Ascending | ✔

Little mishaps

The scientists eyed her warily as Caulifla sunk into a defensive stance, her pupils dilated. As much as she told herself that she could take them on if she really tried, she knew that this was not to be. The collar strapped around her neck had somehow locked all of her power away.

But corner an animal, and it will attack.

Caulifla hissed as the scientists all stepped closer to her at once, forming an arc around her.

"Caulifla," Niifa said coaxingly, holding her arms out. "There are two ways to go about this. Don't make things more difficult for yourself."

"Get away from me," Caulifla growled, her voice hoarse from disuse. She nearly stumbled over the fallen tube she had been in just moments ago when she backed away. "Don't come any closer."

They all exchanged a look.

Sighing, Niifa made a strange gesture with her hand. At once, Benzert the arlokian and Muto the octopodian moved forward faster than Caulifla's eyes could follow. In an instant, Benzert had locked his meaty arms around Caulifla's biceps and lifted her above the ground. Looking like he was doing the worst thing in the world, Muto reluctantly wrapped his tentacles around her kicking legs. Caulifla shivered when one of Muto's many arms curled around her waist to keep her still.

"I was hoping we wouldn't have to resort to this," Niifa said, her voice cold and clinical. Her gaze followed Muto, Benzert and Caulifla as they put her down and strapped her to a slanted operating table. Caulifla screeched in fury as she tried to tug her wrists from the metal clasps. Benzert and Muto moved quietly and efficiently as they hooked metal chains to shallow recesses on her collar before hooking her up to more medicines. Medicines that would hopefully keep her alive during the procedures. "Do not mistake me as one who gets pleasure from the pain of others. I hope that you will hold nothing against me, comrade."

"I am not your comrade!" Caulifla shrieked, her eyes blazing with a reawakened fire. "We are not allies! I am your enemy! You will always be my enemy!"

The zoorian hardly looked fazed by her outburst. "So be it." She walked to where Caulifla was trapped and looked her in the eye. "We may not look like it, but all of us in this room are warriors."

"What are you trying to say?" Caulifla snarled. "Spit it out already!"

Niifa shook her head. "Don't worry about it, saiyan."

Caulifla raised her eyebrows.

"You told me yourself that we are not comrades. You are now saiyan to me. Or would you prefer Vessel?"

A mask was put over her beautiful face by Moblit, preventing her from answering.

"I'll reiterate, saiyan. I do not get pleasure from pain. It is with great regret that I must inform you that this will hurt.

"A lot."

xXx

"Hah!" The soldiers launched a punch into the air. "Hah!"

At the front, a well toned soldier stood, one of high ranking based on the crest he bore on the breast of his uniform. The rest were copying their movements from this fellow relentlessly.

"Hah!" The air whistled as fists and feet launched everywhere in a single direction. "Hah!"

Roaring, the soldier at the front completed one final combat move, the rest following as per usual. Smirking, the soldier turned to face the others. A humble servant bowed to him before handing him a towel, which he used to dab away the sweat he had accumulated on his forehead.