Breathe ⭐️ Reddie

30

Eddie felt guilt unlike any other he had ever felt. He should've been smarter. Should have known that his escape was too easy and that Bowers would have been able to catch him.

He just didn't expect Richie to find him at the same time.

Yet, there they were. Side by side in a huge room, the door hidden in the wall. A secret meeting spot already inside a secret base. Henry pushed Eddie and Richie in front of a tall desk where Henry's father sat, looking down at them.

Eddie saw his friends standing together in the corner, hands tied behind their backs. He cursed under his breath realizing that they had tried to save him and got caught in the process.

"You were all trained at the Hive, but it seems like you learned nothing. None of you were prepared to fight your way out and you all ran in like idiots," Bowers said, smirking down at all of them.

"How do you know that we weren't decoys? Your place could be swarming with our guys right now and you'd never know," Richie snapped, surprising Eddie.

Henry laughed as everyone in the Scorpion audience rolled their eyes and scoffed. "Come off it, Tozier. We all know you weren't sent to save Kaspbrack. I may not be part of the Hive but I was undercover long enough to know how shit works. The superiors were gonna come after him but you just couldn't wait, huh? Got your whole group caught."

Richie burned red with shame, looking at Eddie, who seemed to feel the same shame. One look at their friends, all held in place, and they both knew they were helpless.

"I'll take that as a yes," Henry said, smiling again and settling in a seat to the right of his father.

"It's not your fault. You shouldn't have come, though," Eddie whispered to Richie.

"I wasn't going to leave you."

Eddie shook his head. He knew there was no point in trying to convince Richie otherwise. He'd have done the same thing.

"Take those five to quarantine rooms. They're not to talk to each other at all," Henry's father said, pointing at Mike, Stan, Ben, Bill, and Bev. He then pointed at Richie and Eddie. "Take these two to the lab. I want answers and information on the Hive. Do whatever it takes."

"No!" Stan yelled, desperate to keep his friends safe, but they were all dragged to their different spots. No amount of fighting helped them.

They were all dragged to their different places according to the leader's orders. Only Richie and Eddie stayed together.

•••
Henry led Richie and Eddie to a sliding glass door, with Patrick following them from behind. Henry laid his hand against a pad on the wall, and with a click the door opened. They all entered in silence, the only sound being heavy breathing from Eddie and Richie who were both overwhelmed and stressed.

Henry grabbed Eddie's arms and sat him in a chair, deaf to Richie's empty threats and angry words. He tied Eddie up, who didn't bother to fight back, and was instead compliant, hoping that cooperating would keep his friends alive.

Patrick say Richie in a different seat, his hands and legs held down by metal restraints. It reclined and Richie found himself looking into a bright, white light. It reminded him of a torture chair that he had seen in movies.

Oh.

Henry spoke up, breaking the silence that had settled over the room and pulled Richie from his thoughts. "I worked at the Hive undercover for years."

"Yeah we know. Stop repeating that, it's not going to earn you anything," Richie snapped, rolling his eyes.

Henry glared, then nodded to Patrick, who slapped Richie harshly across the face.

Eddie closed his eyes, biting his tongue to keep from yelling at Patrick and Henry. He should've told Richie to stay quiet and let him handle it.

"As I was saying, I worked undercover. I didn't leave the Hive much, but when I did, I was tasked by the Scorpions to see what your leaders were hiding. And let me say, for an organization in the middle of shitty old town, it's really secretive. Through my years, I learned about a secret plan. It was called HI-11. What is it?" He glanced at Eddie, who didn't react.

Eddie shook his head. "I don't know what that is."

"You know, it's a good thing that Tozier was dumb enough to come after you," Henry said, walking to a drawer and pulling out a long box. "We figured you wouldn't break if we tortured you, so one of your friends will have to do."

Eddie tensed up. "Don't touch him. I swear I don't know what you're talking about."

Henry ignored him, handing Patrick the box. Patrick grinned darkly and opened it, pulling out several needles, each looking to be close to ten inches long, not including the barrel and plunger.

Patrick sat in a chair next to Richie, before pulling out a bottle of amber liquid and filling the needles with it. "I may not be an agent in the field, but I have my fair share of jobs within the lab here." He lifted the needle and filled the barrel.

Richie shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He didn't want it to be obvious that he hated needles. It would just make the psychopath in front of him speed up the process.

"I made this concoction. It's created from the flower Calla. Know what that is?"

Richie inhaled sharply. "It's a poisonous flower. It's edible when dried and the acidic poison is removed," he said quietly, eyeing the liquid.

"Do you know what that acid poison does?" Patrick asked, his eyes dark.

"No," Richie whispered shakily.

"It's numb at first. I stick the needle under your fingernail, and push the poison mixture in. Then, you'll start to feel it. It'll burn, itch a little. Then you'll start to feel itchy everywhere and you'll feel like you're on fire. You'll feel like you've been stuck in a sauna. You won't be able to breath, your head with throb. It'll feel like you're deteriorating from the inside out. That's what I've seen, at least. I've only ever tested it on rats, but if your reaction is anything like theirs, I can't wait to watch."

Richie was stunned to silence, before he looked over at Eddie, who's jaw was dropped.

"Eds," Richie murmured, pulling Eddie out of his daze. He looked up to Richie, who gave him a weak smile. "I don't care what I say or how much I scream. Don't tell them anything."

"Please, please don't do this," Eddie said quietly.

Henry pulled a metal chair out and sat in front of Eddie. "Then answer my question. What is HI-11?"

"I don't know! I've never heard of it!" Eddie yelled, watching as Patrick pushed the first needle under Richie's thumbnail.

"Your father is a superior. You work in a high place. You must've heard something."

"I don't have any idea what it is!" Eddie screamed, tears burning in his eyes. "Please stop! I don't know what it is!"

Henry shook his head and stood up. "Push in the needles. We'll be back in about twenty minutes when he starts reacting. Better have an answer for me by then."

Patrick jammed the rest of the needles under Richie's nails. Their interrogators left the room after that, mumbling to each other.

Richie shuddered and looked as though he wanted to vomit. Of course they'd figure out he hated needles.

"Richie?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah?"

"I don't know what HI-11 is. I have no clue what they're going on about. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault. I should've been smarter."

They sat in silence for a few seconds, neither really knowing what to say. Eddie watched as Richie started to twitch a little bit.

"Are you okay?" Eddie asked, even though he knew the answer. The poison was starting to run its painful course.

"Never been better, Eds. While we're waiting for them to come back, maybe you can start trying to escape?" Richie said, his voice higher from the pain that was beginning to take over.

Eddie nodded and started to pick at the ropes holding him in place.