She grunted as his shoulder made contact with her and she was forced to move again, almost stradling his back as she held onto the chains. All she had to do was hold on for a few seconds longer, just enough to make sure she was in control. Nym almost missed his morse code as she focused on the situation, but thanks to a moment's hesitation, her grip loosened and she could hear the end of what sounded like, "Me out of here too."
"You're pushing your luck scrawny," She growled, though her grip once again loosened for a split second, "Swear to the gods that you'll get me out of here and back to the Outhila border without being caught or killed." Making deals with the enemy was almost as bad as making deals with the devil, but she didn't know what her other option was. This was the only way she even had a chance of getting out. Even if it meant she had to work with this twig.
Out of this cell and through the border? Does she not know how difficult it is to even get a step close to border? Most military officials can probably tell who Nym within a millisecond now. They'll definitely send out a quarter of the army to find her and anyone else that's undercover. Not to mention the general might bring back some of the banned forms of torture that are fatal to use on the both of them. Several possibilities and ideas swirled around his head. Having to work with someone you've been taught to loathe then point at a rifle at is something Rael would rather do a billion others things in order to avoid. And yet, if they managed to work together, it can be successful for them both.
Whatever luck he had two days ago had vanish; this is beyond heretical. He doesn't even know if he can say that he'll do it with giving up air. "On all the deities…", he choked,"Yes."
Nym knew without a doubt that she had just asked him on a suicide mission. Unsuprisingly though, she couldn't are less. She had to get out of this country and back to Outhila, where she knew she could help with the information she knew, maybe even turn the tides of the war.
"You know the consequences of breaking this now," She whispered, releasing the chain so he could breath but leaving it wrapped around his neck, "And they're far worse than what happens if you get caught."
For the two countries being so different in their views, they shared the same set of gods that they had for centuries. There was very little variation between the two, only differing in names or the occasional power. And so, unless he didn't believe in any of the higher powers, she knew swearing on the deities was as close to swearing your life to a person as he could get.
Nym didn't let her guard down much, though she did relax the chains, letting him breath as she stayed behind him, ready to cut off his air flow at any second should he call for the guards. Her own breathing was hard, and she still let out the occasional cough, but she was doing much better than she had been immediately after the torture session.
Bajhe and Outhila do have their similarities as much as they have a numerous amount of differences. Anyone would think that two countries having very similar ideologies would actually unite together or at least become friendly with each other. Sadly it'll have to take more than just religion to get the Bajhe government to merely arrange a meeting with the Outhilaians. Rael hasn't been to a church or a temple in years, he forgets how to get over to the one close to home even. If swearing on the gods will work, this will be more comfortable for him since he already brought up his mother.
Rael bit the inside of his cheek fighting the urge to roll his eyes or shout out a curse. When is this spy going to realize she is the first sergeant of this country's army? No matter how careful he has to be now, Nym is still a spy; there might be a chance she'd just kill him when it's over. A colossal amount of hoops lie in front of them, each one is going to get more difficult to pass through than the last. From this point on, Rael doesn't really have that much of a solid plan anymore, just ideas and the obvious. Thankfully no one demoted him to a lower rank after the fiasco.
"You think I wouldn't know? No way in hell I'd purposefully falling into this head first.", he stated before taking a deep breath,"Admit it, you don't have anymore options nor do I-"
Three knocks at the door. We are back. His attention snapped from having to hand over the white flag to his uniform could turn white within a second. Eyes shot wide open, Rael shot a concerned look over his shoulder. Swiftly he yanked the chains ahead of him to get them out of Nym's grip. He shoved her back enough to be able to put the chains back on her and where they were originally tied to. "You'll still have to go through some more of it and give me some information. They won't know…", he muttered under his breath before rushing over to the door.
She glared at him as he spoke, though her expression changed to fear for a millisecond when she heard the knocks on the door. Nym glanced down at Rael, realizing that she would have to sadly give up control if she wanted to get out of here. And that meant trusting him.
Without too much reluctance she let him take the chains, stumbling backwards and giving him her signature murderous glare as he put them right back on her. "You can do whatever you want to me, I'm not giving up any information," She hissed, rattling her chains once more to simulate the same annoyance as she was able to conjure up earlier, "Alright, scrawny?"
As soon as he rushed to the door she was back to her pacing, coughing again and muttering under her breath words that didn't exactly sound nice. With the noise from her chains and the volume of whatever she mumbled, it was hard to disinguise exactally what she said though. Just like she wanted.
A wave of a lightheaded feeling hit as his fingers wrapped around the silver handle. Turning to the side, Rael let out a few coughs. He only opened the door for a few moments just to give the guards a thumbs up. The two already tick him off, yet not as much as Nym does. They have no use to him at all for the rest of the day so he just slammed the door shut on them.
"Some information could drive concern away from us, but if you want all of Bajhe after you…", he shrugged as he sat down,"Then we will just go with that." Rael just shook his head when seeing Nym back at it with her pacing around in those lovely chains. Mentally he's at the point where he wants to grab his hair and scream or walk out and disappear. There is no way she'd trust him with anything nor would he. It's frivolous! Teamwork is helping others out of the water not pouring it over their covered faces. He bit his lip trying to come up with something, anything that might have a possibility of working.
Rael sat forward in his seat with his chin resting on his chin. Honestly the only way people can trust someone is either through words or actions. It's too early for anything to occur and he still has an hour or so till time's up for the day…"Just say something to me that's not what they taught you in Smartass 101.", he lightly begged,"Why not have a little chat?"
Nym would rather trust getting stabbed with a rusty nail than trust the male in this cell with her, she would even be the one to stop herself if that meant she didn't have to work with him. And yet, he was the only person that could get her out of here. He knew the layout of the building, knew how to hide her in Bajhe, and even though she knew as well, he knew how to get her to the border. Which currently sat on the opposite side of the country.
She barely snorted when he spoke to her, though she did pause in her place, raising an eyebrow, "Aw, but I excelled in Smartass 101." He really wanted her to spill any little secret about Outhila? If anything he would earn those secrets when she was home. Not here. "Amuse me though. What are you asking for, hm? Anything that could turn the tides of the war I assume…maybe the number of spies…or what I know..things you know that I would rather die than tell you?"
All she was willing to tell him was where the border was, maybe where his country was on the map. Simple things. Maybe where he could shove his opinions up, if he was lucky.
"Before we get chatting at all though. These damn chains are coming off."
The only thing the admiral and general gave him was a set of questions; specifically ones about any spies going undercover as soldiers. Too bad that this special royal pain only talks in sarcasm and witty comebacks. How come coming up with false information isn't an option? It wouldn't matter if he gets her out of this place; the military and government will still look into anything. Even a partial truthful or incredibly vague statement would do.
It's not like Rael is desperate for anything except getting the absolute fuck out of this place. Doesn't matter to him whether he's shouting commands at soldiers for hours or sitting in the enemy's country in handcuffs. Regardless they'd have to throw something at Bajhe in order to get attention away from Nym. Escaping too soon without a single bit of information is too risky and suspicious.
His eyes shot down at the chains then up to meet her gaze. With a small beam, he shook his head. "No. Give me nothing, get nothing; should be simple."
"You'll get some form of information as soon as these things come off. Either that or I can guarantee that anything I tell you is going to be a blatant lie, or is already well known by the worms that run your country," She replied, scowling at him.
Nym watched Rael, challenging him to either work with her or get nowhere. That was the condition she had. Yes, she did know that the Bajhe army would need something, but all she really wanted to share was things that were obvious. After all, there wasn't much the Outhila told their spies anyway. Even if she wanted to help she was useless. Which was why capturing a spy didn't do much anyway, and it left Outhila without many loose ends that they needed to worry aboutl.
Unsuprisingly, she went back to her pacing while she waited for his decision, face blank and calm. She had a way out now. That fact was finally sinking in.
Sitting here and protesting for her to say something is not going to be of use for the both of them. This feels like the third time he's given up in the last two days. Giving in to someone he's forced to work with doesn't make it any better. Rael clenched his fists while stuck in thought. He kept his eyes from making contact with Nym's. Screw it. As long as taking those damn things off will lead them somewhere then so be it.
Rubbing the back of his neck, he sighed while trudging over to her. In less than twenty seconds, Rael got the chains off then dropped them off to the side. If anyone asks, he'll just say that she told him about a secret mission or whatever. Best case scenario is that no one else will come in here except him and that is it; those guards are only meant to be outside for emergencies.
He took a few steps back from Nym before pulling out his notepad. Flipping to the last page, he ripped it out then sat it on top of the cover. In order to get through the border and basically any other place in this country, you'll need some identification and a passport. "Question related to this…. What's your date of birth, blood type, and shoe size?" Surely just asking simple things about her would be easier than asking her anything else. Rael might as well bet with himself. The spy only has three options stick with him, try to leave on her own, or stay here. Third option is dreadful for them both, yet the second doesn't seem ideal too.
Nym slowed to a stop as he took off her chains, then continued on her pacing. Already it was much quieter than before and she loved it. That and the fact that she could take full steps now. She was much more ready to be helpful now that she could actually think without chains rattling.
"Febuary 17th, AB positive, and 9," She rattled off after a moments pause, looking over at him and the paper he had, "Why do you need those?" They were simple enough questions, with answers she knew weren't going to get her in any trouble, but she was still curious as to why he was asking things so simple. Most interrogators seemed to go right for the tough questions. This was a change in pace.
All she hoped was that soon she could get out of here. Rael had warned her that she would still have to go through some more frustrating torture, and she was prepared for that, but being in here any longer than the rest of the week was going to be torture to her limited amount of patience.
Clicking his pen, he started to write down what she was saying. Rael whispered a small thanks as he folded the paper and tucking it safety in his pocket. "I just need some bits of data to get you some identification forms.", he clarified,"Plus, some sneakers would be helpful." Thank the gods for that; he thought that Nym wouldn't say a word to him.
Normally passports take six weeks to get processed and delivered. Documents are feasible to make along with uploading them to the system. As long as he sent this information and a picture tonight along with a payment, the passport and other documents could be ready by Friday. Meantime they'd have to come up with some sort of escape plan. Waiting for days on end isn't going to do anything. Rael hasn't heard anything about Outhila or Bajhe making a statement about Nym. Knowing the admiral, he'd keep quiet till he has every spy in these cells.
Torture wasn't really on his mind, it stayed in the back. He might just resort to less painful forms to keep attention away. Furthermore, something about the waterboarding didn't sit right with them. He did call for it almost in an instant yet now he just doesn't want to do it. The boiling from the anger and annoyance was gone leaving everything in him exhausted and austere.
Out of nowhere, thinking about torture and the prison made him think about when they brought her here. Using his free hand, he grabbed the dog-tag around his neck. Rael took the piece of paper back out, unfolding it. "Did you have anything you'd need to get back to the agency? Anything the prison took from you when coming here?"
She leaned against the wall while she watched him scribble down the answers, carefully tracking the paper as he tucked it away. Nothing on there was a secret, but still, even telling Rael anything felt like betraying her country. Even something as simple as her shoe size.
Nym rolled her eyes, pushing off the wall to continue her wonderous walking as she replied. "Besides those idiots taking my overall sanity and pride? They took everything I had on me. Most of which I do need back." She glanced over at him, glaring at the door and the guards outside of it, even if they weren't the same ones that brought her here. "For starters I'll need my identification tag, and my small knife at least. The rest of my gear is very much preferred, but I especially need my black jacket back. Just bring everything."
The list of items she gave him were the most basic ones that she would need to be recognised in Outhila, but she was sure she didn't tell him everything she needed to get back. That would be a mistake. If he found out what she actually needed or what she used to be identified, he could easily relay that information and any spy that was in Bajhe would be outed. All because she tried to get out.
She's not wrong about the idiots part, yet he does have to disagree with them taking away her sanity and pride. A lot of new recruits he's met are more cowardly then her; they have nothing. They're the ones who have no pride and are always the first ones to fail or even perish. And giving the fact that these spies like Nym have such a renowned reputation, she still has it. Having dignity was spatting, cursing, and choking him with chains till he gave in. From Rael's perspective, the agent is still standing on her own two feet. Guess he wasn't aware of how potentially provoking his question was.
Not wanting to say anything unnecessary, he just kept nodding his head while writing down another list of the belongings. Getting these belongings out shouldn't be a major hassle. After, he glanced up from the paper watching Nym walk around the cell. The light in her gaze was different from before. It was difficult to pinpoint what it is or why. Rael just moved his head side to side while quietly exhaling. "I am not going to talk to my superiors about this.", he stated. Already talking to her about escaping and planning was already making him a traitor. What would it be worth to become a traitor twice?
He waited for her to come close to him. And when she did, he stepped right in front of her holding his hand out. Rael pulled the dog-tag necklace over his head then took Nym's hand placing it on her palm. "Here, if I out you or something happens, then make sure they see this so they won't kill you."
Even if she was still in the cell, she already felt more relaxed without the chains preventing her walking, and it was clear on her face. That didn't mean she was any less wary of Rael as he stepped in front of her though. She watched him with slightly narrowed eyes as he took off his necklace, though let him set it in her hand.
"This will keep them from killing me?" She asked. Her voice held slight skepticism, but accepting a gift from an enemy was worthy of being slightly skeptical, "How?"
Nym studied the dog-tag as it sat in her hand, turning it over to look at both sides. It reminded her quite a lot of her own tags, the ones that the guards had taken from her when she had been brought here. Clearly his tags held more power though, since her's didn't guarantee that she wasn't going to get murdered by some kill-happy soldiers. She stood there as she waited for an answer, the fire in her eyes now more dulled by her slight curiosity.
The reluctance does serve him right, if he gotten anything from an adversary, he'd definitely have the same look on his face. Having the tag is the last resort if she wants to get out. Not like they will, Rael does think they have a chance in getting her out of her and the country, but everything is up in the air. It's difficult to predict what could happen even with some potential possibilities being laid out.
"Think of it as a flare in some sense. If they'd catch you, you'll be sent to General Officer Han.", he explained,"You show him that tag and he will bring me in. I will tell them everything then will get the worst of the punishment. They won't kill you, they'll just give you random charges or hold you for ransom."
Well that is the simple gist of it more or less. The general officer would probably force her to undergo worse forms of torture, but not anything lethal. Maybe not worse forms, although they would send her up to the north and not back into this prison. Holding her for ransom or some exchange is just another guess. You never see Bajhe do that with Outhila especially sending back on their people let alone a spy. On the other hand, Rael would be charged with treason and abandoning duties. They'll remove his title then, likely, either give him solitary confinement or death. Chances of escaping after already being caught are less than point one; it all will be over for them.
She listened silently as he talked, wrapping the chain around her hand and letting the tags rest in her hand. It would take her a little more convincing to put them on, but for now, she would keep them. If only to have something she could turn into a weapon.
"Ah, so I'll be stuck back in here? That time with any moves watched and no hope of escape at all?" Nym asked with a raised eyebrow, knowing either way that she would take the chance of escaping with the possibility of getting caught, "I suppose that's better than instant death."
Any chance of survival was one that she was going to take, clearly. That much was true from the fact that she was teaming with an enemy in the first place, and now had a dog tag of protection from him.
Rael replied instantly with a head bow. Her assumption was primarily right for the most part. There would be more than just two guards, probably twenty or thirty within a mile radius. "9/10 yes, but you would be sent to one of the prisons up in the north; no one ever wants to go there." On the other hand, the two of them should not think much about getting caught. The more you think of it, there more chances it will happen.
A knock came from the door then a small creak appeared with one guard standing in front. Rael nodded but motioned for the guy to close the door. Time must be up for the day. Briefly, he checked the time replying with a nod in disapproval. "I'll see what I can do to get those papers and passport in by Thursday.", he promised,"Don't do anything stupid till then." He ambled over to the door with his hand in a pocket touching the piece of paper. Carefully, he pulled out a zip-tie handing it the to the guard. "They'll just try out a simple stress-position, nothing to worry about. I will have it removed the next time I meet you.", Rael said while moving his head over his right shoulder to look back at Nym.
Nym gave nothing more than a curt nod in reply. She had heard of the prisons up north, and they had a reputation of being worse than death. No one got out of them alive once they were sent there, especially a spy. If this was torture enough and she was working on getting out, that would be literal living hell.
"You're the one that has to deal with keeping your stupid decisions to yourself," She called after him as he left, glaring daggers at him once more at his command to the guard, "Ah fun. Exactly how I wanted to spend the remainder of my day." Nym glanced at the zip-tie he handed the guard, then called out after him, "I'll make a suggestion that maybe bringing me food will be a good idea eventually."
She could handle waterboarding, and stress positions weren't any more worse than that. But that didn't make it less painful, especially if she was staying in that position for who knew how long. It was almost worse to be stuck in a position she didn't want to be in. Waterboarding she knew at least ended after a short while.
Just as his feet stepped between the cell and outside, he turned around again. Rael raised his eyebrows in amusement while his lips pursed back. Well, she's just never going to give up isn't she? Thank the gods, they did not pair his fate with a coward at least. No way in hell, he'd help one. "Don't worry, meals are delivered at 17:00 sharp. These two will remove the restraint and let you eat for an hour or less before putting it back on.", Rael delineated. After, he just said nothing but got one more glimpse of Nym and the place. He shifted his head to get a glimpse out the hallway before heading out.
With the notepad in his hand, he flipped the cover reading everything he wrote. Later on, he'll need to find a way to get other notes on paper without leaving anything behind. The paper with the list still sat in his front pants pocket. It felt like it was heating up ready to turn into a flame. Rael would have to send every word of that once he leaves this miserable place. Passport, belongings, disguise, getting out…. They only have a few days to prepare in order for it to work. He can only hope.
Nym rolled her eyes at his reply, stepping back away from the guards as she slipped the dog-tags over her head. She didn't want to have to wear them, but her current clothing didn't have pockets, and she didn't want the idiots to take it back to Rael. The metal tags were her only hope of survival if they got caught. Which she was sure they weren't going to be.
She may have sided with working with Rael, but that didn't meant she was going to make the guard's jobs easy. That much could be found out as she fought against them while they zip tied the life out of her, leaving her tightly bound in one of the stress positions the interrogator had mentioned. Gosh, days of this was going to leave her with little patience for any screw up from Rael. If he wanted to not be hauled off and smacked by her, he had better make sure everything was perfect. All she had to do now was wait things out.
Rael fought the urge to drag his feet along the concrete floor. Every inch of his body felt like he just got out of another battle. Getting from the cell to the main office is such a pain; he won't be surprised if he manages to get lost. Easiest thing to do right now is just go over, drop the notepad off, and try to pick up some of Nym's possessions. Attempting to take all of it seems like too much. The arresting agency would not happen to have those things, would they? If he has to do so much paperwork just to get an identification tag, a small knife, and a jacket, he will probably have a field day with the guy in charge; or the excuse is going to be evidence.
The whole walk over was dead silent except for the murmurs of people that he'd pass by. Nothing out of the usual was happening outside the cell Nym is in. He had almost completely forgotten that there was a whole war still raging on just miles away. If he manages to get the agent out and back to Outhila, something better happen with this disastrous mess.
As he turned the corner to the main office, his eyes was able to get a good sight of who was inside. Outside of the office, there was side windows that could look inside and outside of the room. Just in perfect timing stood the general and his aid who were talking to someone that Rael does not know. They most likely were asking about the agent. He stood still staring through the window. I hope they do not go back and talk to her…
When the general came through the door, Rael hesitated before springing into attention. He stared ahead while giving a salute. In his peripheral vision, he watch the older man carefully who gave him a respectful nod then left. To get out of here, him and Nym are going to have to be quick before the whole army starts closing in.
(Shall we do a quick timeskip? Or do you plan on having the general visit Nym in her cell?)
(A quick timeskip sounds good if you're cool with it.)
(Sure, any particular time? Just to the next day/whenever Rael visits next?)
(I suppose the next day would work.)
(Alrighty. Imma go with the idea that Rael hadn't stopped by at all and Nym is still zip-tied to hell. I'll get a response up shortly)
Time Skip
Nym was pissed once again by the following morning. Screw any deal she had made with Rael, that bastard hadn't checked by at all to clip these zip ties. She had spent all night in them, only getting a break for food last night, and she was sure they were tightened when they were put back on. Even that small break wasn't enough. She couldn't get comfortable at all in them, and while sleep wasn't something she would even consider in here, she wasn't even able to get comfortable enough to think about it.
If that damn interrogator didn't get here soon, she was going to resort to worse means to get these things off of her. Gods, she was going to beat him senseless. If he had her knife, she would resort to just stabbing him a few times, but right now, beating him sounded quite fun. Torture like this was definitely the stupidest way a country like this could even attempt to get any information out of a spy. If anything, she would work better with someone who actually was nice to her. Maybe convince her to join their side, not give her every reason not to help them.
Her thoughts and anger made the time go by faster, but it did nothing to die down the murderous glare in her eyes as she glared at the door.
Rael prayed that what happened yesterday was nothing but a fevered dream. Instead he found himself trudging down the bare hallways of the prison again. Just being here was torture in itself. Going AWOL sounds more tempting than suffering the consequences for one miscalculation. He should've done that right after hearing the news rather than thinking about it right now. Making a promise to the enemy is much more different compared to desertion.
The night before he managed to have gathered the identification tag, small knife, and jacket; that's it. Directions from the superiors said that Nym's equipment along with whatever else has to be remained locked, even they can't get it without going through a long process. Next was the passport and other papers which were much feasible to get over. Any forms needed through a system is uploaded, but they have to wait today and the next day to get the passport and ID.
As he got closer to the cell, he snapped his fingers watching the guards stand up straight. One on the left opened the door while the other one went inside. Rael had his arms crossed behind him as he stepped inside. "Morning Sunshine.", he cheered giving a short smile. He only stood a couple steps in waiting for the guard to remove the restraints from Nym. This is going to be a fun day, he can already tell.
She glared at the door for what seemed like hours before she heard footsteps, though it more than likely had only been minutes. It hopefully was Rael though. As much as she wanted to think up a nickname worthy of the anger she had, she would take getting out of the zip ties over humiliating by now. It was music to her ears to hear the cell door open. Screechy, annoying music, but music nonetheless.
"Insufferable morning to you too, you worm of a human being," Nym snapped back without hesitation, glaring at him once more, "You're lucky I didn't decide to use the other greeting I had."
The guard seemed reluctant to remove her zip-ties, and for good reason. She hadn't exactly cooperated last night when they had put them on after all. She was still as he removed them though, jerking forward a tiny bit just to spook him once the final one was removed and she could feel the blood rushing to her limbs once more. Rael had better have her supplies, or he was going to hear just how much of a sarcastic potty mouth she actually had.
