Daily Free-Write October 18, 2020 (Patreon)

"Hayseed. Agent on your left. Duck down that alley, there will be a door at the end."

"Got it, Vermillion." 

Hayseed's long black coat trailed behind them, the messy blonde hair that gave them their namesake whipped back as they rode their motorcycle through the industrial sector of Los Angeles, or the simulated equivalent of Los Angeles. They were supposed to rendezvous with an informant about the agents' next move, but that went sideways fast. Hayseed barely had time to jump though the apartment window and onto their motorcycle before agents burst through the door. Harbingers of death in sunglasses and gray suits. All hell broke lose when they appeared. No idea what happened to the other two team members. Now it was a race to the nearest out-line, and Hayseed didn't know how much longer they could stay ahead in that race. 

They jumped off the motorcycle and went through the door to a stairwell. 

"Up to the top of the roof. There should be a-"

"Hello? Vermillion? Come in? Damnit!" 

They'd lost connection. Hayseed was not sure if that meant their connection was compromised or not, but they remembered the readout well enough. They could only hope to find the outline on their own. By the time they were two floors up they heard footsteps coming from below. By the eighth floor, they were close enough to shoot. Hayseed jumped through the door, kicking it shut behind them just before several sharp pings rang out against the metal. They looked around. Which way? 

No time to think. They picked a direction and ran, jumping to the next roof. Unfortunately they didn't quite make it. Hayseed's grip barely held onto the edge of the roof, boots scrambling against the grimy bricks below. They were a sitting duck, they knew. But somehow the shots never came. An agent leaned over the down over them, its impassive stare giving away nothing. Were they going to step on hayseed's fingers next? Or were they going to interrogate them? 

"It's over, deviant. You will no longer disturb the peace of our utopia. You're out of options and you're coming with me."

He reached down with his arm, which Hayseed knew had more than enough strength to lift up a grown person.

"Yeah, it's over. But it's my choice. Always has been." 

Hayseed let go, and watched the body of the Agent quickly shrink as they dropped away to oblivion. 

"Damnit!" said Vermillion, pounding the console with her gloved fist. "Lost another one!" 

The woman, was outfitted in a haptic suit with red lines tracing avenues through every joint and muscle. Blue, a slight, wispy woman with deep blue eyes and a faded gray shirt which hung loosely on her shoulders, and Derringer, a heavy set man in fatigues with skin the color of rich chocolate, had made it out safely. But Hayseed. Vermillion could only assume they were dead. 

"No," said Derringer, checking Hayseed's vitals. "Not dead. Not yet." 

The three of them looked at each other. If Hayseed was captured, it might be better to pull the plug now. To save Hayseed the torture and to ensure that they weren't compromised when Hayseed inevitably cracked. 

"One day." said Blue. "Let's give them One day. Please!"

"One day? Might as well be one year!" Spat Derringer. "You know they can stretch out time as long as they want!"

"One hour." 

Came a voice from behind. It was captain Phantasos. His word was final. 

"One hour, and then we pull the plug." 

An hour was more than enough time for Hayseed to get out of this situation, right?

Hayseed closed their eyes and waited for the final crash, but it never came. Instead, they found themselves landing in something soft, and giving. They opened their eyes in shock to find that they had landed right in the arms of an agent, who smiled down at them with an enigmatic smile. 

"No--mmmmff!!" 

Hayseed's scream was instantly muffled by an soft rubbery object, and they were carried off into the back of a van.

"Heart rate is elevated! What could they be doing to Hayseed?" Vermillion watched the vitals intently, but cut off from the data fed, she could only guess.  

The Agents stripped hayseed of their clothes. The leather and cloth tore like paper under their hands, leaving hayseed naked, their pale body exposed for the agents to survey. 

"Looks like we have a little boy. Oh, he'll be such a good boy when we're through with him. Won't you, baby?"

Hayseed spat obscenities but they were muffled by the gag. 

"Aww, poor thing doesn't like being nakies. That's okay, we'll get you all dressed when we get to the facility. For now, just...chlil out." The three of agents in the back of the van laughed as Hayseed shivered in the cold air. 

This shouldn't have been happening at all, hayseed thought, they should have pulled the plug by now. They hoped to god their teammates hadn't gone soft on them. 

"I say we pull the plug now. I can take the blame if Phantasos gets upset."

"NO. We follow the plan," said Vermillion.

Derringer spat on the floor. 

"It's what Hayseed would have wanted."

"What Hayseed wanted doesn't matter now."

"What's with you two and the past tense? They are still alive!" cried Blue, though none of them could really believe that. 

While the three of them argued about what to do, Hayseed was going through quite a different dilemma.

"If only I could get this gag out of my mouth I could crack the cyanide capsule in my tooth." 

Unfortunately for Hayseed, that wasn't happening any time soon. 

The doors opened, and Hayseed perceived a bright building that stretched into the sky. The windows were all glass, and inside, Hayseed could see all sorts of colorful rooms with people moving about.

"Here we are, home sweet home!" said the agent who caught Hayseed. It picked the naked blonde figure up and brought them into the light. Hayseed tried to cover up their bits, but was unable to free their arms which were pinned to their sides.

"Checking in," called the agent, as they walked forth through the bright and cheery lobby and past the front desk. 

With all the hustle and bustle, Hayseed was surprised that no one seemed to take note of a naked adult male being carried passed, aside from the people behind the front desk who seemed very excited, and pointed and cooed as Hayseed was rushed past. 

"Sir, Room 6 is cleared for intake." said a short man with a short moustache who fell in pace with the group. 

"Understood," replied the agent.

"Mhh mmmf mmff mf?" asked Hayseed, who was promptly ignored. 

They quickly entered what looked to be a pediatric doctor's office, and Hayseed was dumped onto the soft padded table, causing the dinosaur patterned paper underneath them to crinkle. 

A lady with a kind face and several nurses came in. 

"We'll take it from here."

The agent gave Hayseed one last smile before saying, "bon voyage, baby!" 

While the nurses busied themselves pulling out various items from shelves and filling up syringes, the lady held Hayseed's attention. 

"I'll be you're wondering why you aren't dead or tortured yet, aren't you? Well, we don't resort to such barbaric methods in our utopia. In fact, you'll have the chance to see many former team members healthy and happy - the ones your own side hasn't already killed that is."

Hayseed cursed into the gag again at the vile lies but it did no good. 

"You don't have to believe me now. You'll see for yourself. But I think we'd better get you into something a little more comfortable, don't you?" 

Hayseed quickly found their chest and wrists strapped down and could only watch as their legs were lifted and a thick colorful diaper was slid under their bottom. What was this? Before they could puzzle it out they felt a sharp pain under their thigh. The nurse who had delivered the shot was already disposing of the needle, and moments later the diaper was brought up and taped tight. 

"Just a little precaution," said the kind lady. "Oh, you can call me miss White, by the way. I'll be your case manager. I'm sure we'll come to be good friends, little one."

"Mmmff mmm mm?" asked Hayseed, beginning to drool around their gag.

"That's right, you're the little one. You're just a little baby boy, and you're going to have lots of fun in our adult daycare center. But don't worry, you'll be allowed to grow up eventually. And when you do, you'll be ready to bring all your friends back with you so you can be one big happy family. Isn't that nice?"

Not a chance, thought Hayseed. They'd pull the plug long before then.

"Oh, I know what you're thinking. How are we going to do all that? I mean who has the time? Well, we control time in this realm, little one. We'll have as much time as we need. How much time do you think has passed in your world, anyway?"

Hayseed's eyes went wide. 

"That's it. Time's up. Let's pull it," said Derringer. 

"No, Wait," cried blue. "Look!" 

A red light was flashing on the console. Vermillion flew into action, patching into the commlink.

"...pick up. Vermillion. Pick up! It's Hayseed!"

"Hayseed?" 

"Yes! I gave the agents the slip. You'll never believe what I've seen. But I've got all the information I need. I'm coming home." 

"Thank god. Okay, just follow my directions and we'll have you out of there in no time."

"I know you will," said Hayseed with a smile. "I know you will."