I awaken suddenly to ice cold water being poured on my head. My eyes wide open take in the room, the people who collected me from the sky stand around me in a circle, we are no longer on the ship. I am strapped to an upright table. The air is humid, there is a stench to it. A stench I have smelled before, the smell of death fills my nose.
“Right-o, gloweyes awake. Thought you killed him for a bit.” One of them says.
All of them have removed their helmets since I saw them last, their faces marred with deep scars, I see crude metallic implants running up some of their necks. I do not know the purpose of them.
“Boss man said to bring him here, just like him to be late though.” Another groans.
“Wouldn’t let him hear that.” Another says.
There is a creaking of a metal door opening. Footsteps echo from it.
“Wouldn’t let him hear what?” a voice says in stride with the feet that move closer.
A shiver runs down my spine as I hear it, there is a coldness in it. The kind of voice that has never known empathy, an emptiness in it. The type of voice that has a curiosity for the pain of others. I wrench against the bondage, knowing instinctually I am in grave danger.
“Nothing boss, sorry boss. Brought him as you asked.” The one who complained says, there is fear in his voice.
“Oh yes you did – quite lively too, my favorite kind of dog.” The cold voice says.
The owner of the cold voice stands in front of me now, his eyes empty of all emotions, like staring into the abyss of darkness. A smile forms on his cruel lips.
“I am Mallock, such a pleasure to finally meet you C7447. Or should I call you by your new moniker H777? I’m easy, which do you prefer?” he says, there is a sickness in the way he looks at me, a longing to cause pain.
His question is rhetorical, my mouth is gagged. My stomach churns as I see him open a large case on the table in front of me. He pulls from it a small vial, a dim light in it.
“Do you know what this is?” Mallock asks, stepping forward now holding the vial close to my face “You should recognize it, it belongs to you.”
I stare closer at the vial and see it contains a single hair. The same color as my own. Why would he show me this? What purpose does it serve even if it is my hair.
“Amazing isn’t it—I traveled from the other side of the star quadrant and found you on this bleak desert planet, just from a single itty bitty hair. Marvelous really.” Mallock says petting the container.
My skin crawls at his mannerisms, my heart is sinking as I struggle to no avail.
“It took a lot of greased palms, and an immeasurable amount of slagging mental taxation trying to find a way to get to you—but here we are C7447—here we are.”
Is he my sponsor? What have I done to earn his depraved attention? I’ve never seen him before.
“You seem to be confused, perhaps a refresher?” Mallock says, his evil grin growing deeper as he snaps his fingers “Come doggie.”
“Woof, yes master.” A voice says from where Mallock entered. The sound of four scampering metal legs joins the voice as it comes into the light. A man wearing a chain around his neck, scars riddled across his body, his limbs replaced with metal dog legs. It is repulsive to look at, his teeth removed so his tongue hangs from the side of his mouth.
“Still not jogging your memory?” Mallock asks as he pets the head of the man turned dog.
I try to rack my brain to make sense of what my eyes see, but I still don’t understand. Why is this happening to me, why do the gods forsake me again?
“My, you Kuwathi are very thick.” Mallock says, his grin sliding back, a tone of annoyance in his cold voice. He flicks his wrist and a holo appears.
My blood turns to ice as I see myself on it, holding the black box. The blue haired woman behind me on the ground. The gears in my mind begin to turn as I start to realize who Mallock is. Horror grips my body, fear building up inside of me. I see myself throwing the black box into the air, the perspective of the holo is from Betran... the carver I slew. I see myself closing the gap and killing him. Hearing the last word that was spoken to him… woof.
“Oh—you’re finally catching on.” Mallock says his grin returning. He swipes his hand and replays me saying woof again, and again. Each time the grin on his face growing deeper. I look to the man turned dog on the floor and realize fully that Mallock is the cousin that Betran would not stop talking about. The one who turns Kuwathi into dogs and fillets them for fun.
Sekat.
“You killed my cousin Betran Cotras—we Cotras don’t take kindly to people killing our blood, no matter how much of a disappointment they are. Do we doggy?”
“Woof—No—No—No Master you don’t.”
“That’s a good boy. Now sit. Give me paw, roll over.” Mallock says, not taking his eyes from me as I watch the disturbing exchange. He pulls something from his waist.
My eyes widen as I see it is a knife in Mallock's grasp, he stabs it into the man turned dog, again and a again. Blood spraying all over the room as he laughs in the shower of gore of his own making. The man turned dog yelps in pain, gurgling on blood, unable to stop it, until he becomes still, yet Mallock stabs him more, as though it was not enough... as though it is never enough. When he finally finishes, he stands slowly, wiping his face with his sleeve.
“Would you look at that C7447, how fortuitous, a position’s just opened up.” Mallock says coming closer to me now “When I heard that sweet and beautiful woof of yours—I just knew I had to have you.”
I look around the room, there is no escape. The men have plasma rifles, I am strapped to the upright table. I’m going to die here, a horrible and humiliating death.
“Way I see it, you got one good option—obey.” Mallock says, then coming close to my face he whispers “You going to be a good little doggie and obey?”
The bile in me rises as I shake my head no. I will not give him what he seeks, I will not die a cowards death and live as his dog.
“Set of brass balls on you.” He says with a half grin “Well the other option is I fillet you until you take option one.”
My Kuwathi eyes begin to glow in defiance of his will. He will not break me.
“I’m really going to enjoy this.” Mallock says pulling from his bag something I recognize, he holds a laser cutter, I recognize the markings on the side, it is the same kind my people use.
He steps forward and moves it towards my left arm. I struggle as much as I can.
“Oh wait, I almost forgot.” Mallock says going back towards the large case pulling from it a syringe with an injector “This helps make the pain more… enjoyable.”
He shoves it into my shoulder, my body writhes in agony as every nerve begins to fire, overloading my mind.
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“Can’t forget this one.” He says stabbing me with another syringe “Keeps you awake.”
The men with him begin to turn their gaze away. A sick look on some of their faces, causing the dread to rise with the fear. My senses are so heightened that the small breeze I felt before, feels like gale force winds upon my skin. Mallock’s face ripples with a pleasured smile as he moves the laser cutter towards the tip of my left pinky finger. He pauses for a moment then snaps his fingers, one of the men bring him a stool to sit on. The table raises up a little to match his new height. A mirror unfolds from the ceiling so I can watch him as he moves the cutter towards my left leg.
“Had a doggie run off once, better to start with the legs.” Mallock says as he turns the dial on the cutter to the lowest setting, then elbows me in the groin, the pain blinding “Plus we can take care of that attitude problem when we get up there. My daddy always said fix a dog that bares its teeth.”
The pain is unspeakable as I feel the laser sears and chars the flesh, every single nerve screaming and vibrating inside of me. Time dilates back and forth, slow then fast. The pain on the slow, the respite in-between too fast. Bioluminescence explodes in my eyes, making them glow uncontrollably, I have never known pain like this. It is mind breaking, the cracks that were on the edges of my sanity deepening. Every time I feel like it will end, and I will pass out, I feel a wave of the drugs surging me awake.
“Woof for me little doggie.” Mallock says giggling with glee as he cuts the tips of my toes off, a plop as they land on the ground below.
I feel tears rolling down my face mixing with sweat from my brow. He will not break me. The cracks in my sanity turn into fissures.
“I really do enjoy this little tool, if you adjust it just right, the burn is slow and it cauterizes the wound. Marvelous, can’t believe I’ve never used it before.” Mallock says as he carves into the mid-section of my foot. A loud thud as half of my foot falls to the ground.
I feel my mind breaking, my will starting to run dry. I am moving father and farther from my body as the fissures become larger. Words begin to form in my mind, words that the being swathed in light spoke to me.
Adar Ul Pakar - Juk ta Ikor
My thoughts are confused, my mind struggles against the pain, seeking the light of the being, but it cannot find it. I hear a thud, in the mirror I see my leg is gone up to my knee now. From the fissures of madness, I feel darkness beginning to creep into my bones, filling me with its poison. I hear the whispers of the dead seeping into my mind, calling me, their words a salve to the pain, I want to join them, I want them to take me from this place.
Adar Ul Pakar
It echoes louder in my mind, shaking my being, giving rise to the meaning.
Adar Ul Pakar – Forge your will, search past pain
Images flash before my mind, images I saw inside the black box. Before the walls around my mind can break fully, letting in the flood of madness’s embrace, I see light beginning to form near my right hand. It draws my mind slowly back from the abyss as I see the light form a hand, which gives rise to more light, until the being is fully before me. It reaches its hand towards my face, I feel hope spread from it into my body. The pain washing away like it never happened, the fractures in my mind beginning to seal once more.
“I think you’ve broken him boss.” One man says, his voice is distant, barely registering to my ears.
“Is he smiling?” Mallock asks “What the hells is happening to his arm?”
The being is grasping my hand now, I feel the vibrations shaking my entire body. Runic lines begin etching into my flesh in a language I do not recognize, the ink made of light. It says the other phrase to me now.
Juk ta Ikor – Call forth your Blessing
The being begins to fade leaving me alone again with my tormentors, the pain slowly returning, the cracks threatening to become fissures once more. Images of the being of light calling the black box form in my memories, and I outstretch my hand as they did. I feel something pulling towards it, drawn to the desire in my heart. The desire to be free of torment, the desire to return the pain I have received.
“Boss, I think you should put this one down. I got a bad feeling.” One says.
“What a beautiful doggie.” Mallock says, his eyes glistening, his arms outstretched, the laser cutter falling to the floor “By the gods, beautiful I say.”
“Boss he’s right we should put him down. That arm glowing, could be a weapon.” Another says.
“You will not touch my prize!” Mallock yells, spit flying from his mouth his hair going askew. He turns to me now, petting my face “That’s a good doggie, shine for master.”
The pain in my severed leg falls away as something deep within me begins to seep from the cracks, something that hides within the darkness of my soul. The feeling increasing as I feel my call heard by the black box, it comes to greet me. The song my heart sings echoing in my mind.
Come to me – lend me your power and I will give you an offering of souls
The building tremors as the wall in front of me explodes from the force of the black box ripping through it, knocking everyone to the ground. It slows as it reaches my hand almost in my grasp. A voice enters my mind, a voice I have heard in the dreams I could not remember. A voice that calls forth something inside of me, something that has been forging my entire life.
Do you seek power?
It asks me, its voice echoes through me, different from the being swathed in light. Whatever calls from the depths of the box is dark and twisted. There is no hope inside of it, only power forged in pain. It speaks again.
Are you worthy of my power?
The creature searches through my mind finding my memories, consuming the hope in my heart and filling it with hate, I feel power radiating from inside me as the box touches the flesh of my hand. It begins to glow and change shape, taking the form of a blade in my grasp. Darkness flows into me from it, turning my veins black, red light flowing upwards towards my heart.
The darkness guides me now, flowing into my body, the serenity of certainty forged in the bowels of madness. The completed form of anger turned rage - dipped in the dew of sadness’s embrace, tempered to have a singular purpose - to destroy that which hears its call – a blade forged in the darkest place - in the recesses of the soul. This feeling is primordial - it is Wrath…
The room around me begins to shake from the waves of pressure coming from the black blade, its edge begins to glow a vibrant red. My flesh tearing under the pressure of it. My hand beginning to burn and turn to ash as I try to wield this blade of wrath. In my grasp I feel pain incarnate, in my hand I feel unbridled wrath turned power.
The electronics in the room turn off, the plasma weapons lights going off then slowly restarting, the cuffs that bind me fall away sending me to the ground on the stub of my left leg. The pain is nothing compared to what I feel in my hand. I grasp the rubble and pull myself up to one leg, swinging the blade. Red energy erupts from it slashing through everything around me, cutting the metal men in half, in one strike all except Mallock are dead. The blade of red light keeps travelling, I feel vibrations from the building collapsing around us. Looking down below me I see Mallock looking upwards at me from the ground, his hands in front of him.
“Good doggie, be good for master.” He says.
My right hand swipes the blade across his arms and legs leaving stumps in its wake, ripping the floor from under us, sending us down three stories as each one breaks into the other. Pulling myself from the rubble I move to use my hand, but see that it is disintegrating. The voice speaks to me again. Disappointment in its tone.
You are unworthy to wield my power
The blade falls from to the ground, shifting back into the black box, the glow abating. My arm turns to ash up to my shoulder. I clench my jaw. I don’t know why, but its words sting me, more than the loss of my arm. Spurring rage inside me as the wrath flows out of me, taken back by the thing that resides in the black box.
“Please doggie, get master help.” Mallock says, his mind seems frayed as though he is in shock.
He crawls using his stumps through the rubble towards the ledge. Before me I see a large expansive city made of stone. My vision is growing blurry, but the rage bids me continue as I crawl towards him. A smile forming in the madness that grips my mind.
“Come here doggie.” I say to him, with my only hand I reach out, grasping the stump of his leg, pulling myself to him.
“Bad dog, bad.” He says, his madness mirroring my own.
From the folds of my clothes, I grab the device that Korra hid for me, the device that I took during the battle with the Emperor Scorpions. One of the Bipki power cores. I was going to use it to kill a metal soldier, but the madness that licks the edges of my mind screams inside me for his death to be absolute. I punch it over and over into his mouth breaking the teeth until it wedges into his throat.
“Good doggie.” I say, pushing him off the edge. I move to the edge, a sick smile upon my face as his head and torso explode showering me and the street below in warm gore. I feel myself laughing and crying as I lay down in the shambles of stone, the building begins to shake again from the aftershock of the explosion. Sending me downwards into the falling rubble.
He didn’t break me… not really. My will is still my own. There is some honor in this death at least. My eyes close as I fall further downwards, stones breaking my body as the building fully collapses. Darkness starting to embrace me, whispering for me to follow. As the darkness pulls me into the depths, there is a small light above me between the rubble, I see a hand reaching for me, strands of blue hair falling down towards me. The vision in my eyes fails and I am swept into the darkness completely.