(Ahaha, instead of continuing the story, I decided Yona didn't put up enough of a fight at the beginning of her captivity, so I added a bit to one of the earlier chapters.
I hope I'll get the hang of it and continue writing. I'm interested in reading it myself.)
Yona shuddered and jerked, her eyes wide. Dark and quiet... for how long?
Pushing her despair and fear deep down, concentrating, a Sifa began to pull her hands free from their shackles. It was like a puzzle. A tricky but solvable one, the kind Wolonga had tested her with time and again before sending her to spy on the maudra Revda. Yona bit her lip, feeling an icy wave of unpleasant memories wash over her. Her sister had tied her up, chained her, played hide-and-seek, searching for her younger sister at the head of her pirate crew—and become enraged if Yona failed. Over time, Yona learned a thing or two, and they left her alone.
After dislocating she's own thumbs one by one, a Sifa somehow pulled her hands free from the metal clamps. Moaning softly, she pushed her fingers back in and probe the neck brace. How could she unlock it? With what?
Probe the neck brace again, Yona thought she'd found a weak spot. She began to tap it carefully, pressing her fingertips with varying force, as if trying out another lock. She got carried away and lost track of time, absorbed in this activity.
But then, with a soft click, the neck brace swung open, and a Sifa cried out joyfully, leaning forward.
Alas, that was where her luck ran out. The door swung open, the light came on, and her tormentor entered the chamber.
"How are you feeling, sick one?" The scientist approached the chair and, seeing what was happening, stopped short. "So that's it happening?"
A menacing gurgling sound escaped his throat.
Yona stared at him in horror, mechanically continuing to tap her leg brace.
"I see you have the energy for all sorts of stupid things!" SkekTek bristled angrily, looming over his victim. "Instead of allowing your body to recover, you're wasting its resources on a pointless struggle, test subject!"
"Yo-a," the girl said quietly, looking the Skeksis in the eyes. "Yo-a. Ot a e-t au-et. Ot a i-k, ot a to-i. O-u i-i-t... "
"You have a temper, huh?" Grabbing her chin, the Scientist used the claws of his other hand to open her mouth and examine the prosthetic tongue. "Hmm, it's healing well... maybe your speech will recover in time. Then you can tell me that you're not a toy, not an object, that you have rights," he chuckled dryly, closing the neck brace around the captive's neck. "I was going to inject you with a nutrient solution, rebel, but I see that's unnecessary right now. You'll starve for a couple of days. Your energy will wane."
Having fastened the braces on her arms, skekTek walked over to the table and began mixing something.
"You'd better not anger the genius unnecessarily," he said, without turning around. "I can amputate your limbs without having to graft prosthetics. I can swap your arms and legs—trust me, they'll grove!" The Skeksis turned to her, holding a syringe in his hand. He grinned unkindly, clearly pleased with the effect of his words. "But for now, let's do this," he said, giving her a shot in the shoulder. "A small dose of inhibitor—and the Gelfling won't want to move anymore."
Yona felt a chill creep through her veins. Her body went limp, her arms drooped, her head fell to the side. Her tongue—or rather, a horrible parody of one—protruded from her half-open mouth, and her mouth felt drier than the Crystal Desert.
"One day, Stonewood Sengis, not yet All-Maudra, but a rebel like you, escaped from my Chamber of Life," skekTek confided, moving some sort of device closer and inserting a tube dripping water into the subject's mouth. "She hid for a week in the Catacombs beneath the Castle, terrified of returning to Stone-in-the-Wood with an iron fist and a ridiculous story about how it came to be," he chuckled briefly, almost like a laugh. "The entire Castle searched for the fugitive and finally she was founded. After which she lost her other hand!"
"A-a-h..." Yona blurted out. The pipe in her mouth was terribly bothering her, but the unbearable dryness had finally passed.
"She's resigned herself, so should you, rebel. You'll never leave here, but it's up to you how you spend your last unums—in peace and with no pain, or in a senseless struggle."
Stepping back, the Skeksis cocked his head to the side, bird-like, examining the test subject.
"And don't pull your hands out of the shackles again, Gelfling. If you do that again, I'll amputate them. Without anesthesia!"
The Scientist left, and Yona remained motionless in the chair. She couldn’t even cry under the influence of the slowing drug. She couldn’t do anything.
She couldn't remember how many times she'd fallen asleep and woken up here, in the dimly lit room. It seemed countless times. Completely distrustful of her, skekTek held his victim motionless in a chair—or fixed her on a work table, taking some measurements.
But at least he never injected her with the inhibitor again.
"I think I'll make a frame out of a light but durable alloy," a Skeksis muttered, laying the test subject on her stomach and carefully examining her back—or rather, her light, almost weightless wings. "A membrane made from the skin of sea monsters... you, as a Sifa, should appreciate that!"
"I-i-k..." Yona begged quietly.
"Yes, of course," skekTek poured water into a glass, mixing it with the medicine and holding it to the test subject's mouth. "Roll it around in your mouth, and then drink it. Salivation issues, Gelfling. Your mouth is often dry now, but perhaps that will improve with time. “
"O-t i-ffe-e a-s i e-e?" she sighed.
"For you, there is no difference at the moment," a chuckle. "But a genius would be interested in making wings that could both lift you into the sky and close, transforming into a lifeboat in the event of an emergency landing on the water. Isn't that a wonderful idea!"
In a fit of emotion, the Scientist abruptly squatted down at the table and lifted the Gelfling's chin with a claw. Their gazes met.
"I e-f i-s," Yona said, holding his gaze. Each sound was an effort, and her mouth became dry again. "O-u i-id..."
"It’s need to do, Gelfling," a grin. "I wouldn't replace living body parts with prosthetics unless I was sure it would be much more effective."
"Work on your pronunciation! Yes, you're alive—and you'll stay alive for now. This project is even more interesting than tongue... even more challenging!"
Yona fell silent, because there was no point in continuing. Understanding perfectly well what she was trying to tell him, her tormentor continued to do as he pleased.
"Now you're only rebelling in words, rebel," skekTek seemed to be trying to praise her, though the praise coming from his beak sounded mocking. "No foolish attempts to free yourself. I'm glad I don't have to punish you. Perhaps, in time, I'll let you sit on a chain instead of in a chair, if I'm convinced you're not attempting suicide."
Yona remained silent, and only tears rolled from her eyes, falling onto the lab floor.
"Podlings!" skekTek shouted angrily, pushing her back into her chair and inserting a tube of water into her mouth. "Come and clean up here. And entertain the test subject, talk to her. And it's time for the genius to get back to work!"
"O-u. O-u..." a barely audible voice pounded his back, crashing like quiet waves on the rocks of the shore. "A e-af..."
Read more on: https://archiveofourown.org/works/80374316/chapters/211046341
Leave comments if you like this - it's very important for me.
