Chapter 37 Act 1 End [CW]
CONTENT WARNING: TORTURE (WATERBOARDING)
"You know you're really lucky? I could cut you, stick needles under your nails, break your fingers then your limbs, but I wont! Because I still need you to be useful after this!" I speak with genuine joy to my second rebellious thrall. I have worked up a little, no, a lot of stress from this journey and I needed some way to relieve it.
My thrall in training tried to say something but the gage just muffled it before I could hear it. I finished restraining her to the uncomfortable cot and turned to try and locate the sink. We were currently in the brig, a space I have not even stepped foot in once.
"Liza dear, can you grab me some rags then find somewhere to sit, I'd like to make it clear what happens if you grow rebellious, understood?"
The first thrall seemed to be nervous but she nodded her head and quickly tried to leave. I decided to have some fun with her however, "If you can't return here in 5 minutes you'll join her!"
At that she sprinted out of the brig like her life depended on it. I've been too kind as of late and honestly it's making me rethink some things. I've tried to be nice and understanding but all that got me is a court martialing despite my kindness. I'll have to think about what I will do when that time comes.
After 4 minutes of waiting Liza returned out of breath with a goodsized rag. I nodded my head, a smile clear across my face. Despite being out of breath she seemed even more ecstatic than normal at my thoughtless praise.
"Good job Liza 4 minutes and 27 seconds you won't join our newest crew member. So come over her real quick and help hold her face upwards!" That wiped her off the smile on her face. She was clearly not expecting to be a partner in this, but I couldn't care less. "Ye-yes Mistress, where should I-I stand..."
I just pointed to the immediate side of our rebel. Honestly involving her also did build a negative relationship between the two, and it's difficult to mutiny if one of the few people on board hates the other.
The second thrall was still trying to resist, but Liza managed to keep her face forward and steady as I covered her face with the rag. The woman stopped resisting at that moment, and a second later I dumped an entire liter of water on her face. The struggling suddenly returned as she tried to get the rag that was drowning her off her face.
I looked over and smiled as the pale face of Liza had a frown as she tried her best to restrain the assassin I didn't even know the name of. After a few seconds I took off the rag and immediately the assassin started coughing with clear difficulty, it seems that the gag made things worse as some water got in her nose.
"I'm going to remove your gag but if you do anything that harms your usefulness we're going to start getting more physical. Now Liza please help our little troublemaker."
Without waiting a moment longer Liza took off the gag that was bound to her head. The rebel immediately started coughing. I grabbed her face as I saw a glare pointed at me.
"Now listen here, I am trying to prevent you from feeling more pain so don't you dare bite that tongue of yours off. If you do that I'm breaking your arm and all its fingers. It would take too much time making a prosthetic time I'd rather not spend." I finished my last sentence in a whisper so quiet that not even Liza could hear it over the noise.
The room eventually became quieter and I immediately started waterboarding her again as a result. This went on for an hour or two I didn't bother checking. By the end of it the assassin passed out but I woke her up with a good smack.
"Thats it for right now, but don't worry we'll be doing this for a few days longer. Find your own way out of your restraints and your cleaning this up when your properly reformed okay? Don't forget what I said about hurting yourself this room will be watched. Anyways hope you saw where everything is because lights are going out once I leave.
"Liza pick up the rag and be proud, you've been very helpful. Now come with me. I'll try and think of a reward."
I didn't wait for a reply, I just started walking. The little troublemaker tried to hurl one last insult, but Liza and I left the room before I fully heard it. The door slammed close the exact moment Liza passed it.
"Mother, would you please make sure nothing disturbs our guest. I don't want her to even complain about the noise of the generator."
"Yes Lilith I'll make sure she won't compain." Mother seemed a little excited with her speaking being a little quick seems she doesn't like our guest either.
Now I'll leave her in there for two days by herself in the dark, that is if she doesn't try and hurt herself. If she's still stuck to that bed then I guess I'll find a way to free her. I wouldn't want her to make the room smell, she's my entertainment until we reach Zeta Frit II.
Liza seems to have gotten over her initial reservations if her blissful smile is anything to go off of. Halfway through she seemed to have finally calmed down and stopped trembling.
Regardless I still had some time before I would bother our troublesome guest. Maybe I should do some thinking on how things are going to be going forward. Especially little Aria, Mom seemed to view her highly and the dhamphir hybridization will only help her.
She's the biggest reason I'd even go to that stupid court martialing. Her aunt is a rather powerful leader in the nation it seems, but annoyingly she's a total goodie two shoes. So I might have to deal with a rescue fleet at worst.
I take a deep breath and calm my thoughts, that's only if I decide to no show at Orenthia and I'm not even sure if I will. After all, if I can make my position and status golden it doesn't matter, I might just go to try to frame the Colonel on something. I'm sure he has some skeletons in his closet as humans say.
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TIME:
3 DAYS LATER
LOCATION:
HYPERSPACE
ASTRO DAWN
BRIG
POV:
Adalyn
Darkness all I was able to make out was tiring darkness. I lay on the cot trying to shift to get comfortable and fight off whatever that woman did to me.
I don't know how long it's been since I managed to somehow undo my restraints, but I have yet to get any sleep. I wince as a hot pin and needle-like sensation makes my eyes snap open. Whenever I even think of trying to rest my eyes my damn MID starts to overheat, but never enough to actually hurt me.
"You should just give in, you know that the client never cared in the first place."
I groan at the words, I know it's true but that's against everything I stand for; it was the one moral etched into my brain.
"That pathetic brainless man, why did he even believe you could sneak inside her ship? The client probably just used you to test whether it was possible, she never cared about you. Unlike the client this woman does care for you. That calm addicting trill you have when you bask in her presence is clearly fate saying so."
At this point I wasn't sure if I was even sane anymore. I shook my head, the voices trying to make me feel that the woman who enjoyed torturing me cared was senseless. I knew what she was, a monster, something I should have never tried to attack.
"How did she even resist the neurotoxin... that should have been enough to kill hundreds of people, but she just shook it off."
I try talking to myself because it was the only way to prevent my MID from burning me awake or my mind from whispering lies to me. I however was most stunned by her inhuman level of resistance to something so normally dangerous.
I felt my eyes sag slowly as I tried wrapping my mind across the problem. Soon my eyes manage to close. I wince preparing myself for the burn as I fail to open them. Nothing. I almost manage to fall asleep believing that my MID must have finally run out of battery, but that was not meant to be.
The lights I almost forgot existed flashed into life. I scrunch my face in annoyance trying to shift over to give me some shade.
"Good morning dear guest~! Are you finally ready to talk or do I have to grab my assistant?"
My eyes snap open as the sing-song voice of my captor enters the room. I turn to look at her, my body too exhausted to even think about resisting. But that was a lie, I could resist, but that would be sentencing myself to a guaranteed agonizing fate that might not even end in death. I may be an assassin and admittedly a bit of a sadist, but that doesn't mean I like to feel pain myself.
"Oh, you're not resisting despite not being restrained? That's so good you finally realize how worthless of an action that is! It's relieving to see that I won't have to get the assistant to clean you off like some sort of animal!"
Her over-exaggerated way of speaking grinded on my nerves. Despite that I couldn't help but feel a shot of ecstasy after being praised for not attacking her.
'Maybe... just maybe, I can find a way to escape if I earn her trust. And the best way to get her to trust me would be to reveal anything I know.'
I felt my mind whisper lies but they tasted so sweet. If I revealed everything I knew at least I might be able to finally die.
'But death would be such a waste and it would hurt wouldn't it, why not just serve her?'
I tried to shake the traitorous thoughts away but every step closer she came the louder they got. I stared into those ruby red gemlike eyes that carried depthless contempt... no, it was pity. I finally realized this woman might be monstrous, but she truly pitied me...
I felt my mind crack as I slowly nodded my head, and whispered that I’d answer anything. I would tell her everything I knew; if it meant I could finally sleep and serve her, then it was a small price to pay to sell out my only moral.
The smile that graced her face at first felt almost like a triumphant smirk, that she was enjoying my suffering, but I knew that wasn't the case at all.
'After all she cares and pities me so much. Why don't I just let myself feel calm just this once.'