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“God, what the hell is that sound?” Brian mutters one night, long after the Tube Sun™ has gone out. For the past half an hour, Brian has been hearing a high pitched whining and it’s been gnawing away at the place behind his metal ear. By now, it has become quite unbearable. Brian groans and squeezes his head with his hands. He had unknotted the ropes around his wrists long ago and no one had bothered to retie them.
“My, my, my. Dear Hanged Man, what’s all this noise you’re making?” A voice comes from the darkness. Galahad. Brian sighs.
“Good Lord, if you’re going to talk to me, at least have the decency to get my name right.”
“Right, right, I keep forgetting,” Galahad says with a sly smile. “Merlin, is it?” He asks, leaning forward a little bit to get a better look at the letters on Brian’s chest.
“No. Come on, Galahad, I’ve told you this before, it’s Brian.”
“Brian? Is that really your name?”
“Yes! It is really!” Brian says sternly, though his mouth curls into a slight smile. This was somewhat of an ongoing joke of theirs, but it was getting a little old too fast.
“Hmm. Okay, Brian, if that even is your real name, tell me, what were you saying about a strange noise?” Galahad asks while bringing up a small rectangle next to his face. He looks from Brian to the box and hits a button. Brian watches Galahad’s finger hit a button and the noise is suddenly seven times worse. He cries out as the pain spreads throughout his entire body. He didn’t know that was even possible after he got mechanized. Galahad smiles and presses the same button again, making the noise go back to a tiny whine.
“What… the hell… is that?” Brain asks, regaining his composure.
“Oh this?” Galahad says, spinning the small box around in his fingers, “just a little something of my own design.” He presses another button and Brian’s whole body lights up. His back arches and he struggles against the ropes trying his feet. Heat spreads over his metal skin.
Galahad presses the same button again the heat retreats, the cool air of air conditioning night brushes over Brian’s skin, cooling him down.
“I’m not your little toy,” Brian says through gritted teeth.
“Never said you were,” Galahad chuckles and his tone grinds at Brian’s last nerve.
“What is this?” Brian yells. “Some kind of sick power trip? Because I can assure you, if you let me down, I’ll show you power.” Galahad laughs.
“I’m sure you would. But that’s if and only if I let you down, which you know is not going to happen.”
“Galahad, let me down so I can kill you.” Brian hisses. Galahad just laughs.
“That’s really quite tempting, dear Brian, but you know I won’t.” Brian thrashes around, trying to reach up far enough to untie his ankles. “That won’t work, Hanged Man.” Brian sighs and closes his eyes.
“I thought I told you not to call me that,” Brian says. He stops moving and opens his eyes to see Galahad not a foot away from him.
“I really would love to let you down,” Galahad whispers, “you know that right, Brian?” Brian makes a sound like ‘mhm’. Galahad smiles and curls his fingers around Brian’s shirt, pulling him forward into a kiss.
Galahad breaks the kiss by pressing yet another button and Brian’s heart just starts pounding. He pushes Brian back and he swings back and forth from the wooden stand his feet are bound to.
“See you tomorrow, Hanged Man,” Galahad says, walking back into the shadows, leaving Brian uncomfortably excited.