Chapter 8:
The Imprisoned
November 1, 2671
Three Years Later
India was leaning back in her passenger's seat, surrounded by other scientists in the large transport. Zoness was a pretty place, she had heard, and with all the excitement generating in the craft, she hoped her travel would be worth it.
They'd been traveling for a few days at a slow warp to avoid any detection whatsoever. There was another craft full of soldiers flying in front of them. Some hackers were working to disable the communication satillites, and if that didn't work, they would have to destroy them. The cover up story? There wasn't one. The third craft carried large communication satillites to set up around Zoness—identical to the original ones—so that Andross and the rest of the Venomian Alliance could have access to communicate with Corneria to find out plans. The Lylatians would never know the difference.
India looked sideways at one of the other scientists, a man she had befriended just days before. He was a black and gray striped domestic cat of 30 years of age. His aqua green eyes were captivating, like Zoness itself. Dr. Schuyler Shellhorn was overall good looking. One of the better looking scientists on the ship. She'd been told that he also was a medical doctor. Very accomplished. India wanted to know more about him—and she wondered if Quincy would approve. She and Quincy had been dating for the last three years.
She leaned toward him. He looked up from his newspaper, labled the Medaja Jastarian Voice, one of the Medaja papers. Dr. Shellhorn had come from a project in Jastarian.
"Hi," said India shyly, even though she'd talked to him before. "I noticed that was a Jastarian paper. Was your work very hard there?"
Schuyler nodded. "It was mostly dangerous, though. I had to study toxins and waste. I have a feeling Andross is going to use Zoness for something bad."
"Why?"
He crinkled his nose a little. "I just know."
India slightly tilted her head in agreement. Of course, she had no idea on how he would know that or if he was guessing, but really she just wanted to strike up an interesting conversation.
"So," she started again, "was Jastarian nice?"
"Yeah, it was great." He smiled at her, revealing white teeth. "I really liked the weather. It was always temperate, around 40 to 80 degrees and not much else. It rains a lot there. Quite like Corneria. The equator is a bit warmer. I was in the western part of the continent—Jastarian only has one continent, and a large one at that."
"Did the fighting get in the way?"
"Sort of." Schuyler frowned. "A lot of people I met were injured in a blast by Isunites. You know, with the Isunites and the Medajans going at each other all the time...the two ethnic groups are always fighting. Someone needs to stop them before their fighting goes nuclear."
"I'm sorry friends of yours were hurt. Were they Medajans or Lylatians?"
"A little of both. Another man farther away, a Medajan, died."
India shuddered. "I'm glad Lylat is far away from there."
Schuyler shrugged and put away the newspaper. "It doesn't matter anymore. Andross is going to wage war in two years or so."
"How do you know that?"
"I have my ways." He winked at her and cocked his head toward the planet. "So, ready to siege and destroy?"
"Not really," India said with a sigh. "I'm afraid about what will happen if we've been underestimating them all along. You know there are a few soldiers there to protect the scientists."
"I know. Let's just hope Star Fox isn't nearby. If they are, our cover is blown and we're all screwed."
"True." India was about to say something else when the intercom went off and a man's deep voice rang throughout the ship.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to disembark and land on Christo Environmental Base. You will be advised to participate in the siege when the soldiers are able to open the base. Dr. Jochum—" (pronounced JOE-cum) "—will destroy the communication relay located on top of the base and help give blueprint instructions to the soldier transporter ship, where General Brizius will be waiting to start the siege. Remember, you must not let them know that you are not Jastarian. You've had your training and know your job. Our emperor sends his best wishes to all of you and knows you will get it done properly."
India pulled out her I.D. card and put it around her neck as a necklace. Schuyler did the same. Her card read, Mitzi Hara, Medajan Marine Biologist of Pedrell. Since she was a canine, she had to be Medajan, because only Medajans are canine. Schuyler, however, had to be a Isunite, because they were felines. His read, Zo Chakusola, Isunite Chemist of Rai Lakar.
"Ready?" India asked him.
"Yup. Hope that all goes well and they don't suspect us."
"Pray, you mean."
"Right."
The ship cruised straight for the atmosphere. India closed her eyes for the whole process, knowing all too well that the protection of the soldier ship was going to be thousands of miles away now. Everyone was silent. She could hear Schuyler's breathing, the groans of the ship's engines, and the sound of a burning atmosphere outside. Soon the Lylatians would see them. India tried to relax herself. She'd be seeing some real Lylatians, ones that were Outsiders, innocent of all crimes. She knew Calan. But that was different. These were people totally oblivious of Saturnalia and Lupercalia, and the new empire forming right underneath their noses. They'd know soon enough. Star Wolf would be arriving to siege with the soldier transporter to help destroy all of the four communication satillites. But first, the scientists had to disable the relay and make it nearly impossible for the enemy to escape.Then the dirty work would really begin. Andross intended on putting Leon in charge of getting information out of the men and women there. That meant someone was going to be in some sort of pain very soon. India couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something that Andross wanted that the scientists knew.
The transporter came down on a light blue ocean. They could see some land on the horizon. The clouds looked Cornerian, India thought, just by looking at them. She'd only seen Cornerian clouds in a book. It was a beautiful planet. She hoped that Schuyler's thoughts on Andross' plans wouldn't come true.
The island continent they were going to land on was coming in view. A building was sitting alone, surrounded by a small arsenal–-or what looked like one—and the communications relay, which looked a bit like a satillite disk. The spherical white dish had a large pole-like rod sticking out in the middle, sending signals to the outer satillites.
"Transporter One, the disabling mission was successful. Prepare to unload your passengers to the base."
India perked up and looked around. The other scientists were getting out their I.D.s and holding their bags on their laps. Schuyler merely yawned.
The craft came in for a landing right next to the base. The Cornerian scientists wouldn't know where a Rostik was from, as it was totally new. Hopefully they would buy the fact that it was a Jastarian transporter taking refugee scientists to safety.
As people began to get up and step off, India noticed a man running toward them. She peered at him closely through her window. Schuyler tapped her shoulder and she followed him off, swing her bag over her shoulder.
"Who are you?" demanded the man.
"Jastarian refugees," answered the pilot. "These people are all scientists."
"Jastarian refugees? Where is Jastaria?"
"Jastarian," corrected the pilot. "It's quite far away. We were just trying to escape from some Medajan guerillas."
"Ah," said the man, clearly clueless. "Well, I suppose you are welcome to–-er—stay here."
"Thank you." The pilot headed back on board while the men and women piled off with their things. All were felines or canines, which was why they were especially picked by Andross to serve at Zoness.
Dr. Jochum was a Doberman who disliked to be called a 'fool' by anyone, including Andross, and didn't hide it. He was more arrogant than most. Jochum considered it an honor to be able to disable the relay and let General Brizius know when to attack.
Jochum was first up to talk with the head of the base, a woman named Delaney Finch. She was a goat like Korrigan, only with darker eyes. She stared at the man with a look of utmost disgust that some refugees had landed at her base.
"Mr....?"
"Jochum, ma'am. Pascual Jochum of Corneria." What a liar! India thought. His real name really was Pascual Jochum, but he definitely wasn't from Corneria.
"Okay then, Mr. Jochum, where did you get these people and why are you on my base? I thought we were to be in isolation for awhile...."
"You were, but I brought over some of my Jastarian colleagues in order to escape from Medajan terrorists. Unfortunately, they were willing to sacrifice some of their own just to kill Isunites. And so we fled. We are hoping to study here, as it is most dangerous on Jastarian."
"I see," murmured Finch. "Would you perhaps be leaving soon? You'll have to use your own ship. Our communications are down right now." So the plan had worked....
"We will stay only as long as we have to," answered Jochum, with a strange hint of what was ahead. Apparently Finch didn't catch it. She only nodded and asked them to join the others in the main hallway. And with that, they entered the base.
Jochum was lead around the building. Meanwhile, India and Schuyler busied themselves with chugging cups of water. They were thirsty from the trip. India leaned against the wall in the hallway, which was the only place for them to stay. She closed her eyes and waited. In an hour or so, they would be taking over the base, and removing the weapons from their bags. A few more were stocked on the transporter ship, where the pilot patiently guarded it. And with those thoughts, she fell asleep.
"Is it done?" Brizius demanded of his officers.
"No sir," answered one. "But Jochum just informed us that he's close to the relay. Any minute now, and their systems are down. The soldiers are getting restless."
"The scientists should be sufficient enough for the slaughter," Brizius said sharply.
"But sir, we don't want to slaughter them, do we?" asked another.
"That's where you're wrong, idiot. We kill the resistors, and most will probably resist. Leon wants to take care of the rest."
"Sir!" one of the aides yelled. "It's started! Jochum has it shut down!"
Brizius jumped up. "Bring us down there, now!!" he snarled. Everyone dashed to their positions without an excuse.
Someone was shaking her awake. India opened her eyes slowly until she heard Schuyler shout, "GET UP!" Immidiately she jumped up and gasped. "It's time!" Schuyler ripped open his bag and pulled out a A-L 70, one of the automatic laser guns. "Time to party."
A few other men and women were tearing down the hallway, looking for Lylatians to either kill or capture. Star Wolf would be here any minute, along with the rest of the soldiers.
It took India a couple of seconds to realize what was going on and that she needed to follow. She whipped out her A-L 70 and tore down the a hallway. She didn't actually plan on killing anyone, unless they tried to kill her first.
India ran into a dark hallway. All the others seemed to have avoided it. She blew open a door and found man pouring something into a beaker. He dropped it and spun around.
"On the floor!! NOW!!" roared India, waving her gun.
The man fell to his knees. "What—?"
"Shut up!" snapped India. "Hands over your head." He obeyed. "Now, get up slowly and show me your back. If you try to run, I'll shoot you. And if I miss, don't think that you'll escape here alive. One of my comrades will probably do you in. Obey my rules, and you live. Is that understood?"
"Yes," the man whispered. "Just don't kill me...."
"Then get moving!" India tapped the butt of her gun into his back. He moved as straight as he could, with his hands behind his head. A few other people were being herded by the Venomians, straight to the transport that had previously carried the "Jastarian refugees". India had no intention of taking him all the way there, even if she would have liked it. Jochum came out with his weapon strap slung around his neck. His right hand rested on the trigger. "I'll take him from here," Jochum offered. India nodded and turned back toward another hallway, this one lighter. She thought of the bunk rooms, where the Cornerians slept. Perhaps some were in there.
India kicked open an old rusty door and heard some screams. Three people were in the room, cowering on the floor by the corner. One was Delaney Finch. The others were shorter, also middle aged.
"GET DOWN!" roared India, waving her gun.
Finch screamed, "NO!"
"DO IT OR YOU DIE!" India bellowed with as much anger as she could muster out.
She shook her head, holding her hands against the others as if pushing them back. "I knew something was odd about you," she said softly, like a hiss. "As soon as you set foot in our base, there was something about you...I couldn't put my finger on it...but now I know...you're not Jastarians!"
"Shut up and get in front of me!" India snapped.
Delaney picked up a transmitter and hurled it at India. It smacked her right in the arm.
"You just signed your death warrant!" India came forward and jammed her gun into Delaney's arm. "Get going, and bring the other two with you."
Finch suddenly kicked India in leg, while the man in back of her swung his arm across her back. India fell to the floor, gasping for air and wincing in pain. The three broke in a run down the hallway.
"Son of a bitch!" India cursed, as she got up and tore after them. She fired in their direction and saw Finch go down. The man next to her was also hit. Only the other woman was still moving.
India caught up to Finch and kicked her over. She leaned down to feel a pulse. There was a faint one. Delaney had been shot in her lower waist on her backside. The man was dead, India could tell. He was quite limp and hadn't moved since he fell down. There was a burn mark on the back of his head. India sighed and pressed her comm link. She hadn't meant to kill him. "Dr. Jochum, I have Delaney Fitch in my custody, but she's injured after she tried to escape. Another man is dead. The woman with them escaped, but she won't get far. I need a medical team to come down to Section 4, by the Marine Biology lab."
Jochum's voice crackled back, "Will do. Leave her there, if she's injured. She won't be moving. Help us get some more of the runaways back to the transport ship. Hopefully we can get some cooperation."
"Where should I go first?"
"Section 7. No one is down there yet, according to my radar. Head back to the main hallway and give your report to Dr. Shellhorn, and then hurry on down the section. Jochum out."
India got up and jogged down the hallway, her weapon hitting her arm every step. It was starting to hurt. And so did her back.
By the time she reached the middle of the base, her comrades were hauling back their victims to the center hallway where they themselves had been forced to stay. India saw Schuyler surveying one woman, who was in critical pain as she had been shot in the arm. She'd be wishing she could die from that wound, if she didn't cooperate with Leon.
India waved at Schuyler. "Got one, did you?"
He nodded and scribbled something on his notepad. "I need a name, lady," he said to the woman. She looked about 30 years old.
"Lieschen Heise."
"Interesting name."
"You should know," the woman muttered. "You're Jastarian, right? Dirty bastard." She held out her I.D. card.
Schuyler chuckled and took the card. He shoved it in one of his pockets of his scientist's jacket. It was white, but there were spots of blood on the front. Someone else's, presumably. "So, India, did you get yourself one?"
India nodded, patting her gun. "I got the leader, Finch. She's injured in Section 4. I had to contact Jochum by comm link to get a med team down there. I also killed the guy next to her, and the other woman escaped. But we know she won't get far. She might be dead right now or in someone else's care."
Schuyler glanced at Lieschen Heise and back at India. "I wonder what your boyfriend thinks, when he finds out his woman is a murdering bitch."
"I'm sure he thinks nothing of it," India said. "Look, I gotta run. Stay here and I'll try to find you after all this. I'm suppost to head to Section 7 to find more runaways."
"No one's down there," said Lieschen suddenly.
"Is that so?" India spun around to look at her. "You lyin' to me?"
Lieschen answered too fast to be true. "No! Look, you've got all of us and killed many more, so why don't you just give it a rest, huh?"
"Because, prisoner, I don't believe you, and our job is not finished." India took off down to Section 7. It was unusually dark. Whenever India had passed by, it was light. Now it was dark. She had a hunch as to why, but first she needed to test it out. There were two doors at the end of the hallway. She leaned up against one to listen. Nothing. She leaned against the other. Also nothing. Had to be a faux silence. She tapped the comm link.
"Sorry to bother you, sir, but are there any heat signs in the two compartments down Section 7?"
Jochum checked and replied through a little static. "Yes, it looks like it. About five life signs, all in the left compartment. I'd be careful. One of them could be armed."
"Where are you, Doctor?"
"Coming right at you down the other side of the hallway. It's just me, so don't try anything stupid. I'm comin' down to help. Now don't bother me again unless it's important. Jochum out."
India waited by the door. A minute later, Jochum's faint shadow appeared. She could see only the features on the left side of his face, as the hallway was extremely dark.
"I think the generator is in there," India said, tapping on the door lightly. "Otherwise the lights wouldn't be out. A few hours ago they were on."
"Nice observance." Jochum entered something in the key pad to the door and it slid open. They slowly proceeded in.
This room was almost pitch-black. Jochum slammed his fist–-or hand, India couldn't see—into something. The lights flickered on. It was a marine laboratory. There were at least three aquariums filled with fish and one with a ray in front of them, and some on both sides. On the other side of the room were more tanks, all of these very large and there was a narrow walking space in between them. This had to be a huge room, because as India looked, she couldn't see the other side of her left or her right.
Jochum beckoned her over and whispered, "Take the left and I'll take the right. Our friends are hidden in here, trying to evade us."
India nodded. She slowly walked left, between an eel tank and tropical fish tank. These large transparent aquariums held gallons upon gallons of water, and India wondered how much would spill out if she shot at the glass. Lasers as strong as her A-L 70 could burn large holes into the glass, if she fired enough times.
"Come out and play!" she called. No one answered back. The prey was hiding somewhere.
Just then she saw a shoe move from behind the second ray tank. Upon impulse, India fired right at the tank. It took three hits until the tank shattered and blew water everywhere. It came up to her ankles as the water sloshed around the room like a tidal wave. She heard a yelp and saw the man dash behind another tank.
"You can't run!" India shouted out to him. She shot at another eel tank. This time, the eels flopped around and went limp when they hit a surrounding tank.
"GODDAMN IT!" India heard Jochum swear. One of the tanks on the other side had blown out, and the water was flying everywhere. Now India felt the water seeping into her shoes. Some crunching of broken glass, and the man in front of her had fallen over. He was trying to get up. India dashed over as quick as she could and hit his back with her gun. He fell down again. She seized his shirt and yelled, "Going somewhere?! Follow my rules and I'll let you live." She slammed him down on the floor again. India hated being so brutal, but she had to be. The man took a swing at her when he rolled over. His fist hit India in head.
Her head throbbed terribly, and she felt a trickle of blood. India was now mad. She aimed her gun at his head and screamed, "WANNA TRY THAT AGAIN?!"
The ape shook his head and tried to back up away from her. "You cold-hearted b—"
A blast from the tank next to them made India duck away and cut off the man's words. Water hit them both, but luckily the glass fell straight down and away from them.
"TAKE THAT!" bellowed someone's voice, a female.
India had in mind to find Jochum, but there was no time. She whirled around and shot everything in front of her—actually, everything standing up in a 360 degree radius. All the tanks around her began to shatter to pieces. Water and sea-animals gushed everywhere. But India didn't care. Her back hurt, her arm hurt, her head hurt the most of all, and she was pissed off.
A laugh. The same female. "Now who's the hunted, Jastarian?"
India replied in a similarly cold tone, "I'm no Jastarian, little miss, but I'll make you wish I was one when I'm finished."
"Then what are you?" Her voice was from the right side. The man's breathing was harsh and quick, as he lay on the floor to her left. India knew the woman, whoever she was, was lurking very near, hoping to distract India away from the man. And what the hell was Jochum doing with the other three?
"I'm a Venomian, you annoying little shit. Come on out, I don't bite too hard."
"Venomian?" She sounded aghast. "From Venom?"
"Duh." India slowly shoved away glass with her shoe and continued to her left.
The woman sounded like she was scrambling on the floor. A dangerous thing to do, with glass laying everywhere. India jumped on top of the tank platform in front of her and aimed down. She'd chosen the right one. The woman screamed and was on her feet in no time. India shot her in the leg and leaped down beside her. She swept up the woman's gun and threw it clear across the room.
"Hah, I win!" India grinned and flashed a malicious smile. "Game over."
The woman breathed in and heaved out sentence, all in one big snarl. "Found me, didn't you, you piece of—!"
"Shh!" interrupted India. "Wouldn't want to spoil the surpise awaiting your friends. If you're lucky, you'll get assigned someone more humane than my friend Leon Palowski."
The woman's eyes widened in terror. "You work with Star Wolf?" she whispered.
India only smiled heinously. "He's just a little more sinister than I. Now get up and take your friend with you."
"My leg is injured. I can't move."
"Fine." India rolled her eyes and pressed her comm link. "Harris to Med team, we have a situation in Section 7 at the Marine Lab. We need some immidiate attention here. I can carry only one of the victims, and I need to check up on Dr. Jochum to see if he can carry another. So there's at least three stretchers that need to be brought here."
"We copy, Doctor. Stand by. Med out."
The woman let out a short laugh. "Who was that?"
"None of your business," snapped India. "I'll carry you or your friend, so make a choice. It's me or the med team, where you'll be strapped down tight in a stretcher. Can you stand me?"
"You," said the woman quickly.
"Good. Don't try to escape, because in your condition, it would be foolhardy, and I would not hesitate in killing you, or your friend. I know there are three others in this room, and hopefully my friend Jochum has them covered." India stopped, listening. She could hear some rustling on the other side, but didn't hear Jochum at all. His outburst minutes before was starting to worry her.
"I'll need your I.D. card when I ship you to Medical, so make sure you know where it's out. Because if you try to lie, it won't work. You either tell us or we'll beat it out of you."
The woman nodded. India caught her staring at her uniform. "Are you a scientist?" she asked.
India cocked her head. "Yes."
"Why are you trying to kill us?"
"I'm not. Now shut up so I can hear. I'll be right back. If you move and I find you in a different spot than last time, I'm after your hide. Don't think I won't do it."
India didn't bother to listen to her reply. She crushed more glass under her feet and prayed her boots were thick enough. So far they were. She wiped some of the blood away from her forehead and held a finger against the wound. It stung, but so did the rest of her head. Some dried blood was on the side of her face. It was a pain in the ass to try and clean up from fur.
"Jochum?" she called out.
"Over here," came his muffled voice. Not all the tanks had been blown out on the right side of the room.
"You okay?"
"Sort of. I'm shot in the waist, but I can walk. The other three are out cold. One was hit by a ray when I shot the tank—she'll live. The guy next to me I had to knock out myself with my gun. He's going to have one hell of a headache when he wakes up. The other guy is fine—I think he fainted or something. I accidentally shot a gas tank next to him. I think it was the stuff that knocks you out when you're having a surgery done on you...Menorin, is what the Cornerians call it...." He took a deep breath and got up. He was soaked and had some blood on his fist. "Not mine," he added, seeing India's expression. "The other guy's. It's his own fault. He shot me first, so I got mad and kicked the bejeezus outta him." Jochum pointed at the gun, which was laying by a large tropical fish a few yards away.
India asked him, "Do you think you can carry one?"
"Me? Sure. I'm still in shape." Jochum wiped his bleeding lip off. "For a 53 year old."
"But your injury—"
"Doesn't make a difference, Harris." He bent over and grabbed Punching Man by the shoulders. "Don't just stand there, Doctor!" he barked mildly.
India hurried back to the other side. What a stubborn idiot. She found the woman laying in the same position. "Good, you listened for once. My other victims didn't bother and they suffered the consequences."
The woman smirked. "I only didn't move because my leg would have stopped me."
"Why, can't feel it?"
"No. Can't feel anything there."
"Well, that's probably for your own sake, because when the numbness wears off, it's going to hurt." India bent down and helped the woman up. Her arm went around India's shoulder, and they slowly started to walk. She met Jochum by the door. He was having a harder time, since his victim was knocked out cold and couldn't help with the load.
As they walked (or rather, limped) back to the main hallway, India thought it might be helpful to ask the woman questions. She was a domestic cat, with black fur and green eyes.
"So...what's your name?" India asked her.
"If I don't tell you, will you shoot me?"
"Do you want me to?"
"I don't know yet."
India thought it was an honest answer. What was coming for her wouldn't be heaven.
"Well, tell me your name anyway, because Leon will beat it out of you otherwise. Now, I'm sure you'd much rather have me ask you than him."
"True," said the woman, wincing from the injury in her leg.
"I'm not really that much of a bad person."
"Really? I couldn't tell." There was a trace of satire in her voice.
"It's my job," said India.
"To what? Kill and terrorize people?"
"No, this is just a temporary assignment. You'll see."
"Harris!" Jochum barked from behind. "Quit socializing with the prisoners! Ask them important things!"
"Sorry sir!" India called over her shoulder. "What's your name?" she asked the woman.
The cat sighed. "Fine. I guess it's no use to hold it off any longer. Olivia Paige. And if you do anything to me—you, your friend back there, or Leon Palowski—anything—"
"You'll what? Attack us?" India laughed. "Don't be stupid."
"There can't be that many of you!"
"Wanna try seven million strong?"
Olivia Paige's jaw dropped. "Where—how—?"
"You'll see when you get there. Schuyler!"
Schuyler turned around. India was finally in the main hallway, pulling Olivia along with her. Jochum was a little farther behind.
"Finally! I was worried for a while there," Schuyler said, whipping out his notepad again. "I've taken a look at probably twenty-five prisoners who tried to escape. All of them have their share of injury. The smart ones are over in that corner. They are the only ones I haven't had to look at. And then there's the dead ones. Luckily only five people—including the one you got—are dead. And they don't have very much information, either."
"Well, it was no picnic with these people, either," India said, tilting her head to Olivia. "Jochum and I took out five of them, no casualties, but all have one injury or another. The other three are out cold in the lab. Med teams should be there by now."
"Good," Schuyler said. He glanced at Olivia, who shot him a spiteful look. "Name?"
"Olivia Paige," she muttered, clearly disgusted.
"Thank you. Let's take a look at that wound. You'll be more comfortable if you sit down."
India helped her sit, but Olivia beat back with an arm right into India's stomach. I deserved that one, she thought. Olivia sat herself down and looked as if she'd like nothing better than to attack Schuyler.
Schuyler took out a stethoscope and checked her heart beat.
"Don't touch me," growled Olivia.
"Miss Paige, I'm a medical doctor," Schuyler said reassuringly, "not a soldier. I won't do anything to hurt you."
"I hope not!" she snapped back. "Seems I'll have someone else to do me in later on!"
Schuyler looked at India with inquiry. "Did you mention that someone to her?" he asked.
"Sort of. Yes." India uttered a sigh. "It was in the heat of the moment and I wasn't thinking. Sorry."
Schuyler didn't reply. He only checked over Olivia's wound. "Damaged nerves. No wonder you aren't feeling anything. Ah. Later you will. The others will. Tissue damage as well. The only thing I can suggest for you in recovery is to drink a lot of fluids and get rest for that leg. Don't use it unless you have to."
"Where would I go?" Olivia asked wryly.
"Exactly." Schuyler stood up. "You'll want to take a nap before the prison ship arrives."
"Prison ship?!"
Schuyler actually laughed. "What? Don't tell me you weren't expecting this!"
"Not until a half an hour ago when I heard gunshots, no," Olivia said, with a startled expression.
"Miss Paige, you amaze me. Quite naïve of you to think that we honestly just came for slaughter. We really did not wish to kill anyone. But you bring this upon yourself by resisting, and so five people are dead and over half of you are injured. Who's fault is that?"
"The people that frickin' shot me!" Olivia shouted at him.
Schuyler shook his head in disbelief. "Leon will have fun with you."
India frowned. "That what I'm afraid of."
"We can't do anything about it, Doctor." Schuyler straightened his jacket. "Honestly, if I could be anywhere, it would be on Corneria in my grandmother's cabana near the Caiman Islands."
India nodded. "I'd forgotten you were Cornerian. It's too bad you were summoned by Andross. Why didn't you run?"
Olivia and Lieschen were left out, but they looked as if they were closely listening.
Schuyler was silent for a few seconds. "I didn't think running from a problem would get me anywhere," he said finally. "Andross would get me, one way or another. Now that I knew who he was and that he was trying to contact me, to get him on my side, it was just a matter of time. If I ran, what then? He'd make sure I was dead before I could tell the Cornerian government that something was up. So I told him that I'd come by and check stuff out, knowing all too well what could happen. That was then. Now? Now I have a bug behind my ear and a filthy tatoo. I didn't want it and I struggled. Punched the tatooist and kicked the other one in the shin. So they knocked me out with a powerful tranquilizer drug—actually I think it was Menorin—and did it while I was out cold. When I woke up, I had a terrific headache and a red tatoo on my arm."
"You never told me all this."
"Why? It's irrelevant now." Schuyler wrapped his hand around the stethoscope. "I'm just a doctor."
Lieschen raised her hand and managed to croak out, "Who the hell is Andross?"
Both India and Schuyler looked down at her. "Wouldn't you like to know," said India. "Your new emperor."
A Week Later
Calan was itchy in his seat next to Leon. He didn't understand why Andross had to put him—of all people—there, next to Leon, while he beat up prisoners for information. He supposed it was to express Andross' complete and absolute power as emperor. Calan only wished he was somewhere else.
Leon, however, couldn't wait to get started. Calan had never seen him so jumpy. The seat on the other side of Leon was Wolf's—and he was late. Leon was impatient and was pacing around the room. Calan decided to not interfere.
The room was dark, except for a single lightbulb in the middle of the prisoner's room. A chair was underneath that, with leather straps on the chair to hold the unlucky prisoner down. Behind them were the prison bars, so that people might pass by. Not many did. They knew it was the torture chamber.
"Care to discuss what you'll be doing?" asked Calan.
Leon scratched his arm. "Not especially."
"Mentally or physically, at least? I don't want to witness gross stuff."
"Mentally first. If I can get answers out quickly, then I won't have to."
"But you want to."
Leon glared back at Calan. "Maybe, maybe I just might like it."
Calan rolled his eyes. "Fine. If Wolf isn't here in a few minutes...."
But he was. Wolf came in, dressed in fully black and some black leather that stretched tightly, matting down some of his fur underneath. His black eyepatch had a melancholy look to it. He actually looked stiff and angry. But then, Wolf was always angry now. Or at least, he was darker. Dressed in black most of the time, and he rarely smiled anymore. Calan didn't like to watch a friend go downhill like that. Maybe Wolf was depressed, but that didn't seem possible. His medical records were fine.
"About time!" Leon said sharply, slamming his suitcase on the table. Wolf didn't say anything. He slid into his seat next to Calan and didn't make any eye contact.
"Hector! Get the prisoner!" Leon spat to the comm link. Hector answered right away. A few minutes later, the first victim arrived. She was a panther, by the looks of it, and she was a cougar-colored one. She had darker black features and brown-gold on her back. There were two dark stripes on her face of gold and brown. She had emerald green eyes and was very pretty. Even when she wore a look of disgust and fear.
Hector strapped her in without even a fight. She sat limp in the chair and stared at the table legs. Hector left quickly.
"Miss....?" Calan began, tapping his papers with a pen. He was the unfortunate one to take notes.
"Heise. Lieschen Heise."
Leon smiled. "Pretty name. For a pretty lady."
Lieschen scowled. "Quit with the fake compliments, Leon. I know who you are and what you want to do."
"Strong, I see." Leon paced in front of her. "In the records, Dr. Shellhorn has you as a 'paranoid person'. Is that so?"
"Of you, maybe."
"Hm. Why aren't you acting afraid? Because you should be."
"Maybe because I'm not guilty of anything."
Leon stopped in front of her. "I'm sure you have information...."
"About what? Dolphins?" There was a trace of sarcasm and satire—maybe both.
Leon knelt to Lieschen's level. He glared back with his dark eyes and said softly, "We shall see what you know." He rose again and went to his briefcase. "Miss Heise, are you aware of who these other two fine gentlemen are?" He took out one of Andross' famed NIDs.
"Yes."
"Who are they?" he asked, holding the device in one hand and a chip in the other. Calan stole a glance at Wolf. He stared straight ahead, emotionless.
"Well. I know that one. He's Wolf O'Donnell. Famed mercenary captain of Star Wolf team. I don't know the other one."
"Good, good." Leon stepped behind her and she turned her head to follow him in her gaze.
"What are you doing?" she demanded.
"Planting a bug," said Leon simply.
Lieschen jerked away as far as possible. "Hell no! Get away!"
Leon laughed. "Not on your life. Now hold still or I'll have to deal with you painfully."
Lieschen snarled, "Never! I bet you plant those on all your prisoners just so you can torture 'em! I'll never submit willingly! You'll have to kill me first!!"
Leon chuckled and tapped the bug on his own chameleon-like ear. "They're so fashionable that everyone gets one. See mine? Even Captain O'Donnell and Captain Porter have them."
It didn't calm her down any. "Why?"
"Because our emperor likes to keep track of us. His Majesty will not have to worry about the loyal ones. Which is why he puts me in charge of the prisoners." Leon smiled maliciously. "You're in good hands with me."
"I don't think so. Let me go!"
"Why?" Leon tried to hold her head still, but she jerked. He was growing angry. Leon swiped the back of her head with a hand. She winced and stopped moving. He started to put it in. "Sooner or later, Miss Heise, you'll learn to listen to me. Now, I'm going to plant this bug on the back of your ear. I suggest you do not try to remove it. That will result in your death. Trust me on this. A prisoner I had yesterday tried it and the guards found him dead in his cell this morning. Captain Porter, when is Finch set to be interrogated?"
"After this prisoner."
"Thank you. I'm sure she'll give us all the information we need." Leon finished planting the bug and stepped away. "That's all I need with you today, Miss Heise."
She opened her eyes slowly. "What?" Lieschen sputtered in disbelief. "That's—that's it? You're letting me go?"
"For now." Leon folded his arms. "Before I summon Hector, I want to show you a special device developed by the emperor. He calls it a NID, or 'Nerve Inhibitor Device'. You'll find it lives up to its name." Leon held out the device.
Lieschen eyed it carefully. "What's that do?"
"Inflicts pain upon an unlucky prisoner. It triggers the bug behind your ear, which by now has wired itself into your nerves. The pain is quite severe. Captain Porter can tell you about that." Leon gave a wily look to Calan before he turned back to the prisoner.
Lieschen was amused. "So, you guys are affected, too? If I used it on you, you'd go down like a dead fly?"
Leon smiled malevolently. "You may think of it that way, but if you don't know how to trigger it to a certain person, you may well hurt yourself and everyone else in the room. I'd be careful. Besides, only a select number of people have NIDs. Loyalists, of course. People the Great One trusts."
"Great One? The only great thing about this guy is that he has the brains to give it to everyone but himself. Don't you think that's a bit genius?"
"Miss Heise. Lieschen. Don't make me angry. You might be inexperienced, but I am not." Leon tapped the back of the NID and leaned against the table. He activated the comm link and murmured, "Hector, come down and take away the prisoner. Prepare to bring in Finch for interrogation."
"Yessir."
When Hector came to unstrap Lieschen and cuff her, Leon gave a wink at her. She scowled. "Have a nice day, Miss Heise," called Leon. "You will need it!"
It was not the last of Lieschen Heise.
Lieschen's cell was adjacent to a woman named Olivia Paige. Her cell, on the right of Lieschen's, was darker. There were two green lights on the ceiling, but both were to the left and farther away. Olivia's was at the very end of the hallway. And Lieschen's was right next to that.
Other prisoners were quiet. The man that Lieschen had tried to escape with, a guy by the name of Nestor Moriell. He was a oriole of about sixty years of age. Previous to this, he had been a sucessful scientist at Zoness, spending a total of fifteen years there. Nestor's records on Corneria showed that he was a man of great conscience and a born leader. Now he sat in his cell, back against the wall and hands in his lap, sleeping.
Lieschen scrambled up near the forcefield and whispered, "Psst! Nestor!"
Nestor fluttered an eyelid. "...unghhhh...huh?"
"It's Lieschen! You won't believe this!"
Nestor breathed deeply in the night air. A single vent in the ceiling above showed stars and a black sky. "What won't I believe?" he asked sluggishly, having slept for hours.
"A bug. They're planting bugs on us!"
Nestor was wide awake then. "Bugs?!"
"Yes!" Lieschen tapped her ear and tried to show him, pushing aside her fur so he could see. "Look—right there. Leon planted it on me."
"That bastard. Can you get it off?"
"No, but neither can they! It seems that everyone on this damn planet has one, including the loyalists! It's how Andross keeps control of his people, by brute force! He has a Nerve Inhibitor Device that causes severe pain to people who oppose him. The bugs they plant on us are wired into our nervous system, so that he can use it on only people with the chips! You don't have one yet, but you will soon."
"Anyway to prevent getting one?"
"No. I tried to jerk away, but they have you strapped down in a chair so you can't resist. I got smacked across the back of my head for trying to get away from it. Leon's work. It still hurts."
"Is there any hope for us?"
"Not unless you can get us out."
Nestor shook his head. "I don't think so. I'd like to, but there's no way out. Maybe there's still a chance."
Just then the door down the hallway slid open. They heard some shouting. It woke up some of the sleeping prisoners.
"Damn it!" Leon's voice. There were many footsteps. "Get her out of this place. I want her at the execution site pronto. And tell the warden to get a new chair. One with stronger straps."
Leon followed two guards as they dragged a woman down the hallway to the dark side. She kicked and yelled, screaming out swear words and other phrases. "NEVER! I'LL NEVER COOPERATE!"
"And you'll die!" roared Leon back to her.
"FINE!" It was Delaney Finch.
"You gave us what we wanted, but you wouldn't submit! You've done yourself in already!" Leon shouted back angrily. Lieschen got close to the bars and peered down the hallway as they came closer. Leon was bleeding on his hand. She must've bit his hand. Hard.
"I won't let you plant that bug on me just so I can be a slave to this hellhole!!" Finch hissed back, more quietly but nonetheless terribly. "I might have told you everything but you won't get my cooperation!"
"And that's why you're a damn fool!" Leon glared straight ahead, holding his bleeding hand into a clenched fist. "You sold out your little friends! Think they'll like you for that?"
What is it that Andross wants? Lieschen wondered. What did Delaney tell him? I hope not much! Nothing important! But what could we know that would be useful to the Venomian Empire?
Lieschen scooted back into the shadows of her cell to hide from Leon. She didn't want attention from him. Nestor didn't move. Lieschen heard Olivia slide to the back as well. The door slid open as Leon, the guards, and a scruffed-up Delaney Finch went by. The night air sank in, giving a fresh breath of air to the prisoners. Soon they were gone.
Another man ran in. Lieschen recognized him. It was the captain who was sitting next to Wolf O'Donnell. What could he want?
The leopard man went to the control panel and entered in some digits. Then the forcefield disappeared.
"You only have a few minutes, as I was instructed to meet Leon on the grounds in the same amount of time," he announced to the prisoners. "Take the fire exit down the end of this hallway, and do it quickly. You'll need to lay low in the forests of Venom. If you are caught, it's likely you'll be executed. If I'm caught, I will too. So get moving. And say nothing of me." The leopard-man disappeared.
Lieschen helped Nestor up and joined the woman named Olivia down the hallway. Other prisoners had broke into sprints. There wasn't much time to run. The three of them tore down the fire exit hallway and into the night.
Calan arrived just in time to join Wolf at the execution site. The two guards were still holding Delaney Finch down. Leon's eyes blazed as he watched them tie her up on a pole. The Execution Hill was up high on a—you guessed it—hill. It overlooked the prison base and the forest grounds above the Twin Underground Cities. All around the hill were mounds of dirt, where a person had been buried after being executed. They were placed in simple wooden boxes. Saved time and money.
On the top of the hill were long poles of about fifteen feet in height. A person was usually just tied onto the pole and shot, but sometimes certain disloyal people got worse executions. Often times they were beat a little before being tied up high on the pole, where an elevated mobile staircase allowed guards to put them up high. The sole tree on Execution Hill was forlorn and old. It had once been an oak tree of beauty, now it held the bodies of recently executed people while they hung from its limbs, usually by their feet or arms.
This time, Delaney Finch was to die overlooking the base.
The guards dragged her up the staircase and all the way up to the top. They had the ropes. Leon was so mad that he wanted her dead as quickly as possible. He wasn't even going to inflict any torture. Calan and Wolf walked toward the base of the poles, where Leon stood and watched, his arms crossed and eyes blazing.
"Nice night," commented Calan.
"Yeah," Wolf muttered solemnly. As usual.
Leon turned and faced them. "I want the prisoners to parade past her tomorrow morning, while I set her pole afire. The warden will have to get a new one. I want her hanging there for a few hours, then we'll set it on fire. She had better hope she is dead from the gunshot wounds we'll throw on her before the fire gets too close." He smiled at the thought. "Let it be a lesson to all that oppose the Empire."
Leon's comm link went off. The transmitter beeped twice before he answered. "What?!"
"Sir, prisoners have escaped. They're running about the compound as we speak. Go to Red Alert?"
Leon was furious. "YES! Hector, I want guards swarming the area, do you hear me?! SWARMING!"
"Yessir!"
Leon stormed down the hill. He called to Wolf and Calan, "You two stay there, got that? STAY THERE!"
Calan and Wolf stood silently.
Lieschen, Olivia, and Nestor were hiding. Hiding from a vicious enemy.
Their spot was behind a large tree. The forest-jungle was warm below the canopy, away from the open areas exposed to the night. Even so, guards began to run out in different directions through the jungle. Some were shouting and waving guns on the open plain. Close to Execution Hill. From their stakeout they could see the long poles. Lieschen could see them tying up Delaney Finch on the center one. And an angry man storming down the hill, shouting orders. Leon.
"Nestor, what do we do?" Lieschen whispered.
Nestor lifted a grayed finger. "Shhh. Don't talk yet."
They waited.
A few soldiers in full uniform raged past a tree on the other side of the plain. Some prisoners were being dragged back. A few laser fires. Someone was running away. Someone was shot, too. Probably the same someone.
Nestor started to move. "Run!"
They did. And they didn't stop.
Calan wanted to be somewhere else. He wished he was on a mission to Corneria instead of Abe and Joss. He wished he was a regular civilian. He wished he was on Adratia. He wished he was on his ship. Anywhere but here.
Leon was gleeful. He couldn't stop grinning.
"Can we get this over with?" Wolf complained. "I'm tired and feeling grumpy."
Leon didn't reply. He watched the firing squad get ready. Prisoners were lined up to watch. Finch looked dead already. She didn't even move. Soldiers were everywhere. And Calan wanted to escape. He began to think about the LARG and himself. What if they were caught? What if he was caught for letting the prisoners out?
"On your mark...ready...FIRE!!" bellowed Leon. The firing squad unleashed a fury of lasers. All hit Delaney on the spot. Prisoners gasped and some screamed. Leon took a torch from one of the guards and lit the base of the pole on fire. It would slowly climb upward. Eventually the base would crumble and the pole would fall over. Guards would be standing by to wash out the fire.
Leon cheered and held his arm in the air, fist clenched. He shouted into a microphone, "Let that be a lesson to you all! Never dishonor loyal servants of the emperor!"
Leon contacted Andross straightaway. Calan got closer to hear. "Sire, we have taken most of the prisoners back into our control, but some are missing."
"It does not matter, Leon. We are going to have company soon."
"Have the Lylatians found us?"
"Yes. But it does not matter. I am ready for our visitors."
"Who, Excellency?"
"Star Fox."