Making It

Days, weeks, Jonah truthfully had no sense of time. He counted days by the fading of bruises. Memories flashed through his brain in a haze of pain and taunts. They only thing that kept him grounded was the knowledge that his squad had bailed before him. They were safe and looking for him. And they better hurry. He always ran to happy, calm thoughts when Nine was trying to make him scream. Summers at the lake with Shannon, the night of his 21st birthday celebration in the barracks. They were becoming like old photographs though, the edges starting to blur and fade. He couldn’t even think about what would happen if he lost those memories. If all he could think about was pain and loneliness, he definitely wouldn’t last long.

"Are we all better?" Nine shut the door behind him. "I would have thought a strapping young man like yourself would be able to hold his water a little better."


"Go screw yourself,” Jonah told him, from his position on the floor.

"I really am getting tired of this Jonah, maybe I should teach you a little respect."

"Respect for what? Certainly not you." Jonah smirked, knowing he would probably pay for it later, but not caring.

"You know who you remind me of?" Nine was standing, arms crossed in front of the weakened boy. "Do you remember those three guys that I said I couldn't break? That's who you remind me of."

"I'll take that as a compliment, Sir,” Jonah’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

"You shouldn't. They weren't brave or anything, just stupid. Fighting for something they believed in, but that didn't believe in them. They always, until the end, had the hope that someone was going to come. They had idle, pointless dreams, nothing more. No one is coming!”

Jonah remained motionless. He knew his squad was on the way. Knew it with that desperate certainty you hold on to when your only other option is unthinkable.

"Are you listening to me Jonah? No one is coming!" Nine spun him around and drove him into the wall. "It's just you and me." As he was led away, Jonah couldn't stop the smirk on his face. It's lovely when you have one up on the other guy. Nine walked slightly ahead and stopped in front of the door Jonah had grown to hate.

Please no. Jonah braced himself for whatever today’s torture would be.

"Actually, there is something I want you to see.” Around the corner and down the stairs, there was a new door. "Go on, open it." Jonah hesitated, and Nine cracked his fingers threateningly.

Fine, whatever you're gonna do, just do it. Jonah opened the door. And stopped breathing.

"God no!” This was not fair. He had put up with everything, everything Nine could dish out. He was the perfect little soldier, resting his confidence and hope on his squad. As Jonah slowly approached the wall where his best friend was chained, he felt that hope leaking from his mind, making him weaker than he ever though possible. Scared.

Aadan slowly opened his eyes. "Jonah, I thought you were dead.” Jonah could see the memory of Nine on his friend's body; deep purple bruises were on his face and stomach. “Nine said you caved.”

"Bull,” Jonah was furious as his eyes teared at the sight before him. "You know I would never."

Aadan smiled and coughed a little. "That's exactly what I told him." Jonah turned around, Nine was smiling in the doorway.

"What?" Nine asked with feigned innocence. "Did you really think you were the only one? We have your whole squad here.” He laughed a little louder at the sight of Jonah's outrage.

"Don't worry, your boy here helped me enough. You know, it only took two days to break him, I was a little disappointed."

"Shut up, you bastard. I didn't say anything to you." Aadan was irate, pulling on his chains in his effort to reach Nine.

"Actually no, you didn't say anything,” Nine’s voice lowered and he moved dangerously close to Aadan. "But you sure screamed plenty.” Aadan's eyes clouded over, and he started breathing hard as Nine placed his large hands around the boy’s tender throat.

"Jonah, you should hear your friend scream. It's the most beautiful sound in the world." Nine turned so he could see Jonah's expression. "I can't wait until I hear you." Jonah's fists clenched into balls as he watched Agent slowly forcing the air out of his friend. "I bet you scream real nice.”

"Let him go” the tone of Jonah's voice surprised even himself. He was scared and hated the way he shook when he spoke. Jonah made a move toward him but stopped when Nine clucked his tongue warningly. When Aadan’s face began to match the blue in his eyes, Nine released his grasp. Nine patted him affectionately on the cheek and left the room, closing the harsh metal lock with a snap.

Jonah was already there, kneeling beside Aadan and turning his head to make him look into the older boy’s face.

He could barely speak through his coughing. Jonah struggled to loosen his chains, grimacing at the bruises and dried blood on his friend’s wrists.

They sat for a while, both staring at the door. Aadan broke the silence with a barely audible whisper.

"I don't want him to come back."

Jonah rolled Aadan’s head to the side, checking the bruise. "It's fine Jonah,” Aadan said. He turned his head so he was looking Jonah. “So did you?”

“Hm?” Jonah answered,

"Did you, uhm, you know, did you break?" Aadan asked, nervously rubbing his wrists.

"What the crap Aadan!" Jonah spat. He didn’t need this, not after surviving this much pain from Nine. Neither of them said a word. After a while, Jonah broke the silence.

"No," He finally said, staring straight ahead. "I didn't. But thanks for asking.

"I'm sorry,” Aadan said hurriedly. "I know that you'd never tell but, I don't know, he's so confusing sometimes."

"Have you told?" Jonah stared into Aadan's face. The boy averted his eyes and swallowed harshly

"No! Aadan, you didn't!"

"I don't think I did" Aadan said quickly, looking back at Jonah.

"What do you mean you don't think you did?"

"Well, there was one point when he was really... It hurt like nothing else Jonah, and I felt like I was going to explode, and I screamed. He kept asking me where it was and I know that I didn't tell him, I know I didn’t, but I don’t know anything anymore Jonah, it hurt so much!" Aadan slammed his fist into the wall.

Aadan has started to lose it. Four years his younger, Jonah always felt it was his responsibility to take care of him. There was nothing he could do this time.

"I know,” Jonah massaged his stomach muscles. "I know."

"I guess I thought that this whole torture thing would be a piece of cake, I mean, we went through so much training for crap like this, I didn't realize what it would really feel like, you know?" Aadan talked softly, his arms resting on his drawn up knees, the chains clanking loudly every time he shifted.

"Yea, I didn't think it would be anything like this,” Jonah slightly closed his eyes when he talked. He sighed and stretched his legs out in front of him. That silence again. It was kind of like meeting an old friend for the first time in ten years, only to find out that friend had terminal cancer. The conversation just wasn’t the same.

For no particular reason, Jonah leapt to his feet and started pacing the room, kicking the walls.

Aadan hitched up an eyebrow. "What's up?"

"This is gonna sound real selfish, but right now I don't care." Jonah paused and turned to look at Aadan. "The one thing that really kept me going was knowing that you guys were safe. Knowing that somewhere, wherever you guys were, that you were telling McCabe about where I was and that you would be coming to get me. Now, we’re all here, and no one has the slightest clue where we are.”

"Dude, the others aren't here, it's just me. He made that crap up just to scare us." Aadan flexed his fingers around the chains. When he didn't offer up any more information, Jonah prompted him.

"And how did they manage that?"

"Who?"

"The others, you moron, where are they if they’re not here?"

"I don't know. They all jumped before me and landed on the ground instead of in that blasted pond. I saw them all run into the woods before Nine and his men showed up."

"But I thought I saw you jump a long time before me?"

"No, I waited until I saw you behind me, with your parachute on, before I jumped."

Jonah's eyes narrowed, and he gave a grunt of disgust. "Why, you prat? I ordered you to jump."

"Excuse me Corporal, no wait, Sergeant, no wait what was it? Oh yea Private. But for one, I don't have to listen to your ‘orders’ I’m same rank, and for another, I was looking out for my friend.”

"Chill, Aadan,” Jonah almost laughed. "I was joking. But that was stupid. If you hadn't waited for me, you wouldn't be here."

"Yea, but you would be, and I'd know that I did nothing to save you.” Aadan laughed. "Like I'm really doing a lot of anything right now to save either of us, huh?" He laughed until tears came out of his eyes. Once they began, he couldn't stop them from flowing. Jonah put a hand on his shoulders, it wasn't funny.

"I don't know how I'm gonna do it.” Aadan talked through his sobs.

"Do what?"

Aadan took a deep breath and turned to face Jonah. "I can't stand the thought of what’s to come. I'm so afraid that I'll give in. Jonah, I'm scared. What if I tell him where camp is? That would put Captain and the whole squad in danger. Could you imagine what would happen if they found out where it was?"

"Have you gone insane?" Jonah hissed. "Shut up. You know Nine's probably right out that door. And yea, I have thought about what would happen if they found out. That's why I don't say anything."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Sure of what? That I'll never break? Because I don't want to live with my friends faces in my head. I don't want the vision of their death haunting me, knowing that it was my fault." Aadan didn't have a reply, just sat staring at the door.

"You know Aadan, there's got to be a way to beat him."

"Yea,” Aadan looked bitter. "With a crow bar."

"I mean, there's got to be a way out of here." Aadan turned to look at his friend.

"Dude, no way, I already tried, It’s impossible. And he gets really mad when you try to escape, real mad. He's got this pill that will make you vomit until you feel your toes come up through your mouth."

Unpleasant memories flashed through his mind. "Yea I know. He forced it down my throat once when I made a jump for the door. But still, there's got to be a way. I can't stand just sitting here, waiting for the others to come get us." Aadan made a small noise.

"Do you really think they'll come?" Disbelief was barely concealed in his tone.

"I have to" Jonah told Aadan, unconsciously talking in a whisper.

"I mean, maybe, but what if he was right. What if he does have the whole squad?"

"Aadan, just a minute ago you were saying that he made that up to scare us."

"Yea, well. Jonah, I know that I can't take this for much longer."

"You might have to. We both will, until we can think of a plan to get out of here, or Captain comes for us. Really, we don't have a choice."

"Well, yea we do."

"I'm not breaking, Aadan, and you know you're not either. You’re stronger than he is."

Aadan nodded his head. “I know, I mean all that training wasn’t for nothing I guess. It’s just hard.” He shivered violently. “I think I’ll always remember what it feels like to have that creep’s hands all over me.”

“Aadan, I’m serious. You can’t even think about breaking. Think about what would happen to the squad?”

"Don't lecture me about the squad. I know what’s at stake.”

"Aadan, for me. I can't hear you say you’re thinking about breaking, not when it’s taking every ounce of strength I have to fight him off, not now. Please, be strong for me, and I swear I'll be strong for you. How long have we been friends?"

"That’s not fair.” Aadan stood up. "Don't play the friend card on me, that's a cheap shot, and you know it."

"Yea well, sometimes all you have to throw are cheap shots, and you know it." Jonah was smiling a little at Aadan. "You can take this, I know you can." Watching Aadan this mentally weak was scary. He was the strongest person Jonah had ever known, seeing and dealing with things no one should have to, especially not at twenty years old.

"I don't know Jonah; I've never been this tired." Aadan closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. "And I don't mean my body. It's my mind. I'm tired of fighting him off every day, tired of him always winning."

"I really don't know what to tell you,” Jonah said quietly. He placed an arm over his friend’s shoulder, careful to avoid the wounds.

"I guess there’s not a whole lot to say.” What felt like a year passed with the two boys facing the door, silently terrified that Nine would appear.

Jonah took it upon himself to change the mood. “I’ve got friends in low places…” He sang horribly, notes dropping like dead leaves.

"You remember that?" Aadan chuckled. "That song was playing in that crappy little bar in…”

"Soho, Yea I remember. You were so drunk you didn't know the girl you were trying to pick up was really a guy. At least, I hope you didn't know."

"I didn't realize it until we were on the way to the taxi, and you were kind enough to point out the part of her I had over looked."

"So obvious, really, I think you were turning him on a little”

"Shut up! You had your share of 'moments' if I remember correctly. What about Venice, huh?"

A lovely memory of a dark haired waitress appeared before they both heard the heavy footsteps.

"I'm here, remember." Jonah squeezed his friend on the arm. Aadan just nodded his head

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