Ekos 16 - Lächelt an der Decke

Posted on Wednesday, 28 April 2021 - 4:19am by Lieutenant JG Adrianna Eberhardt

Adrianna was lying on her far from a comfortable cell bed. The ceiling had originally held no interest, but the more boredom had set in, the more the cracks seemed to form comprehensive but surreal images. Her eyes slowly pieced together a few smiles in the decrepit concrete.

Her mind wandered, thinking about all the smiles she had seen over the years. She remembered the smile of her mother, the most gentle Baciami. Oh, how she longed for her mother to hold her as she had when Adrianna had ever had a nightmare as a child. Tanina would simply scoop her up and cwtch her so close, her embrace scaring the demons of night terrors away.

Adrianna then thought of Leopold's first smile. They were on the Jupiter station, awaiting the Standing Bear. They had just met and he had flashed a smile to her. He had been charming, mysterious but so forward. Whilst their first date had scared her a little with him kicking back her chair, the kiss had made the panic worth it.

It was the way he had just been so aggressively romantic, had made her feel like she could trust him to protect her. He seemed strong, mentally and physically. He was far from her usual type, but that was what she needed-- a change for the positive. She could be the damsel instead of the protector with him.

Whilst the tables had been turned on a few occasions here on Ekos. Adrianna had mostly been the one to lead, albeit being closed doors. On occasion, he had taken the lead too. He had made arrangements for her to see his mother and had demanded her to be brave to do it alone. Leopold had also potentially saved her when they interviewed together.

When they had seen each other as an olive branch from the prison officers, he had been her strength. He had managed to send a message, whether or not it was received. He had done something proactive to help rescue them both. Whilst he, himself, was grieving, he had allowed her to just cry when she needed it. He had held her, silently, and comforted her. The pain she was in had been evident, and even though he'd also been beaten for his actions, he had just shown her love, bringing a sense of hope and peace to the woman.

"Baciami, on your feet," came a demanding voice, interrupting her train of thought.

Adrianna stood up stiffly. Her joints were still fighting from the cold water of a previous day. Her ribs still ached, as did her stomach and back from a beating and whipping. Whilst her face was a lot less swollen from punches, her skin was still a glamorous shade of rich purple, the cuts on her cheek now having scabbed properly and feeling a lot less painful. Her head still pounded a little and wrists and neck still sported evidence of being held down.

Time had become a concept here with external views not being viewable by herself. Timings seemed to change when it came to meals and lights out. Equally, she may have lost a day or two being out cold. Perhaps they were on week two of being there? Regardless, it had become routine to hold out her wrists upon a request that sounded like an officer would be taking her to another part of the prison. It had not gone unnoticed, with guards now finding her crack in spirit somewhat entertaining.

They cuffed the woman, though with how weak she was feeling, it may not have made too much of a difference. The guard walked her down the corridor back into another few hours of hell.

Her eyes widened a little, seeing what was on today's menu of the Reich's ego satisfying menu of pain. "Please-- I don't have anything else," she begged trying to put on the brakes, but being dragged in more forcefully to compensate, "please. I don't have anything!"

This time, screams would be echoed from around the corridors and through vents as her strength and spirit finally crumbled around her into disorganised chaos of the damned, at the hands of a guard she had once disgraced-- König.