Through the Looking Glass: Chapter Two

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As soon as Kaylr rolled over, Merith pounced again, going to bash his head with a swift kick from the side.

Starr sighed and glanced to Esk once more "I will perhaps make this proposal for them after I am done with the androids." She said then glanced to Kay and tilted her head "No biting" She said then headed for the door

Kay shot Starr his best "screw you" look, just to complete the act. He was pretty good at it, mostly because he was actually glaring at Asher's mirror duplicate.

"Worry not princess, i'll get him a muzzle!" Kaylr cackled.

Starr waved a hand at that "And I will try not to break the androids." She said and headed out

Mirror Asher lead his double after Starr, taking every opportunity to cause him pain. If he was going to be experimented on by the princess, he should make the most of it. "What are you going to do to us?" he asked.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt...much" Starr said without looking back to them. If she looked back, she would have to do something to stop him.

Mirror Asher snickered. "At least I'm USED to pain. He's the one who's gonna have fun with this."

Kaylr merrily set to work locking the cells. He locked Kay and Geir back in first, then moved to merith's cage, leaning in to gloat at him. "Look Merith, now we can have even MORE fun. " He snickered.

Starr stopped and turned to look at him "What is that supposed to mean?" She asked, a bit of her temper showing in that one question

"New code," mirror Asher explained. He noticed her anger, and watched her warily, "Kaylr had a tech install our physical sensation detection code in him today."

Merith silently glared up at Kaylr from his seat. The bravado didn't last long, though. His hands began to tremble as his mind flashed back to what had happened only minutes before.

"What?" Starr asked, fully rounding on them then glancing at her Asher and back to mirror Asher and narrowing her eyes in anger "That will throw off any results. Vestia, get the programmers to the lab. Asher, you will go in and sit in one of the cells until he is at his normal again. If he cannot be returned to normal I will have to break my promise and deactivate you"

"Yes Ma'am," Vestia said. She summoned some programmers to Starr's lab.

"Do I have to go in a cell?" mirror Asher complained. "That's degrading."

Prime Asher did his best to remain expressionless.

Kaylr seemed to get real satisfaction from that and couldn't resist goading Merith a little more.

"So, Kaylr." He looked at his duplicate. "Or should I call you Nurse Freidman to differentiate? " He snickered. "Have you seen the things this man thinks of you? "

Kay glared at his double. I don't make a habit of violating people's minds, or their personal space. I'm not you.

"SPEAK damnit! SPEAK!" Kaylr snapped. Kay's silence seemed to really aggravate him.

Kay shook his head.

Kaylr growled. "Oh I will make you speak, you'll SCREAM. " He looked back to Merith. "We'll continue this later my dear." He blew Merith a kiss and slammed his door shut, locking it and turning back to the cage Kay and Gier were in.

Kay set his jaw, looking at his duplicate defiantly.

"Oh I read your file, something about trauma? I think it's a load of shit. You're just stubborn." Kaylr hissed.

Kay shrugged.

Merith stood as soon as Kaylr turned his attention on Kay. "Don't you touch him!" He snarled, his knuckles white, he was balling up his fists so tightly.

Kaylr laughed. "Of course you're protective of THIS one. " He grinned to Kay. "Did you never notice his feelings toward you? Or did you just not want to give him the faintest hint of attention? "

Kay looked momentarily lost, he had no idea what his duplicate was talking about. He glanced to Merith, then back to Kaylr. I'm not going to play your games. He told him.

"Oh but you don't have a choice! " Kaylr went to the desk to pick out some tools. "Mmm, now, the question is... what's more effective... hurt you... hurt your brother... or hurt HIM." He looked to Merith with a wicked grin.

"Hurt him. He only cares about himself anyway." Esk spoke flatly.

Kay didn't move.

"Oh he hates you doesn't he? Why does he hate you so much? Should I find out? He doesn't need to speak, I can force my way into that weak mind of his." Kaylr smiled to Esk.

Esk glared back. "Just try it you asshole."

Merith fell silent again at Kaylr's taunts, but glared nonetheless. He waited.

James wasn't suicidal or something, so he kept talking all soothingly to the giant felid. "It's okay, man, see? I'm a good, obedient robot and I totally would never try anything."

The cyborg dragged and dumped James back into his cell. He grunted, leaving without another word.

The two technicians looked wary, neither of them really wanted to deal with the robot now.
soon enough they were summoned to go deal with some other coding issue. They sighed. Did this day never end?
And they still hadn't had a chance to warn Kaylr about the laws.. huh.. that would have to wait.. again.
what a loss.

They bid James a farewell, actually rather relieved to get away from the robot, taking their laptops and hurrying away.

There was a sudden squeaking sound as the cell that James occupied was invaded by one tiny bounty hunter. She poked her head down at him from the vents.

James jumped and looked up at her in surprise. "Oh hello! Which Sara are you?"

"Your Sara." Prime Saraphine said, shaking her head. "Mirror Sara is the handmaiden to the Captain, remember?"

Kaylr picked out a nice sharp scalpel blade, examining it carefully. "hmm... " Something occurred to him. "Oh.. oh yes... " He set the blade down and went to another drawer, pulling out an old looking box. From it he selected a very old looking antique blade, a wicked grin crossing his face.

"I've been curious... " He said, as he came over to Kay. "Since your... dear brother mentioned it... precisely WHAT happens if you come into contact with silver." He held up the blade. "Antique surgical tools from the terran empire, very old, not overly sharp any more of course... but that just means I have to use more force doesn't it?" He unlocked the cage.

Kay backed away, looking actually a bit worried now.

Gier looked concerned. "kaylr, you don't have to do this... "

"Speak again Gier, and i'll cut your tongue out." Kaylr snapped.

Gier shut right up.

"Yeah. But you never know when the captain might send out a spy." James smiled at the borrower, "Man, is it good to see a friendly face! I was just hiding in a closet with some whiny techs for a few hours, and it was so tedious. They were just the worst." He shook his head in disgust. "Well, Will was the worst. Steven was okay."

Merith had had enough of this. As he went to go sit back down, he quietly began using the lockpick, trying to keep the clicks silent as he worked through the complicated mechanism...

~~~~~~

The girl blinked, stepped back a bit before jumping down, landing like a cat after a ten foot fall. She looked around. "Well, we should work on getting you out then, huh? Find the others, huh?"

"I like the way you think," James told her, grinning. "Any ideas how to get out? I don't have anything useful in my pockets right now."

"Let me see the lock." Sara said, looking up at James expectantly.

James guessed what she wanted him to do, and knelt down and held out his hand so she could use him as a sort of elevator. "I wonder if a hairpin would work. It's a shame my hair is too short for hairpins."