Chapter Text
Dogma wakes with a sharp pain in his neck and an ache in his back. Slumped against a wall, gritty with dirt and sticky with blood, clothes glued to the stains. The hot throbbing of blood behind his eyes only gets worse when he opens them, his vision blurred and himself seeing nothing.
He barely manages to lift his head, but even that's a mistake. His face is heavy and sore, his lips throbbing in time with his headache and the dull pressure in his nose, and he gives up immediately. Hangs his head over his lap and twitches in an attempt to curl in on himself. That doesn't work either.
He lets his aching eyes slip shut. Tries to breathe through how badly he hurts. It's been a while since any amount of pain was so consuming.
“There we are, little one,” says a soft, unassuming voice, now so familiar to him. A constant presence in his every dream, his every waking moment. Her hand comes to rest on the back of his head. Her fingers, slender and tipped with glossy nails, curl around the base of his skull and squeeze.
His mind goes blank, breath stolen in a gasp that won't end, his wounded lips twisting about in a silent scream as he spasms and shudders in place. It’s agony.
It takes far too long for the pain to stop once she removes her fingers, but eventually it fades back into a steady throb. He struggles for breath as her other hand worms its way under his tattered shirt and slides up along his damaged front, lingering on his chest. He doesn't beg for her to stop. He doesn't say anything at all.
“Oh, darling. Your heartbeat is at a rabbit's pace.” She clicks her tongue and taps her nail against his tender sternum. He wonders if that's bruised, too. “There's no need to be afraid anymore.”
A whimper catches in his dry, swollen throat.
“Hush.” Her hand returns to the back of his neck, too cool against his overheated skin. “I know it hurts. But you did so well for us, didn't you?” She traces her nails down, along the first ridge of his spine. “Now you get to see your brothers again.”
His brothers? He hasn’t… he hasn't seen his brothers in months. He's never supposed to see them again. He doesn't even want to. He would rather die than let them see what he's become.
“You don't believe me,” she muses, a smile in her voice even as she slides her hand along his shoulder blade and pinches the bruised, wounded skin. He gasps. “Well, my love… they've just settled on the planet. I think it's about time for a reunion. Don't you agree?”
She's not serious, he knows, no matter how even her voice is. She’s too good at lying. It's just another game.
“Oh, you poor thing. It's so hard to trust anyone, isn't it?” She finally takes her hand away. “Don't worry. You won't have to fear for long.” There's a sharp, stinging pinch in his bicep as she sticks the needle in. “Just keep sleeping for now.”
His bicep burns as she pushes the plunger. He doesn't protest, doesn't try to plead for mercy, doesn’t fight as the drug brings him under. He relaxes into it, letting it take him with no hesitation.
He welcomes the dark that it brings.
—
“Do you know who I am, clone?”
No. Of course he didn't. Was he supposed to?
Taking his silence as an answer, she smiled. Something sharp and venomous in the shape of her mouth. “Good. That will make this easier.”
What was she talking about? Who was she? Where was he?
“Bring him forward.”
He couldn't find strength enough to dig his feet into the floor as they dragged him forward. He could barely even stand. What was wrong with him?
“Down.”
It took little effort for them to force him down. His knees hit the floor, and it was only their hands that kept him from toppling face down.
“What do they call you, clone?”
“Dogma.” It was an automatic answer, even through his pained rasp.
“Dogma?” she repeated, incredulous. Then she laughed. “My oh my, you must have quite the reputation.” His face flushed with shame. “Then again, you were on the way to a reconditioning, weren’t you? I suppose I should have guessed.”
It hurt to speak, but the reality of his situation was hurting him worse. “You don't understand.”
“Then enlighten me.” She waved her hand towards a servant. “Get our guest a drink, will you?” Her smile only sharpened as her eyes lingered on his face. “It's time we get acquainted.”