A Day in the Clouds (Chapter 18) - The Hours Between 2200 and 2300

_{This is a continuation of the Steemit-exclusive, original novel A Day in the Clouds. Be sure to check out the previous chapters to catch up with the story. Enjoy!}

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_{The multi-talented @verbal-d (who, by the way, edited this chapter) has bestowed a wonderful gift for this story. Known for his lyrical rhymes, he's also a master when it comes to mixing melodious beats. To enhance the reading experience, play this on loop in the background as you read this chapter. Take a deep breath, and allow yourself to be consumed by the entire experience. Please be sure to follow and donate to @verbal-d! You can also follow his work on SoundCloud.}

Mamie undressed me and locked us both inside the tiled torture chamber. She still had on her garb when she turned on the metallic delivery system. The giant bent down, sat on a stool, and probed my body with her hands.

The water was cold when the torture started, but it quickly warmed up. Mamie usually employed a bearable temperature. But, the water was a bit warmer this time around. I chalked it up to it being nighttime, but the giant seemed fazed.

They must've used the teevee to soften my brain. The water treatment had always been a means to rob me of my viento and memories. They must've realized that I was onto them when I fought Teten for the remote.

Mamie's goal must've been to erase the memories of my realization. The memory of my altercation with Teten would be an unintended plus. It must've been the reason for her rush when she snatched me up. She must've been afraid of the destruction I could cause to the fortress.

    "Ledd," Mamie said. "Lift your arms up."

So, I did, albeit begrudgingly. It was a means to an end, and this might have been the perfect opportunity to win over Mamie's trust.

She slid her hands down my side and, as expected, foam started to bubble out from inside me. It might have been the soothing stream of water, but it became increasingly tedious to stay awake. My viento was being pilfered from me, but I couldn't risk aggravating Mamie. Especially not when I was on the cusp of winning her over.

It hadn't always been that way though. Years ago, before my escape, Mamie had always been our stalwart defender from the other giants. For a time, I even questioned whether she was a prisoner herself. She was very doting and protective of us, her charges. Eventually, she showed her true allegiance and it all became clear to me. I still laughed at myself for falling for her ploy from time to time.

I wasn't ashamed to admit it though, I felt a bit betrayed, even though I didn't have any right to be. She wasn't a fellow prisoner; she was one of them. A giant who used subterfuge to ingratiate herself to her captives. Her facade would never again fool me. Two could play at that game.

I remembered that a long time ago, Mamie became bloated and ailing, and her stomach bulged as if it was ready to burst. It became a chore for her to stand or sit, and she wasn't able to perform her usual tasks. Because of it, the giants took extra special care of her. They tended to her every beck and call. I never knew what caused it or how she recovered.

As a result of her illness, they took her far away from the prison. Rumors spread that they subjected her to procedures to remove her disease. I remember feeling saddened by her absence, not knowing if she would ever return. Mamie came back a few days before Eddie at the prison. She was noticeably weak, but it seemed as if she was free from her ailment.

That was the first time I ever thought about making an escape, but I didn't have the necessary tools at the time. One might argue that I didn't have anything either when I did make my escape. So, it might have been that my resolve wasn't as strong back then. Years of torture and slavery had a way of strengthening one's yearning for freedom.

    "Close your eyes, Ledd," the giant commanded, and in turn, I did. The last time I defied that command, a strange poison burned through my eyes. It was an experience that I didn't dare repeat.

She rubbed my face, then her hands went up to the top of my head. The motion of her fingers were less forceful than Dadier's technique. But, it felt like they burrowed deeper. The massage was hypnotic. Had I not prepared for the water treatment, it would've caused me to enter a trance-like state. The last time that happened, I lost precious minutes of my life.

Using my armas de viento, I bounced my consciousness against the tiled walls. I timed it exactly when she commanded me to raise my arms. The memories transformed into precipitation that hung on the smooth, ceramic surface. It held copies of memories that I held dear. I had forced myself to think of ... I wasn't quite sure, but it was something that I fondly recalled earlier so that I ... So that it would be the memory that became erased — the memory that they would be forced to take.

Whatever memory I was thinking of, it was already tucked away. It was all in the menthol-smelling froth that had effervesced off the top of my head. There was a purpose why I thought of that, I just couldn't quite remember. Whatever it was, there was no use in trying to remember, since I was going to get it back. I guess I focused on that memory so that I could forget it for whatever reason.

Staring at the dreadful giant, I couldn't help but flash her a grin. She smiled back and muttered indecipherable drivel. Little did she know that this was all going according to plan.

The giant was drenched, but refused to remove her armor, perhaps as a precaution if I fought back. Her hide wasn't as thick as Dadier's. She had less protection if I ever did launch an attack on her unprotected body. My armas would have easily crushed every bone of her body, if I ever did strike with full force.

Even though she stole some viento, all my important memories remained intact. What was more important was that I didn't show any defiance against her. It should have helped in gaining her trust.

The water treatment went by quickly. Mamie rinsed me off with a torrential downpour afterwards. She collected all the powers and memories into a small metallic grill. The giants called it a "drain," which was appropriate. It was what one would come to expect as the name of the containment for things that they had drained.

    "Wow, Ledd," she declared cheerfully. "Very behaved ha, that's very good, anak!"

Mamie patted me down with a moist, blue towel, unlocked the door, and allowed me to exit the chamber by myself. On my way out, I swiped the tiled wall to collect the memories I had displaced. I wiped it on my head and face, and licked my palms so that I could ingest every single drop. Everything came rushing back, every thought, every small detail. The water droplets even held some of the viento that I used, so that was an unexpected surprise.

She called Dadier to dress me, to which the other giant complied. I had failed to notice before but she did, in fact, have a degree of control over him. Perhaps my theory about the giants working in pairs had merit.

    "Let's go, little man," Dadier quipped as he beckoned me to enter the prison cell. "Let's get you dressed."

I knew enough to not exert much effort after the water treatment torture. Mamie subjected me to the same exact massage technique that Dadier always did. She targeted weak points of my body that incapacitated me. I still didn't have any means to avoid that, so I had to adjust how I acted after the treatment.

Gliding lightly over the wooden floorboards, I made no sudden movements. I tried to make small jerks to test out the extent of my control over my body. The results were surprisingly positive, but I didn't want to give it away. I was afraid that they would readjust their approach the next time they massaged me.

Faint music lingered in the background, as Dadier stood with clothes in hand. I acted like I was groggy, even though I was operating with full strength. When I arrived in front of him, he bent down and clothed me with with soft, striped pants and a loose, white shirt.

    "Did you enjoy your bath?" the towering giant inquired.

Bath? Was that what they called the water treatment torture that they routinely subjected me to. I wasn't quite sure if it was a shortcut for something, but at least it was easier to say.

    "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did."

He nodded and proceeded back to his station, leaving me alone in the prison cell. There was no one in sight, and it felt like a huge expanse whenever I was alone there.

With no one to supervise me, I ended my charade of acting groggy and jumped up my bed. My feet sank down, as if the soft bed was eating me whole, so I decided to leap once again. Finding myself in Dadier's bed, I surveyed the surrounding to see if the giants had stepped back in.

    "Dadier?" I called out, to no reply. "Mamie?"

I stood up on Dadier's bed and proceeded to jump up and down, with the intent of wrecking it. If I robbed the giants of a good night's rest, then it would certainly weaken them. Once I had put a few jumps in on Dadier's bed, I turned my attention to Mamie's. The two beds were attached together, so it was easy to transfer back and forth. Exchanging between the two beds, I heard their bottoms creak. It was a telling sign that the beds were weakening. I used my armas to supplement my jumps, adding weight whenever I fell.

Hearing the bath chamber door open, I immediately halted my assault and leaped back to my bed. Mamie entered the room with a bright, red towel wrapped around her body, unaware of the damage that I had done. I wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if their beds collapsed in the middle of their slumber. Clueless, she glanced at me on her way to her cloth cabinet. She took out a fresh armor and proceeded to adorn herself with it. I sat there unassuming. If I wanted to destroy her, that would've been the perfect time to do so. I hoped she knew that, and I hoped that it would count towards gaining her trust.

Mamie approached my bed and sat down beside me. She tousled my hair, and muttered words that were in a language I wasn't able to understand. The giant looked somber, but tried to force a smile. Her eyes started to well up, but she looked away to try and contain it. Perhaps she was opening up to me about her grief when I escaped.

I used my right hand to graze the left side of her face, and I placed my lips on hers. She closed her eyes, and couldn't resist letting her tears flow. I absorbed all the energy I could in what short time afforded to me. When our lips parted, she opened her eyes and lay on my bed.

She tried to pull me down along with her, but I didn't yield. It was not that I didn't want to; it was just that the surge of energy that ran through my body allowed me to resist her pull. She placed both of her hands on her face to conceal it. The giant didn't want to show it, but I was able to successfully drain some of her powers.

It was the first time that I was able to perform that technique, which was something that they usually did to me. There were no instructions, and they had never taught it to me before, if they ever intended to. Perhaps it was a result of teevee's reconditioning. Maybe it was from a memory that I got back.

Energized, I stood up on the bed and stared Mamie down. With my newly acquired technique, I could take back the power the giants had stolen from me. I would tear them down piece by piece using the very same techniques that they applied on me. Two could play at that game!

_{The extremely passionate @ryivhnn has created this magnificent viento-inspired artwork for this story. Close your eyes and picture this masterpiece, as you imagine Ledd soaring to new heights. Please be sure to check out @ryivhnn's wonderful artwork and in-depth logs of her experiences with homeschooling her children. You can also become a patron of hers on Patreon so that you can support her regularly.}

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