Chapter 11: Sefina
Sythius drags me into a security room where camera feeds fill the holo screens. I instantly know how he found me. I guess it’s no surprise. It’s difficult to see cameras hidden in rocks among gravel, dirt, and cobwebs.
He ties my feet to the legs of a metal chair, binds my hands behind me, and switches on the audio of the torture room where Menace is strapped to the platform.
Sythius watches me as I listen to Menace and Quris talk about Mintaka and the others, about his torture, his mutation treatments, and how he’s been bred and built to be stronger by generations of humans dedicated to keeping alpha males alive, pushing them to be more, stronger than the enemy, so they could protect us.
Quris taunts Menace with comments about leaving his brothers to die, about failing Mintaka and disappointing him with how he turned out.
Sythius rests his hips back against a desk. “You humans are always caught up in dreams and romanticized notions of reality. That’s why you continuously fail.”
“Not all of us.”
“Which one of us is bound in a chair again?” Sythius studies me with hunger in his eyes, but he doesn’t touch me like I expect.
“You only think you’ve won,” I mutter.
“An empty statement.”
True, but it’s the start of creating doubt.Now, all I have to do is find a way to validate his doubt.
Sythius gets a call on the radio and picks it up. “Don’t go anywhere. I’m still savoring the moment I’ve caught you after all this time.”
He walks deeper into the office cave and talks with his squad about finding bodies in the water.
I smile to myself and listen to Quris and Menace argue about a Rogue Brother named Fracture.
It’s not easy to keep a straight face when Quris tears the blade out of Menace’s body, and Menace refuses to heal himself.
“I would rather shut myself down beyond repair than give you what you want.”
“But we have what you want,” Quris says.
The radio appears beside my face.
“Say hi,” Sythius growls.
“Hi.”
Menace jerks on his restraints.
“Sefi?” He roars. “Get out of here! Leave me!”
Prickles of alarm crawl down my spine. He wants me to leave, likely because of Mintaka. It’s the only reason I can figure he would say such a thing. But I’m not going to leave him. It’s just not in me to let the enemy have what they want.
“Aw, too bad. Your human is tied to a chair,” Sythius replies.
“Well done, Sergeant,” Quris remarks. “Remind me to promote you later.”
“Sefi!” Menace strains against his shackles. I can hear him through the open door.
Sergeant?Sythius is not in a soldier’s uniform. He’s in a maintenance jumpsuit more common to lower-ranking grunt crews. I don’t think he is who Quris thinks he is.
“I’m okay,” I scream, knowing he has to be able to hear me if I can hear him.
Sythius winces. “What the fuck is with your voice?”
“You’ve never heard me raise it before?” I simper. It’s a weapon I don’t use often because I really don’t like getting my mouth taped shut.
