"They'll call you by a name you don't recognize. It was your name before the procedure. This is what the procedure they did does to them, it warps their memory, unlike ours. They don't remember you signing up to become Asset Seven, they think you were taken by us, forcefully. They'll fight you, so try to do as minimal damage as possible. I want them alive and healthy. Unconscious is preferable." His handler explains. He nods slowly, looking at the chair he was standing next to, waiting for the scientist to give him his daily shot of vitamins. Seven still couldn't understand why he signed up for this but decided against asking his handler after the proof was given. The signature was one he didn't recognize, signed in agreement to being their next Asset. Asset Seven. That means there were Six others who agreed to do this for the greater good and didn't make it to this spot he's taken.
"Do not get caught, because they will do the same thing they did to those two to you. Do you understand?" He is lying. He's lying. The Asset nods, ignoring his haywire power and answering his handler, even though something in him is starting to believe that maybe his power isn't so haywire after all. It clearly hadn't failed him before, they wouldn't pick someone whose powers don't work properly, would they? And if they were working properly, that means that everybody is lying to him. That they are the bad guy and he isn't here willingly. Exactly, a small part of him screams. That is exactly what happened. You don't know these people, none of this makes sense!
The pinch of the needle quickly dulls the thoughts, everything snapping back into focus. "I said, 'Do you understand?'" He pauses, feeling a twinge in the back of his mind like something was missing that was just there.
The Asset nods assuredly, thoughts of the truth disappearing from his head, replaced with the lies that they have fed him. "Yes, Sir."
#
"Do you think she'll be okay?" Jack questions softly, staring down at the unconscious figure through the glass. Mason stares with him, his sad expression matching the younger man's.
"I hope so. Everything is kinda numb right now, lighter even. I'm not sure if that's good, or terrifying." The blonde looks at his taller boyfriend in worry. His hair fell into his face slightly, only adding to the slight kicked-puppy effect that was coming off of him.
"Do you think it broke the bond?" While Mason thought he'd be happy to know that he wouldn't have to worry about his cousin popping into Mason's head when things were getting hot and heavy with them, Jack's voice was nothing but sincere concern and more than a little panic.
Mason moves so his back is facing the window, letting his head tip back to rest against the glass. He honestly wanted to break something at the moment, which is something he never would have thought of two years ago. The bond between the best friends was something that nobody could explain, not even Rose, who went through something similar. Similar, but not the same. It developed the same way but had different attributes than when the two girls were bonded nearly two decades ago. They had begun to adapt pieces of each other's personalities, almost.
"No. It's still there. She's numb. The bond itself is what feels lighter. Why did you sound so upset about the bond being gone? Most people would probably be pissed about their significant other having that sort of connection to someone else." Neither Kirstin nor Mason could seem to decide if the bond was a good thing or a bad thing. It was just there, and something they had grown accustomed to. It never went away, even when purposely dulled, you could feel it in the back of the mind. If it had been gone, he wouldn't have known how to react.
The blonde laughs slightly, relief evident in his facial expression, "It's good. I mean, it's not always good, because I'm constantly worried Kirstin will see us doing stuff, and there's the whole going crazy thing. I just- You guys help each other in so many ways like this. You know how to help her when no one else can figure out what she is thinking. And you can do so much good on your own, but together you guys are virtually unstoppable. Like Steve and Bucky. They're good apart, but they work better together." Jack shifts from foot to foot, trying to explain his thinking.
