Tom froze at those words. He didn't even have to look to see that it was Tord who'd said them. The actions around them stopped. All eyes were on him now, and of course the beloved red leader. Tord's hand moved down to his wrist, and in a matter of seconds he was being pulled toward the door. But for once, he wasn't interested in being obedient.

"Wait-!" Tom gasped out, his feet firm on the ground.

"Let's go." Tord eyed him, his gaze cold and his voice stern. When Tom made no movement he decided to speak again. "Do I have to repeat myself?"

Tom raised his head, and for once looked Tord dead in the eyes. He didn't care anymore. He'd seen too much, he couldn't handle it. There was a line and Tord had crossed it, way too many times.

"No."

The silence around him was maddening. The tension in the air was thick. Nobody moved, nobody breathed.

No one said no to the Red Leader. The leader of numerous countries, the soon the be ruler of the world. Such disobedience was unheard of. But out of the corner of his eyes, or what was left of them, he could see Edd and Matt. They were staring at him. They needed him. He would do this for them, he'd do anything-

"No?" Tord questioned, an eyebrow raised. He seemed almost amused. A subtle sort of smirk could be seen on his lips.

Tom's gaze shot back to Tord as he noticed him push a button on his mechanical arm. In an instant his brain turned to mush, his body so weak he stumbled and could barely stand up straight. What had happened? Just a moment ago everything was fine, but the sudden weakness he felt all over was something he couldn't seem to shake.

This time when Tom felt himself pulled, he didn't resist. He couldn't. His brain was screaming at his body, but his body wouldn't move. Slowly that desire died out, and all that was left to him was a single thought.

I need to follow orders.

Tord leaned close to his ear as they exited the room. He could hear chatter erupt from behind them, but his head wouldn't turn to see who was talking. It didn't matter, anyway. The door had closed and he was left alone in the hallway with a monster of a man. "Ah, Thomas. You're too funny." He chuckled, still pulling him along.

His blood boiled with rage. He kept telling himself that he hated this, he hated Tord. Tom needed to do something about all of this. Edd and Matt were in danger. He needed them to be safe. He opened his mouth weakly to respond. It closed again. It was like he was possessed, unable to do things on his own free will. Yet he pressed on, doing his best to fight the urge to just shut up and listen.

He couldn't push the thoughts away. The more he tried to, the more he would slowly start to lose touch with reality. Everything around him was becoming blurry. He couldn't breath, could hardly move. Yet despite this, he still knew where they were going.

Tord dragged him all the way back 'home'. He sat Tom down on the couch, going beside him. He whimpered. He'd only got to have his vision back for a few hours, and it was already being taken away from him. All he could pick out was vague shapes of things in the living room. He teared up, causing his visitors to glitch.

"Hey now," Tord spoke, his voice a lot softer than it had been previously. He may be a sadistic piece of shit, but he hated to see Tom like this. "Don't cry. It'll all be over soon. You just have to cooperate, alright? Can you do that for me, honey?"

Despite his gentle tone, Tom could sense excitement in his words. This time his mouth opened, words flowing out without thought. "Yes sir." He agreed. Tom's eyes widened. He didn't want to say that, he didn't try to. But when he attempted to protest he couldn't utter a word.

Tord smirked. He leaned forward, kissing the smaller male's forehead. "That's a good boy. Y'know, I didn't expect this to be so effective." Tom thought for a moment, registering those words.

There was a reason why Tom couldn't control his thoughts and actions. Hell, he couldn't even move at the moment. He looked up at Tord. Despite how blurry everything else was, he was the only thing that he could see as clear as day. That bastard. When he'd gotten his visors fixed, it wasn't just that. There was new features, too, wasn't there? Features that gave Tord complete control over Tom's mind.

Well, maybe not complete control. As Tom still managed to choke out a very weak and nearly inaudible "Ass... hole." Which maybe wasn't the smartest idea at the moment. But he was pissed beyond belief, and understandably not thinking straight. Maybe it was the shock of what he'd seen. It hadn't completely registered with him yet, so at the moment he was purely running on adrenaline.

Tord glared at Tom, "Hey, that wasn't very nice of you. I think you're in need of punishment." He hummed, laying his hand on his cheek. He caressed it lightly, his expression slowly turning into a grin as something seemed to come to mind. He pulled away, instead taking out a radio from inside his coat.

"Paul, ta #1048 og #1049 til kontoret mitt umiddelbart. Oh, og ta en ekstra pistol." He said into the radio, locking eye contact with Tom. After the man on the other end gave a muffled response, Tord put the device away and grabbed his beloved's hand. "Come on, dear." He simply said.

Tom nodded his head and stood up, unable to resist it. He had no idea what was to come. All he could think about was Edd and Matt. Thinking about what had happened to them made his face scrunch up in disgust, wanting to gag but of course being unable to. It was horrible. So horrible. He thought he could trust Paul and Pat. But ultimately they were just drones, people who'd been brainwashed into doing what ever their leader commanded. Tom promised himself he wouldn't become like that.

Soon they arrived at Tord's office, which wasn't too far away. Only a few minute walk. By now the soldiers were back to flooding the halls, likely meaning that sick torture was finally over. Internally, Tom breathed a sigh of relief.

He was dragged into the room, Tord dropping his hand and simply standing next to him. They waited in silence for a few moments. Although Tom had no idea why.

Until a knock was heard, and then the sound of a door creaking open. Tom raised his head. Despite his blurry vision, he could tell easily that it was Paul and Pat, each holding one of their victims. His best friends, Edd and Matt. He gasped quietly, his digital eyes as wide as they could go. They seemed to be in horrible condition, even worse than he'd seen previously. But before he could go inspect them in more detail, Tord grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

Tom wanted to glare, but all he could manage was a blank stare. Paul pulled out an object, but he was unable to make out what it was. Though, his vision was slowly starting to go back to normal. Maybe what ever happened was wearing off? That didn't seem likely. But nonetheless, Tom needed his sight at the moment. So he fought to keep his vision clear.

He blinked. Tom could see Edd and Matt now sitting on the floor in front of him. Edd's head was hung. He didn't look up, he didn't even move in the slightest. For a panicked moment he questioned if he was even alive. But subtly, he could see the rise and fall of his chest. That let him know that he was alive.

Matt, on the other hand, was shaking violently. His eyes darted around the room frantically, but not once did he look at Tom. His heart dropped.

Tord turned his attention back to Tom. "Listen, I have an important decision for you to make." He said, his voice eerily cheery. He held out a small shotgun for Tom to take, which was already loaded and ready. "You get to pick which of your dear friends dies, and which one is allowed to work here. You just need to shoot the one you don't want."

Tom stared at Tord in disbelief. That bastard, he knew this was worse than just killing the two of them himself. This was torture, a task Tom wouldn't be able to complete under any circumstances. Even in his brainwashed state. He looked at his two friends, his vision clearer than ever.

At those words, Matt had looked at him. "...Tom?" He mumbled, his voice trembling and cracking.

No. He couldn't do this. He couldn't choose. No, no no no no no.

"C'mon, Tommy. Hurry up." Tord said in slight annoyance, keeping his eyes on the frozen male.

And that's when Tom snapped. He grabbed ahold of the shotgun, yanking it from Tord's grasp in a moment of pure desperation. He didn't point it at Edd and Matt, no. He aimed the gun at his own neck and pulled the trigger, the sound of a bullet ringing out before anyone could stop him.

-
Whoops.

Sorry for not updating in a bit, I've been experiencing some writers block. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it. :)

Expect some new oneshots soon!