Theater of Pain 2099UG #4

Act 4 of 4: Bliss

The Curtain Rises

The Island of Hawaii, 2099

Once, this island and it's brothers claimed fame as a vacation retreat, a place for families and for lovers. Today, only those seeking death reach the island's obsidian shores, only to find something worse. A citadel rises on the superheated slopes of Mauna Loa, a scar on the surface of the earth and the sadistic heart of humanity. The Theater of Pain.

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Scene 1

In the heart of the world's misery stands a figure who's existence has just been crushed. Not by some foul demon or by a foe of unimaginable powers, but by the woman he loves. Christopher Blake, a Gladiator for the Theater of Pain, stands before Succubus, a Norn who was for one moment his mistress, the next his partner in a bid to escape. Now she is his enemy.

"Why?"

"Because the show is what matters, Gladiator." Succubus slipped towards him. Her hands smoothed out her hair and adjusted the singed remains of her torn jumpsuit. "Please, don't tell me that you honestly felt you could trust me?"

"I did," he yelled back at her. Bitterness and anger swelled up in his voice. "I trusted . . ., loved you!"

"Are you sure about that," she smirked. "Could it be instead that your heart is nothing but putty in my hands? And that you felt what I told you to feel."

Chris couldn't believe that a moment ago he had been so angry with the woman in front of him, after all she obviously has a good reason for doing what she is. 'What am I thinking?' Chris yelled in his mind. She was playing with him like she did those guards (*last issue*).

"See how easy it is? So now think again, did you really care about me," Succubus spat.

She laid a hand across his chest, "It's a little too late now then, isn't it?" And with that, shoved him off the catwalk.

He was surprised when instead of landing on the hard floor below he instead crashed into the soft bodies of the Theater guards. He felt sharp pain in his broken arm, pain which was echoed everywhere else as their weapons began to club him.

"Don't you get tired of fighting, Gladiator?" Succubus taunted him as she climbed down the ladder. "Don't you ever feel the need to just give up?"

Gladiator didn't pay any attention to her. He was too busy dealing with Theater guards. They swarmed across him with weapons drawn. Electricity lashed out into them as he used the shock-gauntlet. Their skin was scared, but still they came on. He surged out of their midst, breaking their bodies like a child would a twig. One guard tried to hit Gladiator across the head with the but of his gun, only to have the weapon pulled from his hands and used against him.

"None of you can stop me!" he yelled as he killed another guard. Their dead bodies piled up around him. He didn't care and continued the slaughter. It wasn't like he had any reason to be kind to them.

Once free of the guards, Gladiator dashed for the exit of the hanger. Individually the guards posed little threat to him, but in larger groups they might actually hurt him. 'I have to find a way off the island,' he thought as he reached outside.

The exterior overlooked the burning slopes of the volcano. The bright sunlight was diffused through the choking clouds of ash which hugged the mountain and citadel. The last time Gladiator had been outside was over 20 years ago, when he had first been sold to the Theater. . .

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Mauna Loa 2073

The transport had descended towards the smoking crown of Mauna Loa. Christopher Blake stared out the small window of the ship, mesmerized by the power of the mountain. His father was seated in the chair beside him. His father had been a rich man, the CEO of Raven Incorporated. As long as Chris had been able to remember his father had always spent at least one week of every four months on a trip to Hawaii. After weeks of begging, Chris had finally been allowed to come on one of these trips.

Something had seemed wrong with his father as they traveled. Despite Chris' questions, his father hadn't spoken a word since they had left home. This seemed unusual to the youth, since his father was usually more talkative.

The transport had landed and the door slid open. A blast of heat had washed over Chris forcing him back into the cool confines of the ship. When it was finally safe to emerge, Chris did, only to find the landing bay devoid of people. Even his father seemed to have disappeared.

"Daddy!" he called out running down onto the deck. "Where are you?"

"Your daddy's a little busy right now," a youthful voice said, "but I'm sure we can find something to do."

A young woman stepped out of the nearby shadows and into the ruddy volcanic light. She was tall and had long black hair. Small triangular tattoos covered her face around her eyes and forehead.

"Who are you," the young Chris asked.

"My name is Felicity," she said kneeling and holding out her hand, "do you want to play?"

Chris nodded and walked over to the young woman. He reached out and put his small hand in hers. When he did though, she swiftly pulled him from his feet and held him roughly about three feet in the air.

"DADDY!" Chris screamed as he was thrown over the woman's shoulders.

"Shut up you little brat," Felicity had told him harshly. "You're part of the Theater now, bought and sold, so get used to it."

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To this day Chris couldn't figure out why his father had done it. He ran for cover behind a nearby outcropping of rocks as the guards poured out of the hanger. His breath came in deep gasps. The warm air revitalized him.

He could see the guards scouring the area, it was only a matter of time before they found him. A figure near the opening of the bay caught his eye, it was Succubus. She was surveying the area and directing the guards, like a Norn. 'How could she join them?' he thought.

"Come out Gladiator, it's time to stop playing around. You have a cell waiting for you, and a punishment." Succubus walked around the area. "It won't be so bad, after all you should be used to it by now."

Chris wanted to stand up and attack. Every instinct in his body told him to kill her and the guards quickly. But it would be impossible. 'If I show my face one of them is bound to get in enough shots to take me down.'

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Scene 2

In a shadowy office, the twisted man watched his work. The wires which connected his victims to the computer system were finally hooked up and ready to work. This was his membership fee so to speak. His victims, each one a dirty faced youth shivering in the metal chairs, looked to him in fear.

"Daddy nooo . . ." one young girl cried softly. Tears streaked her face.

"Oh my sweet dear," the figure said placing a gloved hand on the child's face, "You know not to question Daddy's work." He pinched her cheek so tight the skin broke letting out an ooze of blood. "Now be a good girl and shut up."

He removed his hand from the weeping girl and moved over to the computer terminal. Several monitors, one for each victim, beeped with their heartbeats. "Now all I have to do is make sure that they don't croak before I'm finished with this disk."

He tapped in a code into the computer and watched the heartbeats on the monitors spike. The children screamed as electricity surged into their bodies. The computer monitored their screams and the pain. This device wasn't as advanced as those used by the Theater of Pain, but it did its job.

"Now where did I put that receiver," he mused aloud. "Ah there it is." He walked over to a nearby table and retrieved a thick metal collar. He slipped it around his throat and plugged in the reception wire into the sim slots on his Sensuit. The sensations of his own private show flooded over him. He could feel the sharp volcanic rocks beneath the soles of his naked feet and the warmth of the tropical sun. A bead of sweat seemed to drip down his back and he could feel powerful drug-enhanced muscles flex and tighten. The pain of a broken arm in the process of being mended was ecstasy.

The screams of "his" children almost faded into the back of his mind as he enjoyed the pursuit.

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Scene 3

Taking advantage of a momentary distraction Chris leapt to his feet and dashed for a nearby grating. He had almost missed seeing it since it was partially obscured by an obsidian rock formation. He reached it unobserved and grabbed the metal mesh.

"Aarghh," he cried under his breath. The metal was scorching hot. A blast of searing air caught him by surprise, almost sending him off his feet. Taking a deep breath he grabbed the mesh using his gloved hand and tore it from it's bolts.

"There he is," he heard behind him. The sounds of shots being fired cascaded around him, and splinters from the rock showered down. He ignored the fragments and dove into the inferno. The metal was almost unbearable under his bare skin, but he ignored it. He scurried on all fours down the ventilation shaft, grinding his teeth every time weight was placed onto his broken arm. The Stimulant was mending it at a faster rate than normal, but it was still going to be a while before he could put any serious weight on it.

Darkness closed around him as the shaft angled downwards deeper into the rock. He could hear the steady humm of heavy machinery in the distance. The vibrations throbbed around him. "Getting . . . hard . . . to breath," he said aloud, wiping sweat from his brow. The hot air was beginning to burn his lungs. Suddenly as he moved through the dark he felt a short burst of cooler air.

He quickly moved his arm around and felt a second shaft leading away from the first. He followed it as quickly as possible. The air cooled rapidly until it was only warm. It was still pitch black, but at least it no longer hurt to breathe. Ahead of him a small beacon of light appeared from behind a corner. He hurried forward, trying to be as quiet as possible. The light grew brighter and he realized it was from one of the air vents in the Citadel. He crept over to it and looked in.

The interior of the room below seemed to be made from natural rock, sloping on the sides. The ceiling was vaulted with long stalactites hanging down like fangs. Monitors lay embedded into the rock, each one showing the faces of people in the throes of pain. A figure sat at the control panel in front of the monitors. A long black cape, trimmed in red, hung from slim shoulders. Techno-organic devices hung from the back of the figure's head. The face turned towards Christopher's direction, cold and expressionless behind the Controller Mask.

"I know you are there," the Controller almost whispered. Behind him rose one of the Controller's Eyes, a cybernetic construct used as a secondary sensory source. Reacting on instinct Chris kicked out the ventilation grate and leapt upon the Controller.

With precision belayed by his stance the Controller reached out with a long, thin arm and caught Chris by the throat. This was something he hadn't expected. The Controller's grip was strong, like iron. Chris kicked out, making contact with his opponent squarely in the chest.

Landing on his feet Chris took off like lightning, reaching out with his shock-gauntlet. Before he could reach him however he felt something entwine itself around his neck, the Eye! It tightened, the sharp edges of its tail cutting into the tender flesh of his throat and drawing blood. The Controller rose from the floor and walked calmly to the control panel. He hit a switch and spoke into the comm. device,

"Fyre, this is Controller Four. I believe I have something that belongs to you?"

Fyre's voice came in over the speaker, "What?"

"That escaped Gladiator, he . . . dropped in on me in the midst of my work. What do you want me to do with him?"

"Don't kill him," Fyre said, "The show still hasn't finished playing itself out." There was a pause for a moment before Fyre continued. "Bring him up to the Observation Studio, I think we can have a little fun up there."

"Very well. I will drop him off personally."

Four walked over to Chris who, threatened with the danger of a slit throat, had stopped struggling. "My, my, my. Do you realize the trouble the Theater has been having with you?" Suddenly Chris felt something pierce the skin of his throat. Moments later everything faded to black . . .

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Scene 4

Succubus lounged back in a red velvet chair. In front of her knelt a young girl, no more than 5 years old. A heavy collar weighed down on the child's throat and a series of web-like strands covered her body. The child sat stone faced on the floor staring at the mutilated remains of a small dog. Blood covered the floor, walls and the girl's skin. It dripped from her nose, but she paid it no head.

The scene brought back a flood of memories. Succubus remembered a time as Aliana, a time when she wore a similar collar. It had only been weeks after being brought to this infernal place. She remembered wearing the web, watching the death of a small animal and the lessons which would follow. Her training at that time had been handled by Felicity, the present leader of the Norns, her Sister Superior so to speak. "It wasn't all bad though," she said, although for some reason a memory of the good times wouldn't come forward.

She watched the girl with only the minimum of interest. She had received the report that the Gladiator had been captured a day ago and had since spent time with her own training. She had spent several hours with Deva learning about her own telepathic abilities. Her ability to twist and control emotions would be a valuable asset, she had been told. It was obvious based on her manipulation of the Gladiator at how powerful they could be.

"But was it manipulation?" She had been wondering about that for a while now. What if she had only enhanced something which had already existed? Unfortunately her powers aren't able to give her any sense of what emotions a person is feeling, just create them.

The door leading out of the training room slid open. Succubus turned to see her sister Fyre step through. "So this is where you've been," the red-haired woman said. She inspected the scene with the child. "Don't you think she's a little young to begin?"

"Was I?" Succubus shot back bitterly. She wasn't sure why. "It doesn't matter. Anyway since the show's intermission I have been feeling a little restless."

"Well you should be happy to know that the finale is being prepared as we speak. The Gladiator has been prepared and we're only awaiting Brimstone Love to finish up some other pressing business."

"Very well, I guess we should get this show on the road."

The two Norns left the room, shutting down the lights and leaving the young girl along in the dark and in the blood.

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Scene 5

The sound of talking greeted Chris when he awoke. Glaring light flooded his vision forcing him to shut his eye. His head throbbed, but that wasn't the worst. He could feel a burning desire in him, a need. . . a hunger. The Stimulant was almost completely absorbed into his system and if he didn't get any more he would only get worse. At least his arm had finally healed, as much good as that did him since he was tied with restraints to a table.

Four figures stood nearby silhouetted by the light. One was easy to recognize. Brimstone Love's massive frame was difficult to disguise. The other three were women although who was who was hard to tell.

"So," Brimstone began in his gravely voice, "This is the show's star performer?"

"That's right," a voice piped up. Chris recognized it as Fyre the woman who had been his mistress for longer than any other. "He's been most cooperative in helping us out."
"Helping . . .?" Chris whispered.

"That's right 'my love'," a familiar voice said. Succubus sauntered over to him and lay a cool hand across his cheek. "Did you really think that you could have gotten as far as you did? It's all been a wonderful production."

"A production which is about to end," Brimstone Love said. He stepped into the light, clearly revealing his demonic visage to the imprisoned Gladiator. "You've provided a most wonderful bit of entertainment, but you seem to have outlived your usefulness."
Chris struggled against the bonds which held him, but he was quickly weakening from the lack of the stimulant. He could feel the muscles in his face twitching and the sweat pouring over his body. Fyre smiled as she stepped forward and pulled a small syringe from her belt. She leaned up against him holding it before his eyes.

"Oh, poor dear. Is this what you want? Just a little bit right, just enough to stop your pain?"

Chris forced his mouth closed, but could feel his head nod involuntarily. 'No,' he thought. 'I can't give in to these monsters.'

Fyre laughed once before cracking the syringe in two and letting the precious liquid drop to the filthy ground. Chris wanted to yell out, but knew he couldn't.

The third woman, the one Chris didn't know stepped forward into the light. She lay one hand on Brimstone's arm and stared at him. Chris was shocked to see the woman's eyes. They were like gemstones and shined in the pounding light. This woman was older than Fyre or Succubus and seemed to hold herself with more grace, dignity and control than the two younger Norn's.

"Brimstone, our customer is ready to talk to you," the older woman said.

"Of course, Deva. Charon, open up the channel."

A large screen Chris hadn't noticed flickered on and a face appeared. It was cold, hard and cruel. Black hair was slicked back from a high widow's peak. His face was potch-marked and a sneer played on his lips. "So," he said, "this is what's been keeping me entertained for so long." For some reason Chris shivered when the man talked.

"That's right," Brimstone said, "Now we're ready for the final act."

"All right, Love, I'm jacked in right now." Chris noticed a small wire extending from a collar around the man's neck. "Just remember, make it as slow as possible. I'm paying you a lot for this."

"Don't worry," Fyre spoke up. "We know what we're doing."

The screen flickered out and everyone's attention was returned to him. "It's too bad that he wanted the best," Fyre told him, "Otherwise you might have just stayed in your cell, fought your little battles. But then again you probably wouldn't be alive today." She pulled a small blade out from her belt and slid it slowly across his chest. The incision wasn't deep, but it did hurt.

As Fyre continued her work Chris could see Deva and Brimstone Love leaving the chamber. He forced back the cry of pain he wanted to let loose. He could feel the blood slipping out of torn flesh. He shut his mind to the pain and his eye to the world. He could feel that his life was about to be ended.

When the incisions ended and the pain subside he knew something was wrong. He opened his eye onto a hazy world. The hunger in his stomach was stronger than before and was beginning to affect his senses. The blurring finally cleared and what he saw shocked him. Fyre was pressed up against the far wall of the chamber, hear body trembling in terror. What surprised him more was Succubus pressing the blade of Fyre's knife against the red-haired woman's throat. He could hear only fragments of what was being said.

" . . . eel the fear? That. . . . .trying to tor . . .itch. Now you ju . . .uscle I'll kill you." Succubus let Fyre go and walked over to Chris. Fyre didn't move, didn't try and attack Succubus, she merely slid down the wall and began to whimper.

"W . . wwhat are you doing?" he asked cautiously.

"I'm letting you go, that's what," Succubus replied as she released him from his bonds. She worked quickly, and within seconds he had dropped to the floor. The pain in his muscles was horrendous. Inches from his face was the remains of the Stimulant Fyre had spilled. Before he knew what he was doing his tongue reached out to lap at the quickly evaporating drug. Succubus pulled him onto unsteady feet after a moment. "There's no time for that, I'm getting you out of here."

"Why should I trust you," he asked. He wished deep down that the minuscule amounts of the drug would do something.

"Because of this," she said and kissed him passionately. He pulled away and forced himself not to spit. 'What is she doing?'

"I don't know why so don't bother asking." She glared at him with fierce eyes. "Just trust me!"

"I don't think so," he tried to yell, but succeeded in only a whisper. He grabbed by the arm and tried to throw her, but in his weakened state couldn't even move her.

"Don't be an idiot, you couldn't fight me, even if you wanted to." To demonstrate her point she threw him roughly to the ground. "You're leaving this island, I don't care where, but if this is the last thing I'm going to do as a person it'll be getting you out like I promised."

She dragged him to his feet and roughly pulled him through the chamber door. A trail of blood followed behind. The two figures sped through the dark halls of the Citadel, avoiding notice by cameras and by guards. Succubus shoved him into a large elevator on a nearby corridor. He leaned back against the wall of the elevator and held his hand against the injury on his chest.

"Listen, when this elevator reaches the bottom you'll be outside a transport bay. Get on board a ship, it doesn't matter which and hide." She pulled a piece of black cloth from her belt and tossed it to the floor at his feet. It was a shock-gauntlet. "Just in case," she said.

"But . . ." he tried to begin.

"Shut up. Listen Gladiator . . Chris. Get out that's all I'm going to say. For God's sake get the Hel out of this life and find something better."

"Come . . with me."

"No, it wouldn't be right."

Before he could respond she pressed the button for the door and let it slide closed. In the darkness of the elevator he could feel the slight drop in gravity as he headed down into the future.

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Scene 6

Succubus returned to the Observation Studio. The normally full audience seats were still empty and the stage was dark, except for the single spotlight on the table. Fyre still sat whimpering on the side of the chamber, the effects of Succubus' powers still strong. "Too bad I had to use them on the Gladiator in order to get him out, right Fyre?"

"Please . . ," Fyre cried in terror, "don't hurt me."

Succubus walked over to her mentor who was sniveling like a child. Using her powers Succubus increased the amount of fear Fyre was feeling. Suddenly Fyre began to clutch at her chest and cough. Succubus knew this was probably giving her a heart attack, in the least. Tears mixed with blood as Succubus continued her emotional barrage. She added in rage, hatred and jealousy to the fear. Fyre began to scream and pound her head against the steel wall of the chamber.

"I'm not even going to touch you Fyre, you seem to be doing a good enough job of it on your own." Succubus turned and walked over to where the remains of the Stimulant lay one the floor. "It's too bad, isn't it Fyre? Too bad that when you broke the syringe and let the drug fall onto his chest. How could you have known it would get into his blood when you cut him and he would manage to escape.

Succubus turned and walked from the room. Fyre's screams died suddenly as her lifeless form slumped onto the ground, the remains of her head a bloody pulp. Succubus smiled one last time before heading off to begin her new job as head Norn of the Citadel.
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Final Curtain

Sorry Folks. . . No Encore Performances. . . Tonight

~FIN~