The first thing Retvik noticed was that he was cold. This was a bad thing. Normally, Retvik would perfectly regulate the temperature around him, so he would never be too hot or cold. The second thing Retvik noticed was that there was something around his neck. Some sort of collar. Heavy, metallic and making a small, beeping noise.
“Oh hey, you’re finally awake!”
Retvik blinked a couple of times, taking note of his surroundings. He was in a plastic box with nothing more than some air holes punched through it. The plastic was a dull off-white, just translucent enough that he could see things on each side. There was a small, clear window in the door in front of him, and behind him was more plastic.
The voice sounded off, but it came from a small, yellow, blurry thing in the cell to Retvik’s left.
“Yeah, guess I am awake, Arkay. Where are we?”
“Who’s Arkay?”
Rubbing his eyes, Retvik turned properly to the side and peered through one of the air holes. The voice was right, they weren’t Arkay. They looked a bit like Arkay. Yellow-plated, bright eyes, somewhat chirpy. But little white sparks were fizzling from their arms, and they had dark blue skin, as well as bright blue fingers.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Retvik! Who are you?”
Retvik snarled. “This multiverse is practically infinite, yet somehow I am in a plastic cell next to someone with the same Light-forsaken name as me?”
The yellow being beamed, peering through the same hole Retvik was. “So you’re called Retvik too?”
“Yes. I do not suppose you know what happened? I am cold and my brain feels like someone pulled it out through my nostrils, trampled on it then shoved it back in via my ear holes.”
“Brain scramblers tend to feel like that…” a much more recognisable voice growled behind Retvik. Litvir was leaning against the back wall of his own cell to Retvik’s right, massaging his head and neck. “We have been captured. I believe our captors plan to sell us off as slaves. After they have fucked with our minds further, I assume.”
The other Retvik nodded in agreement. Somehow, they seemed remarkably chirpy, despite their predicament. “Basically. But if we’re lucky, we’ll just get made to serve in their army, rather than being sold off. I mean, that’s why we’re in this section! Or at least, I am. I don’t… really know where the rest of my fireteam are. They… kinda split us up and… I have no idea how long we’ve been here.”
“They are still here…” Litvir muttered. “One is nearby. Others are at the other end. Near where Galyn is not.”
Both Retviks turned to Litvir.
“Are you alright?” Retvik asked. Other Retvik seemed oddly concerned all of a sudden as well.
Litvir shook his head, then slid down the wall of his cell. It was clear that something was wrong, and Litvir was struggling to find the words to explain it.
“You’re a telepath, right?” the other Retvik asked, lowering its voice considerably. “But how is your telepathy still working? These collars are nullifiers, supposed to stop that sort of thing.”
At first, Litvir didn’t answer. He seemed focused on something else. After a moment though, he slammed his fists against the back wall of his cell, as if he was in a great deal of pain. Litvir muttered the words “shut up” a few times, before closing his eyes, then re-focusing on the two Retviks.
“They nullified my ability to control my telepathy. I can hear little snippets of everything. Except for two places. The seventeen frozen minds in the stasis pod chamber and the… black hole. Whatever that is. I do not know. Either way, the mental strain is unbearable.”
“So do you think you can… help us-”
Before the yellow Retvik could finish its sentence, Litvir bashed his hands against the cell wall again, causing the entire row of cells to briefly shake. He then slumped into the corner, his head in his hands.
With a sigh, Retvik kneeled down next to Litvir, placing his fingers through a nearby breathing hole. He could just about reach Litvir, and brushed his fingers against him.
“Is there anything I can do for you, Litvir?”
Litvir shook his head. “No… Just… leave me alone for a bit. I need time to think…”