they ate their sparse meal in complete silence, and countless hours later, were dragged back out and given beatings. When they were thrown back into their cell a second time, all Adora and Jeb could do was hold on to one another, Adora whispering softly to her son to simply hang on and to not give up. For they both knew in their hearts that, someday, they’d escape from this living hell. Whenever that was to be, neither knew.

The third day followed the same routine, as did the fourth and the fifth. And each day, Adora and Jeb grew noticeably weaker. However, their spirits had not been broken – not yet. Though they could barely move, they still held on.

The sixth day, on the other hand, took an unexpected twist. Although the torture was much the same, this day they did not receive any food. As bad as that was, Adora knew it could only get worse.

Then, the next day, Jeb was taken out of the cell – with little fight from both him and his mother – and Adora did not see her son for the longest time. She was fed the usual slop, but her appetite was suddenly depleted at the thought of being away from Jeb. She feared the worst for him. She wondered what they could possibly be doing to him. And for hours, no one ever came for Adora. She found herself stroking her hair over and over, fear and worry nagging at her mind. Where was her boy? What was happening to him? Hours slipped by, and still nothing; nothing at all. Then, it suddenly became clear to Adora what they were doing – The Longcoats were giving her and Jeb solitary confinement. It was the only explanation. Why else would they separate the two and then not return for anything else?

Her mind still not at ease, Adora laid herself down on the cold, hard floor and closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep it out. She needed sleep; it was the only way she could continue to keep her strength. And as she lay there, her body finally beginning to relax, Adora found her mind returning to Wyatt and Jeb. How she wished she could know how both were doing, especially Wyatt, who she had not seen in a week. She doubted Zero or the Longcoats would ever tell them of his fate.

And Zero . . . Adora was immensely glad at his absence the past few days. She had seen nothing of him for that time, and his not being there, standing in the shadows, made the hellish days of torture slightly less frightening. She utterly despised that man; hated everything about him. And again she began to ask herself how one man could be so terrible, having been a Tin Man – an enforcer of the law – at one time. If only she had asked Wyatt more, dug deeper into the story, then she might have understood, might have seen some reasoning behind this man’s disposition.

However, Adora could think no more on the subject, for at last she slipped off to sleep, the thought of seeing Jeb again keeping up her hope.



The next morning – if it was morning at all, for there were no windows in this prison – the heavy metal door swung open, and a small form tumbled in. Adora – who had woken up a good while earlier – knew immediately who the form was, and she hurried over to him, strength suddenly back in her shaking legs. She held Jeb’s head close to her chest, kissing his hair and hugging his small body. As she whispered her joy in Jeb’s ear, she found tears rolling down her cheeks, cutting through the grime on her skin. And she was smiling.

The door finally closed, and the two were at last alone together again. Jeb propped himself up, wrapping his arms around his mother’s waist. “I . . . I missed you . . .” he muttered weakly.

“So did I,” Adora said back, smiling until her cheeks hurt. She couldn’t believe how overjoyed she felt at this moment, but after being away from her son for a full day, having him back in her arms gave her a new strength.

After a long moment, Jeb said, “We have to get out here, mother . . . We have to, before something worse happens to us.” He paused, painfully. “I want to see father again . . .”

“I know, Jeb, I know. But . . .” Adora bit her lip. “We just can’t – Not now, anyway.” She pulled back from Jeb, holding him by the shoulders in front of her. “But don’t worry,” she said with a soft smile. “We will get out of here. Just you wait.”

Jeb smiled back, though his eyes still held sadness and anger, and he wiped his face, his new tears washing away the blood and dirt.

As the hours passed, Adora was beginning to get the feeling that the Longcoats were leaving them alone today. She felt a great weight be lifted from her chest. She and Jeb sat against one of the walls, Jeb in her lap, both content together. Through the silence, Adora finally asked, “Jeb . . . How about a story?”

She couldn’t see her son’s face, but Adora knew that Jeb was smiling. The smile was evident in his voice as he replied, “That’d be great.”

So Adora wove a tale about a young, ambitious boy who grew into a handsome, brave, young man, became a Tin Man, and met the woman of his dreams in the tranquil O.Z. countryside.

“This is about father and you, isn’t it?” Jeb cut in with a huge, amused grin.

Adora chuckled. Boy, was he smart! Either that, or she was just a lousy story-teller and made it too obvious. “Yes, Jeb,” she said gently, still smiling. “Yes, it is.”

She continued on with the tale, explaining how the two star-crossed lovers eventually had a beautiful baby boy whose single dream was to grow up to be a Resistance Fighter alongside his father. And so he did, and the father-son duo shared many exciting adventures, and they continued to fight until the Longcoats no longer existed and rule was given back to the Queen and King, and peace finally returned to the O.Z., then and forever more.

“That was a great, story,” Jeb commented when his mother’s tale was finished. “Though, it could have had more action and fighting, like father’s stories did . . .” He gave a shrewd grin.

Adora ruffled his already messy hair. “Sorry, but I’m afraid I’m no good at those kinds of stories.”

“But you’ve heard them, so you know how they go!”

“Okay, okay,” Adora gave-in, rolling her eyes dramatically. “I’ll give it a try!”

Her second story was a darker one. It began with a family being torn apart amidst a ravaging war, the father held in solitary captivity while the mother and son were dragged away to a dark, foreboding fortress. There they were kept for untold months, until finally the two escaped their prison, stealing the weapons of the guards and leaving the compound through several large pipes. There was resistance, but the two were determined and shot their enemies down, managing to steal the horses that were kept in the stables. Onward they rode, back to their home, and the father was saved, and the family was reunited once again.

“And that’ll be us, Jeb, when this is over,” Adora whispered softly with the faintest of smiles.

“Yeah . . .” Jeb said dreamily. “I would love to shoot myself some Longcoats . . .” He turned his head. “And what about you?”

A crafty smile slowly made its way across Adora’s lips. “And I . . . I put a bullet in their leader’s head . . .”

Adora and Jeb slept soundly that night, finally able to relax for the first time in a week. And, as was to be expected, their rest was suddenly broken by the sound of the cell door being opened. They were prepared, and looked up immediately. Several Longcoats stood in the doorway, and, not to either Adora or Jeb’s surprise, the men stepped inside in order to haul them onto their feet. Adora felt stronger today, and was actually able to walk confidently as they led her down the same familiar hallways into the same familiar room. She was seated into the chair and her wrists were shackled, and all that remained was for one of the men to step forward with the device.

However, that was where there was a difference. A man did indeed step forward, but it wasn’t one of the nameless grunts. Instead, Adora found herself stiffening at the sight of Zero standing before her. He was dressed in his usual black attire, his left arm covered from shoulder to wrist in shining metal armor, his dark dirty-blonde hair slicked and styled meticulously in its usual fashion. And on his lips was the same smile that Adora had grown to hate.

Then, the smile quickly vanished, and, without warning, Zero brought the back of his right hand hard against Adora’s cheek. The blow was stronger than any of the other ones she had received from the other Longcoats, and she felt her head spin from the impact. Quickly recovering herself, Adora snapped her head back up at Zero, a look of defiance on her face. Zero simply smirked, and again he struck her with the same intensity. Already, Adora’s cheek was beginning to sting. She winced once, then lifted her head, only to find Zero’s hand coming at her again, and this time her other cheek smarted. Again Adora looked up at him, and again he attacked. Slowly, Adora’s recovery time lessened, and now she could barely turn her head before feeling Zero’s strong hand colliding with her skin. Another blow came, and this time Adora tasted blood. But she did not cry even now, for her time with Jeb the previous day had raised her spirits, and she knew that it would take more than a simple beating to break her now.

There was a pause in Zero’s attacks, and Adora took this moment to lift her head. She was breathing hard, a small trail of blood trickling from a cut on her bottom lip, and her eyes were ablaze. Zero was rubbing the knuckles of his right hand – which Adora noticed were already red – looking at Adora without a smile. Shaking out his fingers, he took a step towards her, reached out his hand, and swiftly grabbed her chin. His hold was gentle at first, but she soon began to feel his fingers squeeze her jaw in a tight grip. He kept her like that, his eyes locked onto hers. This close, Adora could see the ruggedness of his face and the stubble that lined his jaw and chin and the small goatee that sat under his bottom lip. Heavy lines creased his face as one corner of his mouth pulled out into a lopsided smirk.

“You’re . . .” Adora forced through clenched teeth, “going to have to do better . . . than that . . .” Indeed, it was a challenge, but Adora was not afraid. She wanted to prove to Zero how unafraid she really was.

Zero’s smirk faded. In a flash, he brought his left arm across his chest and then swung it. The metal plates of his armor hit Adora on the left side of her head, and, instantly, a searing pain shot through her skull. She almost blacked-out, and she felt dizzy. She let herself slump over, her mind in a daze as she could feel the pain throbbing to the rhythm of her heartbeat. Her vision swam, and she felt a warmth slowly run down the side of her face.

“Get a medic in here,” Zero ordered calmly, clasping his hands behind his back. He turned his head. “Now!” In that instant, one of the Longcoats rushed out the door without hesitation, closing it behind him with a slam.

Zero knelt down before Adora, righting her head with a simple nudge of his hand. “I can’t let you die here,” he cooed softly. “Not yet, anyway.”

Adora heard the words, but they were muffled, muddled. She felt as if the whole room was spinning around her, and she couldn’t focus her eyes. Zero himself appeared as a blur in front of her, and the light that shone down from above suddenly hurt her eyes. She groaned, squeezing her eyes shut and allowing her head to fall forward. She couldn’t even think.

At that moment, the door to the room opened, and the Longcoat from before came in, two men close in tow. Adora barely even registered them as they approached Zero and the men exchanged a few words. She felt her hands be released, and she was forced out of the chair, though standing up only made her dizziness worse. She felt she was going to collapse any second.

Then, without warning, she blacked-out.



“Where’s my mother?!” Jeb shouted firmly, his small arms pulling against the strong hands that held him.

The Longcoat – he was a heavy man with short-cut dark hair – Jeb had seen him when Zero and the others had invaded their home – gave a slight shrug. “The Captain had her sent away with the medics for some injury or other,” he said simply. “You’ll see her again, so stop crying over it.”

Jeb let out a small snarl. “Who hurt mother?!” he demanded. “Was it your ‘Captain’?!” He knew that the Captain the man was referring to was, in fact, Zero, but he would not bring himself to utter his name.

The Longcoat did not respond, instead sucker-punching the boy in the gut, and the man who held Jeb immediately released him, allowing him to collapse to the ground with a groan. The Longcoat gave a short chuckle, and the cell door was promptly closed.

For a while, Jeb remained on the floor, his arms wrapped around his abdomen in apparent pain. He closed his eyes, but only a few weak tears squeezed out. Slowly, his muscles began to relax, and he slowed his breathing, telling his mind that the pain was soon going to pass. When at last he was recovered enough, Jeb slowly pushed himself up into a seated position. The muscles of his abdomen cramped, but at least the worst of the pain was over.

Jeb stared at the closed door in front of him, his mind flashing through feelings of anger, hate, and misery. The Longcoat had said his mother was injured and was being treated by medics. Why would they even bother tending to their injuries? Didn’t the Longcoats want them to suffer, want them to die? Well, Jeb wasn’t entirely sure that death is what they wanted from them, but wouldn’t they have wanted Jeb and Adora’s lives to be as horrible and unbearable as possible? Unless, Jeb thought grimly, his mother’s injury was serious enough that medical care was the only way to keep her from dying. In which case, it was obvious that Zero wanted to keep both of them alive for the experience. Jeb’s stomach knotted at the very thought.

Unable to do anything about the current situation, Jeb stood up and picked a spot by the wall to sit down at. He lowered himself down, bringing his knees up in front of him. He then closed his eyes, and he prayed that his mother was alright.



Adora didn’t know how much time had passed before she finally felt consciousness drifting back to her. Her eyes opened slowly, and she blinked. She immediately found herself in the torture chair, unable to move, the lights of the room set at a low level. Then, the pain hit her. It was dull, throbbing slowly through the left side of her skull. She yearned to lift her hand to feel the area, but the restraints prevented her from doing so.

Adora closed her eyes, breathing calmly. Her head felt fuzzy, but she remembered vividly what had happened before she had lost consciousness. Question was, how long had it been since then?

Suddenly, the door in front of her opened, and she looked up to see Zero step in. She scowled immediately.

“Awake, I see,” Zero commented casually, his hands clasped in front of him. “You’re stronger than I thought.”

Adora said nothing, simply glaring at him.

“So . . .” Zero began slowly, stepping forward into the light, “you think you are strong, that you can’t be broken . . .” He stopped in front of her. “Well we’ll just see about that, now, won’t we?”

Adora craned her neck to look up into Zero’s face. “And how are you planning to do that?” she inquired slowly, her eyes still glowing with hate.
“You are to stay here,” Zero responded, now holding his hands behind his back, “until you are broken.” Saying that, he turned on his heel, striding towards the door. He left the room, and Adora was now alone.