One hundred and fifty two days in, while waiting for her group to be escorted to their personal hell, the routine changed. When the door opened the previous day's victims were ushered in and the door shut behind them. The medics ambled over to offer what little assistance they could. Urgency long since abandoned as their role was reduced to providing emotional comfort to the abused.

Colonel Quansah rushed over. Probably the closest he had come to the doors since they had been interned here, Zahra mused cynically, and the most exercise he had done.

"Report Lieutenant! What's going on?" He demanded of her.

"I don't know, sir." She replied, puzzled as to why he could think she would know.

"Don't take that tone with me, Second Lieutenant." He snarled, a wild look around his eyes. "This is a difficult enough assignment without junior officers undermining me at every turn."

"She's a full lieutenant, Colonel." Corrected young Clarice Overton. Having survived her first turn in 'Paradise', as the troops had started calling the torture rooms, the young woman had insisted she take her turn when it came about, and was in the group with Zahra.

"SHE'S WHATEVER I SAY SHE IS, PRIVATE!!" He screamed at the young political aide, his eyes bulging and his face red with anger. "HOW DARE YOU CONRADICT ME. I'LL HAVE YOU ON PUNISHMENT EVERY DAY FOR A WEEK, IF YOU EVER SPEAK TO ME AGAIN."

"It's okay, sir." Interrupted major Mapfuno. "I'll deal with this insubordination. You go back to running the battalion; I can deal with personnel issues."

"Very well, Major, I don't need this additional grief on top of everything else I have to deal with. Just make sure they are dealt with properly.

"And find out what is going on,"

Once the colonel had left the major turned to Zahra and Clarice.

"Don't worry about him. The strain has taken its toll on him and he isn't himself at the moment. When we figure a way back to Cestus he should be okay."

With that, he wandered off, whistling a little ditty to himself.

Zahra and Clarice just looked at each other and shrugged. Obviously, both senior officers were at least a little off.

The next day the door did not open at all, nor the next.

On the third day, just as the humans were expecting another day off the double doors opened and a platoon size squad of armed elves marched in. Separating into two lines the soldiers formed a V formation with the doors as the point. Once in position they came to attention and, in a parade ground perfect manoeuvre, turned inwards.

The humans had all stopped what they were doing to watch. Any interruption to the boredom of the last four months was a welcome change.

A more ornately dressed elf entered at that point.

"Attention, slaves!" He shouted. Unnecessarily so, thought Zahra, seeing as every human in the room was watching him intently.

"You are being moved to new quarters. Anything, or anyone, you leave behind will be disposed of. So gather your pathetic belongings and prepare to move.

"Fack it," Thought Zahra.

"FOUR PLATOON," She shouted. "FALL IN!"

A brief pause later and her people ran to their assigned position in the formation. All except the three civilians assigned to them, who had no idea where to go, so just stood in a rough line behind the trained troops.

"TWO PLATOON, FALL IN!" Bellowed Joe Andrews as her people were moving. A cry echoed by the other platoon commanders getting their men organised.

Eventually the humans were organised. All to the sneer of the senior elf, who made his amused disgust at their tardiness very apparent.

"You lot!" He commanded the senior officers and dignitaries who had not moved. "Form a unit somewhere amongst this rabble"

Once satisfied with the state of the humans, the lead elf gave further instructions.

"You will follow the lead unit of people, the rest will ensure that none of you try and escape or cause trouble. They have been instructed to not be gentle with you, so any excuse they will happily correct your actions.

"Those of you that have been to the processing room will know how good our people are at hurting creatures such as you."

Returning to the door, so he would be at the head of the parade, he then gave the instructions to his men to move out.

"Cattle Escort, MARCH!"

With that, half of one flank of his men formed into a three by two formation and marched off after him.

Without giving any instructions to the two companies under his command, or even acknowledging their existence, Colonel Quansah led the assembled gaggle of officials and senior officers after him.

After them went One Platoon, in a semi organised mob.

"Two Platoon, Right TURN" Ordered Joe to his platoon. Then marching to the new front of his platoon he continued: "By the left quick MARCH" Ordered Joe, getting his platoon to move off in a military manner.

Shamed into some sense of order, Zahra could hear the platoon sergeant of One Platoon calling out the step, in an attempt to smarten up his men.

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The platoon commander of Three Platoon mimicked Joe's orders, though without the forcefulness of an order.

"Four Platoon, right TURN!" Called Zahra, while Three Platoon were getting ready to move. "By the left quick MARCH." Ordered Zahra, once she was in the front. Behind her the other sixteen platoons followed suit, with varying success at military order. The other elves spaced themselves to the sides and rear of the human's formation, ready to rain agony on anyone who strayed.

By the time the procession got to the central cell block the humans were marching in a smart formation, fully in step and proud. There they took the first corridor on the left, down another dreary corridor, though this time the defences were set up against people coming from the central hub, rather than going to it. There were still doors in the corridor, though these were for stores and barracks for the guards.

The reasoning for this became clear when the party stepped through a large set of double doors into an outside courtyard, with bleachers along three sides, sparsely populated with elves.

"Face front, don't give the bastards the satisfaction" Came from Sergeant Mantle, in a voice that only senior NCOs could produce: loud and clear to his men, inaudible to anyone outside the platoon. Zahra blessed him for that, especially as she was about to give in to the temptation to look around herself.

The two companies were stopped parallel to each other, alongside one of the ranks of bleachers and ordered to face to their right, away from it.

"Officers and politicians, come out to the front, take off your tops and face away from the rest of the cattle." Ordered the senior elf.

With little other options the selected humans made their way to the front and complied with the order, standing with their naked backs to the enlisted men and aides.

"Without looking at their backs the Night Elf addressed the enlisted men.

"As you can see, your leaders have betrayed you. Not one of them has so much as a mark on their back, while all of you have suffered from the lash. Five of you have even perished feeding us, and still they let you do all the suffering. "

The murmur that came from the ranks emboldened him. Still without looking at their backs he walked through the line, to put himself between the officers and men.

"Officers, About FACE!." he ordered.

Once the dignitaries and officers were facing their men, he went along the line ordering them to shout out the number of times they had been to the central hall, and why they hadn't been there.

As he predicted the answers all included zero times tortured and various excuses along the lines of having to be fit to lead, including the sergeant currently leading One Platoon. Right up until he got to Joe Andrews.

"One hundred and forty two times, and I regret the times I was unable to fulfil my duty. To the men and women of Two Platoon, D Company I humbly apologise for those ten times."

A ragged cheer went up from the men at his remarks, angering the elf commander.

"SILENCE!" He bellowed. "You turn around."

As ordered Joe turned around, showing the hellish abuse his back had suffered and the hundreds of scars to prove it.

Ignoring Joe, ordered the commander of Three Platoon to carry on the charade.

"Seven times. We all took our turn. I went first." Was the determined reply.

Ignoring him the elf pointed at Zahra.

"One hundred and thirty nine times, and I regret the times I was unable to fulfil my duty. To the men and women of Four Platoon, D Company I humbly

apologise for those twelve times." She then turned around to show her ravaged back to the onlookers.

This time the cheer was louder and included catcalls and whistles. These turned to a deep, angry growl when he drew his shock baton and jabbed Zahra with it.

As Zahra collapsed to the ground, the elf drew his baton back to strike her again, only to be stopped by a voice from the crowd.

"Hold up, Strayth'el Heartripper! You've made your point." Came the order, to laughter and jeers from the crowd. "I'll have the tapestries of those two, for my collection. Send the rest to their duties.

"And make sure their next pieces of art are on a clean canvas."

Zahra was confused as what that was all about, and a stealthy glance along the line showed that everyone else looked equally confused.

With that Zahra and Andrew were told to dress before being taken back into the hell that was the prison block, by a quartet of guards, leaving the rest of the humans to their fates

Stopping at one of the doors in the entrance corridor, the two were led into what looked like a changing room. Totally white with white tiles on the floor and walls, and a white translucent ceiling, through which the bright white light came. Even the benches and clothing racks, along the short walls, were white. The room just screamed sterile. Along the far wall there where four square pools of liquid. Each pool being a metre square with a, white, tiled surround along all four sides. Even the liquid in the pools was white. The only colour in the room, apart from the interlopers, was four blue lights radiating from the joins where the corners met the ceiling. The only other furniture in the room was a white stool, in the middle of the room, next to a white table, on which was a set of hair clippers. And four toilets. All, naturally, in white.

Once the door was closed the room became totally silent too, for a couple of seconds before an irritating humming noise started. Zahra wasn't sure if she preferred the oppressive silence or the hum. Both of which were uncomfortable, though the humming did set her hairs on end and cause her teeth to hurt.

Pointing to a set of benches, one of the elves addressed them.

"Strip off and place your rags on the floor by a bench. You animals don't get to use the clothes hooks.

"Once you've done that take the head covering and goggles from the shelf and one of you sit on the stool. "

Obeying the two left their clothes, neatly folded, next to their boots, on the floor, collected a cap and goggles each and made their way to the centre of the room, where Andrew was pointed to the stool. Sitting there one of the elves shaved his head. Not his beard, which was quite impressive after five months of being unable to shave, or anywhere else, just his head. Once he was finished Zahra too, was shaved.

"Much better." Teased one of the guards. "Now sit on the toilets, and drink this."

Obeying, unquestioningly, the two humans sat and drank. Then realised why they were ordered to sit before drinking as the powerful enemas purged not just their bowels, but their bladders as well. Once they were empty the toilets flushed themselves and converted to bidet mode, leaving them clean, but with a gnawing pain in their bowels.

Laughing at their discomfort and elf gave them the next order. "Now put on the cap and goggles."

The tight fitting caps covered where their hair had been, and their ears. The goggles, oddly, covered the eyes and, oddly enough, their eyebrows. Whether it was deliberate or not the elves were happy to let it go, and the two humans had learnt to not ask questions.

The two were then taken over to the pools, and each stood in front of one. Andrew in front of the first on the left, Zahra next to him.

"Now for the fun bit. Jump in the pool, facing the wall, and go under the surface. In front of you will be a tunnel to drag yourselves through. Once through that you will surface in another room.

"Follow the orders given by your masters in there."

Looking over to Andrew, Zahra raised her hand for a fist bump. Once the ritual was done they both turned back to the wall and jumped into the pools.

As soon as she hit the liquid Zahra felt a stinging sensation all over her body, except where the hat and goggles protected her. Steeling herself, and being very careful not to open her mouth ,she forced herself down until she could see the tunnel.

Along the floor of the tunnel was a ladder like device for the swimmer to pull themselves along. Using this to provide propulsion she pulled herself along, desperate to find the end before her oxygen ran out. Then the ladder ran out.