AN: I don't know where this chapter came from, or why I am writing at 1 AM, but here it is.

Jack spent every minute of his day trying to think of an escape plan, but nothing was coming to him. He'd never really thought about it before, but every other time he'd escaped the Refuge, it had been by chance  - Snyder left the door unlocked, or Governor Roosevelt just happened to be campaigning for office. All of his escapes had been coincidental. 

Somehow it felt more important to get out this time. He'd meant what he told Katherine, the strike was important and she and the boys needed to see that through before they shifted their focus to the Refuge.

But he could tell that Davey and Les weren't handling it well, no matter how hard they tried to pretend that they were fine - Davey wasn't the best liar, after all - and Crutchie was... Jack didn't know what was happening with Crutchie, and at the same time he knew exactly what was happening. It was the same thing that happened to Jack the first time he was in the Refuge.

He seemed emotionally distant, but he couldn't stand being left alone. He initially tensed up when touched, but yearned to be held and comforted. He hardly ever said anything, but he seemed as though he was on the verge of a breakdown from holding everything in.

Jack hated seeing his brother like this, and he felt guilty for making the other boys worry this much about him when he was younger by acting this way. He didn't blame Crutchie, though, he knew exactly how it felt. He just wanted to get him the hell out of there before it got worse.

Snyder seemed to get a sense of this, so in the short amount of time that Jack had been there so far, he'd mainly focused on Jack's brothers, knowing that it would hurt him just as much, if not more than actually physically beating him up. But, as it turned out, hurting Jack emotionally wasn't nearly as much fun as actually kicking and hitting him, so eventually it was his turn.

Snyder entered the room with such an air of almost excitement, and Jack immediately knew who he was coming for. So did Crutchie, it seemed, who drew closer to his brother on their bunk.

"Jack..." The younger boy muttered, and Jack rubbed his arm gently in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

"It's okay, kid."

Now Jack, for his part, wasn't trying to keep Snyder away from him. Yeah, he was terrified of the man, but he'd rather be the one on the other end of that belt than have him hurt someone else. So, as he drew closer, Jack gave him a very convincing grin.

"Hey Spider, nice of you to finally come and give me a warm welcome."

"Shut up, Kelly." Snyder grabbed Jack's arm and pulled him up into a standing position, causing a quiet whimpering sound from Crutchie. Jack gave his brother a firm glance, telling him to stay quiet.

"Now, that ain't nice. Be careful, you're gonna give all these kids a bad impression of you."

Snyder slapped him across the face right there in front of everyone. "I said shut up."

He dragged him out of the room before he could say anything else, and Jack cast a comforting look that was completely fake to his friends before the door slammed shut behind them.

"You must've really missed me, huh?" Jack commented, ignoring the stinging on his cheek. "Wanted to make a big show outta coming to get me and everything. I'm touched."

"You are trying my last nerve, Kelly."

"Wow, new record. Ain't even talked to you for five minutes yet."

God, Jack was even annoying himself. But, he'd do anything to keep Snyder's attention on him.

He found himself being brought into an all too familiar room - the basement. Where Snyder took the kids that he wanted to do the most to, so the others wouldn't hear them screaming. Jack had been there numerous times, but he never screamed, even if it took all of his energy to keep it in. He wouldn't give Snyder the satisfaction.

"Maybe this time you'll finally learn some discipline, boy."

Before he could react, Snyder shoved Jack so hard that he flew back at least a few feet, and he winced as his head hit the floor hard, and his ribs that he was still sure were broken were jarred. 

He braced himself for what was to come. He was sure it would be the stuff of his nightmares, and he had to get through it while somehow pretending to be strong, when he felt anything but.