"You know, I still don't see why you had to take the mask off." A girl's weary voice sighed, wriggling beneath the rope subduing her.
Behind the chipper-voiced captive, Eli was hunched over a stationary Dogbot, his hands deep in its guts, and oil stained to the bend of his elbow. His mask was still settled across his face, much to his distaste. But nothing could be done, with a hostage in his midst.
"Well, now I know your face." He replied through heavy breaths.
He lacked power tools of any kind, neither had he any machinery. His tools were stolen or found, and with only a few days of collecting, they were wholly insufficient. He had been drilling holes in rivet heads, and cracking them out with a chisel for the past hours.
"I guess. But what could you want that for? If I don't tell you my name, it doesn't mean much. Plus, you can't hurt me that much, since only I know where King lives!" The girl cackled, shaking the chair that was struggling with her weight.
That bore no reply from the Paigetown Rat, as he heaved Dogbot up and upside down. He shook the critter around like an empty wallet, until eventually, the floor was full of washers, nuts, and snapped metal waste. He swept it aside with his foot, and set the dog back down.
He wiped his face, achieving nothing more than adding some oil-stains to his slick skin. "Just keep talking-." Eli cut himself off, "Useful talking. Give me some backstory here, I'm working with nothing."
"Okay, okay." The girl sighed, bending her neck backwards to glare at Eli, "I'm like… a criminal. So basically, I go to this place and they tell me do this, do that. Uhh, but sometimes I run into real Offclock's there." She pouted, "Hey-"
"Keep talking."
A sigh escaped the room from behind him, "King came in one day with these two others, uh… they were a little hurt but whatever. Then after a while everyone realised how awesome King was, and joined up with him." She chippered up again, "So I'm totally part of an Offclock gang now!"
Eli paused, and chewed his lip in thought. To him, it was obvious whatever King's lights did brainwashed these people into following him. Eli knew how much your mind could warp from prolonged exposure. This girl might've only been as annoying and insane as she was due to them.
He glanced at her. He ripped the gas mask off the second he got the chance, for insurance. If he knew her face, she had a much harder time ever escaping. What he didn't account for, was how that face would make him feel.
For one, the damn idiot was a near carbon-copy of another lady he had recently discarded like trash. She had straight, deep brown chestnut hair, and all the button-like facial features Tiffany had. He knew what he did was right, but each day that passed slightly decreased his heavy, now obviously irrational anger.
Maybe there was a way out that didn't involve throwing his whole life away, full of loose ends.
Either way, the idiot tied to the chair was unbearable for him to look at, but so too was the thought of giving her back her anonymity. So he stuck to it.
"Heyy? Are you still there? Y'know, sometimes you just loom around like a spirit. It's super weird man." She laughed, pushing her feet off the floor and throwing the chair backwards.
It collided with the floor, and the girl let out a winded gasp, before breaking into a grin. She stared at Eli from the floor beneath him.
"You're still here! I'd have made a break for it if I didn't see you right now." She sniggered.
Eli averted his gaze, kicking the chair up unceremoniously, and pushing it into the corner of the room. It was a gracious gift that the girl couldn't be any less like his old friend in personality, or he might have gone insane.
"Get back to explaining, I'm begging you." Eli whined, walked back to Dogbots side.
He was still in mid-surgery.
"Okay? Damn. Let's see, I don't get told much since I'm not a fancy Clock like you. Ehm, King said something about ruling Paige? He owns like half the petty gangs, and has four whole Offclocks with him." She nodded excitedly, "Oh! You! He said he wanted to get you- that's why I'm here! I totally forgot."
"Yeah, well I want to get him as well." Eli kissed his teeth.
It was hard to suppress a grimace at the thought of the man. He realised he was simply placing all his issues on King, and killing him wouldn't truly solve much.
But it would feel very good.
"Yeah, that was basically it. He got this new Offclock to use his power on me, then shipped me off to find you. So I just followed sightings of you on the registry." The hostage continued, "So, here I am!"
"Unfortunately."
"Anyway, can you guess what he did to me!?" She grinned, wiggling side to side. When the response wasn't immediate, she piped up, "Too late! He made me look super weird. Can you tell?"
Eli forgetfully glanced over, before flinching at the familiar hair. Looking at her from behind was almost indistinguishable. He shook his head, and glanced back into Dogbot. He mindlessly de-torqued Dogbot's front leg joint. It was going to have to be replaced.
"I can't tell." He muttered, shaking his head despite her not seeing him.
"Really!? It's so noticeable! I used to be blonde-"
Suddenly, a low, ear-piercing creak escaped from the room's old door. It made its way, sweeping open across the carpet, before coming to a stop against the wall.
Stood in the doorframe, the outlines of several people were backlit by the noon sun. The crowd shifted, and one man walked in. He was bald and wrinkled, carrying a distinct lack of power in his wiry frame.
"My, my. What's this? Do people not greet their neighbours anymore?"