OGENUS EARTH 🌎 🌊 {Dystopian Sci-Fi Adventure}

So I Thought

"They're not going to give us anything," Matthias spoke in a low voice as she joined Persephone at the two-way mirror looking into interrogation room two. "We've been working on these women for hours, and all they do is smile or scream."

It was true, Ben had watched a few of the interviews himself. The women would sit and watch placidly as Matthias tried every tactic they knew of. Not even torture worked, as they'd found in the case of Karen.

Karen sat at the table, her hands cuffed to the surface and her arms smeared in blood. She struggled at first, but the torrent of pain had subsided and she was free to stare down at Matthias' handiwork.

The plasma blade of Matthias' knife didn't even have to touch her before the skin began to crackle and cook. Blisters rose until the puss-filled mounds would burst open, spilling the gooey white matter out over her roasting skin.

Karen's head practically vibrated with pain as the heat got closer and closer to her dermis. She shredded her lips and cheeks trying to bite against the screams scraping up her throat.

Marcus had found that he didn't have the stomach for extreme interrogations, especially when a woman began to cry out in unnatural, guttural sounds of agony. Throwing his weight around and bullying anyone smaller than him were more in his comfort zone.

He especially couldn't stand when their whimpering cries were similar to the sounds his mother made when his father was on a tear.

Persephone however, was mildly impressed with the interminable grit these women were showing.

The conviction in their cause was enough to withstand torture, which was remarkable and foolhardy.

"This is madness!" Ben exploded from behind them, his legs suddenly turning to jelly. "We have to find that ship! We have to stop them before-"

"It is worse than we thought." Persephone agreed, rushing to help Ben stay upright. "We must send a ship there, now."

"Agreed. Kevin?" Matthias turned towards the lanky gentleman who had been monitoring the interrogation. "I'd like seven of our best Seafarers assembled and ready to depart in twenty minutes."

"Yes ma'am," Kevin responded before hurrying out the door.

"I'll lead the mission myself," Matthias assured Persephone and Ben.

"You can't send seven!" Ben argued, clawing his way out of Persephone's grasp. "You have to send more! Send a whole army!"

"We cannot send our entire fleet without alerting people that something is wrong," Persephone assured him. "I don't want to cause unwarranted fears surrounding Arturo's absence."

"That's my daughter!" Ben continued, anger coloring his voice. "You're willing to let her die just so you can maintain order? They could carry out an attack on us!"

"Which is precisely why we need to keep our numbers here," Matthias answered him, trying to calm him down. "If they are already aboard Arc City Two, there isn't much we can do from the outside. It's simple math, we need our numbers here."

"Don't talk to me about math! I'm an accountant!" Ben shouted, startling even himself at his indignation. "You're telling me my daughter's life, the woman who alerted you to this problem in the first place, isn't worth saving?"

"We are forever in debt to Meg for making this sacrifice." Persephone placated. "But she is right now out of our reach and we need to think of the citizens she is trying to save."

"Besides, if they're working with the captain of the Black Marlin, she's going to live." Matthias chuckled to herself. "Harrison's gotten himself out of worse scrapes than this I'd imagine."