|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Chapter 60
By AC
The cell was fairly spacious, Byrce thought, as he tried to find a way to open the door. He suspected that this had been a storage room once, before being pressed into service as a prison.
Whatever it had been, it was still effective in its current task; there was no way he could open the door. Eventually he gave up.
"No luck?" asked Paula, seated on a bench.
"Nada." Byrce sat down beside her.
Paula nodded. Before being thrust in here, the two had been strip-searched. Even Paula's protective suit and its attendant devices had been removed. Now they sat here, clad in tee-shirts and shorts, waiting for whatever fate Master Ven had planned for them.
"Do you think your crewmates will come looking for you?" he asked.
Paula shook her head. "They might, but they're not soldiers; I doubt they can manage a 'jailbreak'." She stifled a yawn. "I'm beat. I wish I could sleep, but I'm too frightened."
Byrce put one arm around her. "It'll be alright," he said, wishing he was as confident as he sounded. He looked up at the ceiling. "Right now, I'm more worried about Talehn."
Talehn groaned, barely wincing as he felt yet another pinprick on his arm. Truth-drugs, a part of him thought. Ven never was much for torture, too inefficient, he thought bitterly.
Once more the room went out of focus, the doctor and gaurds becoming blobs. Another blob moved into view.
"Come on, Talehn," said Ven's voice, soft. "I know this is uncomfortable, but it will stop once you tell me where the Interface is."
His mouth opened, the answer willing itself to be spoken. With his last reserves of strength, Talehn squashed the urge to obey.
"N-no," he said. His voice was slurred. "Can't. Let. You. Have. Cisia."
A sigh. "I know you want her safe. So do I. She's the only one who can help us. We're dying, Talehn. The power's fading."
"Let. It. Fade."
"I can't." A pause, measured in millenia. "What kind of protection did you give her? Here she was fed, clothed, cherished. Out there, in the streets... There are many bad people out there, Talehn. People who would do terrible things to a pretty girl, alone, weak..."
"No. Won't. Happen. Friends. Helping. Her."
"Who? Who's helping her? Where are they?"
"An- No. Won't. Tell."
The blob - Talehn was sure it was Ven - turned and nodded slightly. Another pinprick.
"We know there are some bounty hunters out there. They might say they want to help, but can you trust them? How do you know they won't kill Cisia?"
"Anika. Won't. Do. That." His vision was fading, his strength ebbing, crumbing under the assault of the drugs.
"Talehn. Where is Cisia? Where are her friends?" The voice sounded urgent.
Unbidden, he mouth opened and -- "A-airport."
"Who's with her?"
"Anika. Nakano. Phoenix."
For an instant, his vision cleared enough to see Ven slap his hand on a table. "Finally! Have retrieval teams sent to the airport. And contact the airport staff; I want all flights grounded this second!"
"Yes sir," said someone Talehn couldn't see. "What about him?"
"Toss him back with the others. I'll decide what to do with them later. Just get the interface back here and now."
Talehn felt tears run down his face. /I'm sorry Cisia. I'm so sorry.../
 |
 |
 |