Chapter 9 - Ravaged
Damn they were good - too good. Trunks had never felt pain before. Not until now. He just thought he had. They still had not gotten him to scream, but they were close. A few more hours and they would have him, he knew it.
It was still better than being possesed, but Trunks did not think about that while they were torturing him. Only in the brief moments of rest, which were allotted only so he would not pass out from the pain later on, did he have the chance to think. He was worried about Pan - he thought of her the most. She was safe for now, but he knew she would not stay put forever - she would expose herself if he was gone too long.
Trunks had learned more about the Reavers in the three days of torture than in all the time he had spent fighting them. He blew his cover the moment he took that damn deathwand off the guard. According to his torturers, those weapons were specially designed for each guard, and the theft had triggered a silent alarm. With all their attention on Trunks, it had been fairly easy to feel his suppressed power, sneak up on him, and take him to their command tower, a horrible architectural atrocity he could never have imagined. They wanted him to suffer - it wasn't enough that they would eventually take his body and mind. They wanted the last thing he ever felt to be pain, and they wanted him to know who had caused it.
They told him everything - all about their ruined planet and their attempt many thousands of years ago to find a new place to live. Trunks could almost have felt sorry for them, if they had gone about their quest in a noble way. Instead they had attacked the human race, enslaving them. Only a twist of fate ended their empire. A strange virus afflicted the Reavers, flushing them from their hosts. Most of the creatures were killed by the virus, but a few managed to flee Earth, and fewer still were able to retain their hosts, resistant to the virus. Those that remained were not unaffected by the virus, however - they could no longer breed, so they went into hiding - awaiting the day their brothers would return for them.
The Reavers became a terrifying legend among the people who survived the purging. No one knew what had caused the virus, but everyone remembered the carnage the Reavers had wrought. Many people killed themselves in the aftermath, grieving over the lives their hands had ended. This pleased the remaining creatures to no end. They fed on the pain and suffering of others, it was their life blood.
Time eventually took care of the Reaver legend in most of the human world, and finally, those that had escaped decided it was safe to return. The strange virus had descimated their numbers, but several thousand years of slow breeding without the aid of hosts had made the Reavers stronger than ever. It had been difficult for them to accomplish - most of their children had grown up in sickness and starvation; many hundreds died every decade. In the end, however, the race triumphed, and a stronger, smarter Reaver was created.
It had been difficult for them, they had told Trunks, for the Reavers are of one mind, one community. What one thinks, feels, sees, the others do as well. Trunks thought they were trying to make him feel sorry for them. In response, he spat at the nearest host, Vegeta. Trunks knew that it was not his father. Vegeta may have been in there, somewhere, but the one causing him pain was the creature wrapped around his father's neck.
Trunks had just closed his eyes and accepted the pain, keeping what he could for his own. Pain had been his ally before, but he was so weak, so frail, it was difficult to stand. They had chosen Vegeta because of his stregnth; no mere human could have punished Trunks' body like Vegeta had. Trunks' knew it was almost time for another round. They did not want to give him time to stop feeling pain, even for a second.
Trunks could feel his sanity slowly slipping away. Would he ever be the same? He thought about Pan and the plans they had concocted for the camp. It had all sounded so easy at the time - get in, learn stuff about the Reavers, get out. Well, he had gotten out, alright, and now he was paying for it dearly.
He could hear footsteps clinking down the hallway. Trunks had already tried to break his bonds, but the strange quicksilver metal they had used was too strong for his thin arms. A moment passed, and Vegeta was at his side. He had a strange, shiny instrument in his hands, all spikes and joints, made of the same metal holding Trunks to the operating table.
'Sweet Dende, what now?'
That was Trunks last thought before the pain took over again.
***
It had to have been hours - he was sure of it. Someone had been screaming for who knew how long, and they were still at it.
Trunks blinked, realizing that he was the one screaming. They had finally broken him. Trunks looked up - Vegeta was there, doing something to him, but he could not feel it. He could feel nothing, and yet he was screaming still.
'What is this?' Trunks thought fearfully. He felt like he was floating above his own body, but he could see Vegeta standing over him, a Reaver pulsing from his neck.
It was then that Trunks realized what was happening - they were attaching a new-born Reaver to his own neck. The creature had already pushed Trunks' mind back, making room for its own collective consciousness.
Terrified, Trunks struggled to regain control, but each time he neared the threshold of his consciousness, intense, searing pain was his reward. It continued to get worse as he drifted away from himself.
'Fuck...no...this can't be happening!' Trunks' mind screamed to him in a panic, begging his body to remain with it. There was nothing he could do as his mind was pushed further and further away.
Trunks slowly blinked his eyes twice, a final effort for control his own body. The second time his eyes opened, he saw his father with a huge smirk on his face, so similar to the one he had worn throughout Trunks' childhood. But it was not the same smirk - it belonged to a bloodsucking monster. Then Trunks saw Pan - she was there too, smirking right alongside Vegeta. She had a Reaver around her neck.
'MOTHER FUCKERS!' his mind screamed in agony. When had they taken Pan? Had they tortured her too? It was too much for Trunks, he did not care about the pain anymore. Fuck the pain. The Reavers had gone too far.
Trunks did not notice the sensation returning to his body; he did not notice the Reaver coiled around his own neck, squealing in protest, or the shock on Vegeta and Pan's faces as he broke the quicksilver restraints on the operating table. All he noticed was the slimy, Motherfucking, soon-to-be-dead Reaver attached to Pan.
Trunks grabbed the Reaver, but he did not want to pull it off of Pan - no, that would be too painless for the monster. Instead, Trunks closed his eyes and remembered all the pain he had felt over the last year and a half - all the torture, all the lives lost. This was pure energy to him, and he could feel it welling up deep inside. The creature continued to squeal as Trunks' power grew, but it could not will enough stregnth into Pan to fend him off. Trunks could feel the Reaver's body getting hot, and suddenly, he heard a thousand horrendous screams resonate through his skull. The Reaver community was trying to attack him.
The Reaver was weak - Trunks could tell it was losing it's hold on Pan. He continued feeding his white-hot power into it. The monsters could live off pain and fear, but not when it was their own. One by one each of the creature's tentacles sizzled off, breaking its bond with Pan. She collapsed in a heap, but Trunks did not let go of the creature. It was still alive, and he had every intention of killing it.
The Reavers were still trying to defeat Trunks collectively, but each time a new creature entered its mind into the fight, Trunks' power grew stronger. Suddenly, Trunks knew that EVERY Reaver wanted him dead - they were panicking. He felt the telepathic link of them all, struggling to hurt him - to make him release their brother. Trunks had his chance.
With one final surge of anger and agony, Trunks released all of his bottled-up power. It rushed from him like a river, through the tower, and over the entire planet. The energy coated every Reaver, every one of the monsters, and though they fought him, the power of Trunks' pain was too much. A new virus had besot their race, only this time, it had a brain. Trunks screamed as his power flowed forth - he could see each and every Reaver that shriveled from its hosts' neck and fell to the ground to die. He could not have asked for a sweeter revenge.
Finally, Trunks had had enough - his power was gone, and so was his body, ravaged to the brink. He collapsed, unable to sustain himself any longer. Sighing, Trunks waited for the comforting darkness - it was over. He had done all he could for his loved ones, and he could only pray it had been enough. His eyes, beginning to glaze over and dilate, focused briefly on the motionless form of Pan, free from the parasite, but crumpled to the floor like a rag doll.
'Please...please just let her be alive...' Trunks thought, as oblivion engulfed him.
***
Damn they were good - too good. Trunks had never felt pain before. Not until now. He just thought he had. They still had not gotten him to scream, but they were close. A few more hours and they would have him, he knew it.
It was still better than being possesed, but Trunks did not think about that while they were torturing him. Only in the brief moments of rest, which were allotted only so he would not pass out from the pain later on, did he have the chance to think. He was worried about Pan - he thought of her the most. She was safe for now, but he knew she would not stay put forever - she would expose herself if he was gone too long.
Trunks had learned more about the Reavers in the three days of torture than in all the time he had spent fighting them. He blew his cover the moment he took that damn deathwand off the guard. According to his torturers, those weapons were specially designed for each guard, and the theft had triggered a silent alarm. With all their attention on Trunks, it had been fairly easy to feel his suppressed power, sneak up on him, and take him to their command tower, a horrible architectural atrocity he could never have imagined. They wanted him to suffer - it wasn't enough that they would eventually take his body and mind. They wanted the last thing he ever felt to be pain, and they wanted him to know who had caused it.
They told him everything - all about their ruined planet and their attempt many thousands of years ago to find a new place to live. Trunks could almost have felt sorry for them, if they had gone about their quest in a noble way. Instead they had attacked the human race, enslaving them. Only a twist of fate ended their empire. A strange virus afflicted the Reavers, flushing them from their hosts. Most of the creatures were killed by the virus, but a few managed to flee Earth, and fewer still were able to retain their hosts, resistant to the virus. Those that remained were not unaffected by the virus, however - they could no longer breed, so they went into hiding - awaiting the day their brothers would return for them.
The Reavers became a terrifying legend among the people who survived the purging. No one knew what had caused the virus, but everyone remembered the carnage the Reavers had wrought. Many people killed themselves in the aftermath, grieving over the lives their hands had ended. This pleased the remaining creatures to no end. They fed on the pain and suffering of others, it was their life blood.
Time eventually took care of the Reaver legend in most of the human world, and finally, those that had escaped decided it was safe to return. The strange virus had descimated their numbers, but several thousand years of slow breeding without the aid of hosts had made the Reavers stronger than ever. It had been difficult for them to accomplish - most of their children had grown up in sickness and starvation; many hundreds died every decade. In the end, however, the race triumphed, and a stronger, smarter Reaver was created.
It had been difficult for them, they had told Trunks, for the Reavers are of one mind, one community. What one thinks, feels, sees, the others do as well. Trunks thought they were trying to make him feel sorry for them. In response, he spat at the nearest host, Vegeta. Trunks knew that it was not his father. Vegeta may have been in there, somewhere, but the one causing him pain was the creature wrapped around his father's neck.
Trunks had just closed his eyes and accepted the pain, keeping what he could for his own. Pain had been his ally before, but he was so weak, so frail, it was difficult to stand. They had chosen Vegeta because of his stregnth; no mere human could have punished Trunks' body like Vegeta had. Trunks' knew it was almost time for another round. They did not want to give him time to stop feeling pain, even for a second.
Trunks could feel his sanity slowly slipping away. Would he ever be the same? He thought about Pan and the plans they had concocted for the camp. It had all sounded so easy at the time - get in, learn stuff about the Reavers, get out. Well, he had gotten out, alright, and now he was paying for it dearly.
He could hear footsteps clinking down the hallway. Trunks had already tried to break his bonds, but the strange quicksilver metal they had used was too strong for his thin arms. A moment passed, and Vegeta was at his side. He had a strange, shiny instrument in his hands, all spikes and joints, made of the same metal holding Trunks to the operating table.
'Sweet Dende, what now?'
That was Trunks last thought before the pain took over again.
***
It had to have been hours - he was sure of it. Someone had been screaming for who knew how long, and they were still at it.
Trunks blinked, realizing that he was the one screaming. They had finally broken him. Trunks looked up - Vegeta was there, doing something to him, but he could not feel it. He could feel nothing, and yet he was screaming still.
'What is this?' Trunks thought fearfully. He felt like he was floating above his own body, but he could see Vegeta standing over him, a Reaver pulsing from his neck.
It was then that Trunks realized what was happening - they were attaching a new-born Reaver to his own neck. The creature had already pushed Trunks' mind back, making room for its own collective consciousness.
Terrified, Trunks struggled to regain control, but each time he neared the threshold of his consciousness, intense, searing pain was his reward. It continued to get worse as he drifted away from himself.
'Fuck...no...this can't be happening!' Trunks' mind screamed to him in a panic, begging his body to remain with it. There was nothing he could do as his mind was pushed further and further away.
Trunks slowly blinked his eyes twice, a final effort for control his own body. The second time his eyes opened, he saw his father with a huge smirk on his face, so similar to the one he had worn throughout Trunks' childhood. But it was not the same smirk - it belonged to a bloodsucking monster. Then Trunks saw Pan - she was there too, smirking right alongside Vegeta. She had a Reaver around her neck.
'MOTHER FUCKERS!' his mind screamed in agony. When had they taken Pan? Had they tortured her too? It was too much for Trunks, he did not care about the pain anymore. Fuck the pain. The Reavers had gone too far.
Trunks did not notice the sensation returning to his body; he did not notice the Reaver coiled around his own neck, squealing in protest, or the shock on Vegeta and Pan's faces as he broke the quicksilver restraints on the operating table. All he noticed was the slimy, Motherfucking, soon-to-be-dead Reaver attached to Pan.
Trunks grabbed the Reaver, but he did not want to pull it off of Pan - no, that would be too painless for the monster. Instead, Trunks closed his eyes and remembered all the pain he had felt over the last year and a half - all the torture, all the lives lost. This was pure energy to him, and he could feel it welling up deep inside. The creature continued to squeal as Trunks' power grew, but it could not will enough stregnth into Pan to fend him off. Trunks could feel the Reaver's body getting hot, and suddenly, he heard a thousand horrendous screams resonate through his skull. The Reaver community was trying to attack him.
The Reaver was weak - Trunks could tell it was losing it's hold on Pan. He continued feeding his white-hot power into it. The monsters could live off pain and fear, but not when it was their own. One by one each of the creature's tentacles sizzled off, breaking its bond with Pan. She collapsed in a heap, but Trunks did not let go of the creature. It was still alive, and he had every intention of killing it.
The Reavers were still trying to defeat Trunks collectively, but each time a new creature entered its mind into the fight, Trunks' power grew stronger. Suddenly, Trunks knew that EVERY Reaver wanted him dead - they were panicking. He felt the telepathic link of them all, struggling to hurt him - to make him release their brother. Trunks had his chance.
With one final surge of anger and agony, Trunks released all of his bottled-up power. It rushed from him like a river, through the tower, and over the entire planet. The energy coated every Reaver, every one of the monsters, and though they fought him, the power of Trunks' pain was too much. A new virus had besot their race, only this time, it had a brain. Trunks screamed as his power flowed forth - he could see each and every Reaver that shriveled from its hosts' neck and fell to the ground to die. He could not have asked for a sweeter revenge.
Finally, Trunks had had enough - his power was gone, and so was his body, ravaged to the brink. He collapsed, unable to sustain himself any longer. Sighing, Trunks waited for the comforting darkness - it was over. He had done all he could for his loved ones, and he could only pray it had been enough. His eyes, beginning to glaze over and dilate, focused briefly on the motionless form of Pan, free from the parasite, but crumpled to the floor like a rag doll.
'Please...please just let her be alive...' Trunks thought, as oblivion engulfed him.
***
