The Celestial Code

Chapter Five

Dessa held up her hands when she came to next. The pain was gone. Her leg was still bandaged but when she turned her hands this way and that... there was nothing. Her thumb was intact and wiggled, all of her nails were back in place. Undamaged and fine as if nothing had ever happened. But it had. She would never forget the pain and she had a feeling she would have to live through it all over again today.

Tears pricked her eyes at the thought.

She couldn't survive more than a few days of this. Dessa had to find a way to be done. She couldn't make it.

Dessa flinched when the door to her cell slid open and a visceral fear and dread pulsed through her at the sight of Olvander in the doorway. He wore the same clothes as yesterday and the same cold smile.

"Ready to answer my questions?"

"I'd rather die," Dessa whispered, proud of how her voice didn't shake.

He folded his hands in front of himself, two soldiers flanking him. The same ones from yesterday. "That's a pity. Take her."

Dessa didn't resist this time. She let them leader through the cold, identical hallways until they came to the same room as before. Dessa's hands shook as they walked her to the table and strapped her hands to it.

Time for the pain to begin again.

But this time, Olvander didn't have any weapons rolled out. No, instead, the same silver Celest woman walked in with a strange metal contraption in her hands.

"No knives today," Olvander said almost regretfully. "Let's start with some easy. Where would General Vega go if a base was destroyed? Where would she go to hide?"

Dessa's eyes twitched. The question had changed since yesterday. Seemed they were getting desperate and it had only been a day. Or at least, she thought it had only been a day. Time passed strangely there where pain and sleep was all Dessa knew.

"I don't know."

She did know. Vega would go to Base Kaptor where Commander Percival was stationed at. He was the second highest ranking member of the military on Avere and she would retreat to him for resources and wisdom.

The female Celest gave a shake of her head as she set the contraption down. It looked like a pilot's helmet, made entirely of silver with an antenna sticking out of the top of it.

"What do you know about the general's next targets?"

"Nothing."

Another shake of the female Celest's head.

Dessa did know her next targets. She just would rather endure horrendous torture than give it up.

Olvander let out a sigh that didn't sound the least bit upset by her answers. "Very well. Mira, would you?"

The female Celest - Mira - walked over and picked up the helmet. Dessa squirmed as she walked around to the back of her and placed it on her head. The cold metal bit against her skin and made her head lull forward.

"What is this?" she asked, shifting in her seat.

Olvander walked back around and leaned his arms against the back of the chair in front of her. "Our mind melder. I'm sure you've heard of it."

Dessa's face paled. She had. If she'd thought yesterday had been bad... this was about to be so much worse. Dessa had heard stories of soldiers being rescued after being tortured with the mind melder. They never recovered. Many of them ended up in psych wards or on medication to manage seeing and hearing things that weren't there. And for some of them, nothing worked or helped. They just had to live with chronic headaches and complex-PTSD from the thing.