~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Control by Aelyva ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Notes: This story takes place during Hell House. It happens right after we see the crew minus Sinbad with Scratch hanging from a sort of spider web (that's how I called it by the way). But after that, it's : what if Scratch took Bryn apart to get this 'power' he said she had. AU ending of the second season. Warning: This is very dark. Dare I say a bit twisted as well. There's going to be character deaths ahead, so if that bothers you, I suggest you not to read. <><><><><> The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the pain in my head. It didn't feel like someone hit me on the head though. The pain was more internal. Like something hit me from the inside. And it was much more painful. I knew the difference. I lost the count of how many hits I received on the head, or how many times it hit a wall. Being part of Sinbad's crew meant having to fight a lot and those we fought with didn't care I was a girl. They hit as hard as if I was one of the boys. Fair enough. If I had a problem with it, I would've leave the Nomad a long time ago. The second thing I noticed was that I wasn't stuck on the spider web anymore. That should have been a good thing, but when I opened my eyes, I immediately knew that it wasn't. I was in a small cell, alone. The others weren't with me. I was worried about them. Was it a good thing they weren't with me? I hoped they were still alive. But I was also worried about how I got there. And why. More importantly, why just me. I got up on my feet and gripped tightly the bars. I wanted to get out. Get out to find the others and Sinbad. I wanted to leave this damn place. Too much evil vibes, it was overwhelming me. I wanted to be out and far away, with my friends. The damn pain in my head stopped me from trying to use my magic. Something bad would happen if I tried, I knew it. What, I wasn't sure, but I wasn't willing to try. Not yet. A laugh echoed nearby and I jumped. That guy - Scratch - appeared outside of my cell. He was smiling and looked quite pleased with himself. His stare gave me goosebumps . He laughed again and I gripped the bars even tighter, my hands shaking. I wanted to scream. Since I first saw him, he'd been giving me that look. And his words…about my pedigree. There had been disappointment in his eyes. Not anymore. His eyes were plain evil. And it scared me. Scared me because I had this feeling he was the cause of the pain in my head. I didn't know what it meant, but it surely wasn't something good. I backed away from the bars, away from him. I stupidly prayed for Sinbad to enter the room this instant and save me. He always ended up saving people. He couldn't do any different now. I needed him to save me. Because I didn't think I could do it. Not with the pain. Not with Scratch looking at me like that. Besides, even if the pain wasn't there and I wasn't locked in a cell, there was no way I could kill Scratch on my own. He was one of the most powerful creatures I encountered. I was barely able to control my magic. If he decided to kill me, there wasn't much I could do to stop him. "You look so…scared. How can a girl like you be scared? Oh yes, that's right. You don't remember. Poor little girl." He taunted me. Taunted me to what? Get angry? At that moment, it seemed very important not to get angry, so I took deep breaths and tried to stay calm. It really was hard, with the damn pain that didn't want to go away. It seemed even stronger since Scratch appeared. "I'm not scared of you," I answered rather weakly. He laughed at me and I gritted my teeth. "You're probably wondering why you're here. Yes, I'm sure you're wondering," Scratch said, as if I never said anything. "As you're wondering about the pain in your head…" His smile widened, letting me see a glimpse of his teeth. I shivered. The dreading feeling in my stomach grew bigger and I found myself against the wall. I tried to appear calm to him, but inside, fear and anger were growing and growing, leaving no place for any other emotion. That wasn't good. "As I previously said, you are a strong sorceress. A very strong one. You're wasting your time with Sinbad and his little crew. You could never use your full power traveling with them. And that would be such a shame, to waste power like that. Power like yours should be used for destruction and pain." "What did you do to me, bastard?" This time, I couldn't let the rage out of my voice. He noticed it and his eyes shone with triumph. Shit. He approached my cell and I couldn't get farther away from him. "Just a little spell. To be able to control you. With you at my side, goodness will fall and darkness will rule." Control me? What did he mean, control me? No one controlled me! Certainly not him! I didn't want to be controlled! I wanted to be free, to do what I wanted. I didn't want to help do evil. I wanted to help Sinbad do good. That's what I wanted to do. "You can't control me!" I almost screamed. 'Sinbad will stop you' was what I wanted to say, but I was starting to have doubts. Would he ever find me? Would he be able to defeat Scratch? Sinbad was strong. But there was always someone stronger than ourselves and Scratch seemed to be stronger than Sinbad. But was I stronger than him? I couldn't be, no. But anger gave strength… He laughed again. I hated his laugh. He was always laughing and I hated it. It made me cringe. It made me angry and I had to remain calm and I couldn't stay calm when he laughed but he didn't want to stop he didn't stop he didn't stop he didn't stop he didn't stop. "I think I can. I think I can, my sweet. I'll be able to make you do whatever I want." He paused and leaned his head against the bars. "Maybe I'll make you kill your friends while Sinbad watches. Wouldn't it be fun? What do you think? Would you like that?" I let out a cry and fell on my knees. No no no! I didn't want to kill them. Didn't want to. He couldn't make me kill them. I couldn't let him make me kill them. I had to stay calm, make the anger disappear. "What do you think Sinbad would feel about you killing his friends?" Scratch continued his rant. He knew what it did to me. He cocked his head and tapped his cheek with one long finger. "Do you think he would still love you? Oh, but silly me, he doesn't love you, does he? You're just a fellow crew member to him. Someone he gives orders to." I shook my head over and over. It wasn't true. I was a friend. A kiss…he once gave me a kiss… just one among many others he gave, to other women. Just one among them. But I was still a friend. I was still a friend. "If I made you kill them, he would try to kill you. He. Would. Kill. You." "NO!" I screamed. Oh shit, the pain. I didn't know how, but I ended up lying on the cold floor, my hands holding my head. There was a fire inside my head. It was burning, burning so hot and it hurt. Damn, it hurt. And it wanted to explode. It was his fault. He did this to me. He made the pain. Made the pain control me. I hated him. Hated him. Hated him. Shit. The pain. The pain. It was all I could feel, all I could think of. The pain, that was taking control. The pain. The pain. The pain. The pain. The pain. The pain. The pain. A long and loud wordless scream came out of my mouth. I was aware of my fists hitting my head blindly. More pain. More screaming. Silence. A long moment of silence. Toc. Toc. Toc. Toc. Toc. I suddenly got up. After that, I didn't move. Waited. And Scratch smiled. And I didn't feel anything. It didn't make me angry. It made me feel nothing. It was just a smile. "Bryn. Come to me, Bryn." My feet moved closer to Scratch. Still smiling, he opened the cell and I got out and stood in front of him. Waiting. "Surprise, surprise, it worked! So the little bitch didn't lie after all. Let's test it a little before the big premiere." He licked his lips in anticipation and smirked. "Bryn, jump." I started to jump. That was what he wanted, after all. So I jumped. Up. Down. Up. Down. Up. Down. My eyes stared ahead as I jumped. My muscles moved, directed by the commends of my brains. I didn't even feel when my feet left the ground and when they touched it again. I didn't even acknowledged what I was doing; my body was doing all by himself. It didn't need me. Scratch laughed crazily, hands clutching his stomach. "Oh, this is funny. You can stop now. As entertaining it is, we have a job to do. Now come and give Scratchy a big kiss." My feet moved toward him, and my eyes met his, which were gleaming. I did what he asked. My lips touched his and I kissed him. His hand was suddenly at my back and he pushed me toward him. He deepened the kiss as our body touched. My eyes stared as his face, expressionless. He pushed me away and gave me a smirk. "You really do anything I ask you to do. The possibilities…the things we could accomplish, you and I. I can't wait. Follow me, Bryn. We have a lot of work to do. Tonight, you will be moving for me, but pleasure comes after work, and we're going to work now. For our victory to be complete." I followed. Our victory. We had to make sure we won. Our victory? When he stopped walking, we stood next to each other in front of Doubar, Firouz and Rongar. I knew those names. But I didn't feel anything for them. They were just names. Not important. In the way of our victory. I know these names. I remember them. "Bryn! You're fine! What did he do to you? We were worried he killed you!" Doubar said, relief on his face. Scratch, with a movement of his hand, made the spider web holding them disappear and they fell on the floor, different levels of shock written on their face. But quickly, they got up and went into a defensive stand. "You bastard! Where's Sinbad? And what did you do to Bryn?" Where's Sinbad? What happened to Bryn? Bryn? That's me, isn't it? "I didn't do anything to Bryn. Did I do something to you, Bryn?" "No." My voice sounded so empty as I answered his question. But that was how it was supposed to sound. No emotions. Empty. But that's not true! He did something! Tell them! Tell them! "See? She says I didn't do anything. You believe her, don't you? Your sweet little Bryn wouldn't lie to you, would she?" Doubar frowned and looked suspiciously at Scratch. "What do you want with us?" "Besides your death, nothing really. Bryn, why don't you start with the black-skinned one? It'll be boring not to hear him scream while he dies, but we'll leave the best for the end. Don't you agree?" He rolled with laugher and sat on his throne, anticipation written all over his face. The fun began now. He wanted me to kill the black-skinned one. Rongar. I slowly raised my hand, my eyes staring at him. His black eyes were huge with shock as he started to rise in the air. I heard the others gasp, but I concentrated only on this one. This one that he wanted me to kill. I moved my hand again and he moved slightly to the left, just over the red lava. Fear in his eyes now. Fear and betrayal. He felt I had betrayed him. But I wasn't betraying him. I was simply obeying my master. I was doing what he wanted. That was all that mattered. No no no no no! Can't kill Rongar! You can't kill Rongar! I can't do that! It's not me! I don't want to do it. I can't let myself do that! But I can't stop it. My body won't obey me. My mind won't obey me either. I'm not in control? "Bryn! What are you doing?" Incredulity. A new voice. I turned my head and saw him. Sinbad. With a woman standing behind him. He was looking at me, incredulity, confusion and shock in his eyes. He didn't want me to kill Rongar. But I didn't care. He was nothing to me. Just a person. They were all just persons. Standing in the way of our victory. He started to move toward me. I let my hand move down on my side. Wordlessly. He did say he would die wordlessly. His mouth remained close as he fell in the lava. The hot and red lava. Didn't scream. But his eyes spoke enough. Betrayal. Fear. It was still there. But hate too. Hate? Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Rongar. Rongar. Rongar. I killed him. I killed Rongar. I killed Rongar. I killed Rongar. I killed Rongar. I did that. Me. I killed him. Let him fall. Didn't stop him. But I tried. I really tried. Tried to stop it, but my arms didn't want to obey me. My mind didn't want to obey me. I'm not controlling what my body does. But they'll never know. And they'll never forgive me. Sinbad won't forgive me. He looks at me with so much…disappointment? Pain. I don't know. I can't read his emotions anymore. I can't read mine. Empty and not. They all started to scream at the same time and Scratch started to laugh. I remained silent. They all looked at me. I looked back. Waiting. Scratch jumped off his throne and clapped his hands, an almost cheerful expression on his face. Triumph. It was triumph. "Oh, that was splendid! Truly splendid! What a way to go!" He roared with laugher and his hand hit me in the back. "Do it again. I want to see you do it again. Doesn't matter which one. All of them at the same time maybe?" My eyes fell on the woman who stood behind Sinbad. I couldn't read her eyes, but I…felt something toward her. I didn't like her. I wasn't supposed to feel anything, but I didn't like her. The way she looked at me…I didn't like it. Anger…I felt anger. Why did I feel something? I was supposed to be empty. I liked it that way. No. Not anger again. Anger is bad. Don't get angry. Empty is better than angry. Stay calm. Please, stay calm. My lips formed a grim line. I opened my palm toward her and called the wind. She was so surprised that she couldn't do anything. I sent her flying against the wall. She hit her head and fell on the ground. Sinbad kneeled next to her, worry written on his face as he checked for her pulse. Unconscious or dead, I wasn't sure. But I didn't feel any better. Anger still ran through my veins. It wanted to come out. "Bryn…what are you doing?" Sinbad asked, his features deformed by the conflicts of emotions as he got up. "Just…stop it. You're not yourself." That's right! I'm not myself. I killed Rongar and maybe even that woman. I wouldn't do that. It's not me…but they did by these hands that are mine and by that magic that is a part of me. I just looked at him. Still the anger. Where was it coming from? It had to come from somewhere. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't remember. Confused…was I confused? "Keep going, Bryn, don't stop! Kill, kill, kill!" Scratch. His voice told me to kill. Yes, I had to kill. To get rid of the anger. Sinbad. Looking at me like that. I want to cry. I hurt him. By doing what I did, by letting Scratch control me, I hurt him. I killed Rongar, betrayed the trust he had in me, breaking the friendship we had formed. I broke their trust. I betrayed them all. I hadn't been strong enough to resist him. They could never forgive me for the death of their friend. Even if they knew Scratch controlled me, they couldn't completely forgive me. I would never be able to forgive me. Never able to look at them, look at him. I want to cry, but my body refuses to. I want to scream, but it doesn't want to. I want to speak, to tell them, to apologize, but my mouth refuses to open up. I'm weak. I'm really weak. The anger…it was all because of the anger…Anger that made me do evil things. Maybe in the life that I can't remember I did evil things. I'm really weak, after all. I looked at Scratch who was eagerly waiting for me to kill. I glanced at Sinbad, who now had his sword in his hand, and stood in front of Firouz and Doubar. Protecting them. From me. Because he knew that I could kill again. Like Scratch knew he would do. Like I knew too. My gaze returned on Scratch. I knew what I had to do. I knew what to do. My legs started to move. Slowly, then faster. I was running. The anger was ready to leave. It was going to leave. No one could have stopped me. I had surprised them all. I surprised him. I let out a cry. Finally. I threw myself at him with all my weight and he let out a surprised cry. Determined, I pushed. I pushed, and we started to fall. Me and Scratch. We started to fall. "Bryn!" Sinbad voice. He was moving also, but he would be too late. We were already falling and the anger was leaving. And the pain returned. "No! Impossible!" Scratch screamed. But he was falling and he knew he was going to die. There, he hit the lava. He wouldn't survive it. Even him couldn't survive it. I was on top of him and I would hit it soon. It seemed so slow. Too long. The pain. I welcomed it. I deserved it. No more anger. No more rage. No more fear. Regrets. Sadness. I killed Rongar and he was never going to smile again. He had accomplished his revenge, reunited with his sister, but it had been in vain because in the end, I killed him. I had to die. To pay for what I did. But also to make sure I would never hurt one of them again. To make sure Scratch died and remained dead, I had to die with him. There, I would be sure no one else could control me again and make me do things I didn't want to. Like killing Rongar. I could have killed Doubar, Firouz. I could have killed Sinbad. So for them, I killed the man -no, he wasn't a man. The demon - who made me kill Rongar. And with him I went. To protect them. I felt my tears on my cheek. Hot. It was so hot. I touched the lava. I wished I could tell them. They would be left with the memory of me murdering their friend. I heard Sinbad's cry, Doubar's scream, Firouz whispering my name, saw the woman got up and I went to join Scratch in the lava. There were no more anger, no more pain. My last thought was that I had done this last action by myself, without being controlled. I'd never be controlled again. ~*~*~ Written: April 28, 2003