Prisoner of the Megacorp

Prisoner and Ransom, Story 1. A captive's tale.

(On NightCafe)

As she stirred awake, she was greeted by the freezing cold winds of the air conditioner. Her head felt heavy as her mind drowned in layers of brain fog; her limbs, sprawled on the floor, were barely responsive. Dominating the air was the strange scent of metal and unknown chemical, a constant reminder of her captivity.

She didn’t move. There was no point. In time, the sleeping gas would drag her under yet again. Her arms lay limp at her sides, exposed by the sleeveless design of her tactical suit. Tailored for stealth, her suit now left her feeling vulnerable, each inch of bare skin a silent testament to her helplessness. She told herself it was better this way. She had learned one lesson from this mechanical purgatory, the only lesson: resistance was futile.

As always, she wondered how it came to this. Her mission - to infiltrate Megacorp HQ and steal sensitive information - had been meticulously planned. After all, much bloodshed and haggling had been done to obtain the schematics of the Megacorp’s stronghold.

She remembered the neon skylines of Planet Usuria giving way to the dark, utilitarian atmosphere of the corporate headquarters. Afterwards, she avoided military-style patrols, slipped past the defenses, and disabled the digital firewalls. Whatever was inside the Megacorp’s Data Terminal was within reach, she was so close to fulfilling her mission. Premature feeling of triumph blinded her to danger; she had made a mistake earlier and by the time she realized it, it was far too late. Unknown arms locked around her neck from behind. Despite her struggle, the outcome was never in doubt. The void consumed her; thus began her life as a prisoner of the Megacorp.

The cell was devoid of comfort and warmth. Smooth metal walls, white in color, encased her from all sides except for one. A single surveillance camera could be seen from up above, watching her every move. The faint hiss from the vents was the closest thing she had to a measurement of time; and each pulse of gas pulled her deeper into submission.

But the worst thing was how easy it was for them to subdue her. And how effective the cycle of waking and fading was in wearing her down.

At first, she had tried to resist. The initial awakenings were frantic, filled with efforts to stand and fight, to find a way out of this blank prison. But the gas always won, dragging her into the void and leaving her limp on the floor. Soon, she stopped trying. Struggling was exhausting, especially when the outcome was always the same. Now she laid still when consciousness returned, her breaths shallow, her gaze fixed on the featureless ceiling.

She’d thoroughly surrendered to her captors, both in body and in mind.

Even so, she held on to hope. Far beyond these walls, beyond the reach of Planet Usuria, the Electrosphere Defense Corps was planning, figuring out a way to get her out - one way or another. The EDC wouldn’t abandon her. They couldn’t. She was an asset, a trained operative with too much value to leave behind. And even if she wasn’t, she believed that the EDC wouldn’t leave one of their own behind. Not them. That fragile belief thus far had kept her going, kept her sane. It was a thread of hope she clung to, a whisper of reassurance in the hellish silence telling her that this wasn’t the end.

And yet, doubt kept coming back, uninvited and persistent like a cockroach. The questions gnawed on her mind, setting up their nest like termites. How long had she been here? Days? Weeks? It was impossible to keep track. The gas had blurred the passage of time, reducing it to an endless loop of waking and fading. What if the EDC decided she wasn’t worth the cost? What if all along the Megacorp had intended to keep her… indefinitely?

Staring into the polished surface of the ceiling, she first thought she saw a reflection, but no such luck. She could only imagine how she looked right now. Her face pale, her hair disheveled, her clothes wrinkled, and her bare arms splayed and exposed. She was small, utterly defeated.

Such was her imagination. But as for the truth, who could say? Her captors, armed with their camera, could.

They could have done anything to her, and there was not a damn thing she could do about it. Nor would she even be the wiser. Before, such thoughts filled her with dread. Now, it gave her a twisted sense of comfort. They could have killed her, yet here she was.

Cold comfort, but comfort nonetheless.

A familiar hiss interrupted her thoughts. The gas came once more, as to be expected, blurring everything around her. Slowly but surely, she felt her strength sapping. Her vision darkened. But just before the void claimed her yet again, she reminded herself that she was still alive - still waiting. The EDC would come for her. They had to. Until then, she would endure. Quietly. Helplessly. But with hope.

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