I Don't Seem So Bright in a Well-Lit Room

Chapter Seven

Not every ship in the known universe had its own torture chamber, but The Muse certainly had a doozy.

Some ships had home theatres, some had personal gyms, some zoos, and others even had lavish ballrooms. Teeg didn't need a ballroom. She didn't need wainscoting or a kitchen worthy of entertaining the dreaded-but-tolerated neighbours. She needed various things to tie people up to, tie people up with, and hurt them in as many creative ways as her creative brain could create. She also liked a bit of wax fruit around for pizzazz.

Potto was tied to a nice cream-coloured vinyl dentist chair Teeg had picked up at a medical equipment rummage sale on Vex 2. It hadn't been a difficult capture, she had merely said, "You're coming with me," and he smiled and followed her, chatting about his love of Lyme Node's slight dampness and the plot of a movie that probably didn't exist but was somehow his favourite.

She laughed to herself at how this was going to be the simplest bounty she had ever bountied, and with the biggest pay off she had ever been paid off. The universe sometimes worked in beautifully mysterious ways.

She used pain and sexuality to get results, but thought she might not need either this time. However, she also knew that to underestimate others was playing a deadly game.

She walked in with as much danger, confidence, intimidation and sex appeal as she could. If she turned it on strong at first, this might be over in seconds.

"What's going through your head right now, cowboy? Are you afraid?" she purred.

"Nope!" he smiled.

What was off-putting to Teeg was not Potto's answer, but rather the honestly flippant and downright cheerful way he said it.

"You're not afraid?" she asked holding up a rusty device that looked like it could peel all of the world's potatoes in one swoop.

"Oh, I'm probably very afraid...that's just not what was going through my head right now," he smiled harder. It was a smile so sincere it looked insincere, and then so insincere it looked sincere again.

She put down the device and hauled back and punched him square in the face. Blood leaked from his nose and he looked even more dazed than he usually did.

"You like that, bitch?" she sneered.

"Now why would anyone like that?" he asked with more confusion than contempt.

"All you gotta do is talk. Why is The Node after you?"

"What's a Node?"

She picked up an old nail gun that she had picked up at a hardware rummage sale on Vex 3. She put the barrel right up to Potto's head and pulled the trigger. When she put it down Potto had a small upholstery nail sticking out of the centre of his forehead. It didn't happen often but Potto wasn't happy about this.

"OOOOOWWWWWWWW!!! That's not how you use that! It's for building decks or something!" he howled.

He strained his eyes, crossed them, and tried to look up at his own forehead. His pain went away quickly as did his displeasure. "Actually, that could come in handy! Y'know, for hanging coats..." he beamed and lost himself in thought.

Teeg was getting frustrated. Perhaps this was an act and indeed Potto was as cunning as General Eppie had warned.

"Enough games! Why did The Node hire me to capture you? And at such a high price? It's the fabled Achilles Chip isn't it? What power does it hold over him?" she barked.

Potto stared blankly. He was thinking about all the things he could hang from his forehead and how popular this would make him with the young folk. Teeg grabbed a scalpel. Upon seeing the tiny blade glimmer in the light, a metaphorical switch inside Potto's head clicked on for a moment.