VIXEN - The Legend of the Five Totems

Chapter 16 - Tabu's New Face

"Wake up, American."

The voice is cold and feminine. Most women have some kind of motherly aspect to their vocalized tones, but not this one. There is too little patience in it; even if it were to somehow give rise to a subsequent generation of life, any woman sounding like this would just as soon shoot it in the head for even the barest sign of insolence.

"I said wake up!" The command is given with an open hand slap that sends Buddy Baker's head lolling.

"No patience at all," he mumbles, continuing his train of thought.

"When I am so close to getting what I have always wanted, there is no more time for patience."

Buddy's senses are as wonky as they have been for... how many days has it been since he was brought here? He has been in a stupor for so much of his time in Maksai and Tabu's care, that he has no idea if it has been a day, a week, months, or years. With that thought, fire rages through his body. He has to contact his family. Give them an update. Tell them something. He can't let them go thinking he was dead or anything! That would just be bad familying.

His efforts to contact are stymied by the fact that he is bound to a metallic slab by his neck, wrist, upper arm, chest, thigh, and ankle. "Urghk!"

The pain is not as pronounced as it could be. This appears to be a low-ceilinged room, there are only the bright spots of three long overhead lights. The lights vacillate like the ripples of El Porto beach in California. "I'm drugged, aren't I?"

"Have you not realized yet that you are here until we are done with you?"

Buddy coughs from the pressure on his neck. Much to his chagrin, what with the drugs in his system to the bindings around him, there is no way he will be able to make his escape.

Not right now, at least. "Soon, Ellen... soon."

~

Tabu is satisfied that the bindings will hold. The surgeons on her team have assured her that the cocktail in Buddy's system will keep him from unleashing his potent animal abilities during the process. She told them that he better not, that if this process were to fail because of their incompetence, there would be hell to pay.

"Old man. He is awake. Let's get this done."

Kai is free, as he has been since his capture. Free in the flesh, though trapped in the soul, bound to Maksai's will by the children of the village. The least sign of free will would injury onr of the kids. Just to make certain that he conforms, Kai has been given two guards. These soldiers decked out in green have been armed with pistol, submachine gun, and knife. Their greatest defense is the child that each forces along behind Kai. The kids have been swapped out twice now, every several hours. Initially, they used only one as a direct motivational force, but following Maksai's acquisition of Vixen's totem earlier that day, the General decided not to take any chances. Now there are two. Testing Maksai's dedication to violence is not even a consideration – he watched the slaughter from the previous night.

Kai glances at the two children – both female, neither older than ten. They are defenseless against the evils of the room. Defenseless save for his own compliance. Kai steps forward. He is only slightly taller than Tabu, and is still caked in the patterns of paint from the celebration of life that was so brutally turned into a sacrifice to gods of death.

"Come on, old man! We haven't got all day."

Kai turns to regard the two children held at the back of the room with knives to their throats. Sadly, almost mournfully, he reaches his hands out over the naked American on the metallic table. He closes his eyes. A faint ruddy glow surrounds both men for the briefest of an instant. Shuddering, he steps away from the table.