Post by Atra Alveus on Jan 5, 2008 22:38:43 GMT -5
((This thread is open to anyone who would have access to the prison cells.))
The Hallucinated Caging of Atra Alveus
One had to mean a spell for it to work properly, and that was a fact known by a widespread number of wizards in the community. For example, the Crutacius curse did not pack the same punch by a young boy who was pure at heart as it did by an insane killer serving a Dark Lord. The same was true for all other spells.
Atra stared blankly at the bright white wall across from her. It was almost like she was in some kind of dream, a really bad dream. After all, she would never paint a wall solid white. It was tacky and completely too bright for her darker personality. Well, she thought her personality was darker. A wince slipped across her face at the stinging sensation she felt; it was like she had small razor cuts across her arms and thighs.
Her head rolled to the side slightly, and her eyes opened once more. She also felt like she had been tortured with the Crutacius for the past few hours. Then again, she didn’t know how long she had been passed out, either, but unconsciousness was not the first thing on her mind right now. It was the second wall she was looking at. That wall was solid white too. She then had to know about the third wall, but she just didn’t have the energy to move her head once more. So, she moved her eyes over in their places as far as she could, only to find out that the third wall was a bright white as well. Where the hell was she? And why was she suddenly realizing that she was tied to a chair?
“Where is Count Robinson Antares Scorpius?” came an authoritative voice from behind her. There was then the clicking of heels, men’s heels, as the man walked around to stand in front of her. He then knelt down to be in his captive’s line of sight.
“Je ne sais pas,” the woman answered truthfully. “Je ne sais pas.” The phrase seemed familiar to her. It felt like she had been saying that a lot lately. Why? Why couldn’t she remember anything? “Qui est-ce que Scorpius?”
The man slapped her harshly. There was a squeak from a corner of the room. The noise had been female. There was someone else in the room, probably taking notes. The man had been stupid enough to bring in a witness, whoever she was.
Thirteen Hours Earlier
Atra and the Scorpius imposter had just apparated outside a small French town. She had wanted to see home again for some time, and now simply felt like the perfect time. Of course, she hadn’t apparated outside her town because that would have meant the instant destruction of her home. Instead, she had had them apparate into a town near the ocean, a place she had been once when she was a child.
“Where are we now, love?” asked the chillingly familiar voice.
“I told you to stop calling me that.”
The form of Count Robinson Antares Scorpius stepped toward his lover with a gentle smile on his face. He then reached out a careful hand to squeeze her shoulder tenderly. She pushed his hand to the side, and a frown grew on his face. Lately she would not touch him at all, not even hold his hand as they walked around town. What was it going to hurt? It’s not like she could become more wanted by the Ministry than she already was.
“And I told you to stop trying to touch me.”
It had only been a week since she had arranged to have Scorpius released from prison, unlocking the door herself after the guards had been killed. It had only been a week since she and this Scorpius had set out to plague Europe with explosions and the killings of certain undesirables, many of whom were enemies of the Count and his lover. Within that week Atra had regretted her and the Count’s decision to create an imposter Scorpius to distract Plutus and the Ministry. Why couldn’t they have just stashed a body in a bottomless bag to pull out if things got sticky with the good guys so that the real Scorpius could disapparate? Things just weren’t the same without the real thing around, and the panther wanted a little attention.
“Stop touching me!” she suddenly exploded harshly as the man tried to squeeze her shoulder again. It had been a mistake to make an imposter Scorpius, especially one that had been implanted with many of the Count’s memories involving current relationships and false memories about how cute and “lovey dovey” they lived.
There was that squeak from the corner again as Atra was slapped once more. The woman’s head rolled forward, her mind and muscles too unconnected to control any other movement. It was like she was stuck in some kind of haze. What was going on? Who was this man? Why was she being slapped for not knowing answers to questions?
“Qu’est-ce que tu veux suivre ? Quoi ? Quoi ?”
Then she was slapped again, but something else was on its way.
Neither Atra nor the Scorpius had been prepared for the ensuing battle. How had Plutus known she and her companion would be coming to this particular town? It was probable that the Minister knew she would be returning home at some point, but how did they know about this place?
The imposter Scorpius was killed within fifteen minutes of the battle’s start, five of which had been wasted by the Aurors staring at Atra in confusion because she had become distracted and couldn’t control the Imperius curse. Atra growled as she saw the dead body on the ground, but she was not as shocked as the Ministry people were. After all, it had been one of their best Aurors that she had captured to put under the polyjuice. The only thing she was surprised about was his fighting skills. She thought he would have lasted longer than he did.
Atra roared loudly as her body began to shape into her animagus form, a rich black panther with dark blue eyes. She was faster in this form and a little harder to see in the starless night. Her paws bounded from the dead body of the once powerful wizard so that her new form launched onto a nearby witch firing off a bright red flare. The spell missed her fur by centimeters, and the heat actually singed her smooth outer coat.
The now angry panther’s vocal cords exploded in a ferocious battle cry as she turned from her latest victim, to another, more arrogant wizard who was firing off the killing curse. He was taken down easily but not as easily since he was prepared. The witch inside the panther’s head chuckled silently. Instead of one paw slash, it had taken two to knock this second wizard out of the game. Then there was a distinct “pop” across the street, and immediately she sensed a shift in power. Atra was a skilled duelist, but she knew there were some who could defeat her.
She did not have the chance to draw her wand after she transformed back into her human form. Her opponent had not been interested in a fair fight, just caging her. However, the young woman would not be taken, especially with everything she knew floating around in her conscious and littering her subconscious. No, she would either have to escape the man she knew was coming for her or make sure he could not reach her memories. Oh how she hoped the man was only a figment and she would be spared his wrath.
That was when the third and fourth wizards who had been in the town were called back. Yes, the wizard who had apparated was whom Atra feared at present, Julius Plutus. Having no time to think properly, she did the only thing she could think of and pressed her own wand’s tip to her temple. She did not want to do this. She did not mean it.
“One had to mean a spell for it to work properly, and that was a fact known by a widespread number of wizards in the community. For example, the Crutacius curse did not pack the same punch by a young boy who was pure at heart as it did by an insane killer serving a Dark Lord. The same was true for all other spells,” she told herself before shouting. “CONFUNDUS!”
There was no delay in the time it took for the spell to leave the wand and the time it took for it to launch into her mind. She was instantly rendered useless and fell to the ground unconscious. One had to mean a spell for it to take effect, but at that close of range, it didn’t take much meaning to make the charm quite effective.
“Speak English!” the man now roared impatiently. He was holding a lit wand near Atra’s pant leg, and he was growing impatient. Why wouldn’t she just speak English? Why wouldn’t she simply tell him what he wanted, no, needed to know.
“Monsieur,” she pleaded softly, noticing from the bottom of her eye the flame now brightly flickering by her leg. “Je ne parles pas anglais.”
“I do not believe you, Atra Pythia Alveus!” he roared as he touched the flame to her leg. “Where is Robinson Scorpius?!”
It only took a brief moment for her to feel the pain in her leg from the fire now trickling up her clothing. She screamed loudly, a sound not emitted from her lips since being kidnapped by Kroenen. Then, she passed out. Whether or not the fire was put out, she was not quite sure. All Atra knew was that she was now surrounded by a welcomed change to darkness rather than the bright white of the room.
“Wake up, my child,” a voice whispered soothingly from no one place in particular.
“Est-ce que j’ai mouri?” she asked quietly, moving to sit up on the bed of pillows she now found herself lying on.
“Oh no, child. Do you think I would let you die after bringing the Scorpion back for you?”
“S’il vous plait, je voudrais voir.”
Atra then found herself sitting in the middle of bright sunny day. There was a field of lush wild grass and wild flowers all around her. It looked like the countryside behind her house where she played as a child. The day was a bright sky blue with only a few of the fluffiest clouds she had ever seen, and the sun was gleaming down upon everything. A gentle breeze blew through the field, rustling the grass and lifting the sweet aroma of wild lavender and laurel leaves into the air. She was suddenly at peace and began to look further around her instead of just straight ahead.
As she turned around, she heard the gentle sound of a snake slithering through the grass. Normally she would be afraid of the reptile but was not this time. Gaia would not let her be harmed, not in this place of peace and sight. The snake swam through the green sea closer to her and began to wrap around her legs. It was an extremely large python one would only expect in a movie or in a myth. Then, in the distance, she saw a man running toward her from the direction of the sun, giving him a god-like glow.
He was there upon her in seconds, the sun still glowing at his back. Without even asking her name, he began to unwind the snake from around her now, almost entwined, body. She did not question him. This felt like it had happened before. This felt like it was meant to happen now. Then, the snake, and the man, were gone.
“Pythia,” spoke the woman’s voice from before, “my daughter, stand and see me.”
“Mamman?” Atra asked curiously as she stood to look around her more. The voice did sound like it could be her mother’s, and her grandmother’s. In fact, it had sounded like her aunts’ as well, and all of her cousins’ that had long since perished. She spun around in place, gazing at the beauty this mother was offering her. “Je ne sais pas suivre.”
“Know your mother and your aunts and your cousins. Know yourself, my daughter, Pythia. Know your role. Know you can do amazing things and can know amazing things.”
“Je ne sais pas faire.”
“Go back to your life. Awake and see the signs around you. Some will try to control you. Some will try to take the boy, and some will try to kill the Scorpion. You are a daughter of Gaia, Atra, and must protect my charges. Apollo will guide you and be by your side.”
At her words the man who had saved her from the python reappeared. It was Argus, her lycan first love. There was something different about him, now, though, like she was able to see everything through his two eyes. He was also much taller and several years older than he should have been. She stared up at him blankly. A glowing aura was still around him, still giving him that god-like appearance.
“Cet homme n’est pas Apollo. Il s’appelle Argus, ma loupe.”
Argus bent down and gently touched his former love’s cheek, his hand glowing with the warmth of the sun. He then leaned forward and kissed her forehead. This was going to be a long journey for her to fully recognize what was happening, and he planned on being by her side through it all. After all, she was his first love, something he would never forget no matter who else came into her life.
“Go back,” he whispered. “I have always been your guardian.”
Without warning and without control, her eyes closed and literally everything started to fly by her eyes in vision form. She was learning and remembering all at the same time. Well, she was remembering those things that had nothing to do with her short-term memory because Plutus was not done with her yet.
There was not a bright sunny field or a bed of pillows when Atra woke up moments later. She was back in the white room with a searing pain in her leg. The burn. Now she remembered what had happened. The man, Plutus, had set her leg on fire for not answering his questions. She was answering, though. Had they not heard her cast the memory-erasing charm? Could they not comprehend that she was barely remembering that she knew her captor’s name much less something about a man she didn’t recall?
“Where is Scorpius?” he asked calmly before pricking her arm with what she could tell was a needle no doubtedly full of Veritaserum.
Atra paused for a moment before answering. She cringed as the potion moved through her veins; it stung. Maybe if she waited a moment to make sure it had had time to take effect he would believe her. Then if he believed her, maybe he would leave her alone or at least lighten up on the Muggle-like torture.
“Je ne sais pas,” she answered proudly and as truthfully as she could.
“Where is the Count Scorpius?” he asked again, pushing another full syringe into the same vein.
“Je ne sais pas,” she cringed, this syringe stinging worse than the first.
Then he did it again, another full syringe. He wanted to make sure. It had been too long since he had been after the Scorpion, and now he was in a position to do something about it. Of course it was now that the man was being so illusive and was so protected. This had to stop. The Minister just had to get rid of Scorpius’s protection, starting with Atra and then the boy and anyone else who stood in his way.
The newly realized Pythia awoke coughing from the smoke that was now surrounding her. She had apparently passed out again, but this time it was from a Veritaserum near-overdose. Atra felt her wet clothes now sticking to her. At least Plutus had been kind enough to dump water on her before setting the room on fire.
She would burn alive if not rescued, and neither Gaia nor Argus could save her from that. Desperately, her mind ran through ideas of where she could be. Desperately, her mind searched for someone looking for her that was possibly on the same wavelength.
The Hallucinated Caging of Atra Alveus
One had to mean a spell for it to work properly, and that was a fact known by a widespread number of wizards in the community. For example, the Crutacius curse did not pack the same punch by a young boy who was pure at heart as it did by an insane killer serving a Dark Lord. The same was true for all other spells.
Atra stared blankly at the bright white wall across from her. It was almost like she was in some kind of dream, a really bad dream. After all, she would never paint a wall solid white. It was tacky and completely too bright for her darker personality. Well, she thought her personality was darker. A wince slipped across her face at the stinging sensation she felt; it was like she had small razor cuts across her arms and thighs.
Her head rolled to the side slightly, and her eyes opened once more. She also felt like she had been tortured with the Crutacius for the past few hours. Then again, she didn’t know how long she had been passed out, either, but unconsciousness was not the first thing on her mind right now. It was the second wall she was looking at. That wall was solid white too. She then had to know about the third wall, but she just didn’t have the energy to move her head once more. So, she moved her eyes over in their places as far as she could, only to find out that the third wall was a bright white as well. Where the hell was she? And why was she suddenly realizing that she was tied to a chair?
“Where is Count Robinson Antares Scorpius?” came an authoritative voice from behind her. There was then the clicking of heels, men’s heels, as the man walked around to stand in front of her. He then knelt down to be in his captive’s line of sight.
“Je ne sais pas,” the woman answered truthfully. “Je ne sais pas.” The phrase seemed familiar to her. It felt like she had been saying that a lot lately. Why? Why couldn’t she remember anything? “Qui est-ce que Scorpius?”
The man slapped her harshly. There was a squeak from a corner of the room. The noise had been female. There was someone else in the room, probably taking notes. The man had been stupid enough to bring in a witness, whoever she was.
Thirteen Hours Earlier
Atra and the Scorpius imposter had just apparated outside a small French town. She had wanted to see home again for some time, and now simply felt like the perfect time. Of course, she hadn’t apparated outside her town because that would have meant the instant destruction of her home. Instead, she had had them apparate into a town near the ocean, a place she had been once when she was a child.
“Where are we now, love?” asked the chillingly familiar voice.
“I told you to stop calling me that.”
The form of Count Robinson Antares Scorpius stepped toward his lover with a gentle smile on his face. He then reached out a careful hand to squeeze her shoulder tenderly. She pushed his hand to the side, and a frown grew on his face. Lately she would not touch him at all, not even hold his hand as they walked around town. What was it going to hurt? It’s not like she could become more wanted by the Ministry than she already was.
“And I told you to stop trying to touch me.”
It had only been a week since she had arranged to have Scorpius released from prison, unlocking the door herself after the guards had been killed. It had only been a week since she and this Scorpius had set out to plague Europe with explosions and the killings of certain undesirables, many of whom were enemies of the Count and his lover. Within that week Atra had regretted her and the Count’s decision to create an imposter Scorpius to distract Plutus and the Ministry. Why couldn’t they have just stashed a body in a bottomless bag to pull out if things got sticky with the good guys so that the real Scorpius could disapparate? Things just weren’t the same without the real thing around, and the panther wanted a little attention.
“Stop touching me!” she suddenly exploded harshly as the man tried to squeeze her shoulder again. It had been a mistake to make an imposter Scorpius, especially one that had been implanted with many of the Count’s memories involving current relationships and false memories about how cute and “lovey dovey” they lived.
There was that squeak from the corner again as Atra was slapped once more. The woman’s head rolled forward, her mind and muscles too unconnected to control any other movement. It was like she was stuck in some kind of haze. What was going on? Who was this man? Why was she being slapped for not knowing answers to questions?
“Qu’est-ce que tu veux suivre ? Quoi ? Quoi ?”
Then she was slapped again, but something else was on its way.
Neither Atra nor the Scorpius had been prepared for the ensuing battle. How had Plutus known she and her companion would be coming to this particular town? It was probable that the Minister knew she would be returning home at some point, but how did they know about this place?
The imposter Scorpius was killed within fifteen minutes of the battle’s start, five of which had been wasted by the Aurors staring at Atra in confusion because she had become distracted and couldn’t control the Imperius curse. Atra growled as she saw the dead body on the ground, but she was not as shocked as the Ministry people were. After all, it had been one of their best Aurors that she had captured to put under the polyjuice. The only thing she was surprised about was his fighting skills. She thought he would have lasted longer than he did.
Atra roared loudly as her body began to shape into her animagus form, a rich black panther with dark blue eyes. She was faster in this form and a little harder to see in the starless night. Her paws bounded from the dead body of the once powerful wizard so that her new form launched onto a nearby witch firing off a bright red flare. The spell missed her fur by centimeters, and the heat actually singed her smooth outer coat.
The now angry panther’s vocal cords exploded in a ferocious battle cry as she turned from her latest victim, to another, more arrogant wizard who was firing off the killing curse. He was taken down easily but not as easily since he was prepared. The witch inside the panther’s head chuckled silently. Instead of one paw slash, it had taken two to knock this second wizard out of the game. Then there was a distinct “pop” across the street, and immediately she sensed a shift in power. Atra was a skilled duelist, but she knew there were some who could defeat her.
She did not have the chance to draw her wand after she transformed back into her human form. Her opponent had not been interested in a fair fight, just caging her. However, the young woman would not be taken, especially with everything she knew floating around in her conscious and littering her subconscious. No, she would either have to escape the man she knew was coming for her or make sure he could not reach her memories. Oh how she hoped the man was only a figment and she would be spared his wrath.
That was when the third and fourth wizards who had been in the town were called back. Yes, the wizard who had apparated was whom Atra feared at present, Julius Plutus. Having no time to think properly, she did the only thing she could think of and pressed her own wand’s tip to her temple. She did not want to do this. She did not mean it.
“One had to mean a spell for it to work properly, and that was a fact known by a widespread number of wizards in the community. For example, the Crutacius curse did not pack the same punch by a young boy who was pure at heart as it did by an insane killer serving a Dark Lord. The same was true for all other spells,” she told herself before shouting. “CONFUNDUS!”
There was no delay in the time it took for the spell to leave the wand and the time it took for it to launch into her mind. She was instantly rendered useless and fell to the ground unconscious. One had to mean a spell for it to take effect, but at that close of range, it didn’t take much meaning to make the charm quite effective.
“Speak English!” the man now roared impatiently. He was holding a lit wand near Atra’s pant leg, and he was growing impatient. Why wouldn’t she just speak English? Why wouldn’t she simply tell him what he wanted, no, needed to know.
“Monsieur,” she pleaded softly, noticing from the bottom of her eye the flame now brightly flickering by her leg. “Je ne parles pas anglais.”
“I do not believe you, Atra Pythia Alveus!” he roared as he touched the flame to her leg. “Where is Robinson Scorpius?!”
It only took a brief moment for her to feel the pain in her leg from the fire now trickling up her clothing. She screamed loudly, a sound not emitted from her lips since being kidnapped by Kroenen. Then, she passed out. Whether or not the fire was put out, she was not quite sure. All Atra knew was that she was now surrounded by a welcomed change to darkness rather than the bright white of the room.
“Wake up, my child,” a voice whispered soothingly from no one place in particular.
“Est-ce que j’ai mouri?” she asked quietly, moving to sit up on the bed of pillows she now found herself lying on.
“Oh no, child. Do you think I would let you die after bringing the Scorpion back for you?”
“S’il vous plait, je voudrais voir.”
Atra then found herself sitting in the middle of bright sunny day. There was a field of lush wild grass and wild flowers all around her. It looked like the countryside behind her house where she played as a child. The day was a bright sky blue with only a few of the fluffiest clouds she had ever seen, and the sun was gleaming down upon everything. A gentle breeze blew through the field, rustling the grass and lifting the sweet aroma of wild lavender and laurel leaves into the air. She was suddenly at peace and began to look further around her instead of just straight ahead.
As she turned around, she heard the gentle sound of a snake slithering through the grass. Normally she would be afraid of the reptile but was not this time. Gaia would not let her be harmed, not in this place of peace and sight. The snake swam through the green sea closer to her and began to wrap around her legs. It was an extremely large python one would only expect in a movie or in a myth. Then, in the distance, she saw a man running toward her from the direction of the sun, giving him a god-like glow.
He was there upon her in seconds, the sun still glowing at his back. Without even asking her name, he began to unwind the snake from around her now, almost entwined, body. She did not question him. This felt like it had happened before. This felt like it was meant to happen now. Then, the snake, and the man, were gone.
“Pythia,” spoke the woman’s voice from before, “my daughter, stand and see me.”
“Mamman?” Atra asked curiously as she stood to look around her more. The voice did sound like it could be her mother’s, and her grandmother’s. In fact, it had sounded like her aunts’ as well, and all of her cousins’ that had long since perished. She spun around in place, gazing at the beauty this mother was offering her. “Je ne sais pas suivre.”
“Know your mother and your aunts and your cousins. Know yourself, my daughter, Pythia. Know your role. Know you can do amazing things and can know amazing things.”
“Je ne sais pas faire.”
“Go back to your life. Awake and see the signs around you. Some will try to control you. Some will try to take the boy, and some will try to kill the Scorpion. You are a daughter of Gaia, Atra, and must protect my charges. Apollo will guide you and be by your side.”
At her words the man who had saved her from the python reappeared. It was Argus, her lycan first love. There was something different about him, now, though, like she was able to see everything through his two eyes. He was also much taller and several years older than he should have been. She stared up at him blankly. A glowing aura was still around him, still giving him that god-like appearance.
“Cet homme n’est pas Apollo. Il s’appelle Argus, ma loupe.”
Argus bent down and gently touched his former love’s cheek, his hand glowing with the warmth of the sun. He then leaned forward and kissed her forehead. This was going to be a long journey for her to fully recognize what was happening, and he planned on being by her side through it all. After all, she was his first love, something he would never forget no matter who else came into her life.
“Go back,” he whispered. “I have always been your guardian.”
Without warning and without control, her eyes closed and literally everything started to fly by her eyes in vision form. She was learning and remembering all at the same time. Well, she was remembering those things that had nothing to do with her short-term memory because Plutus was not done with her yet.
There was not a bright sunny field or a bed of pillows when Atra woke up moments later. She was back in the white room with a searing pain in her leg. The burn. Now she remembered what had happened. The man, Plutus, had set her leg on fire for not answering his questions. She was answering, though. Had they not heard her cast the memory-erasing charm? Could they not comprehend that she was barely remembering that she knew her captor’s name much less something about a man she didn’t recall?
“Where is Scorpius?” he asked calmly before pricking her arm with what she could tell was a needle no doubtedly full of Veritaserum.
Atra paused for a moment before answering. She cringed as the potion moved through her veins; it stung. Maybe if she waited a moment to make sure it had had time to take effect he would believe her. Then if he believed her, maybe he would leave her alone or at least lighten up on the Muggle-like torture.
“Je ne sais pas,” she answered proudly and as truthfully as she could.
“Where is the Count Scorpius?” he asked again, pushing another full syringe into the same vein.
“Je ne sais pas,” she cringed, this syringe stinging worse than the first.
Then he did it again, another full syringe. He wanted to make sure. It had been too long since he had been after the Scorpion, and now he was in a position to do something about it. Of course it was now that the man was being so illusive and was so protected. This had to stop. The Minister just had to get rid of Scorpius’s protection, starting with Atra and then the boy and anyone else who stood in his way.
The newly realized Pythia awoke coughing from the smoke that was now surrounding her. She had apparently passed out again, but this time it was from a Veritaserum near-overdose. Atra felt her wet clothes now sticking to her. At least Plutus had been kind enough to dump water on her before setting the room on fire.
She would burn alive if not rescued, and neither Gaia nor Argus could save her from that. Desperately, her mind ran through ideas of where she could be. Desperately, her mind searched for someone looking for her that was possibly on the same wavelength.