The Beast

The Beast - Part 44

Gabriel was awoken by Elle a few hours later. He felt different, angrier and less filtered. The memories of Chip's betrayal returned, fueling his flames of anger but not the hot rage he went to battle with; this was cold and ruthless anger coursing through his veins. He reached for his neck, checking on the collar he saw Chip put on him. It wasn't there.

Elle spoke up: "I took the liberty to take care of it and have deactivated the sedatives."

"Well done."

Standing up reminded him of the trap he ran into. Dozens of iron rods had been stuck inside his legs. Now he felt nothing in his legs hours later, they just laid next to his bed covered in blood. He opened the door of his cell as quietly as he could and sneaked through the ship without making a noise, having memorized its layout from watching Chip.

He stopped before her door, the realization of what he was about to do hit him. Was he really about to seek revenge, whatever that was?

"Elle, I was told you don't heal tortured people. Is that true?" He wasn't sure where he was going with this but asking couldn't hurt.

She replied in a worried tone: "I referred to a swift death when I advised you to bring justice nevertheless I will heal anyone if you order it regardless of how I feel about it."

Hesitantly he opened the door, inside was Chip on a bed sound asleep. The rest of the room was surprisingly modest. He saw a replacement arm and some clothes but that was about it for the personal belongings she kept in her room.

Now he stood over her contemplating his next move. His eyes shifted to her robotic arm, it beat him twice now. The next few minutes he spent staring at her thinking about what had happened. They brought Zuski, that was a gesture he couldn't forget and Kanu was also nice but what about the princess and why was Verona on board?

"Pervert.", Chip ripped him out of his thoughts. Instinctively, he pinned her down with his right hand by wrapping it around her chest and crushing her robotic arm with his left hand.

"Damn, kinky, what's next?" her giggle was the loudest thing he heard since waking up.

He gripped tighter with his right hand, making sure she knew he was serius: "Why did you betray me?"

Her first response was nothing but air escaping her lungs, so he loosened his grip. Then she talked understandably: "Taro was gonna kill you once he found out ancient things play with you. I saved your life, be grateful."

The feeling of desperation he had when he realized he had been betrayed came back nagging at his heart. Something inside him liked Chip but the dagger in his back refused to be forgotten. His hand became sweaty and cold, his legs started shaking seeing the face that smirked down on him before he passed out.

He almost shouted at her barely controlling his voice: "But why did you attack me? I would've stepped in the box if you asked nicely. Why didn't you just ask me?"

A giggle turned into outright laughing: "That wouldn't have been as fun."

Something snapped inside him. He grabbed her other arm, twisted it and pulled it off. Skin ripped. Flesh teared. Bones broke. Blood flow. Chip's body twisted in pain as she screamed at the top of her lungs. He held her torso steady in place as her legs kicked against him. Blood uncontrollably streamed out of her stump that remained. He watched frozen in place as her resistance reached its peak and then died down. The scream became quieter and the kicking softer until she finally passed out. That's when he used his free hand to press down on the wound. The pain brought her back into consciousness for a moment but she quickly passed out again.

Gabriel shouted at Elle: "Save her. This is an order."

Ice cold liquid forced its way out from below his fingernails flowing towards her wound. Some also trickled out of his nose and mouth and dripped down on her sweat filled face where it crawled into her. At first Elle just stopped the bleeding but soon she repaired the whole arm back to its original form. The one he ripped off laid on the floor white as snow in a puddle of blood. His right arm was aching from clenching her but he refused to let go.

"She needs rest to recover."

"Wake her." His tone was harsh enough that Elle didn't question him.

Chip's eyes opened slowly looking around the room, when their eyes met she remembered. Fear spread in her face and not a second later she kicked at him again. This annoyed him to the point that he climbed on her so that she could only ramm her knees into his back which didn't hurt given their size difference, his left hand stayed on her torso pinning her down no matter how much it hurt to keep clenching.

A punch flew at his face, he catched Chip's fist and crushed it into a broken mess. He was familiar with her deafening screams but this time it wasn't just air leaving her lungs. Chip screamed for mercy, she begged. That was too much for him.

"Elle, her hand."

Chip went quiet, paralyzed in fear. She formed a fist and released it again in disbelief.

Gabriel continued: "Make sure she doesn't pass out this time."

He grabbed her arm at the elbow, then he took his aching arm and grabbed the shoulder. He knew she realized what was about to happen by the way her shivering turned into trembling.

Chip pleaded: "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, please don't. I'll-"

He ripped her arm off again. She twisted and turned again and he watched her resist again but this time she didn't bleed out. Gabriel watched until he couldn't anymore.

"Elle." He said and soon after nanos started to reform the arm.

Gabriel leaned down next to her head and whispered: "I could go on for hours, maybe days. I won't but if you ever betray me again I'll build your tomb with your own bones."

Then he stood up and walked out of her room without saying another word.