You were coaxed out of your state of oblivion—not by Gabriel, but by a woman you'd never seen before.

She was older, appearing to be in her late forties. The colors of her eyes were starkly different, and she had a wide smile on her thin face.

An unsettling one.

As she sat on the side of your bed, she traced an elongated fingernail along your the skin of your arm.

In repulsion you jerked your arm away and shot the red-haired woman a look of contempt.

You knew who she was. And it took every ounce of self control for you to not wring her neck.

"Get away from me," You snarled as you rolled off of the bed in a swift motion and eyed her warily. You realized you were wearing a flimsy paper gown when it tore after your vigorous movement—exposing a good portion of your skin from the thigh up to the side of your breast.

"Can't we be civil to one another?" She stood on the opposite side of the bed, her face splitting into a grin.

"Screw you," You spat, eyes darting around the unfamiliar room. With only a sink, a toilet, and a bed, the room was undoubtedly a jail-cell.

"In time, you too will understand Talon's prominence in the world. You'll join us, and you'll be reunited with your love. Isn't that promising?"

You considered her words, but she started to make her way around the bed, prompting you to step back—in the opposite direction.

"Or would that be impossible because you're carrying another man's child?" She probed, her smile never dimming.

You froze in place, mind racing at the speed of light. Should you confirm or deny it? Either way, would this madwoman try to harm you or the life inside you?

"How did--"

"How did I know? Preliminary blood tests, my friend."

"We're not friends."

"Oh? I was hoping we could become close colleagues. We are both scientists after all."

"You're no scientist," The hatred inside you flared. "You're just some crazy bitch."

Reacting to your insult, the woman faded only to reappear directly in front of you by some unnatural means. She clutched your exposed arm, digging those disturbingly long nails into your flesh.

In pain and alarm, you inhaled sharply as rivulets of blood trickled down your arm.

"I won't be so kind to you if you keep this up," Her smile was gone. "I respect the sanctity of all life, but I will not hesitate to reconsider if you fail to cooperate." Then, she let go and walked towards a sink nearby.

What are you? You watched her—your nerves receding, replaced by your curiosity to understand her being. You glanced down at your arm and wrapped your hand around the puncture wounds to stem the bleeding.

The door to the room hissed open, and in walked a man whose form held multiple cybernetic enhancements. Your eyes briefly darted to the woman. Maybe she was cybernetically enhanced, too?

It doesn't seem like it. Your observation was put to an end when the tall, dark-skinned man spoke.

"This is hardly any way to treat our guest, Doctor," With hardly any room left in your cell, his deep voice commanded attention. He approached, easily towering over your form. Unceremoniously he tore a piece of fabric from his clothing, then proceeded to mend your wounds.

Your expression guarded, you peered up at him through your lashes and remained quiet. This man was at least twice your size, yet his mannerisms were surprisingly gentlemanly. He proceeded to remove his suit jacket and draped it around your shoulders to cover your indecency.

"My apologies. If you'll follow me," He beckoned, offering his hand to you. "I will show you to your proper quarters."

Moira O'Deorain wore a scowl on her face as this man showered you with kindness. You caught the disdain in her eyes when you took his hand.

He led you out of what you presumed to be Moira's laboratory, down a winding corridor—to another part of the Talon base entirely.

"Everything will make sense in time." He said as he brought you to a nicely-sized suite, equipped with extravagant furnishings and appliances.

Bright with incandescent lights, you noticed there were no windows anywhere. "Are we underground?" You asked him, maintaining a distance now that you were somewhat in seclusion with him.

"More or less," He answered, then paused for a brief moment. "This will be your living quarters."

"What do you plan to do with me?"

"Reunite you with your fiancé. Isn't that what you want?" His calculating eyes were fixed on your face. "This, too, is his living quarters after all."

"This is..." You hesitated.

"Unless you prefer your own place entirely?"

"No," You replied quickly this time. "This is fine. Thank you."

"I expect he'll return soon. Meanwhile, please do make yourself at home."

You chose to stay quiet as he turned and departed. As soon as the door shut, you traversed the suite.

"There's gotta be a computer or phone around here somewhere..." You muttered to yourself, thoroughly searching each room to find a means of communicating with Jack.

Getting in touch with him was the only way to get Gabriel's cure. Unless you could reproduce it in Moira's laboratory, but that would risk your concoction's design falling into Talon's clutches.

You sighed in exasperation, cursing them because they were a step ahead of you— every piece of technology had been removed from the suite. There was no way to make outside contact.

Dejectedly, you sank to the cold floor and felt your eyes well up with tears of frustration.

Think, [Y/N]. You tried to encourage yourself, to stay positive. There has to be a way. Maybe not in this suite, but in another.

You were one step closer to saving Gabriel, and you'd die before you'd ever give up on him.

With renewed resolve, you stood and found your way to the suite's main entrance. You prayed that the dark-skinned man who showed you here hadn't locked you in.

Wrapping the suit-jacket tightly around your torso, you walked towards the door.

But a few steps before you reached your objective, the door slid open and revealed a familiar figure clad in all black.

"Going somewhere?" His voice was icy.

Your entire body froze in apprehension.

You could only watch as he walked inside and engaged the locking mechanism, making sure your chance of escaping was nil.

Gabriel stalked you slowly, insidiously, the magnitude of his strength looming over you. As he approached, you willed yourself to step back. Your predator-prey movements continued until he cornered you against the wall.

"What did they do to you?" You uttered softly.

"Something they should have done a long time ago." He replied with a dark chuckle. "Now I don't feel anything. Not even for you."

Fear's grip on your heart was unrelenting. As he took off his mask, even the sight of his handsome face couldn't soothe you. His irises were blood-red, looking into yours with malicious intent.

"There is one thing I can't figure out, though." His menacing smirk waned. "I still want to fuck you even though you cheated on me. It's a wonder, isn't it?"

--

A/N: Welp. Let's hope nothing bad happens.

Thanks for reading! I'm so happy for the positive feedback you guys gave me from the previous chapter! I promise to do my best and not keep y'all waiting for the next one!

The next chapter will be NSFW. Just a heads-up!

Love,
Mei