Failure, Eternally Retold, Part One: The Human Element

by Kiernan

Chapter the Third: Caged

Wherever Nikolas was, the assassination attempts had not yet ended. He was awakened violently from his slumber to the feeling of a steel wire wrapping tightly around his neck. Grabbing at it as he was forced to sit up, he pulled at it desperately, trying to loosen his garrote. It was at that moment that a second cable wrapped around his neck, this time clamping his hands down, threatening to break the small bones if it tightened any further. As Nik struggled, his shoulder hit a pole, and he suddenly knew what was wrapped around his neck. It was one of those leashes at the end of a rod that animal control officers used to restrain violent animals.

Hooking the rod under his armpit, Nikolas ripped the rod aside, trying to wrench it from the grasp of its holder, whoever that may be. He was unable to see due to a cloth bag that had been placed over his head somehow. He didn't manage to make them drop their pole, but he did manage to loosen their grip enough to free his hands. Gripping the pole even tighter now, he did manage to pull it free from his assailant's grasp, slipping it off of his neck. Feeling the other pole's position, he could guess the general location of the second assailant, and he took a swing with his newly acquired control staff. He felt the shock as the pole hit, heard the grunt as his aggressor dropped her rod. Now able to breathe, he pulled the bag off his head and the cable from around his neck, bolting in the opposite direction. He was unable to go more that four steps before he felt two stings; one in his back, the other in his neck. Within moments, he was out cold.

He woke up again inside the back of a rickety wooden cart. His wrists and ankles were bound. He could hear voices coming from the top of his cart, indicating that he wasn't completely alone. He was about to call out, when he found that there was a shackle around his neck. Obviously, they weren't going to do anything for his benefit.

What he couldn't understand, however, was why they had captured him. The first time they had him cornered, they had tried to kill him and make it look like an accident. The second time, they were more direct. Why then did the third attempt involve a cell, albeit a mobile one? Were they trying to make him suffer? He remained quiet for the rest of the ride, going through his thoughts and writing an imaginary farewell letter to everyone who cared about him. It was unlikely they would ever see him again.

Eventually, the carriage stopped, and he was unbound from the wall by an outside source. the door opened, and he guessed that he was supposed to exit through it. Crawling on his elbows and knees, he kept his head down, finding himself on a polished concrete floor. Steel bars surrounded him on all sides. At least he had a roof over his head. The door behind him slid shut, and the cart disappeared. He was unable to see who had closed him in, as the only being standing nearby was some kind of miniature horse. Someone had dyed its mane and tail a gaudy shade of purple. They had also branded its flank with some swirly lines resembling a flower. He felt sorry for the creature, having to put up with such humiliating punishments. Contemplating what punishments he might be in for just made Nik depressed, and he curled up in a fetal position. In the last few days, his life had gone from one of complacent contentedness to frenetic panic.

"What manner of creature are you?" asked a voice. Nik looked around, not knowing where the voice was coming from. Not finding anyone, he returned to his position, guessing that the voice hadn't been talking to him. "I've never seen anything quite like you before. What do you eat, I wonder?" Hearing a clattering of metal bowls, Nik looked to the sound, finding that he had been given two food bowls. He crawled over, his limbs still bound, to look inside of them. The first was full of raw meats. The second, being vegetables, was far more appealing. Had he been in the mood for eating, he would have cleaned out the vegetable bowl, but he was far too depressed to be hungry. Perhaps later, when he was feeling better. He lay down again.

"Well, that's no good. I'd better call in an expert." The sound of hooves disappeared through the door as the pony exited the room. Now Nik was alone again. A quick glance told him that he had been given no water, no privacy if someone came in, and not even so much as a pile of newspaper to use as a toilet.

An hour passed, and the pony came back. "I've called in an expert to take a look at you. I see you've not touched any of your food. Well, it'll be there when you're ready for it." Nik felt something, a tingle in his wrists. He looked down to see a violet light surrounding them, and the bonds were undoing themselves. His ankles followed, and then his neck. Looking around again, he saw nothing, just the pony. He stood up, now able to, and walked over to the door of the cage, kneeling down to have a closer look at her.

She was cute, though she might have been cuter with a natural mane and tail color. Her eyes were a lovely shade of violet, though they looked at him sternly. He was unaware that horses had such large eyes. The last thing to come to his attention was that some sick person had somehow melded a single horn onto the poor creature's head, as if to trick people into believing it was a unicorn. Nik knew that unicorns didn't exist. Feeling sorry for the creature again, he grabbed a carrot from his food bowl and held it out to the pony, trying to coax it in. Perhaps, if it came close enough, it would let him pet it, and he could try to remove that uncomfortable-looking fake horn.

"No, no, that's for you to eat."

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" shouted Nik, as he stumbled backwards, dropping his carrot on the floor. "YOU JUST TALKED!"

"Of course I did," said the unicorn, stepping closer. "I've been talking this whole time. If anything, I should be the one surprised that you can talk. You haven't said a word since you came in."

"Horses don't talk!"

"First of all, I'm a unicorn pony, and second, yes they do." Sitting down, the mare adjusted her mane. "Now, since you can talk, you have have a lot of explaining to do."