I Had to do a lot of research in geology for this, describing all the terrain and all that. Most of the machines in this, robot soldiers, gunships, tracked patrollers, sentry drones, are all based largely off Terminator and Killzone, with a bit of the show's demonic supernatural shit thrown into the mix. Voila! Cyborg-Ninja-Demons!
Before anyone reads this I think I should give you all fair warning. This chapter is not something you wanna go reading before bed. It's violent and bloody and horrible and promises to upset stomachs just a bit. There is a definite reason for what happens at the end of it though as it is a plot point in itself, and I assure you none of what happens to any of the characters is permanent, though it does drastically turn everything upside down for a while.
Well, take a deep breath. Hope you... enjoy... sort of...
Torture.
Grim led the way up the mountain range with Mandy tailing off to the side a step behind. Though the dead rock they glided over was new to them, they had been to these mountains before. Previously these hills had been covered in trees and shrubs and other vegetation, an almost untainted natural retreat from the depravity of the streets below. It was around here years ago that they found the abandoned mine shaft they were lured to when they went in search of the 'Secret of the Universe', revealed by the 'Secret Decoder Ring' on the back of a cereal box. It appeared the terrain had changed somewhat since then, the constant darkness replacing the fertile soil with bare rock. Wether it was herself or others that were responsible they did not know.
The icy cold air and dust rushing past attacked their skin, making them feel like they were slowly freezing from the outside. Around them they could see what looked like a thin coating of ice or frost on the rock the higher up the rocky range they got. They could see tiny particles of dirty ice slowly floating in the air around them, the only moisture present in the environment trapped within the tiny ice crystals. They streaked towards their faces as they sped through the bitterly cold air.
Gradually they began to work out from the growing light that it was sometime in the morning. From time to time a small gap in the heavy clouds would open up to give them a view of the layers higher up. Through the gaps the light shone through in different shades of dull and bright orange with the amount of dust and oxides high in the stratosphere above. Though the masses of pollution lowered the temperature, it did serve to block out some of the radiation that would previously have been blocked by the now non-existent ozone layer. Yet despite the daylight conditions high above, it was still almost as dark as night at ground level.
At the shallow angle they were ascending they found the glow of whatever lay on the other side of the range obscured by the peaks ahead of them. But they knew it was there. They didn't know what it was, but instinct told them it was civilisation, to go towards it like a moth to a flame. So with that single purpose in their minds they just continued winding up along the numerous mountains, each higher and more inhospitable than the previous.
As they wound their way up through the giant canyons and valleys between the deserted mountains a new sight came into view.
The three stopped as they rounded another mountain face to gaze up to the highest peak of the extensive range, and soon realised what they were looking at was no mountain. Rising high above the other peaks along the spine of the sparse ridge stood an awe inspiring monolith of slab-sided weathered concrete and steel. It was a titanic ziggurat, stark and imposing, with walls that could never be broken down, everything Mandy had imagined it to be. The colossal square based pyramidal structure stood so high it forced the clouds to part around its flat top. It towered menacingly over the surrounding wasteland, casting its cold gaze over the ruined world below.
It was this structure they had seen dotted with lights. They had been the small windows piercing the structures massive outer walls, and the spotlights atop the flat peak high above, to glare down on all who were unfortunate enough to dwell below. Mandy gazed up in open awe at the dark, foreboding structure towering ominously over the landscape. It was every bit the embodiment of everything she had ever sought for or believed in. Looking up at the titanic vision of power it became clear that somewhere in there another Mandy sat on her hard throne, looking down upon her lowly subjects with...
'What exactly am I like in this future?'
"Hey Grim, looks like you gots your bleak and depressing future." Billy commented light-heartedly on the dehumanised situation they found themselves in. He nodded in agreement.
"Feels like home t'me, but I for one suggest we steer clear of dat ting. Hell only knows what'll happen to us if…" The three froze as a sudden, unnerving, unwelcome thought occurred to them, "... if we get caught."
They pushed the offending notion from their heads, there was no time to be distracted by off topic subjects. Turning around they changed directing, riding back the other way to curve around the right side of the barren rocky mountain face they were caught against, that way they would be shielded from view if anyone or anything happened to be looking down from the fortress. They couldn't risk getting captured and being bought before any cold-hearted lieutenant, even if this was their future. They had their own job to tend to.
X
Cruising down in the secluded ravines between the rock faces the geology they came across became even stranger. The rock appeared to form coarse lumps and knolls instead of the bare slate elsewhere, twisting around itself into claws and spines in almost complete defiance to the forces that had weathered the rest of the range into a series of sharp ridges and faces. Entering into a small plateau they were astonished to find it studded with gardens of stunning violet crystals. They stared around them in awe. Some of them grew like flowers in beds along the dead rock, while others rising up in clusters from below stood above the level of their heads.
Never in their lives had they imagined they would find something so beautiful in such a lifeless place. And yet somehow it was sad.
"Dese crystals are supernatural relics. Dey are sacred in de underworld." Grim spoke with a sombre note as they cruised slowly through. "Dese crystals are the last remains left behind of innocent souls who were killed wrongly, who knew it was time to go, but wanted out of the goodness of deir hearts to leave something good behind for dose still living. It takes a thousand souls to make a crystal de size of a pinhead. It is a parting gift to de people dey love, to deir friends, and to people like dem who just wanted to live happily together."
"There's so many of them." Mandy spoke in a daze as she stared out at the hundreds of brilliant clusters. What terrible thing could have caused the death of so many innocents as to create this? Could it have been during her reign, or were they left over from the last days of the world they had come from? Billy though remained quiet, watching on as they slowly passed through the valley up the lifeless rock faces still studded with small violet crystal patches.
The detour cost perhaps half an hour of their time, but in addition to seeing the sad beauty of the crystals it gave them the piece of mind of knowing that they wouldn't be seen. Billy however lost this piece of mind while he was scanning the mountain face between them and the fortress that had dominated the landscape to their left.
A few minutes after leaving the valley they had stopped for a moment so Mandy could take a swig from a bottle of water from her backpack. While she drank, her mind still set on what they had just seen, he surveyed the bleak scenery behind them. His eyes caught on something reflective high up the mountain behind them, imbedded on the near vertical rock face above. It didn't look like one of the crystals. He strained to see it out of curiosity and suspicion, and upon close inspection he realised it was a surveillance camera. It was pointing straight down at them.
His heart raced while the rest of him froze, unable to tear his gaze from the lifeless little steel box staring back at the three of them. He quickly turned away, trying to calm himself, this limbs still too tense to effectively manoeuvre himself.
'Oh crap! What do I do? What do I do? Have they spotted us?' He scanned around at the surrounding landscape, trying to detect any unwanted presence that may have been hostile towards them. He craned his head skyward, searching for helicopters or airships or whatever they used now.
Finding nothing he calmed down slightly. 'They haven't seen us. If they had they'd come after us. I think we're safe for now.' He took a moment to calm his racing heartbeat, and steady his breathing which he had just noticed was giving away his panicked state to the others. Mandy was looking at him questioningly while Grim craned his neck to see the boy behind him.
"Billy, you okay mon?" He asked with a hint of concern.
He took a deep breath to bring himself under control. "Don't worry. I'm fine."
With that Mandy shrugged it off, handing the water bottle back to Grim who made it disappear into his robe before taking the lead as they got underway once more. Billy resisted the urge to look behind him to see if the camera was following them, more concerned with his own state of mind.
Had he looked back he would have been alarmed to notice that it was indeed turning to follow them.
X
Not long after their stop they began to see the eerie glow that had first drawn their attention to this side of the range again. As they pushed further through the ridge they saw the faint blue glow radiating off the thick clouds of pollution in the murky morning sky through the gaps in the mountains, although what was causing it was so far still obscured by the range.
As they wound their way through to the downhill side of the rocky mountain span they turned up towards one of the last remaining peaks before them, coming up and stopping on the edge of a cliff, wherein they each gaped at what they saw below. It was here that they got their first sight of the endless urban sprawl they had been heading towards for the past few hours. From their vantage point high above they gazed down at the monstrous expanse of lights. Beneath them towering skyscrapers and decaying slums stretched out for hundreds of kilometres in one vast hive of human existence.
The city was bathed in a thick layer of smog rising from the massive factories spread out through the various regions of the city, hundreds of thousands of smoke stacks pumping fine ash and gouts of flame skyward. Moving like blood cells through the roads between the giant cores of industry and commerce millions of ground vehicles churned out their own noxious fumes, adding to the near hellish visage the sprawling metropolis presented themselves with. The entire mass radiated an overpowering sense of oppression, of human degradation, of lingering paranoia and fear, but most of all of struggle. It was the cornerstone of her rule, each individual person struggling to get ahead with or without a drop of care for anyone else, and in doing so deciding wether their struggle would pay off or only add further to the situation that bought about their struggle in the first place. The small-minded individuals that made up the bulk of the population each held no particular ambitions, no real respect for anything other than themselves, and no general sense of rational thought, and her society was built to give them the life they deserved.
Here now stood the very essence of this future, that each person had to struggle and suffer just to survive, and that the people who had once trodden down on their fellow man like stepping stones to advance their own selfish ends now had to wallow in the misery and paranoia they had created as a result. She had taken humanity in all its depravity and built a place they could truly call home.
It was in this toxic world of madness and inhumanity that the answer to their questions lay. The concept made each of the three nervous, to see the absolute lowest of humanity up close and personal, stripped of the thin veil of respectability they each seemed to carry themselves with. Even Mandy held a sense of anxiety over what she feared she would find.
Grim raised his scythe, pointing it at himself once more to apply his human skin. The field of energy twisted around him, laying down on him to form tendons, muscles, organs, skin and a suitable set of clothes. The rugged human Grim looked down at the decaying sprawl beneath them in silent anticipation of what they had to do.
"Alright, let's go." They mounted the scythes once more to take them to the edge of the city, to the various suburbs of near deserted apartment buildings bordering on the sparse rock wasteland.
X
As they rode the last leg of the journey they began to pick up on the scent of rotting and dirtiness that permeated this place's existence. As they got of their scythes, ordering them to vanish with a flick of their will, they saw up close that not only had the society, infrastructure and buildings rotted, but so had the people. The roads were lined with basic brick and concrete apartment buildings, drab and lifeless, most falling into disrepair, not too different to what they had seen in their own city. The majority appeared to have been gutted with no one living there.
Walking through the empty and broken streets on the outskirts of the town they couldn't help but stare at the few people who dwelled in this place. They were practically soulless, as if they had been traumatised from the very moment they were born. They grovelled around in rags, idly slouching around, wallowing on the concrete and in the dirt, most looking like they were suffering from serious malnutrition or other diseases.
The three certainly looked out of place in this living hell, with their healthy bodies, clean clothes, upright posture and general activity. These people didn't seem to notice or care, as their minds were no longer active. Not one even glanced at the strange three making their way through town. Even the children, their bellies swollen not from over eating but massive malnutrition, just stared on straight ahead, as if nobody was home.
They watched these human wrecks lay about, waiting for death, as they continued on towards what they sincerely hoped was a more prosperous part of the city, where people actually lived. It was funny to think that in a city of one billion inhabitants, a great many of them weren't really living at all.
As they moved through the streets lined by thousands of buildings in a state beyond decrepit, they began to see their first signs of advanced technology, or at least the wreckage of it. On the sides of the road there were what appeared to be the rusted out remains of cars, though they appeared to be devoid of wheels of any sort. Their wondering was sated when overhead a small vehicle streaked past, of the same general size and shape as the few wrecks they had seen. Therefore they were gazing at flying cars, supported on anti-gravity fields of some form where the wheel wells traditionally sat.
Not that it would've mattered to the people around them now. They had probably never played any sort of functioning role in her society, eking out a wretched existence off the refuse cast out from the city abandoned along its fringe. As they got closer in the people began to come about as slightly more lively, though still obviously dejected and worn out. Some of them glanced in their direction, before going back to whatever it was they were doing to try to survive. Their eyes were mostly blank and uninterested. Each was almost undistinguishable from one another. It was ironic that in their often mindless desire to advance themselves as individuals they had in fact destroyed not only their individuality but their chances of ever getting ahead.
Billy looked around at the slightly better off people. "These guys must be the workers. They look strong enough to actually do something other than sit around waiting to die."
Mandy thought back to what she had learned from Nineteen Eighty Four. "They shouldn't give us too much trouble. They're more concerned with themselves and doing whatever it is they do to survive."
"Yeah, we should be safe from Big Brother around here." Billy added.
Mandy looked across to him surprised at his words of insight. 'No way! He couldn't have. Don't tell me…'
Billy noticed her surprised and questioning stare. "What? The Proles have no intellect, so they pretty much do whatever they do without the government having to be looking over their shoulders all the time. The book said so."
Mandy's jaw hung open. "You… read…. Orwell… Nineteen Eighty Four?" She struggled to speak as Billy just stared back at her oblivious. Grim also joined in on the new surprised staring fad.
"Yeah, it's my favourite book… What?"
Mandy closed her mouth turned back to the road before them as she digested it slowly. Her eyebrows remained raised as high as they could go. Billy, reading a book, a very deep and thoughtful book. To her was like a fifth dimension. Grim sniggered as Billy deadpanned.
"Okay." She spoke recovering from the little episode. "We're never gonna find anything useful here, what's the plan?"
"I thought you knew. You're the leader." Billy spoke.
"I was just following with you and Grim!"
"Well I was following you two." Human Grim retorted. Mandy rubbed the bridge of her nose in annoyance. Ahead of them she spied what looked like a monorail track, along with the grating sound of metal rolling on metal.
"Come on." Leading them towards the sound they soon arrived at a raised train platform. It appeared to have gone a good many years without being cleaned, though despite the ingrained grime and graffiti it appeared to be in good shape. Half a dozen others stood waiting with them. A minute later a train arrived. They stared dumbly at it as it pulled up. All the doors and many of the windows had been torn out. The body appeared to have been gradually thinned away from the outside by the toxic rain, and was noticeably warped in places. The other commuters got on without taking much notice. Grim, Billy and Mandy though just stared.
"Ya know I just realised, Amtrak really isn't all that bad." Billy spoke up. Grim and Mandy grimaced slightly and stepped onboard as Billy took one last wary look around. He paused when he noticed another pair of cameras mounted high on the wall watching over the station, with another two set at the other end.
"Billy." Mandy called to him as he stared up into the lens tensely, watching as it gazed back silently. The sound of the train lurching bought him back and he jumped onboard as it took off towards the city centre. The three took their seats towards the back. The wind buffeted them slightly through the open door but mercifully they were protected by a window. The dilapidated carriage they were riding in was surprisingly empty save for themselves, especially considering this was the time people should be crowding onboard to go to work.
Mandy looked about her, at the decrepit train, and out the window at the decrepit buildings, streets and people. She frowned, Billy and human Grim looking with her.
"So what do you think? Is it everything you wanted it to be?" Grim asked.
"No." She spoke quietly, studying the state of her society outside. "Something's wrong. I wanted a place where people would be forcibly kept in line, where everyone would pull their weight and do the right thing, or else. I wanted stability, and order, but I don't see it here. I see a perfect society left to rot." They each watched the scenery outside, her words echoing inside their heads as they thought.
"Well it should be better closer in. We'll figure it out then." Grim answered. They were silent for the rest of the trip.
X
An hour and a dozen stops later they disembarked the monorail into a wide concrete station with a curving roof.
"Well at least the trains still run on time." Billy remarked as they soon exited the station out into the beginning of the commercial district of the city. Here the signs of human activity became much more prevalent. The buildings around them now towered high above into the cold, fume choked air, be they dingy and squalid apartment blocks or corrupt ailing business centres that were near bankruptcy, all casting heavy shadows on the millions of people below, blocking out much of the remaining sunlight barely filtering through the orange gaps in the clouds.
They had to take to the footpaths to the side of the roads now as the once deserted bitumen became filled with bicycles, motorcycles and scooters. The sound of a million two stroke motors buzzed in the air, and with them came a thick oily cloud of exhaust that fell over everything at ground level. Overhead the car-like flying vehicles they had seen before scooted around above and between the buildings, high above the tremendous mass of traffic that choked the streets, along with various light trucks and transports who cruised on through. Ironically their view of the future tended to change depending on where they looked. Up above it was just like a scene from their favourite movie. Down on the ground it more like a developing country like Vietnam or India, though there was still plenty of light and neon left in amidst the human soup, centred around nightclubs, hotels and the remaining private and state run corporations.
Also they managed to figure out from their surroundings that the populace still spoke English. They learned through the neon signs around the buildings, and also from the 'colourful' language emanating from the millions of angry, impatient, selfish, and all round jerky people choking the streets.
Grim accidentally brushed past one such individual, a short, thin man in a cheap green suit jacket. He turned around to angrily denounce him and what he assumed were his kids.
"Hey watch it shit head!" He stopped upon seeing Grim turn around to face him, noticing his muscular build. He just shut his mouth and continued walking, leaving the three in relative peace.
As they continued to walk through the packed city streets, Grim began to think more seriously about what they were going to do.
"Okay, so now that we're here, we have to find out what this thing is, and who sent it, and why. But first we gotta find a place to stay, and then get some clothes that don't stand out so much." The two nodded, somewhat unhappy at the concept of wearing little better than rags.
"But all our money's over a thousand years out of date. How are we supposed to get a place to stay with no cash?" Mandy asked with a scowl.
"What if I got a job?"
"Wouldn't that require all those background checks?" Billy asked. "From the looks of things I don't think anyone's hiring anyway."
"Then why don't we steal some from a shop or something?"
"That would draw too much attention." Mandy answered.
"Whatever, we'll figure something out. We'll live in one of those abandoned places out on the fringe if we have to."
A few moments later they noticed the body of a deceased man lying on his face in the gutter a little way ahead. This in itself was not altogether particularly surprising to them as they had all seen death before. Similar scenes came out of the worst parts of Endsville. Neither was the fact that most of the passers by didn't even bat an eye to the corpse of what was once a living person, most barely capable of thinking outside of themselves.
Mandy tended to plan for a future like this, where individuals would be forced to choose to either retain their humanity and live like human beings, or drop their thin cover of morals and care for one another and fight amongst themselves for every little thing, like they wanted to. She knew what base instinct was; to fight and kill each other for the body of a rat, and she hated those people who pretended to be civilised and upright while still doing the same thing, the ones who were conceited and arrogant, the liars and sycophants, the hypocrites, the bigots. For so long she had bodily yearned to expose them for the twisted, mindless freaks they were, and to turn them on each other, keeping them in a constant state of fear and misery, and it appeared she had done just that. Thus why it didn't horrify her that these people didn't care about the corpse they were stepping over.
What truly horrified her beyond all thought and reason though was when a small band of squalid, malnourished children and teenagers, some younger than them, coming out from behind one of the decaying apartment buildings to crowd around the body. At first they thought that they must have been family, mourning over the loss as they dragged the body back into the shadows between two buildings. But when they had the body off the road away from the public, they realised exactly what they were there for.
Grim and Billy gasped in absolute horror, while Mandy shut her eyes tightly, turning away from the pack of animals as they tore the body limb from limb, before they began to feast on the corpse's flesh.
Mandy wrapped her hands around her elbows, appalled at what she had allowed to happen, that people had been reduced to this level, all under her watch.
'It wasn't supposed to be like this! This isn't what I wanted. This isn't supposed to be how it is. People are supposed to be miserable and turn on each other, but… not like this.' Disgusted, with the cannibals, with herself, with the crowd, she kept her eyes turned away. The three silently walked away from the pack of vicious animals that only looked human on the outside as they devoured the corpse of the man, who in some way was probably just as cannibalistic as them.
They had just passed the horrible scene when over the sound of the engines and angry voices came a powerful roar that made the earth tremble up into their thighs. The three looked skyward as an automated gunship of a type similar to what they'd seen in the laboratories, with an armoured alloy underbelly and short stubby wings, cruised on through the bustling metropolis above the streets, casting a blast of coarse, dirty air propelled off its grav coils down on those below. It scanned over the masses with three blinding spotlights, methodically sweeping across the streets in even arcs, while a plasma cannon rotated to sweep across the areas lit.
Billy noticed one of the spotlights sweeping the crowd coming towards them in the usual methodical manner. The light reached them, shining down on them with its dazzling blue-white beam. It lingered on them, making them close their eyes and turn away from the bright light as spots appeared in their eyes and a slight feeling of dizziness washed over them.
Billy realised something as he tried to block out the light. Whereas with everyone else the beam had just swept over them and continued methodically, it was currently fixed firmly on them, not moving on. When finally the beam did sweep past, he thought he noticed the powerful terror bird moving along slightly faster than it had been when it came.
The others had picked up on it to a point as well, watching it in silence as it disappeared around a corner, the engine noise fading very rapidly afterwards. Yet still no one said anything.
Grim continued to lead the group through the mass of people, all three now slightly on edge because of that little incident. Through the crowd they saw the first signs of exactly who and what did the Empress' bidding on the individual level. On the path before them the crowd of people began to part around a large, humanoid robot. It appeared to be similar to one of the machines they saw near the entrance of the robot bone yard back in the laboratory. It was crude and bulky, with dark red eyes instead of green, and none of the original demonic athleticism and fury of the prototypes.
It marched towards them steadily, looking straight ahead, its large plasma rifle pointed towards the ground. The tree avoided eye contact with it as they moved off to one side to allow the heavily armoured thing to pass. It walked by without so much as acknowledging them, each giving a muted sigh of relief once it was gone.
The moment after it had passed they began to notice others dotting the streets. Some prowled around the footpaths while others stood still, guarding one spot, surveying everyone crossing their paths. Some formed groups of five or six, led by a human officer in a black trench coat uniform much like the SS officer that had inspected their cabin. In addition to this, hovering through the air above the crowd's heads they spied a number of small spidery surveillance drones. They cruised to and fro across the street, watching and listening to everything going on below.
At that they began to scan around at the number of potential threats. They took note of the officers, the robots, the gunships patrolling the streets, the sentry drones, the… cameras.
They only just noticed the streets around them were dotted with cameras. Everywhere, atop buildings, on posts, in the shops beside the road, they were watching everything.
Billy remembered back to the incident with the patrolling gunship, and his heart began to race as he, along with the others, began to notice that the cameras weren't focussed on everything and everyone as they normally should be. They were focussed solely on them.
He tensed up again, looking around him at each of the mechanical sentinels that dotted the street. Though the other machines appeared to be focussed on doing their own jobs, all the cameras were focused solely on their being. As they moved they followed them, turning on their mounts to track them. Grim and Mandy were also becoming increasingly aware of this, and it was beginning to worry them as well.
"Uh guys…" Billy's voice wavered as the fear rose within him. "I didn't tell you before because I thought I was being paranoid, but back in the mountains, just after we saw the big building…" They turned to face him nervously. "There was a camera on one of the mountains, pointing right at us. I thing we've been found out."
The two youths looked at each other nervously, knowing that all of this could come down on their heads very quickly and very heavily. Even now there was another gunship hovering directly overhead, far higher than before, amongst the tops of the skyscrapers in the dense smog.
Billy and Mandy breathed nervously, a faint film of sweat breaking out across their skin as they unconsciously moved closer to Grim. "I think they're watching us."
"They are watching you."
The three whipped around towards the hushed voice of a man directly behind them. They stared at the man alarmed, his hard face partly covered by his long, dark shaggy hair. He wore a weathered brown trench coat, fastened with some kind of patchy old belt around the torso.
"Who are you?" Grim demanded.
The man held up his hand for silence. "My name doesn't matter. All that matters right now is that you are all in terrible danger. The machines are walking in circles around you. Thirty metres behind us a sentry drone has been watching you ever since you left the station. They will get you soon. I can help you, but you must follow my orders to the word. If you don't do exactly what I say, you'll all die." He moved around them to the front of the group, his sharp face still partly hidden in shadow.
Mandy glared menacingly at the stranger, trying not to show how on edge she was at his words. He had offered them to help them despite the danger to himself, and for what, care and compassion? Impossible.
"Oh? And why should we trust you?" She demanded in a lowered tone. "You just show up after following us for god knows how long and expect us to believe you wanna help us?" He raised his head slightly so they could get a better look at the hard, thin face, with harsh blue eyes and pronounced cheek bones.
"I'm with the local resistance cell. We have a hideout nearby for people like you. We can protect you, but you have to trust me." His tone was cold and flat, but had a subdued sense of urgency.
The three looked to each other. What other choice did they have? If they stayed out here on their own they knew with everything watching them they were as good as dead. But if they followed him, he could lead them anywhere. He could be part of a street gang for all they knew. Mandy thought back to their mission, the information they needed. 'Then again he did say he was with the resistance. If we go with him then we'll have a place to stay and be able to find a way to get the information we need.' Ironic as it was, it was the best choice.
Nodding to each other they turned back to the man. He turned, beckoning for them to follow.
They quickly snaked their way through the crowd, taking the next right down an opposite street. The cameras still pointed towards them as they moved hurriedly through the crush of people. Overhead the gunship kept them in its sights. Hopefully they would soon be safe in the hands of the enemy, rather than being blown to pieces by Mandy's own servants.
The mysterious man took a turn down into an alley between two enormous apartment skyscrapers. He slowed down somewhat as they made their way to the end, where they found themselves surrounded by concrete walls on three sides, and the empty alley they had come down behind them.
He came to a halt before a doorway leading into the building on the left. Billy and Mandy stood directly behind him facing the door, with Grim standing warily off to the side slightly.
The strangers hand opened to grasp the doorknob, but stopped before turning it. He spoke in the same stern yet reassuring voice he had presented them with. "There is one thing I must ask of you first." The three nodded eager to just get it over with and get inside out of harms way.
"What is it?" Grim demanded.
"Do you trust me?"
The three stood there in silence as they considered the question. They each thought quietly to themselves.
'We only just met him and he expects us to trust him?' Mandy thought with a scowl.
'Maybe it's a test, we have to trust him or else he won't let us into the resistance. Or is it the other way round?' Billy wondered.
Hesitantly they looked to each other and one by one nodded slightly. The man looked from them back to the doorknob grasped firmly in his hand. In an instant his calm stoic face twisted into a cruel sneer. Stepping out of the way he opened the door for them.
Each of the three gasped in horror. A seven foot armoured machine stared back from inside, its plasma rifle levelled at them.
Billy and Mandy didn't even have time to shout as the machine fired, striking them both in the abdomen. The powerful bolts of electrical energy ripped through their nervous systems, stunning and knocking them both unconscious in a second. They fell to the ground with a thump, their faces relaxing from their shock as they went limp.
"Kids!" Grim jumped back as soon as he saw the two fall, reverting back to his skeletal form and summoning his scythe. The machine stepped out the door, aiming the rifle at him.
He slashed at the machine, causing it to burst in two, spraying shards of molten metal across the scene, some hitting the mysterious traitor's cloak.
Before he could attack again a powerful bolt of energy shot past him, blowing a hole in the wall behind him. He whirled around in time to block another blast from several more machines at the end of the alley, all advancing on him in a line of metal.
He struggled to hold them off, blocking the numerous bolts of high energy plasma as they left long blue streaks in their wake through the air. They blew further damage into the wall behind him as he blocked and blew apart blast after blast of the enemy's energetic gas.
As he fought he heard the heavy footfalls of more machines coming out the door behind him. He had time to take a glance back at the two kids lying unconscious on the ground, before he took off into the sky to avoid capture, barely avoiding a surge of electricity that would have incapacitated him too if he'd been hit.
Below him a dozen more machines poured into the alley, continuing to fire up at him in alternating bolts of plasma and lightning as he escaped into the murky skies above the buildings. He gazed down sadly as two of the bulky machines hefted Billy and Mandy over their shoulders, taking them out to an armoured military transport that had touched down out the front of the alley.
He was interrupted by the arrival of the gunship from before, coming in to blast him to billions of pieces of fine ash. He stole one last glimpse of the two before he sped of into the distance, the gunship blasting at his retreating form with its powerful cannon.
The armoured transport took off into the sky with the two prisoners on board, joined by two more gunships flying guard as it soared away in a wide arc, bound for the facility situated out in the vast desert to the far east of the capital.
X
Several hours later.
"… GAH!"
Mandy sat bolt upright on the hard floor as soon as conscious thought returned, her first thought being the soldier that had its gun aimed at them and the ensuing flash of light and pain. It was gone, the robot, the alley, the man in the trenchcoat. For a moment she desperately hoped that it wasn't real, that her fears hadn't come true. Yet her last hope was crushed as she quickly realised her surroundings; cold metal walls and floor, a bench at the back, and a thick armoured door to keep her trapped. She had been captured.
She gasped for breath as she came to realise the gravity of her situation. 'I've been captured. I'm the prisoner of a totalitarian dictatorship. Oh god what's gonna happen now?'
Mandy calmed down greatly as she looked up to her left, to the unconscious form of Billy lying slumped on the bench, here with her, for her. Despite everything she had taught herself about cutting herself off from him, that he was just a burden, she couldn't help but be thankful he was with her now.
Slowly she rose from her position on the floor up onto her feet, moving over to check her friend's condition. She could see no wounds or physical trauma from the way they were captured. He just lay there asleep, all the peace and tranquillity of the world displayed in his face. For the second time Mandy had the faint desire to run her hands through the boys hair, to hear him sigh contentedly from the feel of her fingernails through his orange-red locks. It made her insides feel funny, all fluttery and warm. But again, she knew she couldn't, and never would. This was the price of the life she had chosen, and she had long since deemed it worthwhile in pursuit of her ambitions. If the ends justified the means in regards to her subjects, then they would do so for her all the same.
"Billy. Come on wake up." She tapped his forehead softly with her fingers, causing him to stir and let out a groan at the disturbance. "Billy…"
"WHOA!" He shot upright the same way she had as he remembered the last moments before their capture. He looked around alarmed, before calming down at the sight of Mandy's concerned visage. Seeing him recover she returned to her usual stoic controlled manner. He really needed the reassurance of Mandy's general take charge personality, knowing that throughout every trial and hardship they had faced in the past he could always look to her when the going got tough, like it was now.
"Are we where I hope we're not?" Billy asked her anxiously.
Mandy nodded glumly. "It looks like it. They must've bought us here just after they got us." She scowled menacingly at the image of the treacherous man who had led them into the trap. "That lying bastard."
"Yeah. But why would they want us?" Billy asked. They had the general idea that the ruins may have been off limits, and possibly the area around the fortress they had made their way through. "I mean trespassing in a forbidden area wouldn't really be worth all the trouble of setting up a trap would it? It's just not really that big an issue."
Mandy thought for a moment. "Well, we were riding on the scythes. They're powerful weapons, and would be a serious threat. Grim was also with us, and he was only human for half the time."
"Where is he?" Billy looked around their surroundings, noticing one member of the group missing.
Mandy thought back to the moment before their capture. "Grim wasn't in the line of fire when we were taken, so there's a possibility he might have gotten away." She shrugged. "Alternatively he could be in another cell. I only wish I knew."
She took a seat next to Billy on the hard bench of cold metal. "So assuming that Grim did manage to get away, and is currently trying to find some way of getting us out, how do we stay alive long enough for him to get us?"
Billy had a simple idea that would solve their problems immediately. "Hey why don't you just break out your scythe and level this place so we can just walk out the front door, or what's left of it, no problem." As always massive force was the answer. Mandy was surprised she hadn't come up with such an obvious solution.
"Alright, one second..." She opened her right palm, concentrating on the scythes presence, willing it to form in her hand.
She looked down to her outstretched hand after a moment, having not felt it form in her grip. Looking to her hand she could see no red scythe.
Billy looked on expectantly, not understanding the delay. "Well?"
"I don't know, normally it just appears in my hand when I will it to." Mandy spoke while concentrating harder on summoning her scythe. "I can't get it to work. It's like something's blocking it." She gave up after another few moments, thinking for a moment on why it wasn't working for her. "This must be a specialised facility they've taken us to. I don't know, maybe there's some kind of field around this place that suppresses supernatural stuff."
"So we won't be busting outa here anytime soon." Billy said it more as a statement, which Mandy only need nod once slightly to confirm. "Alright, so how do we survive long enough for Grim to hopefully come and get us out?"
Mandy sighed, rubbing the side of her face with her hand. "Look, they want us for the information we have, about the scythes, about Grim, anything. They'll keep us as long as we know something they don't." She turned to look at Billy sternly, who stared straight back at her. She commanded him as clearly and as calmly as she could, knowing that he needed her authority right now. "We mustn't tell them anything. If we do they'll kill us. While we still know something they don't they will have reason to keep us alive, and we'll still have a chance at getting rescued."
Billy nodded in understanding. "It's just a matter of holding out until death himself comes to tear this place apart to get us out."
The two sat there beside each other, waiting for the rescue they hoped would come soon. Yet as much as she tried to remain calm and neutral, Mandy couldn't help but think back to the little thought that had occurred to them while they stared up at the fortress.
'What if…' She pushed the unnerving thoughts from her head, concentrating on the moment, on being as strong and hard and unyielding as she had ever been, regardless of their dire situation.
X
Meanwhile.
Grim flew high amidst the grey clouds on the thin cushion of energy his form exuded. He had tracked the transport from the sight where they were attacked to this massive facility, far out in the vast arid wasteland devoid of all life.
He gazed down on the thick concrete walls, the laser cannons lining the perimeter, the heavily armed and armoured guards patrolling outside. The prison itself consisted of three triangular prism shaped blocks joined at the centre in a thick concrete dome, with only a few thin window slits letting the light from the inside seep out. Each of the long blocks was a row of prison cells leading off from the centre, all hardened under their wedge shaped sarcophaguses of concrete and steel. It was most than likely that there was much more underground, research and testing areas, equipment, and other more exotic devices.
Even from this height as he glided directly over the fortress through the now thin clouds he could feel something invisible sapping his strength. The invisible suppressor field made him push ever more of his energy into supporting himself high above the enemy in the remaining smog from the city.
He knew the closer he got to that place, the more he would struggle to use his powers, rendering him incapable of a rescue himself.
'I have to find help. Maybe dere's some real insurgency or resistance dat I could find.' He turned to fly away, the suppressive effects wearing off quickly, allowing him to streak through the murky afternoon skies unimpeded like a meteor.
As he streaked through the ruined orange atmosphere for another few minutes, crossing hundreds of kilometres in seconds, he extended his senses in search of any sign of life. He soon found some, and it wasn't far away. Closing in he spied what looked like a lone quad bike similar to the ones back in their time driving in a line across the desert. A man sat in the saddle, a rifle slung over his back.
'A patrol.' He thought. The quad was heading for a small cluster of hills rising up from the surrounding desert. Trailing along behind it Grim could make out a number of large holes cut into the side, where machinery and people could be seen at work within. Atop the hill he could make out communications equipment and long range scanning dishes. Inside there were transports similar to the one that had taken Billy and Mandy away. They were clustered around on the ground, their crews milling around their machines in a flurry of activity
Upon closer inspection from his vantage point barely out of sight above he noted they all seemed relatively old, and had anti-government icons and graffiti plastered all over them, most of it bright and offensive. He also spied the powerful weapons the men and women around held.
'Perfect! What luck.' He shot down towards the ground, landing about fifty metres from where the group of transports lay on the vast barren steppe, landing in a cloud of dust. Summoning his scythe he re-applied the human skin he had been using, before making his way steadily towards the rebel stronghold, quickly formulating a plan to get them on side.
He steeled himself as he saw them notice him, moving to greet him with their weapons lowered but at the ready nonetheless. Reviewing the hastily prepared plan he sighed and prepared himself. 'I hope this works. Billy, Mandy, please just hold on.'
X
Fifteen minutes later.
Mandy was jolted from her boorish state by the sound of footsteps. Not just one set but several, heavy, metallic sounds emanating from the machines that had taken them, approaching from outside.
She rose from her seat on edge as the sounds slowly came closer as they made their way down the corridor outside. Her heartbeat began to race, her palms began to sweat, and her breathing became harsh and laboured as anxiety began to fill her.
Billy noticed her agitated state and sat up. "Mandy?"
She urged him to remain silent with her hand as she listened to the approaching sound of the armoured footfalls. Billy too picked up on it, and remained quiet and listened tensely as they got closer. As the heavy footfalls came from right outside their door Mandy froze, holding her breath as an abject terror flared inside her, hoping they wouldn't stop at their cell. They listened and waited in silence as they marched along directly out front.
Finally the tension began to ease as the footsteps slowly faded in the distance as the machines continued past. Mandy relaxed, lowering her head and letting out an enormous sigh of relief as the sounds vanished, realising that all the resolute defiance she had imposed on herself had collapsed all too easily. She sank back down to sit to Billy's right as he looked to her in wonder.
"What is it?" He asked her as she breathed deeply. She kept her head lowered, and her expression unreadable.
"Billy, you know this is a dictatorship right?" He nodded. "And you know that dictatorships don't care about human rights, especially this one right?" Again he nodded, remembering the grizzly scene of the children lowered to ravenous animals simply to survive.
Mandy remained silent for another moment, trying to keep herself under control, to keep up her strength and discipline against the anxiety growing again deep within her.
"Think about it. They want information from us, but we won't tell them. What if…" She looked across to him to see the realisation dawned on him as well. "What if they try to force us?"
Billy saw her nervous state underneath her controlled visage. It was one of the few times he had ever seen her openly afraid. "Well if this whole thing is yours, wouldn't you be the one to decide what is acceptable treatment for prisoners? Would you do it?"
"I don't know. I'm not sure I'm even the one in charge anymore. From what I saw it looks like the whole place has become corrupt. I don't know what some officer would be capable of."
"Mandy don't worry. I don't think they'd hurt us. I know these guys are bad but I doubt they'd do that to a couple of twelve year olds. Besides, we've been in places like this before and nothing really bad ever happened to us."
Mandy calmed down somewhat as she let Billy's words sink in. 'Yes, we're just kids. They wouldn't hurt us. This is nothing we haven't been through before.'
"They'll probably sit us down in some room and ask us some questions like they usually do. They might threaten us, or even slap us around a bit. But I don't think they would do anything to really hurt us. All we have to do is keep quiet until they're done, and Grim'll eventually come rescue us."
As soon as Billy stopped speaking they heard the sound again. Heavy footfalls, previously covered up by Billy's talking, coming from right outside. They only lasted for a moment before they came to a stop.
The two froze in terror again, their wide eyes locked on the armoured door as it slid open to reveal several of the pitiless drones staring in at them,.
Mandy gasped silently, seeing their glowing eyes centred on her. She remained still, staring back into their soulless eyes as their presence crushed her determination like an elephant to an egg shell. All her strength fled her, and all of Billy's reassurances fell away.
The one at the front raised its left arm to point at her, speaking in a deep artificial voice.
"Girl. You will come with us." It lowered its hand, waiting for her to cower in terror so they would have to come in and forcibly drag her out.
Mandy just sat there, wholly immobilised by the dread flooding her from all the darkest corners of her mind at what was awaiting her out there. This was not like the previous times they had been captured. This time she instinctively knew it was much worse.
She felt a hand slide into hers and grasp her protectively. Turned to look Billy once more she saw the caring way he looked back at her, with his blue eyes dire and screaming for her protection. Suddenly she found herself drawing strength from his calming presence, the same way he had found strength in her countless times before. The machines waiting for her now didn't seem quite as terrifying with him holding her hand.
'He needs me. Billy needs me to be strong. I have to be strong for him. I can't break.' Her hand closed around his, stilling herself once more into the indomitable young woman he looked up to. Strengthening her resolve and summoning all the courage she had within she turned back to face their captors, ready for whatever was waiting for her. 'Besides, it's probably nothing just like Billy said. I just have to keep my cool and everything will be fine.'
As calmly as she could she rose, albeit a little shakily, from the bench and stepped forward through the open door, her shoulders held high, never ceasing to scowl coldly at the emotionless machines as they bound her hands before her in handcuffs. She turned back to face Billy one last time, neither saying anything as the machines prepared to take her. Billy stared at the strong young woman he had come to care for over the years, seeing her dark scowl of iron resolve once more before the door closed.
The guard on her right wrapped its powerful hand around her upper arm as they hauled her away down the endless rows of cells.
Mandy kept her will up as they escorted her down the long corridor, all the while fighting the tremendous apprehension building deep down within her. Though she didn't show it she felt as though her stomach was tied in an ever tightening knot. Her legs, though keeping up with the armoured automatons holding her captive, felt like they were about to collapse under her weight like jelly. As they continued towards the end of the corridor, approaching the entry to an elevator, she could feel herself getting weak almost to the point of wanting to fall to her hands and knees, and a feeling of nausea and light-headedness that made her bite her lip to steel herself once more.
'Come on Mandy, you're stronger than this. You're tough enough to shoulder anything. All you have to do is stay calm and in control, and don't panic.' She reasoned to herself. 'Alright think, how do you manage stress? Deep breathing? Yeah, that works.' Concentrating on keeping her cool she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in through her nose, letting it out slowly the same way. Levelling her shoulders back she opened her eyes, setting her face in a stern grimace as her guards bodily hauled her towards the doors ahead, content that her fear had been banished back down in her belly where it belonged.
The metal doors of the lift opened before them, the guards forcing her inside and crowding in around her. It was then when the door sealed shut and the car began to descend into the lower levels of hell that her determination began to break down.
She looked up and around her. The machines crowded around stood so much higher than her, and the way they crushed her small form into one tiny confined space in what was already a small car, began to fill her with terror. No amount of reassurance could have consoled her from the dread that took hold throughout every inch of her body. Her breath came in gasps, clenching her teeth as she stared wide eyed out in front. She lowered her head so they wouldn't see how afraid, how absolutely sick with anxiety she was.
And still they went further down to whatever was awaiting her. She began to realise how utterly alone she was, separated from her companion, surrounded by these things which could kill her in an instant if they wanted, on her way to what could possibly be her worst nightmare. No one was here for her now.
Mandy closed her eyes, wrapping her hands around her elbows like a scared little girl. She struggled with herself, willing herself to be brave and stand up straight like someone tough and courageous. But she failed. Now, for the first time in her life, she wanted someone there with her, to hold her hand, and not just anyone.
She wanted her mother and father there for her, to hold her close so she could bury her face into their arms. More than them she wanted Billy. She wanted him to be here by her side, to hold her hand, and comfort her, and wrap his arms around her, and hold her close, and kiss her forehead, and tell her how everything was going to be alright.
Finally, after what seemed like an agonising eternity, the car stopped and the door opened. The machines exited the tiny space, Mandy still held secure between them. At last she managed to rally her courage and control once more as she stepped out into the dark high ceilinged room. She heard the door close behind her, trapping her in this place, yet she forced herself to remain neutral. Alas, despite the stern and dominating visage she showed, her legs still buckled slightly under each step.
Looking ahead she saw the guards bringing her towards an upright padded rack in the shape of a crucifix, surrounded by another two robotic guards and a human officer who looked a lot like…
'Him!'
The officer in uniform waiting there for her had the exact same face of the straggly man that had led them into the trap. Though he was now wearing the uniform black trench cloak with his brown hair combed back, she still recognised his hard features without the wig. He stared down at her disdainfully, a compassionless, arrogant manner in his gaze. She glared acid at him as she was forcibly bought up to the man.
Without him saying anything he raised a hand, Mandy noticing the small plastic tube in his fingers. Pulling the small containment tube apart he took hold of the object within; a syringe. He watched with satisfaction as the girl's eyes widened slightly, trying to cover her anxiety. Mandy locked her jaw together, urging herself to stay unaffected as he reached down and took a rough grip on her left upper arm, holding her still as he bought the wide bladed injector in. It punctured her skin with a brutal stab, requiring some force to cut down into the muscle. Mandy was shocked at the pain it caused, and had to screw her eyes shut, turning away as she gritted her teeth against the hurt as he injected her with some unknown drug.
She felt the serum begin to take effect almost as soon as he pulled the syringe out of her arm, the machines shoving her past him on towards the padded crucifix. Holding her hand over the slightly bleeding wound in her arm she felt her skin tingle and buzz with nervous activity, a wave of dizziness causing her to falter slightly in step. She looked down to her arm as she felt the ache from the injection suddenly intensify, as if a network of tiny blades was carving out into her arm from inside. The officer of course knew what it was, a serum designed to muddle and affect the touch sensors of the brain, resulting in the doubling of any sensation picked up by the nerves throughout her skin and body. It was highly effective. Rarely did he ever have to go any higher than basic electroshock, though he was always more than happy to do so. For this young girl though he guessed an hour tops would be all he needed to break her will. In fact he greeted the opportunity with anticipation; he would treat it as a pet experiment of sorts.
Her armoured escorts moved her into position with her back against the padded white rack, unlocking her from the handcuffs. She struggled to control her breathing as they forcibly held out her arms. Two held her securely by the wrists, the others locking her into the rack with several large padded straps. They drew them across her shoulders, lower and upper arms, lower and upper legs, and a large belt tightened securely around her small waist. It was actually a relatively comfortable sort of embrace, to be secured so thoroughly that if she had the might of an elephant she could not break free, though maybe it was in relation to what she feared was about to happen.
'This can't be good. They wouldn't strap me to a rack if they planned on just asking a few questions.'
Once she was strapped in, unable to move anything except her hands, feet and head they retreated back so the backstabbing officer could step in. Though her feet were raised an inch off the ground on a small platform, the thin man still towered over her. With her magnified sense of touch she felt the biting cold of the room increase as he blocked out the artificial light from high overhead. He sneered down at her, while she maintained her strength in defiance.
"I am going to ask you a number of questions." He spoke in a subdued tone, taking on an impersonal demeanour at odds with his narcissism. "You will cooperate with us willingly and answer to the best of your knowledge. Will you answer truthfully?"
Mandy glared back at the pompous fool. "Go to hell. I'm not going to submit to a pompous, stuck-up little worm like you." She knew that ironically this arrogant fool before her was also hers to command. How could she have allowed some vile maggot like this to command her forces? A thin, sadistic sneer formed on his lips as he motioned to one of the machines.
"Secure the first electrode."
Mandy felt her skin begin to freeze over as one of the machines turned to walk over to the nearby control panel, picking up what looked to be two very sharp metal spines. The colour ran out of her face, all the while gaping wide eyed with dread at the razor sharp points as the hulking thing returned with them in hand, a pair of alligator clips attached to a wire in the other.
Instinctively knowing that something very bad was about to start, she switched her gaze to look up to the officer supervising the machines as it moved over to her left arm. Her heart was racing and her breathing became fast, but through some force of will she somehow remained in control.
She clenched her jaw, glaring defiantly up at him despite how absolutely afraid she felt, while the robot positioned the point of the metal spine directly against the middle of her left palm between the two middle finger bones. With one hand it held the huge needle there, placing the other at the rear of the skewer. Applying pressure it began to cut into her skin. Mandy winced and gritted her teeth as the tip penetrated her skin, all the while the guard slowly increased the pressure, cutting a little deeper with each second, drawing out the experience as its victim began to gasp and heave.
Having drawn it out long enough, with one swift, brutal movement it forcibly drove it in through her palm, the spine grinding its way between the bones and tendons, exiting out the back of the padded rig.
Mandy's mouth hung agape, her eyes wide with shock while her breath caught in her lungs. For a moment she couldn't believe what had just happened. But then the pain came, and instantly overwhelmed her. A moment later she clenched them shut tightly, her features contorting as she lost her control.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
The supervisor watched on as the girl screamed in pain, her mind begging and screaming for any form of relief or escape from the anguish. The serum working on her system amplified the pain to something she could scarcely believe. The cries were not that of the tough, headstrong young woman who had been there moments ago, but were those of a little girl who had been gravely injured, who needed to be comforted by her parents. As she continued to writhe and scream the machine secured a wire to the blunt end of the spike sticking out of her hand, a large stream of blood running from the wound down her hand to drip onto the floor. The officer ordered the machine to move again as Mandy continued to cry out.
"Secure the second electrode."
"Guh… Uhh…" By this stage Mandy had managed to regain some control, still gasping in pain from the large spine driven through her left hand. She opened her eyes through the haze of hurt and looked to her hand. There she saw the wide end of the skewer sticking out of her bloody palm with the wire attached. It was all real, and it hurt so much. It made her want to cry out just from the sight alone. From there she managed to lock her pained gaze on the machine as it advancing towards her uninjured right limb. This time she glared furiously at it, gritting her teeth to block out the pain and fear as it came closer and closer.
'I'm not gonna scream. I'm not gonna scream. I won't give this bastard the pleasure of hearing me…'
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! Ugh! Oh… Augh! AAAAHH!" Mandy pressed her head against the soft headrest as she screamed and howled in every kind of suffering and anguish once more. The officer watched and listened in amusement and a twisted sense of satisfaction to the crunching sound the skewer made as it was driven in, and her continued cries of pain. Still, though she writhed and shouted out in distress, he was surprised to see she hadn't shed a single tear thus far. This girl would indeed be an interesting subject to study the effects of extreme pain on youths, and her partner as well for that matter, but the boy would come later.
Gradually the hurt in her hands subsided to something she could just barely endure, and she began to fight back to control again. She bit down on her lip, forcing the excruciating pain and nausea to the back of her mind, taking her self-control back so as to glare hatefully at the officer again. "Uuuhh… "
He walked in, rearing his arm back to deliver a powerful back hand to the right side of her face. She recoiled in the harness from the blow, again willing herself to stand her ground against the pain in the side of her cheek and her hands from being moved. A thin trail of blood seeped down from the side of her lips as she willed herself not to whimper. She turned her face back to stare into the man's eyes, ignoring the waves of discomfort from her face and the immense, excruciating pain radiating from the palms of her hands. She locked her eyes on his, defiant of the fear in her stomach and of the bodily pain.
He turned away from her, making his way towards the control panel where the wires attached to her hands led to. Positioning himself behind it he motioned for the guards to back away, giving him a clear and unobstructed view of his young victim.
She was scared. She didn't want to be hurt. She wanted someone who could comfort and protect her, someone who could give her strength to endure. She wanted her father.
'Dad…'
"Now, you and your friends were seen in possession of two artefacts of supernatural power, namely two scythes. You were also seen in the company of the Grim Reaper, the spectral image of death. We have this recorded on video surveillance. You will answer truthfully. If you refuse to cooperate we will break you down until your will to resist is gone and you answer truthfully of your own accord."
Mandy breathed deeply and readied herself as he turned up a dial, positioning his finger above the button. There was no escaping it now. They were going to torture her for information, and their survival depended on her enduring the pain long enough for Grim to hopefully rescue them.
'Dad.'
"Tell me about your scythes."
Mandy kept her mouth shut, small rivers of blood forming across her wounded hands. One drop ran down her finger, falling from the tip to drip down into a small pool beneath her hand. She did not relent in her defiant glower, even as the thinly built man grew tired of waiting.
Moments later his patience ran out. The officer pressed his finger down onto the button, depressing it into the panel. A blistering surge of electrical energy shot down the wires, running straight through the steel skewers, into the young girl's body, causing Mandy to arch her back and scream.
"DADDY!"