Author's note and warning

Pairings: 1x3 (implied), 1+2 (current), 1+2+3 (developing)
Warnings: Major violence, language, adult situations, possible NCS
Disclaimer: I just like to take them out and play with them. I promise to put them back where I found them.

[Before I start my explanation, I first want to note that I’m indebted to ArithKenshin for her thoughtful and thought-provoking feedback on the story concept. She provided valuable insight and suggestions, and inadvertently prompted me to start the story, and has provided continual feedback and encouragement through each chapter. You want a muse for angst, she's your gal.]

This story grew out of my wish to respond to the seemingly endless number of stories revolving around the topic of slavery, especially those that focus on breaking or torturing a person past their point of resistance. Sometimes reading those becomes excruciating, since so many seem to revel in a concept that I find personally abhorrent, when put into reality: removing all free will from a person, and destroying their spark of individuality. And worse, few investigate the process involved in surviving (let alone healing from) such an experience. So I decided I would.

Part of the bleakness will be as the back-story becomes clear. Expect physical abuse, violence, torture, and possible squick situations. Also expect gallows humor, surprising light-hearted moments, and behaviors that make no sense from a rational point of view.

It is not a pretty picture. And the simple fact is that I can't necessarily promise a happy ending in the traditional sense, where everything ends up back to 'normal,' because I can't find anything in the medical or psychological information that indicates that a person – after surviving such an intense psychological breakdown – will ever be truly 'normal' again. You're also going to read a lot of questions raised by performing such a horror, and the two main characters will also be raising ethical questions about their own roles in the recreation of an individual. Some of their positions and conclusions may surprise you, and some may upset you.

I've done a great deal of research for this story, and I'm trying to stick to as realistic an extrapolation as possible. Now that you're braced for impact, I will assure you that I believe in the strength of a human being to come up with a way to fight even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. To paraphrase Trowa's words in the first chapter, none of the characters in this story are going to go gently into any damn night.

And now, on with the story.

(:./sol/broken)