The Genius Set Me Free: The Second Book of the Freeformers Series

Augenblick

(n.) a decisive moment in time that is fleeting, yet momentously eventful and incredibly significant... 'in the blink of an eye'

The color draining from Donnie's face and his hand covering his mouth in horror caught her attention. Without a word, Vienna rose and tread over to him, laying a hand on his shoulder and peering over at the screen.

"Entry one. Five days since capture." The young woman staring at the camera in the middle of the cell practically glowed from the hateful fire raging in her eyes. Her short, dyed hair was a mess, red lips smeared and mascara smudged. "Hamato Family, if you ever get hold of these videos, I want you to know the motives behind my rejoining the Foot Clan. I never intended to hurt any of you. You are all my family."

"Is that...?" Vienna didn't need Donnie's word to know the girl was Karai. Her eyes were reptilian, cold and icy, and where lacerations and gashes had appeared on her skin, scales had scabbed over her wounds instead of the normal, human process of blood coagulation.

"Get Leo," Donnie breathed, fast-forwarding through the feed with urgency now.

"Entry... t-two. Day fourteen." Blood dripped onto the floor from the multiple whippings on her back. Her face was thinner, cheekbones more accented than was healthy, hands spindly and muscles shaking. "Please help me. He's breaking me, I can't get out... I..." She screamed at a bang in another room off-camera, cowering.

Cowering.

That definitely wasn't like her.

He turned to say something to Vienna, explain to her that Karai wasn't one to beg for help, but the brunette wasn't there.

Right, she'd gone to get Leo.

She's so tiny, her feet probably didn't even make a sound.

He turned back to his computer, trying to refocus. Fast-forwarding through three more lashings, and the fastening of a muzzle around Karai's face to prevent her venomous bites.

"Donnie, you found something?" came the sound of Fae's voice as she and Leo hurried in behind Vienna.

"I found everything." Donnie beckoned the trio forward, clicking through the files. "My data tracked down the video feeds in the facility."

"Finally," Leo muttered under his breath.

"Watch it. You don't want your retinas clawed out," Vienna threatened, leaning down beside Donnie and tilting her glasses further down her face to scrutinize the videos, all business.

Her eyes were hazel in the screen's light now, he noticed. Funny, he thought they've would've turned green, for some reason.

"'Scuse me, Miss Genius 2.0, but aren't retinas in the BACK of the eyeball?" Leo brushed past Faline, blocking her view while he scrutinized Donnie's work.

"That's the point." Vienna leaned close, her nose nearly poking at Leo's cheek, to whisper in a foreboding tone, "The pain will be much greater if I need to dislodge something so deep in your head."

Faline couldn't hold back a small snort of amusement, which in turn was rewarded with a scowl from her boyfriend.

"Entry Three."

Audible gasps were heard from everyone at the sight of Karai. Her eyes were dull, lifeless, though her cadaverous frame still rose and fell with labored breaths. She had barely anything on -- the weapon used to torture seemed to have torn her clothing to shreds. Where there should've been beautifully smooth olive skin, sickly purple bruises had bloomed. Where there wasn't torn skin and exposed, sinewy muscle, her skin had gone deathly pale.