Who We Become (Power Rangers Ninja Steel)

Chapter 7- Embers

(August 25, 2007)

Brody poked at the green goop that had been slid through his door. It shuddered slightly before sliding back into place. Any disgust he had was completely overshadowed by the yawning ache in Brody's stomach. He just wasn't sure if he'd call this substance food. Though, if they were going to kill him they'd probably have chosen a different method by now.

Steeling his nerves, Brody picked up the bowl and took a sip. If there had been a mirror in the room Brody would have been able to see his face turn a shade of green that rivaled the contents of the bowl. He swallowed as best he could while fighting a gag.

His stomach had a hard time figuring if it was glad to have something in it, or if it wanted to eject it. Several deep breaths later Brody was fairly confident he wasn't going to puke. Knowing what to expect almost made the thought of his next sip worse. 'Come on. You have to eat.' Unless he wanted to starve, which after an excruciating day and a half of nothing did not have any appeal, there was no other option.

Taking a deep breath Brody downed the contents of the bowl. Hand flying up to his mouth Brody tried to encourage the liquid to stay down. To his relief it did. Brody sipped slowly from the cup that had accompanied the bowl. He wanted to guzzle the water but there was no telling when the guards would give him more.

After pushing the bowl towards the door, Brody scooted toward the back of his cell. It was only a few minutes before a robot looked through the window. With a click the door swung open, squeaking on its hinges. Brody warily watched the robot grab the bowl. It left without acknowledging the boy's presence.

The brief moment the door was open fanned a hunger in Brody far deeper than his stomach had experienced the last couple days. Freedom. Something as simple as being able to leave a room when he wanted was a luxury he had never appreciated until now.

Sighing, Brody turned and ran a finger on the wall next to him. Two tick marks stood out white against the dull gray. 'Two. That's all it is. But it's two days too many.' Brody glared at the wall, letting it take the full brunt of his wrath. It couldn't retaliate, unlike Ripcon. Brody's eye was still swollen, but the pain in his ribs had faded enough that it no longer hurt to breathe normally. Relief there only allowed Brody to feel the pain in his wrists and ankles all the more. Even through his clothes the shackles dug into his skin. Brody bit back another sigh.

As much as he hated to admit it, he was bored. Adrenaline surged when anyone came near his door, but during the long hours in between there was nothing to do. The old blanket and slightly filled bucket offered no distraction, and the chains prevented him from walking easily let alone working his forms. He had only his thoughts to keep him company.

Leaning his head against the wall, Brody closed his eyes and let his mind drift back to Earth. 'Even if I can't do my forms I can still practice them.' Mentally executing his forms step by step Brody replayed each form he'd learned over and over. It wouldn't help his muscle memory, but if the shackles ever came off he'd be able to remember the forms to actually practice them. The clothes on his back and what he could remember was all he had left of home.

The heavy, increasingly familiar, click of his cell's lock snapped Brody's attention back up to space. He looked up to see the large cat woman, Odius if he remembered correctly, walk in. Cold spikes of fear crawled up his spine. Involuntarily, Brody pressed himself flatter against the wall. She stood staring at Brody for so long he had to fight the urge to squirm.

"Interesting." Odius finally commented. "We haven't had any dealings with your kind before. I can't say I've been impressed. Galvanax has been searching for the Nexus Star for decades and it only takes a handful of days being on Earth for it to come into our possession." Brody stared down at his wrists determined not to give her a response.