B pulled his face from the, not as soft as he hoped, wall and turned back to Blake.

“You traitor!” B yelled.

“Keep your voice down,” Blake hastily said as he picked back up the food from the floor, “These walls only dampen sound, we aren’t exactly high enough tech to soundproofed here yet. Also, you didn’t stick to the plan. Did you even read the message we sent you?” He asked.

That statement singlehandedly disarmed B.

“I... plan?” B asked sheepishly.

“Oh my god,” Blake sighed, “You were going to have dinner with your mom at one of the rest stops before she went to the Centurian base. We were all going to leave together!”

“But Mark, he turned us into Jormungrand,” B said confused, “He- He punched me.”

“I would have punched you too,” Blake said. “Mark and I were going to-” Blake’s hands were shaking as he stopped himself from finishing what he was going to say.

“Going to what?” B asked quietly.

“Escape,” Blake said quietly as he turned away from B, “We were going to finally leave this hell hole, together.”

There was a tense silence that happened as Blake put B’s food down on a higher surface than the floor.

“Why haven’t you guys tried leaving, before?” B asked. “You’ve got my mom out of here and that doesn’t sound like it was the first time you’ve done it from how Mothman was talking.”

“We have,” Blake said with a hollow laugh.

Blake took off his glove and showed B his fingers. The pinky finger and ring finger were cut at the knuckle.

“Twice,” Blake said, “Every time I would be the reason we’d get dragged back to this pit. And if that wasn’t enough, he’d use me to punish Mark.”

Blake wiggled his fingers then they retreated to the front of Blake. Blake’s shoulders shivered and sniffling could be heard from him. B reached out and rubbed Blake’s back.

“We’ll get out of here. Together. I promise,” B said.

One big sniff came from Blake and he wiped his face before turning to face B again. B could tell he was smiling through the pain since he was crying a little still.

“Oh, I have a message from Lola. She says that she’s doing well. Nothing they are doing will kill her in three days, so that’s good,” Blake said with a grimace.

“Three days? Was I out for that long?” B asked. As if on cue, his stomach replied for the both of them and growled a yes.

Blake handed B his food but picked up the meat off the tray as B pulled it away.

“Never eat the pork or chicken, it’s-” Blake started.

“Yeah,” B cut him off, “He said something about how he made my mom eat…” B couldn’t bring himself to finish that sentence about the apparent cannibalism, “Yeah.”

“He loves to play mind games with people. He usually uses food as a last resort to break a person or as a final blow. But just in case, don’t eat it.” Blake tosses the thing into the toilet. “You were in and out for three days while he was thinking about what use he can get out of you. I still don’t know what exactly he wanted in the first place, but I think what you told him might have given him ammunition against him…” he said with a sigh.

“But that might let him loosen up around me too, right?” B asked.

Blake looked a little confused as he asked, “Is this some sort of fishing tactic?”

B gave a small smile and a little nod.

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“I’m surprised you have your wits about you as well as you do,” Blake said, slightly impressed. He glazed down at his watch, and put his mask on again.

“Sorry to cut this short. I’ll let you know what time it is or when I’m around when you hear this rhythm,” Blake hummed a sort of short chacha jingle that was no more than six notes. “Got it?” B nodded. “If you need me, just start talking to the security camera. Also don’t trust everyone in a mask. Not all of them are cool like me.” With that Blake took his hat off the security camera with the stick and took B’s tray slowly, “Don’t worry too much. I’ll be back,” and Blake left.

Time passed slowly as B waited, but B had something to wait for, finally. Every hour B would talk a little with Blake, sometimes a quick word of affirmation, sometimes a full on conversation. The hours stretched on but being in the basement meant there was the blaring of only artificial light and the noise outside of the blair of the air conditioner was B’s only companions while Blake was gone. Every once in a while B thought he heard a muffled something on the other side of the door that wasn’t a knock. Like talking or yelling? But he just tried to keep his mind focused on meditation on a plan and going over many scenarios that could happen and what questions to ask Blake about the compound. The time passed until Blake could finally sit down and talk with B while B ate. Blake told B that Jormungrand had plans to talk with him the next morning and to get some sleep. Blake dimmed the lights with something on his messaging machine, to a comfortable sleeping light but still being able to see through the darkness. Sleep didn’t come easy to B but once again he meditated until he felt himself doze off.

A flash of blaring light, and the sound of the door opening up awakened B from that strange state of sleep.

“Good morning,” Jormungrand cooed, “I have a nice plate of eggs and bacon for you. I do hope, in spite of your uncomfortable situation, you are enjoying your food.” He said this with a wicked grin.

While Jormungrand was talking the lab rat placed the tray of food with their thumb tapping a chacha rhythm on the edge closest to the bacon. B silently thanked him and sipped the orange juice.

“Jormongrand, I’ve been talking with McHarvy-” B started.

“Have you?” He asked his eyes darting to the now stiffening labrat standing to the side of the two.

“Yes, and he’s convinced me that I want to make a deal with you,” B said quickly, getting Jormungrand’s attention back on him.

Jormungrand squinted at B, “I don’t believe you…”

“It’s true,” B said “He said that you guys can do all kinds of stuff, and with Lola here you can now do Fae magic’s too right?”

He slowly nodded.

“In exchange for me working for you, because let’s face it you want me to keep stealing for you.” Jormungrand smirked at that. “I want to be useful at destroying evidence of where I’ve been and hacked before. I need to become technologically invisible. I want an EMP inside me, that I can control.”

“An electromagnetic pulse?” he asked as he thought, “it’s doable… What makes me so sure that you won’t use this on my equipment?”

“It’s an easy fix for your equipment but devastating for the Centurions in the field, heck even for their colonies.” B replied

“Then why turn on your friends?” Jormungrand asked.

“Because after you kill Lola… You’re going to have all my friends anyways. Might as well join them,” B said solemnly. “At least this way I can say goodbye to her before you do it.”

Jormungrand smiles softly. A confusing term for the situation at hand.

“Very good,” Jormungrand said as he turned to the door. “I’ll let the others know of the deal we are making. Dr. Nova is bed ridden at the moment, but I’ll have to warn you this procedure is going to be very painful if you really want Lola to do it.” He spat on the ground as he said that. “Labrat! Tell upstairs to arrange new quarters for B. They are allowed to freely roam the maze if they choose to, under your supervision of course. Once I am done on the other side of the maze, I’ll be in my suit. Don’t bother me.” Jormungrand barked these orders fast. It felt as though B was already working for him.

After a few moments and of what B assumed was waiting for Jormungrand to leave, McHarvy slammed the door shut to B’s room. In a swift motion he tossed his hat impressively onto the camera and kept him at cattle prod point for a solid second before taking off his mask with his free hand.

“You didn’t tell me you were doing this today,” he said flat and coldly.

“I have a plan-” B started

“We all have plans!” McHarvy yelled. “I was going to get you out of here tonight!”

“Look, I’m going to get in a spot where we can use a sedative on him. When he comes too, we’ll all be long gone.” B explained.

“You were lower on his radar. We could have gotten you out of here scott free. The only way to keep him from coming after my brother and I is to kill him,” Blake said.

B paused.

“Can we?” he asked.

“You want to kill him?” Blake asked flatly. “Well he’s kept out all kinds of silver from the compound. Everything is a type of plastic of some sort. But we’re dealing with a half fae here. We don’t know if silver will even kill him the whole way.”

“We may not be able to kill him here but I know of a place that is covered in silver.“ B saw Blake start to say something and quickly went to the point. “The colonies. If we can get him to follow us there then maybe…”

Blake looked at him kind of impressed but with some anger still in his eyes.

“Ok. But you better have a contingency plan in case this doesn’t work.” Blake said, unwillingly agreeing.

Be gratefully smiled at him. “Don’t worry. I always have a plan B.”