Chapter No.17

Hurt so good.
Come on baby, make it hurt so good.
Sometimes love don't feel like it should.
You make it hurt so good.

- John Mellencamp –

Captivity was beginning to be boring. Angie, Lia, and Tyler had been locked up together for what Angie reckoned was at least a week. With no time piece or scanning equipment, she could not be sure. All she knew was that she was going stir crazy.

Lia had been taken off for questioning again. The Cyborgs preferred to question them individually, and each of them had been questioned several times. What she couldn't understand is why these idiots thought that she and her crew were in league with the Dragons. It didn't make any sense, even though it was true.

The cell door opened, startling her and Tyler. Lia walked in and immediately collapsed down on a metal bench.

"I think that the Commander is becoming frustrated with us. We're not giving him the answers that he wants."

"What does he want us to do: tell him we're Dragon agents. He'll just execute us after I do that."

"I've tried to reason with him," Tyler said. "But, he won't listen to reason."

"If we don't get out of here soon, we will be lost forever," Angie said, bowing her head."

"I'm certain that Commander Sinclair is trying to rescue us at this very moment," Lia said.

"First, he has to locate us, and we don't even know where we are. We could be hundreds of light years away from where we were taken prisoner." She looked up at them. "I am sorry that I got you into this predicament."

"It's not your fault," Tyler said. "We all volunteered to go on this mission, knowing the risks."

"I realize that, but you're not trained for situations like this. Martin and I are."

"How could you be trained for this situation?" Lia said. "We're captives of some goofy machine culture that thinks that biological beings like us are inferior. We're just bags of shit to them. I'm surprised that they haven't sliced us up and fed us to flesh eating animals like they do to the Dragons."

Angie winced. "Don't say that!"

"Why?" Lia said. "Aren't you surprised that they are allowing us to live?"

"I am not surprised by anything," Angie said. "If they wanted us dead, they would have killed us by now."

"That is an important observation," Tyler said. "We are nothing to them, yet they have not killed us because we represent a threat to them, a threat that they can not afford to ignore."

"I doubt that," Angie said. "We are worthless biological beings to them. They don't care what we say or do."

A pall of depression hung over the three humans and it didn't look like it was going away any time soon.

***

The nights were a particular hell. The only light was a dim glow from the ceiling, and the only beds that they had were cold hard metal benches. Sleep was fitful and brief. They were given food, along with some water only two times a day and it tasted terrible, but it was all they had. Obviously, their jailers didn't want them to feel comfortable.

A Cyborg soldier opened their cell and ordered Lia to come with him. She was taken to a room and made to stand while the Dragon Commander sat.

"You are the translator, are you not?" he said.

"Yes. I've already told you that."

"You have translated Dragon speak?"

"Yes, we had to. You have to know your enemy before you can defeat them."

"Have you communicated with them?"

"No, we don't communicate with enemy."

"Why do you lie to me? I know that you have spoken to them on many occasions."

"I did not. You have no evidence of that."

The Commander stood up and approached her. "You are lying. I am tired of your lies."

"I'm not lying, damn it."

"I will inflict pain on you if you do not tell the truth."

"I am telling the truth."

The Commander ordered a female Cyborg to come forward. The female removed all of Lia's clothing and then fastened a strap around her wrists and behind her back. When the female pushed her onto a metal plate containing many sharp points, Lia tried to alleviate the discomfort by shifting her stance.

"Ow! You're hurting me."

"I am not hurting you," the commander said. "Tell me the truth or I will inflict real pain on you."

"Please, I beg you," Lia cried. "Don't hurt me. I have no knowledge of the Dragons. I am not lying. Please don't hurt me."

"You humans have soft bodies," the Cyborg said. "Your flesh is easily damaged and contains many nerve receptors that transmit pain to your brain"

"I realize that, but I am telling you the truth. Please don't hurt me."

"Why should I listen to you and your lies? You have no rights here. I can do whatever I want to you. Come and I will allow you to see your eventual fate."

Lia gave him a worried look.

***

Wearing a short white plastic robe, Lia came back from her interrogation and promptly sat down on her metal bed. "This is becoming a bit more than I can endure," she said, groaning.  "They hurt me."

"What did they do with your clothes?" Angie asked.

"They cut them up looking for information."

"This is terrible," Tyler said. "They have no right to take your clothing."

"I'm sure that taking our clothing is the least of our troubles," Angie said. "I'm sure that they'll resort to physical persuasion methods."

"How are we going to survive torture?" Lia asked. "These bastards are not going to be gentle with us."

"What can we do about it?" Angie said. "We're under their control, and there's nothing we can do about it. If they want to torture us, they will. We'll just have to endure it."

"We should consider confessing," Tyler said. "That's what they want."

"If we confess, they'll just kill us," Lia said. "I don't want to die."

"Nobody wants to die," Angie said. "But, sometimes it becomes necessary."

"Death is never necessary," Tyler said. "It is the result of stupid actions."

"I do know how they're going to execute us," Lia said. "I've seen the device and it's cleverly diabolical."

"I'm sure it's not a very pleasant way to die," Angie said.

"It'll be downright awful," Lia said. "It's a metal pit shaped like a cone. In the bottom at the point are cutting blades, kind of like an old fashion blender. The blades are small but rotate fast. What they do is lay you on a slide and tilt it up so that you slide down the cone. You'll probably try to impede your descent but eventually your feet will get to the blades, and you'll get sliced and diced."

"Why don't they just shoot us?" Tyler said. "Why do they employ such a cruel execution method?"

"They probably get their kicks out of watching us get ground up," Angie said. "They may even find it entertaining."

"If that is the case, they have no redeeming value," Tyler said.

Neither Lia nor Angie could dispute that.

***

The Cyborg Commander came at the beginning of the next day and ordered Tyler to come with him. Tyler was taken to the interrogation chamber and made to stand before the Commander.

"You are the maker of treaties, are you not?"

"Yes, I am a man of peace. I desire peace."

"I think that you have made a covenant with the Dragons."

"No, I haven't. They are our enemy. I can not understand why you think that."

"You are lying," the Cyborg commander said. "Why do you persist in your lies?"

"You are wrong about us. We have destroyed many Dragon ships and bases. If we were allies of the Dragons, why would we do that?"

"You are telling stories. I do not believe you."

"I do not understand your doubt. I am telling you the truth."

The Cyborg Commander gestured to the female and she came forward.

"Remove his coverings."

She stripped Tyler and secured his wrists behind his back. She then fastened manacles that had cables that went up into the ceiling around his ankles. When she pushed a button, he was pulled upside down.

"Ow! That hurts."

"Tell me the truth," the Commander demanded.

"I am telling you the truth," Tyler said. "Why do you insist that I am not?"

The Cyborg commander put his metallic hand on Tyler's privates. "You human males have very sensitive procreation organs. If you don't tell me the truth I will show you how sensitive they can be."

Back in the cell Lia and Angie heard Tyler scream.

"Shit!" Lia said. "They're hurting him."

"I feel bad about this," Angie said. "It's my fault."

"No it's not," Lia said. "You did what you had to do."

"Saying that doesn't make me feel any better about it."

An hour later, Tyler was brought back and slowly sat down. He was wearing a white plastic robe like Lia's.

"I am very sorry about this, Tyler," Angie said.

"It's not your fault," Tyler said. "These idiots are unreasonable."

"I don't understand why they are holding back," Tyler said. "Even though they hurt me, it was not that bad."

"They must be afraid to do us real harm," Lia said.

"I wouldn't jump to any conclusions," Angie said. "They must think that we are worth something to them. How long that will last is unknown."

They all jumped when the cell door clanked open. The Dragon Commander entered and stood before them.

"None of you have told me the truth. I will now coerce the information that I wish by force." He pointed to Lia. "You will be next."

"Wait. Wait," Angie said. "If you're going to torture us, do it to me, not them. I am the Commander of the Earth fleet and I know much more than they do."

"No, ma'am," Lia said. "Let me go."

"No, Lia. I'm the one that should go."

The Cyborg pointed at Angie. "If that is your wish, you will be first. Come."

Angie got up and went with the Cyborg. She was taken to a chamber across the corridor from the cell. A female Cyborg waited there ready to do the Commander's bidding. Manacles hung from connectors on the ceiling and lay connected to the floor, and Angie didn't like the looks of that.

"Remove her coverings," the Commander ordered.

The female Cyborg removed Angie's clothing, and then she placed the manacles connected to the ceiling around her wrists and those connected to the floor to her ankles. When she pressed some buttons, Angie was pulled up until she was suspended. When the manacles around her wrists were pulled up more, she was stretched.

"Ow! That hurts, damn it."

"Confess, Earth woman, and I will release you."

"I have nothing to confess to," Angie said though clenched teeth.

The Cyborg Commander gestured to the female and she pressed a button, stretching Angie's body more.

"Damn, that hurts! Ow!"

The Commander held up a long tube with a pointed end. "What you are complaining about is only the beginning. Now confess."

"I will not confess to something that I didn't do," Angie cried.

Lia and Tyler sat in the cell and wondered what was happening to Angie. The suspense made them shiver. A noise heightened their heart rates.

"What was that?" Lia whispered.

Then they heard a scream.

"Oh, shit, they're really hurting her," Lia said.

More screams echoed from the distance. Then they heard bawling and yelling, and they knew that poor Angie was suffering.

"She is doing this for us," Tyler said. "She is very brave."

A long loud scream made both Tyler and Lia shiver even more. Eventually, Lia covered her ears to block the sound of pain being inflicted on her poor Admiral. Tyler cursed. It was something that he seldom did.

***

Angie, Lia and Tyler stood before the Cyborg Commander like convicted criminals standing before the bar of justice. The smug Commander sat above them behind a bench with the two female Cyborgs standing at the side awaiting orders.

"We have judged you to be collaborators of the Dragons, as you call them. Your lives will be terminated after we punish you."

Angie raised her hand. "Sir, I have a request."

"You are not in a position to make requests, Earth woman."

"I realize that, sir, but I beg you not to punish these two. I am their Commander and they were following my orders. They are not guilty of anything other than obeying me. Punish me, not them."

"Your crime requires the punishment of all three. If you assume their punishment, you will be tormented for a period that will be three times longer before your termination."

"I agree to that," Angie said.

Lia and Tyler immediately realized what she was doing. She was buying time, but it would cost her dearly.

"So shall it be," the commander said.

Make it hurt so good!

***

Marty and Ninja were the only ones on the command deck. Bathed in night vision red, they searched for any thing that could help locate Angie, Lia and Tyler. Marty had never felt so helpless in his entire life. The only woman that he really loved was in the hands of ruthless, heartless alien man-machines, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He had no idea if she was still alive. He had seen what they did to Dragons, and he cringed at the thought of her being ground up into pieces and fed to carnivores. It made him sick to his stomach.

The anguish that Martin was going through did not escape Ninja. He knew that it was tearing up his partner in battle. Warriors desired action. They wanted to do something, not sit around thinking.

"She will be okay, Martin. She is strong.

"I know that, Ninja, but this waiting around is driving me crazy."

"I understand. Warriors want action not waiting." He paused, as if in thought. "We need to capture one of these Cyborg creatures. We could force information from him."

"That's not going to be easy. First we have to engage them in battle."

"We will do that soon. It is our destiny."

***

Angie hung suspended by her feet with her fingertips only a few inches from the floor and waited for the pain to begin. She had no idea what they were going to do to her, but she knew it wouldn't be pleasant.

"We usually secure the subject's hands," one of the female Cyborgs said. "If you promise to cooperate, we will leave yours free."

"I promise. What are you going to do to me?"

"Punish you."

"I know that."

Both females held long silvery rope-like objects that appeared to be flexible. Angie's assumption that they were some kind of a whip proved on the money when they began to beat her with them. The pain wasn't so much from the slap of the whip on her flesh but rather an electrical discharge that caused her muscles to clamp tight on contact, adding to the pain. She screamed and cursed as each blow made her twitch and twist around violently.

She passed out, but they simply waited until she awoke before continuing. After three times of seeing their subject pass out, they stopped.

After waiting for Angie to stop bawling, one of the females bent over to look into Angie's face. "We are not supposed to give you a respite, but we appreciate your cooperation."

"Oh, dear God, thank you," Angie cried with tears streaming down her forehead and dripping on the floor. "That really hurts like hell. I don't think I can take much more of this."

"We are sorry. We will not strike you as often when we continue."

"How long are you going to punish me?"

"We must punish you for the entire day."

"Oh my God!" Angie began to bawl again.

Her bawling had no effect on the Cyborg females.