Hard Trials (Book Five of the Into the Fray series)

Chapter Seven

      "Where is the Resistance base?"

Armitage opened his eyes. His captor was inches away from his face. He jumped before he could stop himself, startled.

Armitage rolled his eyes. "Not this again."

She took a step back, pulled her fist back, and punched him in the right eye.

"Fuck!"

"Where is the Resistance base?" she screamed.

"Leave me alone!"

She punched him in the exact same eye two more times. With the third hit, he felt and heard something crack. He howled in pain.

"Where is it?"

"Fuck you!"

She laughed. "Enjoy two more days with no water."

She left. As soon as the door shut, he counted to ten slowly and then burst into tears. He wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of seeing him break.

~

Ben was almost asleep when it happens. He heard someone laughing. It was a woman. His eyes flew open and he bolted upright. A wave of physical and emotional pain hit him like a lead weight.

It was Armitage. He could hear him yowl in pain.

Ben jumped to his feet, closed his eyes, and extended his hand. Whoever is doing this--this woman--was allowing him to feel Armitage's pain and hear him, but nothing else. Ben's brow furrowed and he reached out again, desperately trying to get a location. He couldn't though. Then as quickly as it had come, the connection was gone. Ben didn't know what upset him more--the fact that Armitage was somewhere in anguish, or the fact that whoever was doing this is toying with him.

Ben was caught off guard once again. The yellow Sith eyes haunted his sight, just for a split second. He flinched. Even that vision he tried to hold onto, tried to garner some meaning from it, but he received nothing.

He sat down in the middle of his room, cradling his head in his hands, fighting the urge to cry. He had never felt so completely powerless in his entire life.

~

Armitage lost track of the days after the fifth one. Up until then he had been keeping track. Counting the time had helped keep him grounded, keep him sane. When he woke up once, bewildered, disoriented and confused, he realized he had lost track of it. He had cried.

He found there was so little for him to hold onto in this desolate room. He could feel himself slipping. Going through torture training, both on the receiving and giving end, turned out to be nothing like the actual thing. He cursed himself now, wishing his resolute was stronger.

He was allowed sleep sporadically. Instead of his captor waking him up personally, blinding lights were turned on. On some level, Armitage knew he was being allowed the bare minimum in order to keep him somewhat sane. He knew all about the fine line between effective torture and ruining someone, making them useless. He also knew how hearty people were, and that they could survive such horrors for months, if not years.

Armitage closed the eye that wasn't swollen shut and leaned his head back. Ben--where are you?

"How sweet."

Armitage opened his eye. The woman was sitting on the bucket again. Had he fallen back asleep? Was he dreaming?

"I'll let that one pass through," she said. "It should hurt."

Armitage didn't understand what she was talking about. With some difficulty, he focused his eye on her. "What--"

The scaly woman got to her feet. She opened the clasp at her neck. Her cape falls away, revealing nothing underneath. She sauntered over, pressing her naked body against his.