Something's got to Give

Gordon Martin lay on the bed that had been the center of his world for the last few months. At least he thought it had been months. There were no windows and no clocks in his room, so he wasn’t sure the exact amount of time that had passed. To the left of the bed was the desk that he ate his meals at. To the right was the commode and sink. And at the end of the bed was the bell cord. He couldn’t go further than that due to the collar attached to a chain around his neck. The room wasn’t uncomfortable. It was kept clean and he was fed well, but that didn’t change the fact it was a prison.

He sat up and looked at the cord. When Onyx had first brought him here, she told him that one day he would ring that bell, which would signal that he had given himself to her. His response at the time was to tell her she was crazy, and that he would never do it. But that was then. Before she did things with him, and to him. Sometimes it was gentle and sometimes it was rough, but it was never what he wanted. A couple of times, she had made herself look like Poly to trick him, but he always saw through it. And she was quick to punish any defiance he had shown.

He didn’t know it, but he resisted longer than even a strong willed person could. The reason for that was his love for Polygirl. No matter what happened, no matter how bad it got, he thought of her, and that give him the strength to resist.

Until today.

Today, Onyx had come to him and fed him and then forced him to have sex with her. She didn’t do anything unusual this time, it was just routine. And that was part of the problem. He had the realization that this was his life now. If the Guardians had known where he was, they would have rescued him already. The other part was that he tried to picture Poly earlier, and failed. Her features were just a blur. He no longer remembered what she looked like.

And it was then he realized Onyx had won. He may have been like a mountain, but she was like water, and eventually all the torments that she had heaped upon him had worn him down. He no long saw any other option. With great despair, he reached out to the bell cord.

And then stopped.

He realized that he was feeling despair. Intense despair. And the words that the Occupant spoke to him came back. ” That’s because I shut down part of your brain so you won’t feel anger, or really any strong emotions.” But that was some time ago. And while he knew that while the Occupant could permanently alter a person’s brain in that fashion, he needed time and concentration to do so, neither of which had been demonstrated. The whole time, he had been holding himself back. He almost laughed at what was an apt metaphor for his life.

Instead, Gordon focused his anger, and after everything that had happened to him, he had a lot of it. Instantly, the collar tightened around his neck. Or more precisely, his neck grew thicker in it. He reached up and got his fingertips behind it. With a slight pull, it snapped in two. Now freed, he stood up and walked to the door out of the room.

Opening it, he saw it led to a large apartment. Onyx was sitting on a couch. She looked over at him and said in a voice that lacked any trace of surprise, “So, you finally made the realization. I was wondering how long it would take you.”

Gordon didn’t say anything. Instead, he let out a puff of steam from his nostrils and then charged towards her. When he was close enough, he leapt up and came down on her with his right fist. The force of the blow drove her through the couch, shattering it, but she was unharmed. She pushed him off of her. He flew up and struck the high ceiling, bounced off it, and landed in the kitchen area. Luckily, he was angry enough that his durability prevented any injures. Only slightly stunned, he got up quickly and saw that Onyx was on her feet too. Without a second thought, he grabbed the refrigerator and threw it at her.

The demoness deflected the incoming appliance with a casual backhand and then said, “Admit it. I almost broke you.”

Gordon stomped over to her. A cloud of stream came from his nostril with every breath and crackles of the extradimensional energy that came with his increased mass had begun to dance over his skin. When he came within arm’s length of his former tormentor, he said, “Yeah, you almost did. But almost,” he snarled as he hit her with his left fist. “Doesn’t!” He followed up with a blow from his right. “COUNT!” He lifted both arms above his head and drove his interconnected hands down on her with a sledgehammer-like blow.

And yet, for all the strength behind his fists, Onyx remained unaffected. “Is that all you have?” she asked him with a smirk.

By now, Gordon was at his maximum size, and his body was covered with streaking lines of energy. He knew it had to be released, and also knew that there was no one more deserving of it than the being standing in front of him. With a roar, he focused the energy for the second time in his life and released it directly at Onyx. For over a minute, the energy poured out of him and onto her. The floor beneath her and the walls behind her were pulverized by the force of it.

Finally, his store was exhausted and the energy ceased. He was shocked to see Onyx was still standing in front of him. Her clothes were shredded and her hair was mussed, but otherwise she was unharmed. Weakened and disheartened, Gordon sagged, but Onyx caught him under the arms. She spread her wings and then flew out of the hole in the building, carrying Gordon with her.

She flew directly upwards and didn’t stop until the city was far below them. Then she held Gordon out from her and asked, “Now, I will give you one last chance. Will you submit to me?”

Gordon glared at her and then summoned up the last of his waning strength to feebly spit at her.

She gave him a cheerful smile and said, “I figured that would be your response.” And then she pulled her hands back, allowing Gordon to fall. She watched him plummeting downwards for a few seconds, and then flew off to one of her other lairs. The Occupant had rented the top couple of floors to ensure her privacy, but the destruction would undoubtedly attract the attention of the authorities. Still, she had other plans, and the City of Angel Falls had many other things for her to play with. Perhaps she could find another one of the Guardians to play with.

As the wind rushed past Gordon, he felt a sense of satisfaction. He knew he was going to die, but at least it was as a free man. As he begun to succumb to unconsciousness, he managed to say, “Poly,” before his eyes closed.

And so he missed seeing the winged figure that matched his descent and catch him in her arms before slowing until they were only a few hundred feet above the city. “Gordon Martin, it is not time for your soul to depart,” Angelina said to him. “There is still much good for you to do.” And then she flew to the Guardians’ headquarters to get him to safety.