Chapter Text
The first thing he registered was the cold - too tenuous to seep through the thick hide of his clothes, but enough to linger on the skin of his exposed numb legs (traitorous legs, mind you, since they didn't allow him to run fast enough to escape this mess). It was a persistant layer of discomfort which clung to his skin like hard discount hydrating cream, and nagged at his senses before his brain even registered that it was awake.
The second was the stone scraping against the aforementioned limbs - a perfectly logical explanation for the subjective feeling of coldness because thermal conductivity, duh.
The third was the fogginess ; a voluptuous kind of mist coating the edges of his consciousness like downy round cumuli, a promise of a serene sleep if only he'd let himself fall into the cottony smoke pillow in his head. To allow for the numbness to overcome him and drown him in a peaceful slumber for a few more hours would be easy, and oh so tempting.
However, Senku knew better than to do just that. Sleep had always been a waste of precious scheming time, and he had spent 3700 years fighting off the compelling pull of halcyon unconsciousness already.
Therefore, he tried to blow the haze and mist away. He focused on one coherent thought, he held onto a thread of words while dangling above a sea of thickening clouds until his arms finally got the memo that they were functional again - then he quite literally tried to tear the white veil of the haze in his head with his nails. Sometimes, a harsh slap across the cheek was all you need to come through.
And so came the fourth realization : he could not move.
Not freely, at least. The chilly bite of metal around his wrists, unnaturally held above his head, was an explanation for this predicament on its own.
Great.
Fucking amazing.
Senku's eyelids were heavy, but this wasn't an immediate concern - he fully intended to keep them closed and fake sleep for however long it might take for him to assess the situation.
He was not in a hurry. He was obviously not going anywhere soon.
Thus, he schooled his breathing down and kept his limbs slack,his arms a dead weight bound with manacles to what he presumed was a metal wall behind him, and started recounting the events that led him here in his head.
Trying to tail their enemy in the woods himself had never been the plan. No, the mentalist was better suited for these kind of jobs - if only he hadn't sprained an ankle when they all ran in a frenzy as some invisible stranger decided to greet them with a fucking machine gun. In retrospect, that wound could have lowered the americans' guard and played in his favour ; or it could have prevented him from running away and put a bullet through his head.
No, there was absolutely no way that Senku would have risked it, and there was also no point in second guessing his own choices now. The only acceptable course of action left was to collect data first, and plan an escape route later. He had barely caught a glimpse of the ominous castle before everything went black, and it was nowhere near enough to try a jailbreak while he might be locked up at the top of a tower for all he knew. Which raised the question : who needed so many high towers ?
Senku had experienced a lot of first times since he awoke in the stone world - wandering naked in the woods, talking to monkeys, getting his spine snapped then building an actual tank out of paper and whipping up some nitroglycerin in a cave like some kind of genius warlord - and, to his dismay, waking up in the cold cell of a steampunk metal castle that screamed both world domination and bdsm dungeon (this, he knew after a badly formulated search on the internet which taught him the importance of keywords) was yet another first.
A quite unpleasant one, too.
Eh. Don't waste time complaining. Think.
At least it's not some kind of church with its post apocaylptic cult and I'm not getting burned at the stake for doing science today... probably.
He may not know the castle's layout yet, but the quick glance he got on his way here already gave him some precious piece of information : the owner (or should he say Prince wannabe ?) was definitely an unhinged megalomaniac going through a very deep, very rough identity crisis, the kind that would require a high dose of lithium and maybe even a straitjacket.
Which wasn't exactly a reassuring fact either - he had had his fair share of psychos on a rampage, thank you very much.
Besides, the building looked modern and sophisticated enough to be slightly worrisome - not that he could ever lose a battle of wits and science, of course not.
He couldn't really do science with his hands bound, though. Furthermore, there was is at least one other person in the room with him ; he could hear the breathing and the occasional long exhale followed by the smell of burnt tobacco. Whoever they might be, intoxicated lungs or not, Senku wasn't delusional enough to think that he could wrestle them or even outrun them. He supposed it served him right for skipping PE class in favour of hiding in the school lab and not taking the Grand Bout training seriously.
His inner pity party was interrupted by the shrill sound of a heavy door cracking.
It was abrupt, unexpected, and it made him jump ever so slightly.
Shit.
He shut his eyes even tighter, frowned, pretended to squirm in his sleep - and he could only hope that the performance was convincing enough. Hoped that they couldn't hear his heart thrumming loudly in his chest.
Maybe he should have indulged Gen and taken part in that little theater play, uh.
Fortunately, he didn't hear any footstep coming his way ; there was only a disappointed sigh, then a deep voice rung out.
"He still hasn't woken up ?"
A chair slid across the floor. A lighter flicked alive.
Senku held his breath for three seconds then exhaled slowly, still committed to his deep sleep act.
"I think he's slowly coming through. Squirmed a bit." Oh, he knew that voice. Had heard it briefly before he got viciously knocked out - the back of his head still sent waves of throbbing pain, but at least he didn't get his cervical plexus busted this time around. "Aren't'cha working ? What about sending a message to that ship ?"
"All in due time. There is virtue in patience, and I think it is time to lay back and observe."
Whereas his jailer spoke with a lazy drawl, the newcomer's voice was clear and assertive, a telltale sign of an organized mind and intelligence lurking behind. Senku could feel it ; he was the one he would have to convince if he ever wanted to get out of here, and it wasn't going to be an easy task, if his authoritarian tone was anything to go by.
"If we monitor our chess pieces closely, they will likely stay put. You know, Quantum Zeno Effect."
These last words were thrown out with a theatrical flair, and Senku couldn't help it - a traitorous snort broke past his lips before he could catch it, a conditioned response to an absurd statement more than anything else.
The man chuckled, and Senku froze.
Fuck.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck !
How could he make such a mistake ?!
His skin prickled as he felt the watchful stare on him, and he grew painfully aware that he had just been caught. No more playing this down as some dream movement, uh ?
Think.
The soles of someone's boots beat the floor until Senku felt the air shift against his skin, and he heard the rustling of fabric as the man probably squatted down in front of him.
Don't move. Breathe slowly.
A gloved hand delicately pulled his bangs away from his face.
Don't react.
He could feel the man's face hovering over his, much too close for comfort, an intimidating presence which vibrated within him despite his lack of vision.
"Come on now. I know you are awake."
... Well, here goes nothing.
Carefully, Senku cracked an eye open and landed himself ito an ink black pool of malice locked behind a glistening eyeball and oh, of course.
He knew that crazed gaze, knew that peculiar face - it was bad news through and through and yet, Senku couldn't help but feel a wave of relief wash over him. There was something strangely comforting in seeing a familiar face in that foreign place, and he could only hope that the excitation in that dark gaze meant that he wouldn't kill him just yet. If anything, his old mentor seemed way too thrilled to see him there, his wide eyes glistening and his lips parted in awe as if he were looking at one of the old world's seven wonders or at a brand new rocket engine which ran on water and illegal free labour alone. That fascinated expression could be either a blessing or a curse, and Senku guessed that he would find out soon enough.
Yeah.
Of course this man would have stayed conscious and somehow revived by himself, too. Birds of a feather and all that - but one of them seemed to be a friendly tamed cockatoo whereas the other was a bird of ill omen. No, really, Senku wasn't even slightly surprised - if anything, he was only disappointed in himself for not seeing that coming. He had the worst luck, after all.
The rough kidnapping did came as a surprise, though. He was pretty sure that they could have exchanged greetings before opening the hostilities.
Well, better late than never.
"Really, Dr Xeno ?" Senku mocked with a voice just a bit hoarse from disuse. "Of all the exciting science you could have used to bait me, you cite fucking quantum Zeno effect ?"
The man slunk back a little, his smirk much too wide to mean anything but trouble.
"Oh, I could have mentioned something utterly elegant like a Large Hadron Collider in the basement -"
"A LHC in this world ? Unlikely -"
" - but you - ah, see, this is what I'm talking about ! You would have known this to be impossible in this world even for me, and dismissed it as a lie. However, you couldn't help but react to that paradox - you made your distaste of that theory very clear when we discussed it through mails a long time ago, after all." Xeno replies, his dulcet voice unbefitting of the situation. "I can see your mind still requires polishing, despite being able to stay conscious for thousands of years. How convenient it is, that you are now stuck here with me."
Eh. Guess that means I'm not dead meat just yet.
Senku mirrored his mentor's smirk, his expression way too confident for someone chained to a wall - but interacting with his former teacher was oddly easy, albeit dangerous.
They spoke the same language.
Xeno was aware of that too, and this was exactly why Senku couldn't let him lead the dance and dictate his steps here. If he didn't want to be crushed, he ought to adress him as an equal, not as his helpless prisoner.
Never reveal your set of cards, even if they're shit and you have literally zero trick to play. He did bluff his way through most of the Stone Wars, after all. Didn't even care if Lilian was turning in her grave after that.
"Eh, I can imagine worst fate -" Here, extend an olive branch. (There are worst things than being stuck with you.) " - but why don't we cut the chase and you present me my options ?" Senku suggested with a detached tone, as if he were only asking what board game they would play tonight instead of unearthing a hatchet and offering it to his opponent.
Xeno crossed his arms with distaste as he slowly got up from his crouching position on the floor. He likes to look down on people more than he likes speaking at eye-level, noted.
"I must say that while I do appreciate the logic and efficiency, I do find myself somewhat disheartened." The older spoke as he comfortably strolled around the cell, his hands clasped behind his back. "You could at least try to look happy to see your mentor after all this time. This is insulting."
And his ego needs constant feeding. Fuck that, though.
"What, you expected a tearful reunion ?" Senku cackled with overplayed disbelief. "Well, sorry about that, but I'm a bit hostile to kidnapping. Also I'm grumpy in the morning and I don't fancy looking at crazy old geezers before I get at least three cups of tea. If you want a hug, you need to unchain me and feed me first." He jested with enough sarcasm to make Xeno click his tongue.
He was stalling, and he knew he was. He just needed a bit of time to try and analyze - to decide what course of action entailed the best chance of survival.
Besides, the favourite students were always the most troublesome ones, weren't they ? Yet, his heavy accent made him sound just a little less incisive. At least if he got shit for being a brat, he could always try to pass it off as a foreign language problem.
"Tsk. Your English is as inelegant as I remember it." Xeno deplored as he waved his hand between them to dismiss the irrelevant insult - then he came to a halt and locked eyes with him. His grave expression made the corners of Senku's mouth twitch. "As for your options, I am afraid I don't have many to offer : you can either join me, or die resisting."
His tone was ice cold and final, and yet...
Bullshit.
They had interacted enough throughout the years for Xeno to be perfectly aware of Senku's views. However, and even after Senku had called him out on his crazy and claimed that he had not one millimeter of interest in his plans, Xeno hadn't given up on him.
He could have stopped tutoring him then - could have left his emails unanswered and stopped wasting time on a boy who would never grow into a man he could shape the way he wanted.
But he hadn't.
And it could only mean two things : either Xeno wasn't lucid enough to understand that he could never sway Senku his way, or the affection he could now see etched in the bottomless void of his eyes wasn't just a mirage built by hope.
Or it could be a twisted mix of both.
Either way, if Xeno really wanted him dead ...
Then he'd already be.
"Hard pass." Senku rebuked, and he would have jabbed a finger in his mentor's face if he had been able to move. As it was now, he could only squint and try to look confident enough. "The fact that you described a LHC as a scientific chimera here means your science hasn't caught up to the old world's, and is still far behind. I'm too useful to discard just now."
Ugh, the urge to pick his ear was strong. Xeno's glare was just that intense.
"This may be true, however, the same cannot be said about your crew of gullible teenagers." The latter warned as the soldier behind him fiddled with the firearm on his hip. Senku's gaze barely jumped his way then bounced back to his interlocutor's cruel face.
Well, that was a low blow, but it was to be expected from someone like Xeno.
You're a manipulative bastard, but I learned from the best.
"If you kill them, then you lose any leverage you may have against me." Senku huffed with an eye roll in an attempt to show how utterly unwise and illogical that threat really was. It was not. It was actually fucking scary and the one thing that the young scientist could do nothing about, not that Xeno needed to be able to read it on his face. "And if you bomb my ship, you destroy precious science. Who's to say what kind of amazing things I built there ? Did I ever pretend to be the only scientist ? Maybe I couldn't do all the things I did on my own."
Pick his interest. Keep it vague. Let him fantasize about whatever you may have hidden in the ship's hold and what kind of assets you have there.
The doubt he was trying to sow seemed to be hatching, for Xeno didn't answer immediately, and Senku could almost see him running the maths behind that hard stare.
Next to him, his acolyte looked fairly unimpressed - not a science enthusiast, then. Senku could have guessed.
Xeno was too focused to properly scrunch his face as the taller blonde blew out a cloud of smoke around them.
"Besides -" Senku resumed his talking "- if you want us to work together toward whatever stupid goal you have, you'd have to let me near your lab. Which means I could blow up your ugly castle in retaliation before you even understand what's happening. I won a war with freshly cooked nitroglycerin and paper planes, so is this a risk you're willing to take ? You taught me, so don't underestimate me." He stressed out these last words, throwing in just a bit of praise in the middle of his threats.
Xeno mustn't forget that almost everything he knew, Senku knew too. The bound hands and the cell were just a temporary liability, he'd make sure of it.
The soldier huffed a laugh around a newly lit cigarette - a chain-smoker, then- and Xeno raised his brows in mock surprise.
"Oh ?" He chided, not bothering to conceal his amusement at his student threatening him despite his predicament. "This only works if I don't decide to erase your friends and then you." He stifled with malice in his voice, and it was Senku's turn to snicker and shake his head.
"Na, this takes us back to my first point. You don't want me dead." He asserted with arrogance as he held his mentor's calculating gaze.
However, Senku didn't lift up his chin, didn't attempt to appear taller and stronger than he really was, no. He kept his head low and strained his eyes up instead, big crimson irises partly hidden under white lashes and looking up to him.
If you get a kick out of looking down on people, then go ahead, look down on me for as long as you like and see how this will turn out.
He may not be able to read people very well or even care about what people think of him, but he had spent years working with Gen. He would eventually figure out how exactly Xeno ticked ; he had to.
The latter tapped his chin with his claws and a quizzical look, then -
"How long do you think you would hold ?" He blurted out with genuine interest, and Senku could only blink in confusion.
"Uh ?"
Xeno's conceited grin stretched wide as he came to squat in front of him once again, then he took ahold of the younger man's chin between his gloved hands.
Senku wasn't sure if the thumb on his jaw was some kind of encouraging caress or a steady grip to keep him in place - he only knew that he hated it and barely fought off the urge to pull back.
Even at eye-level, this bastard managed to look down on him still.
Then, Xeno crouched over him - he obviously held as little regard for personal space as he did for ethics and human rights.
Ugh.
"How long would you last, if I decide to resort to torture ?" He whispered in his ear as he forced the smaller blond's head back, and the latter felt the chills run down his suddenly exposed throat.
The air was cold.
Xeno's side glance was colder.
Oh.
This is a tricky one, Senku thought as colour drained from his face - he could see his startled reflection on the black mirror of his mentor's eyes staring directly at his very soul.
The silent man behind him perked up at that word and yeah, yeah, okay, he could see where this was going.
Don't tempt them. Don't make it interesting. These guys are crazy - sell yourself short before they get their hopes of a good time up.
...eh, who am I kidding? I wouldn't even last long anyway.
"Cool answer or honest answer ?" Senku said flippantly as his gaze fell upon the threatening man in the background. His expression was as sharp as the many blades stacked on his outfit, and the smaller blond couldn't say that he was eager to meet them. "Cool answer is however long it takes for you to get bored. Honest answer is less than a minute, maybe two on a good day and with some cocaine beforehand."
The soldier snorted as he lighted up yet another cigarette and seriously, this guy needed a hobby before his lungs self-combusted.
"Make it thirty seconds if I have my favorite knife."
Eeeeeh, maybe he should not have a hobby after all, Senku realized with dread.
He should have expected Xeno's colleague - friend, partner in crime, whatever they were he'd have to look into it - to be a lunatic too.
The mocking sneer of the soldier should have made him feel insulted and self-conscious, but Senku was quite aware of his own limits. His physical condition and tolerance to pain weren't exactly his main selling point.
The silence that followed this cold statement was too heavy for Senku to not break it. The unbidden hand around his jaw spurred him to talk, if only to dislodge it a little.
"Well, if you've ever tried to plank, you know thirty seconds is actually quite long and honorable." He argued before he took one good look at the soldier's silhouette and the taut muscles outlined by his leather overall. Ah... "Moot point, uh ?" Senku grimaced awkwardly, and the soldier shrugged.
"Obviously, kiddo." He drawled as he took a step forward, and the whole interaction brought a smile to Xeno's lips before he got up and stepped aside.
Uh.
Not good.
Stay here you bastard !
The soldier's ravenous stroll set off every alarm bells in Senku's head - this man was ruthless, and it showed. Maybe having Xeno cup his chin wasn't so bad in the end, at least it somewhat shielded his face from harm.
Not that he could - or wanted - to ask his mentor for a head pat now.
"Dude, chill, you haven't even asked anything !" Senku bristled as he hunkered down and wished for the wall behind him to swallow him whole.
If anyone has planned a rescue, now would be a ten billion percent fantastic timing.
It was alright. He was allowed to look slightly afraid. If anything, Xeno seemed to relish the vulnerability on his otherwise smug and smart face - his satisfied smile and shining eyes spoke for themselves. Better give him some satisfaction and call it a day than to make things worst for him... Right ?
"Don't need to."
The soldier casually brushed his objections aside as he crouched next to him, and Senku looked askance at both his mentor and his acolyte.
Fuck, they're moving fast.
Quick, a diversion.
Abort. Abort !
"Isn't that the whole point ?! Wow, you're really taking the dungeon to a whole new lev- hmf !"
The glowing end of a cigarette against the sensitive skin of his inner wrist effectively shut him up, and Senku had to bite his lip to choke down a strangled yelp.
What.
The.
Fuck.
This hurt !
Senku tried to squirm away from the painful touch, alas, the manacles gave no leeway. His wrist stayed immobile despite the onslaught, and he could only grit his teeth as the burning embers kissed his skin - and stayed there.
Pressed harder.
"Ugh !"
The taller bastard had the audacity to start counting.
"One..."
Oh fuck don't bring counting seconds into this you jackass, this is my thing, Senku thought as he clenched his teeth to stifle down the whimpers.
He ought to at least put up a little bit of a fight - this would make his surrender all the more believable and feed the bottomless pit of Xeno's ego.
"Two..."
Only two ?! It already felt like the vicious burn had reached his bone - it had not - and Senku groaned as the aching heat kept on rising.
Eh, maybe he's not counting seconds but burn degrees...?
"Three..."
...either way, it's way too much.
This wasn't the kind of pain who got better and dulled after a while, no. The more the cigarette burned the layers of his skin, the more Senku heaved and writhed on the floor.
This hurts like hell, and he's not pulling away.
It's only getting worst.
"Six..."
Nope. Not tolerable, not in the slightest.
"Seven..."
"Okay, okay !" Senku repeatedly slammed his heels on the floor both as a pain outlet and a sign of surrender. "I'll admit - ugh ! - this is worst than... planking, fuck !"
"Ten..."
Uh ? Why are you not stopping ?
Why are you pressing even more ?!
Senku's eye widened as a muffled scream crawled up his throat, then he broke into a string of whimpering curses only interrupted by Xeno's clipped voice.
"Stan." The latter called out, and when the younger blonde raised his moist gaze toward him he noticed that his mentor didn't seem all that happy now. Not at all. "Senku is right. We haven't formulated a proper question yet."
Oh thank fuck !
The man - Stan - retreated with a sigh, not showing a hint of remorse despite his friend's curt words and irked expression.
" 'Thought I'd just make a point."
Senku took a second to just breathe.
His whole body was wound so tight his nails left crescent marks on his palms.
"Well, congrats, psycho point made." He eventually spat through gritted teeth, and the soldier did not rebound on the pitiful insult.
It still hurt - would probably do so for a few days.
He didn't even use his favourite knife.
Okay.
The lingering pain is manageable. How do I get myself out of this mess now ?!
Think.
Xeno doesn't hate me.
He probably wishes that we could work together, but he's not above spilling some blood to get there. However, he dislikes that kind of thing - at least when done to me. He may smile when I'm vulnerable, but he looked pretty livid right now.
Yet he let it happen. Probably isn't sure what he wants with me yet. It's up to me to show him an answer that is beneficial to me.
Think.
He won't believe me if I just say that I will work for him. I can't fake following him while waiting for a chance to backstab him, he's smarter than that. He'll keep an eye on me.
Think.
I need to show some goodwill. But I don't want to help him either. I need to give up some invaluable information that he already knows but that I could believe he still ignores.
Think.
Do I mention Why-man here ? I don't want to talk about the Medusa. I don't want him to know we have one, this could be useful later.
Think.
What about the petrification ? He mentioned me staying conscious, so he knows that this plays a part in getting revived. Yet, he described the Perseus's crew as 'gullible teenagers'. He likely won't believe that they all stayed conscious, so he already deducted that I must have found some other way to depetrify people.
I don't know how many people are in this colony. The castle is huge. Maybe he already found a way to depetrify people too ? Has he already raised an army?
Think.
Xeno is smart. He has ten billion percent guessed that I know how to revive people, whether he knows the way himself or not.
But I'm not supposed to know that, and he hasn't asked yet. So... I need to double cross him here.
"I know how to depetrify statues." Senku blurted out suddenly, and the look of surprise and shock on Xeno's face was quite an unfamiliar one.
It lasted for about half a second, barely enough for Senku to lean back against the wall in an exhausted and defeated fashion.
Please bite.
"See ? No need to ask questions or go on some power trip." Senku's jaw unclenched as the pain subsided a little, and he sought out Xeno's gaze. He was only talking to him - the third man in the room was irrelevant to whatever the young scientist was trying to accomplish.
Let the megalomaniac relish your full undivided attention. Make him feel important.
"The reason I'm telling you this is because I... " Senku wet his lips with the tip of his tongue, made himself look more troubled and harmless than he really was. "... I trust that you won't torture it out of me, and that we can find some common ground. I won't work for you, but I can work with you. So do whatever you want with that information... But whether we are able to compromise or this all goes to shit and we both lose something is up to you, really."
I'd lose my life, and you'd lose precious insight and your dear pupil.
You can try to hide it now, but I already saw it - the way you looked at me when I opened my eyes is the same way I looked at your airplane yesterday.
And I didn't destroy the plane - I stole it.
So. Will you shatter that fake trust or will you give it a try ?
This seemed to have caught Xeno's interest. There was tension all over his posture ; and something darker as well, something voracious that made Senku's mouth run dry and his shoulders slump. It bursted with a maniacal laugh before he could read too much into it.
"How utterly elegant !" The crazy scientist preened as he opened his arms in a dramatic gesture. "I suppose that you won't tell me the reviving formula even if I ask nicely now ?"
He didn't wait for an answer. He spun around with grace, his dark long coat flapping behind him as he waltzed through the door.
"Well then, I'll let you think about what your role in this story will be. Rest assured, whatever your decision may be, I'll still come out on top."
The door of the cell shut ominously, and Senku tilted his head with a snarl in the dark.
Yeah, we'll see about that.