Operation Infiltration (Kotlc Fanfic)

Chapter 14 • The Burden of Fire

Tw: Torture but not super detailed. I think?

Sophie went white-faced with horror, a gasp escaping her trembling lips as she gazed upon the bruised body. The freshly cut hairs on the back of her neck stood on end at the sight.

Mr. Forkle, tied to the table, battered and beaten. Since his ruckleberry disguise wore off, he looked like Leto.

"Have you met any of the Collective members before, Phoenix? Since you were a Black Swan member before, I would assume so..." Gethen's smile twisted into something wicked as he looked at Leto.

Leto's eyes widened, betrayal clear in his expression. Sophie held back her tears. He probably thinks I betrayed them and told them how to defeat the Black Swan.

"Does it still hurt to know that Sophie is dead?" The grin on Gethen's face was more unhinged than it had any right to be.

Leto's voice was firm, but his eyes watered. "You have no proof!" A desperate urge welled up in Sophie to shout she was alive, to break his chains and pull him free from this nightmare, but the logical side of her crushed her resolve.

"Enough of this. How do we use the Verity Viel?"

He stared Gethen dead in the eyes. "I refuse to disclose that information." The words barely left his lips before Gethen punched him in the stomach, leaving Leto gasping for air.

Sophie winced as haunting memories of her own torture surged like a tidal wave, threatening to pull her under. The burns they had caused. Although she was now immune to fire, they had the power to make her inflict the same pain on him. Fintan wouldn't make her, right? Hadn't he regretted involving Brant so much?

"You don't have to make this hard on yourself." Gethen sighed. "Just tell me."

"No." Gethen continued inflicting pain on him. This went on for a while; each refusal met with more violence. Eventually, Gethen pulled Sophie to the side. "Phoenix, I want to teach you some telepathy tricks."

Considering his prior actions towards Leto, she had no desire to find out. But she nodded anyway.

"Enter my mind." Gethen ordered. Sophie did, and his mind still gave her the creeps.

I'm going to show you how to extract information from a resistant mind. His voice dripped with malice. Sophie's heart pounded as they walked over to Leto's head. They both put their fingers to his temples.

They encountered a solid mental wall. Focus on his pain. Use it to break down his mental defenses.

I can't do that. She recoiled at the thought, her mental voice trembling.

You can and you will, Gethen insisted, his mental grip tightening around her consciousness. Otherwise, the sidelines will be your place, and you'll never gain true membership in the Neverseen.

Sophie's resolve wavered, and she hoped he hadn't noticed. She steeled herself, determined to find a way in. She collected mental energy and dove into Leto's mind. Plummeting deeper towards the bottom.

His mind was a whirlwind of agony and determination. Thoughts of her death swirled around in painful spirals. He kept some thoughts and memories shielded from her prying eyes.

Why couldn't it have been me? ▓▓▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓ I could have saved her. ▓▓▓▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓ One day I ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓ Does the pain ever end? ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓ I could really use a ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓▓▓ The air is so dry in here. ▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓▓ ▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓▓