Chapter 5 : Beep Beep

"Here we are," said the mysterious man, dragging Nat to a chair and tying her up. The room was empty, with just two chairs, and one was now occupied by her.

Nat's consciousness slowly returned, and she groggily looked around the dimly-lit room, trying to make sense of her surroundings. As her vision began to clear, she realized she was tied to a chair, and panic set in. "Where am I?" she croaked, her voice hoarse from disuse.

The mysterious man standing before her spoke, his words sending a shiver down her spine. "You're finally here, Nat. I've been waiting for this moment for so long."

Nat had come to the realization that she had been kidnapped by the man, and that the Jester was likely the only one who knew she was missing. Her best option now was to remain patient and wait for a chance to escape.

"Who are you? And why have you taken me?" Nat asked, her voice low and controlled. She knew that shouting or panicking could make things worse for her.

The man slowly lowered himself near Nat's face, and Nat could only see the shadow of his hood, a little goatee, and his concealed eyes. Suddenly, he began to remove his hood, revealing himself to be Aiden.

"No way!" Nat was shocked, "A-A-Aiden??"

Aiden smirked as he said, "I'm glad you still remember me, Nat."

"Nat was in disbelief and started to struggle more vigorously after realizing the person in front of her was Aiden, whom she thought she had killed. "Why are you here? I thought I killed you!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with fear and confusion.

"Why do you think I'm here, Nat?" Aiden asked, a sly smile playing on his lips.

"You're supposed to be DEAD!! You killed Jarvis's brother. You gave away all of our positions the last time. You're a traitor through and through," Nat's voice roared. "All I did was put the betrayer to sleep, and yet you're still here?? Why?"

"I'm sorry, Nat, but that's all I could do," Aiden replied, his voice filled with regret.

"Jarvis will kill you for sure if he finds out you're still alive."

"I know what I've done is unforgivable," Aiden continued, his expression turning to a sneer as he looked at Nat.

"What you've done to us deserves nothing but death," Nat interrupted him, her voice trembling with anger and hurt.

"I know, Nat. I am sorry. I wish I had died back then," Aiden replied, his voice heavy with remorse this time.

"Why are you here?" Nat asked, tears rolling down her cheeks. She felt helpless and wanted him gone.

Aiden spoke, "Nat, you need to understand that I have saved you. You were in danger out there, and now you're safe with me. You've been running for far too long, it's time for you to rest."

"Save me? You kidnapped me, tied me up, and injected something into my neck, and now you claim you've saved me?" Nat's voice was shaking with anger and fear.

"Even if you were the only person left on this planet to protect me, I would rather choose death over being under your care," Nat vehemently declared.

"Nat, you're still as stubborn as ever," Aiden began as he walked around her. "You need to understand that your small band of rebels won't make a dent in Gideon's power. It's hopeless. Give up."

"Fuck you! I'll never become like you," Nat exclaimed, staring directly into Aiden's eyes as he stood in front of her.

"You never learn, Nat, do you?" Aiden said as he slapped her face sharply. "Do you really think you can defeat Gideon?"

"I will not only defeat Gideon, but I will also make sure that you meet your end," Nat responded with determination.

"Come on now, Nat, kill me," Aiden taunted as he slapped her even harder, causing a sharp sting to shoot through her cheekbones. The force of the impact made the chair shake.

"Come on, Nat, I don't remember you being all talk. Have you become this weak?" Aiden jeered, mocking her with his words.

"Untie me, you fucker," Nat demanded, her mouth and nose bleeding from the assault.

Aiden made it worse by delivering a punch to Nat's stomach, causing her to gasp in pain. It was more than she could bear.

"No one is coming for you. This is the King's interrogation facility — soundproof and with guards stationed everywhere. Plus, everyone here has Grade A Manatel infused," Aiden stated mockingly.

"Tell me, Nat, who else is with you?" Aiden asked, kissing his fist as he spoke.

"Are you deaf, you fucker? I'm not a sellout like you, yet," Nat retorted with a smile, despite knowing what was to come.

"Well, if that's your answer," Aiden said before starting to punch her stomach repeatedly. Each blow felt heavier and more painful than the last, and Nat struggled to endure the relentless assault.

"Spill it out, Nat," Aiden punched her again, causing her to cough and spit out blood.

Gasping for breath, Nat managed to speak, "You mentioned that everyone here has Grade A Manatel, right?"

"Yes, they do. Even I have Grade A Manatel," Aiden confirmed before delivering another punch to her stomach.

Nat coughed harder, but managed to continue, "And every weapon and armor here is infused with it, right?"

"Yes, they are. What are you getting at?" Aiden asked as he continued to deliver blows to Nat's body.

But Nat had a smirk on her face as she replied, "I think I'll put 'him' to the test this time."

"What are you talking about, Nat?" Aiden was losing his patience. "Who is he?"

Nat's grin widened as she responded, "You'll find out soon."

Aiden's rage grew at her answer. He clenched his fist tightly and made sure Nat could see it before delivering a powerful punch to her face. The force of the blow was so strong that the chair toppled over, sending Nat crashing to the floor with it.

As Nat fell to the floor, a small device fell out of her pocket, landing on the ground beside her.

*beep*beep*

As Nat lay on the floor coughing up blood, the small device that fell out of her pocket began to beep loudly. Aiden, still standing over her, looked down at the device with confusion and concern. Meanwhile, Nat struggled to regain her breath as she lay on her side, coughing out the blood that had accumulated in her mouth.

With caution, Aiden walked slowly towards the device that had fallen out of Nat's pocket. He lowered himself to the ground and leaned in to take a closer look at it, still unsure of what it was or what it was capable of.

*beep*beep*

The beeping continued to grow louder and more urgent. Despite having taken out and destroyed all kinds of transmission equipment that Nat had in her possession, Aiden couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. He hesitated for a moment before extending his arm and cautiously picking up the device with his fingers.

As soon as Aiden picked up the device, he realized what it was and his heart sank. Without a second thought, he threw it onto the floor and began to stomp on it with all his might, desperate to silence the insistent beeping. After a few brutal stomps, the device lay motionless on the ground and the beeping finally stopped. Aiden breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that he had successfully neutralized whatever threat the device posed.

Aiden's tone became more demanding, "Nat, what was that device?"

Nat's laughter echoed in the room.

Aiden grew more impatient and his voice rose, "Answer me, Nat!"

*Boom*

The room's walls broke down from the outside. The room was filled by light from the outside, a shadowy figure stood where the wall had broken.

"Suddenly, the room shook as the walls crumbled from the outside, and a bright light flooded in. A dark silhouette appeared in the midst of the chaos.

"I don't know what this is or how it works, Ranald," shouted the intruder over the commotion.

"But I guided you anyway," Ranald's voice responded through the transmission device. "Did you find her?"

"Let me see, it's too dusty, I don't know why"

That voice.

As the dust cleared, a familiar figure emerged. It was the Jester.

Nat screamed with joy, "Jay! You're here!!"

The Jester's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the room. He saw Nat on the floor, tied up and badly beaten. His gaze shifted to the man standing in front of him, the one responsible for Nat's condition.