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Dirk sat on the edge of his hard bed, rubbing over the tender bruise yellowing on his forearm where one of the guards had grabbed him a couple days ago. His alarm had gone off ten minutes ago to wake him, and he was waiting nervously to once again be collected for a day of useless and uncomfortable testing. It had only been two weeks back in here and he was losing hope that this was just a short universe detour, no obvious signs of a case around the corner, no convoluted escape plans forming in his head, no mysterious familiar kind guard person that helps him out and gives him a big ring of jangly keys and a map and tells him to meet him at 2am and he'll get Dirk out of this place. Just regular horrible monotonous Blackwing.
The only difference from when he was a child was that whoever they had running this place now wasn't as manipulatively kind to Dirk as Riggins had been. He knew that he'd been trying to foster some sort of weird trusting fatherly bond with him looking back on it, so that he'd be more willing to work with them on the tests, that he'd trust them when they said that they wanted to help him and fix him and make him better, and he knew that was all bullshit. Not that he'd want that again, but he'd probably be less bruised and achy and exhausted than he was now. Whoever was in charge now seemed to think that they could just beat the results they wanted out of him, or that being shocked was a proper training tool for weird supernatural abilities, which had gotten them nowhere.
He wasn't sure how long he was going to last in this place this time. The only thing keeping him going was knowing that he hadn't seen or heard anything about Todd or Farah being caught, and that maybe they were out there looking for him. He didn't have that the last time he was here. Nobody cared that he was gone then, not even his own mother.
The door opened and he pulled his sleeve back down and dropped his hand to his side, looking up. As usual, there were two guards waiting at the door for him. He sighed and pushed himself up, walking out into the hallway, the one on each side of him. They brought him to the usual testing room and opened the door.
Something was different this time, though. The room wasn't unoccupied.
Todd was there, strapped into a chair at one end of the metal table, his head leaned over like he was asleep. His shirt was off, and there were electrodes stuck onto his chest. Dirk could see similar yellow bruises on him.
"Todd!"
Dirk's heart dropped and he tried to rush forward, but the guards grabbed his arms, dragging him to the other end of the table, the usual testing equipment on it, and strapped him into the chair there tightly, while Dirk continued to struggle. Todd shifted, breathily heavily.
"Todd, oh my god, are you okay?! Are you awake?!" Todd shifted again, his head dragging slowly upwards. He noticed Dirk now with sad recognition. There were dark shadows under his eyes, his facial hair had grown out slightly since Dirk last saw him, and he looked exhausted. He swallowed thickly before trying to speak.
"Dirk," he breathed out hoarsely. He shook his head. Dirk glared over at the mirrored window angrily.
"What did you do to him!? He doesn't belong here!" He shouted, pulling at the restraints on his wrists.
"Dirk, I'm okay," Todd wheezed, unconvincingly. Dirk frowned. The two guards left the room and closed the door. Dirk knew that they weren't exactly alone now, there had to be at least five people watching them from the observation room, but he didn't care about that.
"Todd, what happened? How long have you been here? Are you okay?" Dirk's heart was racing. He continued pulling aggressively at the restraints. Todd shook his head and shrugged.
"I don't know. They won't tell me what day it is. Maybe twelve days? I'm... I'm fine. Just don't worry about me, okay? I'm just... I'm okay."
"You look like shit, actually, so I know you're lying." Todd huffed a soft laugh and shrugged again.
"True... you could pretend I'm not though." Dirk sighed.
The intercom buzzed and the monotone robot voice kicked in.
Project Icarus. Begin testing procedures.
Dirk shook his head, clenching his jaw.
"You think I'm going to do your stupid tests now!?" He stared at the mirrored window. "I'm done! I'm done with this! Let him go!"
Project Icarus, you have 3 seconds to comply.
Dirk shook his head. Todd looked at him wearily.
2 seconds.
"Nope."
1 second.
"Done. I a-"
Todd yelped in pain as they sent a flash of electricity through the electrodes on his body.
"Ow, fuck!" Todd shouted, and looked over at Dirk with wide eyes as they both realized what was happening.
"Was that...?" Dirk asked, and Todd gave him a stiff nod, pressing his lips together. Dirk shook his head, clenching his jaw. "Torturing my friend isn't going to make it work any better, you... you... stupid people!" Dirk shouted at the window, glaring at his own reflection.
"It wasn't that bad, Dirk. Honestly..." Todd tried to say convincingly, not quite succeeding.
Project Icarus, you have 3 seconds to comply.
"You don't have to-" Todd started, but Dirk looked at him, a panicked warning in his eyes, and he sighed and closed his mouth. Dirk frowned, clenching his jaw, and turned to glare at the test in front of him.
2 seconds.
"Blue square." Dirk said, hoping that was the correct answer.
WRONG.
The buzzer echoed in the room, and Todd tensed, gasping loudly and shaking. Dirk flinched forward, and after a second, Todd seemed to relax again, staring down at the floor.
"Todd?" Todd shook his head.
"It's fine. Seriously. It wasn't... it's not that bad."
"Stop this! Just let him go!" Dirk tried to shake his entire body in the chair, but it was bolted to the floor.
The equipment flicked to the next test. Dirk clenched his jaw in frustration.
Project Icarus, you have 3 seconds to comply.
Dirk's heart raced. He looked from Todd to the equipment.
"Green triangle?" He guessed, nervously, his voice shaking.
CORRECT.
A gentle ding. Dirk and Todd held their breath, waiting to see if there would be any reaction. There was nothing. The equipment shifted again.
"Did you guess?" Todd asked, wearily. Dirk nodded, knowing that the correct answers wouldn't last. They never did. At least, usually, when he got the answers wrong, it was his punishment to bear, not the person he had just convinced to be his friend that he apparently got kidnapped to be tortured with him forever and ever.
Project Icarus, you have 3 seconds to comply.
"These tests don't work." Dirk's chest tightened as he studied the test, flicking his eyes nervously.
2 seconds.
Dirk felt his neck prickling.
1 second.
"Yellow circle."
WRONG.
Dirk squeezed his eyes shut in frustration and guilt at the buzzer and Todd clenched his hands on the ends of the armrests as his body jolted, and he let out a strained moan. The shocks seemed to last longer with each time. Todd finally relaxed after a couple of long seconds, breathing a little harder.
"I'm sorry," he said, watching Todd as he spoke. "I don't know the answers. It never works. I can't... I can't stop this." His eyes burned with tears as he spoke. They never listened to him here. There wasn't anything he could do for Todd now.
"It's fine. Just... don't think about it," Todd said hoarsely. "Pretend I'm not here."
Dirk shook his head frowning as the next test flashed on the equipment.
Project Icarus, you have 3 seconds to comply.
"Todd, I-"
"Just answer. Close your eyes. Don't think about it, and answer."
2 seconds.
Dirk shook his head. "I can't just... close my eyes. It doesn't work like that." He tried to study the test, metaphorically squeezing his mind desperately for any amount of direction.
1 second.
"Red square?"
WRONG.
The buzzer went off and Todd's moaning turned to a pained shout. Dirk looked up to see him writhing in the chair, could hear his teeth clicking together under the sound of his voice. Todd panted hard when the electricity shut off, shivering slightly.
"Stop this! Just stop it!" Dirk shouted at the window. His wrists ached at how much he was pulling at the restraints. He was sure he'd have bruises for days, but he didn't care.
"Dirk, just... close your eyes."
Project Icarus, you have 3 seconds to comply.
"I told you, Todd, it doesn't-"
"Just try it!"
2 seconds.
Dirk groaned, but he listened, squeezing his eyes closed, imagining the test in his head. He imagined the wrong answer, Todd screaming in pain for hours because he couldn't ever get the answer right. He'd hate him forever. It was his fault. This was all his fault.
1 second.
He thought about Todd, and answered.
"Black circle."
CORRECT.
Dirk opened his eyes at the ding, meeting Todd's relieved expression.
"Was that a guess?"
Dirk frowned, and shrugged.
"I guess?"
Project Icarus, you have 3 seconds to comply.
Todd perked up, his eyes widening. "Try it again."
Dirk closed his eyes. He focused on how relieved Todd was, and answered without thinking.
"Brown Triangle."
CORRECT.
Dirk gasped letting out a laugh at the sound of the ding. Todd gave him a tired, but surprised smile. Dirk looked up at the test, changed again and closed his eyes.
"Blue Circle."
CORRECT.
Dirk started to laugh, relieved again, when it was cut off by Todd letting out a strangled scream. Dirk turned, his expression horrified, from Todd to the window, shaking his head.
"What are you doing? I answered correctly! Stop shocking him!"
Todd started shaking, screaming louder.
"Todd!" Dirk jerked his arm harder. He felt a sharp pain on his wrist and a warmth started to soak onto the armrest, but he kept struggling to get free. Todd was crying now, his breath coming out in shallow gasps between wails of pain. Dirk turned to the window again. "Would one of you fucking help him!? You’re killing him!" Dirk whipped his body to the side, wincing at the pain as the restraints ripped into his skin. Tears were streaming down his face as he watched Todd.
Suddenly, the door burst open and two of the medical staff came in, their expressions neutral, not even looking at Dirk, and rushed straight to Todd. Two guards followed them in the door, shutting it closed behind them. They glared at Dirk.
"What’s wrong with him? What did you bastards do to him?" Dirk stopped struggling for a moment, watching as they pulled the electrodes off Todd’s chest and shoved something into his mouth. Todd choked for a moment and swallowed, his screams turning to moans, and then fading to whimpers. The medics stepped aside enough that Dirk could see Todd now, his head hanging over his chest as he breathed heavily, tears dripping off his face and onto his lap. "Todd?" Dirk tried to lean forward, tugging again at the restraints. Todd shook his head weakly. One of the medics pressed a stethoscope to Todd’s chest, and listened for a moment.
"Subject status?" A non-robotic man’s voice asked over the intercom. The medic with the stethoscope nodded, and they pressed the electrodes back to Todd’s chest. Dirk could hear Todd quietly protesting.
"No, please. No more… I… I can’t…" Dirk looked in horror as the medics left the room, followed by the two guards, shutting the door closed with a thud, and then turned his attention back to Todd.
"Todd, what was that? Did they shock you again?" Todd swallowed and shook his head, still not looking up. Dirk frowned. "Then… then what?" He felt the realization creeping up on him, but his mind wouldn’t allow him to register it. Todd coughed, clearing his throat.
"Pararibulitis. It’s pararibulitis." Dirk’s brows furrowed in confusion. He huffed a soft laugh and shook his head.
"Todd, you don’t have pararibulitis. You told me that, you said you lied about it…"
"Well, I do now apparently and these fucking assholes have had quite a lot of fun figuring out how to trigger the attacks as much as they want!" He shouted, looking up, his eyes red and bloodshot, capping off the exclamation with a desperate sob. Dirk swallowed thickly. "This is the third attack I’ve had today… I think… I haven’t slept in a while. Could be tomorrow now… yesterday…" Todd’s head lolled back in front of him, his voice growing dazed. "Keep shoving pills in my mouth. Stop the attack. Stay awake. Stop the attack… over and over again."
"I… Todd… I…" Dirk didn’t know what to say. It was his fault Todd was here, he was sure it was his fault Todd had developed pararibulitis, and now they were torturing Todd to try and make Dirk’s stupid nonsense superpower be somewhat functional which Dirk knew it would never be, which meant he was going to be forced to watch Todd die in front of him once they took it too far. "I’m so sorry, Todd. If I had known… if I knew that we’d end up here… I never would have come through your window…"
Todd looked up at him, blinking heavily. He shook his head. "We all get what we deserve in the end."
Dirk’s heart clenched.
Project Icarus, you have 3 seconds to comply.