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fandomweekly2025-07-19 12:30 pm
badly_knitted) wrote in fandomweekly2025-07-19 12:30 pm
Entry tags:
[#267] Incentive (The Fantastic Journey)
Theme Prompt: #267 – Poison
Title: Incentive
Fandom: The Fantastic Journey
Rating/Warnings: PG
Bonus: No.
Word Count: 1000
Summary: The travellers have been deliberately poisoned in an effort to force them to cooperate.
If not for Scott going in search of a snack, they would never have even been aware that they were being deliberately, systematically poisoned. They felt fine, and according to what Scott had overheard, would continue to feel fine, as long as they continued to get doses of the poison in every meal, but if that were to stop… Then the situation would, as the others said, go downhill fast. That was not pleasant to contemplate.
For now they were free, however, and still being regularly dosed. More importantly, Queen Halyana was unaware that they’d learned about the poison. That gave them a chance, of sorts. It was just that they’d left all their belongings, such as they were, back at the stream where they’d stopped to rest, before Liana had been taken and they’d gone looking for her.
Having Scott sneak into the kitchen to obtain a sample of the poison was risky, but the boy was the least likely to arouse suspicion. Once they had the poison, Fred could perhaps analyse it and synthesise an antidote. If he could somehow retrieve his medical bag. That would be tricky, but it was the closest they could come to any kind of a plan. Once they had an antidote, they could perhaps escape the palace, leave this zone behind, and try to be more careful in future.
Well, that was the general idea, but like all hastily made plans, a lot was dependent on uncertain variables, and things weren’t exactly going their way. Fred was still on the loose, as far as Varian knew, but…
Well, first Varian had displeased the Queen and was thrown into a cell, then Scott’s theft of the poison sample was discovered, and he was locked up too. Jonathan was in the next cell. The Queen needed him, to repair the computer that ran everything, if it was even repairable, but Jonathan had voiced his doubts about that, which was why he was confined. Considering how erratic the people in this zone seemed to be, there was no reason to believe their computer was any better.
Being locked away, not knowing what was happening elsewhere in Coriel, was frustrating. Despite all his abilities, Varian couldn’t sense much. The presence of people beyond the cells, yes; alpha waves were easy to detect, but not to differentiate between, and then only at relatively close quarters. He didn’t know where Fred was, whether the young doctor had been able to retrieve his medical bag… The only good news they had to hold on to was fact that so far, he wasn’t in the cells.
The bad news was that meals were being withheld, and it would only be a matter of time before the poison in their systems would begin to take effect. In time, it would kill them. Varian wasn’t worried for himself, but Scott was under his protection, Dr Jordan had entrusted the boy to his care, and so far, Varian didn’t feel he was doing a particularly good job.
Jonathan had been fed, his cooperation was needed, and witnessing the suffering of his friends was supposed to make him more willing do what was asked of him, although he’d tried to explain that as much as he would have liked to help, it simply may not be possible. The Complex was no longer rational, if it ever had been.
Sitting beside Scott on the edge of the bunk, Varian tried to relax and keep his breathing slow and steady. He could feel the poison beginning to take effect, the pain gradually increasing, waking nightmares beginning to encroach on his mind, but he did his best to push them aside, to remain in control.
Scott was younger, smaller, the poison was affecting him faster, making him irrational, driving him mad with pain and fear, scrabbling across the cell, trying to escape from the agony coursing through his body and whatever nightmare images haunted his mind. If Varian could only get to him, he could take much of the pain into himself, he would be better able to handle it than Scott could. But it was difficult to move, the pain already weakening him, affecting his balance, his vision, distorting everything, muddying his thoughts so that it was difficult to focus, to remember what he was trying to do.
He couldn’t give up, even if it meant crawling across the cell and dragging Scott down. The pain was so intense it was crippling, and it only got worse as he took as much from Scott as he could. He wasn’t even aware of hands pulling him away, was barely aware of voices that seemed to be coming from a long way off, then the sharp prick of a needle in his arm, a sensation that seemed irrelevant compared to the pain that was overwhelming his senses. That was all he knew for what felt like a long time, but was probably only a matter of minutes as the temporary antidote took effect.
When Varian was finally able to open his eyes, he was still propped against the bars of the cell, his mind slowly clearing, although he felt drained. Scott was lying on the bottom bunk, unconscious or asleep, but breathing. Varian would have liked to sleep too, but they weren’t out of danger yet.
“Scott?” It was barely more than a whisper.
“Hey.” Fred came over to him. “You back with us?”
Varian nodded. “Scott?” he asked again.
“Should be okay, but best not to move him. He couldn’t’ve taken much more of that. Not sure you could have either.”
“I’m alright.”
“Let me be the judge of that. You may be a healer, but I’m the doctor here.”
It took longer than Varian would have liked to find the strength to check on Scott himself. How long before they could attempt to escape? If Queen Halyana came for them before they were ready…
They would just have to make sure they WERE ready by then.
The End
For now they were free, however, and still being regularly dosed. More importantly, Queen Halyana was unaware that they’d learned about the poison. That gave them a chance, of sorts. It was just that they’d left all their belongings, such as they were, back at the stream where they’d stopped to rest, before Liana had been taken and they’d gone looking for her.
Having Scott sneak into the kitchen to obtain a sample of the poison was risky, but the boy was the least likely to arouse suspicion. Once they had the poison, Fred could perhaps analyse it and synthesise an antidote. If he could somehow retrieve his medical bag. That would be tricky, but it was the closest they could come to any kind of a plan. Once they had an antidote, they could perhaps escape the palace, leave this zone behind, and try to be more careful in future.
Well, that was the general idea, but like all hastily made plans, a lot was dependent on uncertain variables, and things weren’t exactly going their way. Fred was still on the loose, as far as Varian knew, but…
Well, first Varian had displeased the Queen and was thrown into a cell, then Scott’s theft of the poison sample was discovered, and he was locked up too. Jonathan was in the next cell. The Queen needed him, to repair the computer that ran everything, if it was even repairable, but Jonathan had voiced his doubts about that, which was why he was confined. Considering how erratic the people in this zone seemed to be, there was no reason to believe their computer was any better.
Being locked away, not knowing what was happening elsewhere in Coriel, was frustrating. Despite all his abilities, Varian couldn’t sense much. The presence of people beyond the cells, yes; alpha waves were easy to detect, but not to differentiate between, and then only at relatively close quarters. He didn’t know where Fred was, whether the young doctor had been able to retrieve his medical bag… The only good news they had to hold on to was fact that so far, he wasn’t in the cells.
The bad news was that meals were being withheld, and it would only be a matter of time before the poison in their systems would begin to take effect. In time, it would kill them. Varian wasn’t worried for himself, but Scott was under his protection, Dr Jordan had entrusted the boy to his care, and so far, Varian didn’t feel he was doing a particularly good job.
Jonathan had been fed, his cooperation was needed, and witnessing the suffering of his friends was supposed to make him more willing do what was asked of him, although he’d tried to explain that as much as he would have liked to help, it simply may not be possible. The Complex was no longer rational, if it ever had been.
Sitting beside Scott on the edge of the bunk, Varian tried to relax and keep his breathing slow and steady. He could feel the poison beginning to take effect, the pain gradually increasing, waking nightmares beginning to encroach on his mind, but he did his best to push them aside, to remain in control.
Scott was younger, smaller, the poison was affecting him faster, making him irrational, driving him mad with pain and fear, scrabbling across the cell, trying to escape from the agony coursing through his body and whatever nightmare images haunted his mind. If Varian could only get to him, he could take much of the pain into himself, he would be better able to handle it than Scott could. But it was difficult to move, the pain already weakening him, affecting his balance, his vision, distorting everything, muddying his thoughts so that it was difficult to focus, to remember what he was trying to do.
He couldn’t give up, even if it meant crawling across the cell and dragging Scott down. The pain was so intense it was crippling, and it only got worse as he took as much from Scott as he could. He wasn’t even aware of hands pulling him away, was barely aware of voices that seemed to be coming from a long way off, then the sharp prick of a needle in his arm, a sensation that seemed irrelevant compared to the pain that was overwhelming his senses. That was all he knew for what felt like a long time, but was probably only a matter of minutes as the temporary antidote took effect.
When Varian was finally able to open his eyes, he was still propped against the bars of the cell, his mind slowly clearing, although he felt drained. Scott was lying on the bottom bunk, unconscious or asleep, but breathing. Varian would have liked to sleep too, but they weren’t out of danger yet.
“Scott?” It was barely more than a whisper.
“Hey.” Fred came over to him. “You back with us?”
Varian nodded. “Scott?” he asked again.
“Should be okay, but best not to move him. He couldn’t’ve taken much more of that. Not sure you could have either.”
“I’m alright.”
“Let me be the judge of that. You may be a healer, but I’m the doctor here.”
It took longer than Varian would have liked to find the strength to check on Scott himself. How long before they could attempt to escape? If Queen Halyana came for them before they were ready…
They would just have to make sure they WERE ready by then.
The End
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They do get through this okay though.
Thank you!
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