Rising to Fall

Chapter 4-6

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Adam sits in the cell, his back pressed as close to the wall as he can with his hands cuffed behind his back. His head is leading on the wall, his eyes firmly shut and his jaw clenched. The screams are mostly soft but occasionally, one louder than the rest will come echoing down the passages.

All the Commanders are silent, hearing the screams but being powerless to prevent them. It's worse for Adam because he knows that all he needs to do is tell the Squid General that Mitch has the Amulet and they'll stop hurting his recruits. But that's the one thing he can't do. No Sky Army General has ever handed the Piece over to the Squids, and he refuses to be the one who does so.

The cries continue for hours on end and possibility days as well, although there's no way of checking in this windowless place. Adam clenches his hands into fists but the voices are getting harder and harder to block out. His breaths come more raggedly and finally, he can't handle it.

"Just leave them alone!" he yells. "Stop hurting them!"

The screams don't stop. Adam wishes that he could cover his ears but the handcuffs prevent that. His eyes lock on the corner of the concrete wall opposite and the stone roof. His outburst, far from making him feel better, only makes him feel more helpless. Eventually, mercifully, the screams become a blur and he drifts off to sleep.

Something wakes him.

He opens his eyes. His neck is stiff when he tries to move it as are his arms, signifying that several hours have passed. His slowly-waking mind tries to process the object that caused his sleep to be disturbed. It finally clicks and he is instantly wide awake.

The screams have stopped.

Far from relieved, Adam struggles up from the ground and silently treds to the bars. His view is limited but no one seems to be approaching and the halls are silent except for a little rustling sound that indicates that at least one Commander is awake.

"What happens now?" Adam hears Kali's voice whispering down the corridor. Clearly he is not the only one concerned about the silence.

"There's nothing we can do," Jordan says. "The Squids hold all the cards."

"How long ago did the screaming stop?" Adam asks quietly, still at the bars.

"Long ago enough so that I've become used to the silence," Jack starts, "but short enough for me to not become horribly bored."

"I've counted to 360 six times since it's stopped," another Commander says. From the young voice, Adam guesses that it's Commander Levi who only became a Commander a few months ago at the age of 23. "Or is it seven times? I can't remember."

"Either way that's... over half an hour?" Cassandra asks.

"Something like that," Adam agreed. "I wonder how long we'll have to wait until something else happens."

Time ticks past with more deafening silence, but it's better than the screams. The sound of footsteps startles Adam and he stands up from where he had sat less than five minutes ago. Although out of sight, the footsteps could belong to no other than the Squid General. Adam tries to steel himself but he's tired: Not physically, but mentally. The constant screaming of his recruits has worn him down.

The Squid General and his two guards come to a stop outside Adam's cell. The General grins, a smile that seems comforting but his eyes are cold. He stares Adam down even though they are on the same eye level. The Sky Army General returns a steady gaze.

"Enjoying the music?" the Squid General asks.

Adam doesn't even attempt to come up with an answer. He continues to stare down the General.

"Where's the Amulet?"

"I'm not telling you."

The Squid warrior shrugs. "Alright then." He turns to one of his warriors. "Get the next batch of Sky Army recruits ready for the room." The warrior walks swiftly away and the General and his remaining warrior also leave.

"Just leave them alone!" Adam yells after him. "They didn't do anything, stop hurting them!"

Very slowly, the Squid General comes back, both of his warriors with him. They stop in front of Adam's cell again.

"If you want us to stop hurting your recruits," the Squid General says very slowly and deliberately, "tell us where the Amulet is."

For a moment, Adam is tempted to lie. It would be easy: give them a dud location and his recruits would be left alone while they're looking. But when they come back after finding nothing, things would only get a hundred times worse.

"Well?" General Azubi asks.

Despite the grimness of the situation, Adam laughs. "And what will you do when all of them are gone?" he asks. "Torture me? You know you can't kill me otherwise you'll lose the Piece forever. And you know that I'll never tell you where the Amulet is, no matter how high the cost. You've got your oath, and I've got my own."

This statement seems to amuse the Squid General as his lips curl up. "Very well then." The visitors leave for good this time.

Adam sits on the wooden bed panel with a sigh. The brief flare of bravado is gone now, but the determination to never give in still remains. He hopes that it doesn't come to a point where all of the Sky Army recruits and the Commanders are gone. He hopes that some external force does something, anything, before that time arrives. Although, if he's honest with himself, the chances of that happening are virtually impossible.

No one who realises the true situation knows that they are here.

End Part 4

Will the Sky Army recruits be okay? (probably not, this is me writing it)

What was Seto's theory that isn't right?

What is General Azubi's plan for the recruits?

And, the most pressing question of all: What Piece are they talking about? And why is it so important?

All these questions will be answered in the 5th and final part of Rising to Fall.