บท 4: Apprehension
At Arianna's determined words, the woman leaned back, a slight smile pulling at one corner of her mouth. "Very well. Be sure to get plenty of rest for the morrow." With that, she stood, nodded to her escort, and walked away. But before she was completely out of earshot, Arianna heard her say, "Prepare the Trial of True Self for prisoner 3. I want it…"
After she had gone, the impact of what she might have just agreed to finally hit her. She felt the stress swell in her chest as she looked to Simon and Chandra. Simon's face was scrawled with worry and fear, his hands pressed white against the barrier; but Chandra only gave her a grim nod of understanding.
"It's our only shot out of here," said Chandra, more to Simon than Arianna.
"You don't know that!" Simon's voice was strained. "Given time and better nuance of the language, I'm sure we could better plead our case! Or at the very least, gain a better understanding of this culture and their legal system and…"
"Simon, the longer we're here, the more likely they are to forget about us," retorted Chandra.
"And besides," added Arianna, "I have…" she slowed, suddenly realizing what she was saying, "tools...for this kind of thing."
Now they both looked at her with worry.
"Arianna, you…" Chandra trailed off, resigned.
"Just because they're...useful doesn't mean you should rely on them," said Simon. "You're having such difficulty erasing those instincts from your mind as it is."
Arianna looked away, shrugging "I don't have a choice." Her gaze dawdled on her feet, ignoring Simon's stern look.
"You do, though, even in situations like these," he pleaded.
"She's right, Simon." Chandra spoke up. "I don't like it either, but this time...it might help. Besides, we don't even know if this...thing will trigger any of those responses," she added hopefully.
"Right!" said Arianna, trying to sound more cheerful. "And it's not like any of those responses are offensive or anything, so even if they do happen, it won't cause any problems!"
Simon was about to retort, but pulled back when he saw a guard shift in their stance and suddenly remembered their every word was being recorded. Arianna and Chandra may have no idea how well the Asgardian linguists knew the language the trio shared, but in his work with them, he had given them plenty of grammatical and vocabulary knowledge for their imprisoners to understand everything the three of them said - at least to this extent.
However, he didn't want to cause suspicion by hushing them while on such a sensitive subject. The fear in him pulled on his ribs, but Arianna was right in some ways - being as explicit as possible - on some subjects - was the best way to avoid suspicion.
At last he spoke up again. "I know, but going unconscious anytime your mind detects any mental meddling is extremely harmful to you. I don't care about them, I care about you."
Chandra had caught on by this time too. "Right," she added, "and extreme memory compartmentalizing may seem convenient, but we know now that it's just several different trauma responses rolled into one." From her cell, Arianna could see Simon giving Chandra a thinly veiled look of frustration. Chandra was never one for subtle conversation.
Arianna sighed. "I know. I am trying. And I really am glad for the help you, and everyone, have given me. I shouldn't have even said it," - Simon nodded almost imperceptibly, reluctantly accepting her apology - "I doubt anything will even happen anyway."
"Well, she said you should rest." Simon's tone this time was set. "You need to be at your best for whatever it is they intend to do."
Chandra nodded in agreement, and the three turned away in sync to lay on their beds.
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