Uld, kicking a glass bottle into the distance. ^It would give me great pleasure to dethrone the mighty Suld, crush him under my heel. He lied to me, to my friends for so long, making fools of us, while all along he was no better than Ksilte.^ He balled his hand into a fist, punching the other as he cast. ^If he had any children, I’d take them and rape them on a virt-life. If he had any family, I’d chain them, and sell them to the worst fleshival in creation. But I must focus my anger. Ellore must come first. I need her, want her body to violate and profane.^
Inilc stood and clasped his hands behind his back, spreading his legs apart in a soldier’s stance, trying to be patient.
^I don’t need to know this, sir. I don’t want to know this.^
Uld paced around the room, his body proud, and taut. He walked with a new confidence, an arrogance now that he was in control of the Leviathan. Most of those who were not TELREC lowered their heads in meeting him, knew of his power and influence. Uld relished every moment, in the back recesses of his mind, scheming of a way to have the TELREC bow before him. The clothes he wore were a very echo of the TELREC uniform, cut with the same tight pants and shirt, with an open robe worn on top. He kept it all in black, looking as one of them, but not one of them. Better than them. He stopped and faced Inilc.
^Do you think you are better than me?^
^No sir.^
^Do you think your morality to be superior to mine?^ demanded Uld, a mania spreading on his face and in his thoughts.
^No sir.^
^After all, morality is determined by whoever rules at the moment. Wouldn’t you say?^
^I have no opinion on that statement, sir,^ evenly replied Inilc. Uld stopped and faced the TELREC, an evil smile on his face.
^Arrogant little shit, aren’t you?^
Inilc met Uld’s gaze, debating whether or not to break his stance.
^No sir.^
Uld nodded his head. A vehicle pulled to a stop nearby. Uld could sense who it was, as an aura of anxiety and doubt suddenly descended upon him. He thought often of how he would be able to face Denged, as he knew it would someroa have to happen. Denged and another TELREC walked over, with two female prisoners in tow.
^Denged!^ Uld nervously smiled, trying to shake off his fear. ^What brings you down here?^
He stood over Uld, null, looking down at him with eyes of disgust.
^I found what you were looking for.^ Mentally, he commanded the two women to kneel in front of Uld. ^They have knowledge of Ellore. It just needs to be broken out of them.^
^Finally, some real amusement, after all these roas of searching and hunting and waiting!^ exclaimed Uld, a sick joy returning to his thoughts. ^Let’s get to work.^
Uld slapped one of them hard, blood flying across the room. He picked her up, and threw her down, bringing a stifled cry from her mouth. Her hands and feet were mentally bound together, and her mouth was mentally shut along with her ability to cast. He felt the fear leave him, as he took control of this woman’s body, venting all his frustrations upon it. Uld picked her up by the feet flinging her high in the air over him, bringing her crashing down in front of Inilc, who stood absently looking on. The darkness that would have masked his violence seemed to amplify it, the scarce light exaggerating their shadows, a faceless play performed on one of the walls nearby. Inilc’s gaze never flinched, and Denged merely watched with a resigned disgust.
^You know, it’s truly a wonderful thing those gene-hancements. It gives you strength you only thought possible in a virt-life fantasy.^ Uld stood over the woman, a few of her ribs now poking out of her chest, her eyes filled with tears. ^Release the gag on her mouth and mind.^
Denged allowed her the ability to cast and speak. Uld ran his hand along her breasts, finally digging his hands in her pants, rubbing where it was soft and warm.
^What’s your name, sweet thing?^
She summoned the strength within her to spit in Uld’s face, chuckling a little in spite of her fear. Uld leaned hard on her mind, squeezing her name out.
^Ail-jat, is it?^ asked Uld, squeezing her privates with terrible strength, making her lose control and scream for a moment. ^Well Ail-jat, I need you to cast me what you know about Ellore, and her irritating followers.^
She dumbly shrugged at him. He stepped back for a moment, then lunged forward, catching her off-guard, pinning her hand beneath the heel of his boot. He ground hard on it, and she grimaced at the pain.
^Now, my pretty, before I get really upset, cast me what I need to know!^
Ail-jat was the daughter of a man executed by the TELREC for chronicle offenses. She grew up secluded, but in her heart harbored great anger and resentment towards the TELREC. She eagerly helped Ksilte, and now Ellore, gladly doing anything they asked of her. After a mroa of Uld’s boot molesting her hand, a few words finally came haltingly from her bloody mouth, but she spoke them firmly aloud, with eyes of steel.
“You must be one great coward, you pathetic little man.”
Uld stepped down hard with his dress black boots on the woman’s hand. The sound of breaking bone and pressed flesh could be heard as he twisted his heel back and forth over it. She cried out, shaking and sobbing.
“Do your worst, little man!”
^When I start, I won’t be able to stop,^ he cast with an evil grin, as he pulled out a long knife. ^Cast me what I need to know!^
She thought for a moment, watching this man dressed as some TELREC businessman, tall and thin with a little gut, blood sprayed up and down the legs of his black, creased pants, an evil grin revealing cold, white teeth, bounce like some demon in front of her. She had seen much on the cast-net, seen the perversions the Novans called entertainment, even saw the Iganinagi slaughter and behead innocent adults and children, but never before had she seen such pure evil, such distilled hate. The way his feet were turned, the shape of his knees, the color and texture of his hair, seemed to brand him as surely as if the word were burned into the skin of his forehead. A part of her was deathly terrified at him, but a stronger part knew that no matter what, surrender should never be allowed to evil such as that.
She sealed off her mind to him. Uld flew into a rage. He lifted up her arm, and hacked away, sweat pouring off his forehead. First her hand, then her lower arm. Then he went to work on her legs. Her screams resonated through the hall, seeming to come from everywhere. In moments, she was reduced to a bloody pile of flesh that Uld kept stomping on with his boots. Through it all, as she faded into unconsciousness and death, she never let go the hold over her mind, and all her secrets died with her on that bloody floor. Uld turned to the other prisoner, fear welling in her mind.
^Now, it’s your turn.^
He advanced on a smaller girl, named Hassous, but was stopped midway, unable to move forward.
^Uld,^ cast Denged, barely moving a muscle, ^I didn’t waste my time bringing you these two to have you squander this opportunity. You should know physical torture is the least effective method of extracting information.^
Uld’s anger was at a fever pitch, the lust for blood had consumed his mind.
^Let me go, Denged,^ he warningly cast. Denged arched an eyebrow.
^What did you cast?^
He walked over to Uld’s motionless body, the other TELREC backing away, with more than a little fear on their faces.
^Let me go!^ ordered Uld. ^I have work to do. If you don’t have the stomach, I—^
Uld suddenly lost control of his arms, as they were drawn tightly behind his back by Denged’s mind. His legs rose and fell, like a soldier’s on parade, as he moved close to one of the corners in the room. No matter how hard Uld tried, how much he focused his mind, Denged’s control was absolute and unflappable. Uld was brought to a stop, then forced to drop to his knees.
^I think you may have forgotten, for a moment, in the heat of things, who you are dealing with,^ cast Denged, as he mentally made Uld bend over, his face turned downwards. ^I might not have the stomach?^ he asked, echoing Uld’s question. ^I think you don’t have the stom
ach.^
Uld began to vomit, slowly at first, then uncontrollably. Great heaves wracked his body, contracting his stomach. When his stomach was emptied, blood started to come up. Never had Uld felt like that. He felt Denged would make him vomit his very stomach and intestines up.
^I think that’s enough.^
Denged made Uld fall forward into his own mess. And no matter how hard Uld tried to right himself, Denged kept his head in the worst of it, forcing Uld to swallow some of it back in. That made him vomit more, and before long, Uld broke down and cried, begging for release. Finally Denged released his mental hold, and Uld backed himself frantically up against a wall, struggling to get breath in his lungs, trying to null the pain.
^Remember who we are. We are your masters. From the lowest soldier,^ he glanced at Inilc and the other TELREC, ^to one such as myself, we are all your betters. Each of us demands respect. Now,^ cast Denged, as he turned to Hassous, ^cast me what I need to know.^
She held her head high, her chin proud, her eyes clear and defiant.
^No.^
Denged smiled, and focused on the woman’s mind.
^Cast to me . . . what I . . . need to know . . .^
Any defenses she thought she had vanished in an instant. She knew if he commanded her to sing, dance, to do back-flips or to suffocate herself with her own hands, she would be powerless not to do it. In tils, she cast all she knew of Ellore, where she was meeting, what the safety protocols were.
^Thank you.^