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Unity

By Mantrid Brizon

Episode Thirty-Four: The Nightmare

Dashing through the halls, Roku runs toward the door. Glowing orange from heat, the metal begins to buckle and melt. White hot chunks of searing death fall from the barrier, revealing the skeletonized hand of a victim. Stopping in her tracks, Roku's platinum blonde pigtails sway. Her jade green eyes stare at the bones in horror. Tears stream from her eyes and around the sides of her short, feline snout.

“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She murmurs.

“Not good enough!" A raspy voice growls.

Spinning around, dozens of nearly skeletonized corpses stand behind her. The coworkers who died in the terrorist attack by the Goddess's Children, they glare with empty eye sockets. A few have their fur and flesh singed away, leaving bright red muscle tissue that's bordered by chunks or charred meat. Stepping back, a boney hand reaches out, grabbing her shoulder.

“AHH!" She screams, pushing the hand away.

“Where were you?!" A corpse demands.

“I-I..."

“You left us to die!" Another screeches.

“I'm sorry! Please!"

Reaching out, she cries out in terror, running around the group of corpses as they shamble toward her.

“Come back! This is where you belong!" They yell.

Slowly opening her eye, Roku is roused from her sleep by a familiar sound. Chirp, chirp, chirp. Looking toward her chronograph and seeing the time, she shifts her body, sitting up in bed. Unclothed, her sheets fall away from her form, bunched around her waist as she rests her eyes and forehead in her upturned palms. Chirp, chirp, chirp. Shifting her gaze, she looks toward her V.I. bracelet as it sits in the charging base atop her nightstand. Leaning over, she pulls at the sheets to cover her breasts, hiding the white and black fur covered mounds. Plucking device from the base, she sighs as she examines it. Pressing a button, she answers the video call.

“... Hello." Roku sleepily greets the caller.

“Oh... Hi. Did I wake you?"

“Yeah, Ayanda... You did."

“I'm sorry. I thought you'd be up by now." Miss Ayanda remarks.

“It's fine. I wasn't sleeping well anyway..."

“I'm sorry to hear that."

“It's fine, Ayanda. It's getting late anyway."

“You know, we may be colleagues now, but I watched you grow from a budding teenage girl into a good woman. If you ever need to talk to someone, I'm always available for you." Miss Ayanda remarks.

“Thanks, but I already have a therapist, and I wouldn't want to trouble you with my problems; you have enough of your own. So, I take it this isn't a social call?" Roku asks as she climbs out of bed.

“No, unfortunately..." She answers, her red eyes briefly scanning the visible portions of Roku's nude body. “And that's Miss Ayanda!"

“Sorry, Miss Ayanda." The tigress smirks, heading for her dresser. “Hey, yesterday, you asked me to look into your apartment. What was I supposed to see?"

“I had a man over, a human, and I thought you'd be glad to know that at least one of use is getting put through our paces." Miss Ayanda replies with a sinister grin.

“You dirty slut." Roku giggles, digging through her underwear drawer. “... How was he? Did you get his name this time?" She teases.

“What kind of woman do you take me for?! I already knew his name, since I've only been having sex with him."

“Well, he must be something special!" Roku remarks, slipping on panties and a bra. “I didn't know you had a boyfriend now."

“He's not my boyfriend." Miss Ayanda swiftly retorts.

“Oh..."

“I certainly respect him! ... But that's the extent of it. I don't like floating around from guy to guy... Besides, we'd only mated twice so far... Anyway, I was putting on quite a show for you yesterday, had you looked! Only a few minutes in, he decided to drag me into my bedroom and I simply couldn't resist him." She winks.

“I see..." Roku flushes. “Well, I'd ask how you're doing, but this isn't a social call, so..."

“Right..." Miss Ayanda sighs. “Well, I'm fine, anyway. I'm just preparing for a big project, though. That's why I'm calling. I need a favor."

“What kind of favor?" Roku asks, picking out clothes from her wardrobe.

“I need to requisition some things."

“Well, just put in the proper forms and I'll-"

“Off the record!" Miss Ayanda interrupts.

“Ah... This kind of favor... Well... What are these things?" Roku asks with apprehension.

Pressing a few buttons on the holographic display beneath the video chat, Miss Ayanda sends Roku a set of images. Opening the images, she looks at the devices, her eyes widening.

“Is this for your 'project'?"

“Yeah..." Miss Ayanda nods. “There's a reason I don't want their transfer on record, but please... Don't ask for it."

“I wasn't going to." Roku murmurs.

Staring at the images on her display, projected beneath the video call, her jade green eyes study the three-dimensional Cuetion whip and another weapon, called an electron mace. The Cuetion whip is designed in a similar fashion to the ancient chain whip of martial arts, still practiced by some enthusiasts and originating in the region of Earth currently known as Tongyí. Without any sharp barbs and a specially designed tip, it's primarily used to steer cattle by brushing them with a gentle electrical current, hence the device's name. A cache of Cuetion whips are packed away, waiting for use in the farm ring, which has herds of various animals already living there.

The electron mace, however, is another matter entirely. A new and unique energy weapon, it's formed like a blaster. A conventional pistol grip mounts to a frame containing the electronic components, including micro-capacitors and amplifiers. Powered by a large, interchangeable battery pack, it locks into a port that sits forward of the trigger guard. Two rods, like the barrels of an antique over-under shotgun, are roughly six inches long, giving it a considerable heft. It fires short bolts of what is effectively lightning at a high voltage but low amperage, with a blast of nearly two-hundred-thousand volts but only four hundredths of an amp.

Originally designed as a less-than-lethal instrument for one-on-one use, it could easily prove fatal if the capacitors were allowed to release more of their charge and with a higher current, a feature they come standard with. If allowed to release their power freely, an electron mace could project a lethal bolt of skin searing, heart stopping energy as far as twenty feet, and for as long as fifteen perpetual seconds before the battery pack needed changing. Intended to be used for crowd control, where multiple targets could be “swept" at once, rendering them incapacitated, Unity has several crates of these devastating, new weapons.

“If you could, I'd like you to collect a few... Three or four each? You can walk them to my office. It'd be best if you brought them right away." Miss Ayanda suggests.

“... Okay."

“It's important, Roku. It's for a good cause."

“Yeah, I'm sure it is." She sighs.

Ending the call, Miss Ayanda sits at her desk. Across from her and occupying both of the chairs beyond her desk sit Fizona and Sihl'Ahzen, her picks for this mission. Drayusa was an option, before Miss Ayanda remembered that Drayusa has melded with Stefan. With their minds now as one, Drayusa may no longer be as capable as she was before; her husband, a police officer and one of Miss Ayanda's first to discount, would see what they're doing through his wife's eyes and could influence his wife telepathically. Likewise, Kellan and August are also not optional, as they too are ethical men, one of whom was also a police office on Mars.

“When do you want to do this, Miss Ayanda?" Fizona asks.

“As soon as Roku delivers what we need, and as soon as Madrid arrives."

“Who?" Sihl'Ahzen cocks her head.

“I'm sorry. Captain Basile." Miss Ayanda answers.

“Oh! The human who's visited you!" Sihl'Ahzen chirps.

“I didn't realize you had pet names." Fizona flashes a little grin.

“So... Is he the one you've 'mated' with twice before?" Sihl'Ahzen asks.

“That's none of your business, and 'Madrid' is just a nickname; everyone he knows seems to call him that." Miss Ayanda retorts, glaring at her subordinates.

“I hesitate to ask, but what are you going to have the others doing?"

“What do you mean, Sihl?"

“I mean, what if they need you for something and you're... Indisposed? My lovely Kellan's always busy with the police force, so he's a non-issue, but what about August, Drayusa and Stefan?" The Irakus asks.

“Don't you worry about them. I've taken care of it."

Walking the narrow streets of Unity, captain Marcus Basile looks toward the artificial sky. With his hands in his pockets, he takes a deep breath, slowly exhaling as he prepares to step into the offices segment. Passing through the double doors, he walks through the only portion of Unity that feels like a conventional space ship, heading in the same direction as the bridge. Today, however, he has other things he must attend to. The human feels a knot in his chest, floating between his stomach and his throat. He'd put this off for a long time, only because he's certain how horrible this will become.

Turning a corner, his dark thoughts are swiftly erased. His eyes land upon a Voeldahn woman as she approaches him in the hall. With distinctly feline features, her spectacular form is a sight to behold. Her blonde pigtails sway and her big greens eyes focus upon him, a little smile forming on her lips and curling around her snout. At about five foot and three inches tall, she's easily five or six inches shorter than him, with a noticeable hourglass figure accenting her moderate bust and broad hips. Perfectly proportioned, with the right amount of muscle tone and body fat, her pristine beauty is like a sculpture.

“Hello." He politely waves.

“Hi." She replies with a wide smile.

Walking past her in the hall, Madrid cannot help but glance back at her. Turning his head and shifting his eyes, he immediately looks at her plump buttocks, only to see her tail swishing quite excitedly. Looking up at her head, he's surprised to see the woman is also looking back, her gaze fixated upon his buttocks. She seems to be lost in thought, her jade orbs shifting and locking onto his. As they walk further and further away from each other, they both look back, catching the other looking at least two more times. Turning a corner, Madrid loses sight of the beautiful woman.

With a sigh, he continues on his way. His dark thoughts soon return, usurping the positive energy he felt when passing the tigress. As he walks the halls, he approaches a T junction, with a corridor opening to his left. Emerging from this hall and turning to walk the same path as he, Madrid stops and stares at the passerby. Also stopping in her tracks, noticing the captain, Sashuna watches him from the junction. Her golden eyes scan him from where she stands, a somber look on her face. Slowly continuing, Madrid approaches the purple and gold Kanorakus whom he was once very close to.

“Hi." He murmurs as he passes her.

“Hello." She replies.

Swiftly continuing, Sashuna keeps his pace, walking beside him and toward the secretarial offices, near the bridge. The pair glance toward each other several times, never hiding this fact from the other. On more than one occasion, their vision locks. The awkward silence is painful for both of them. After Sashuna fled from the hospital and avoided contact with him, something that deeply hurt Madrid, Sashuna hasn't tried to stay in touch. To her dismay, Madrid hasn't made an effort to keep her in his life either. Both have struggled through these past three weeks without any communication.

Delilah is great fun, but she's a purely sexual partner to him; they have no emotional bond whatsoever. He and Miss Ayanda have something of a bond, as both of them are former soldiers with dark pasts, but he's fairly certain that she isn't looking for a life-partner either, and they never speak at length when not dealing with Unity's problems. Sashuna was as close a friend as he'd had in years, and whether they were lovers or not, he still misses her. Similarly, Sashuna had no friends, except for her lover, Korazhu. Without him, she was alone once again, until Madrid came into her life.

He was the only one after Korazhu's death to make an effort to be kind to her; even Corova had disappeared. He was also the first non-Kanorakus to show her true compassion. Sashuna quickly grew to adore her friend, enjoying every second they spent together. However, her confusion worried her. No sooner than they had sex for the first time, she realized the awful truth. Her desire for Korazhu was controlling her, and the human was merely a replacement for her deceased love. Struggling with her conflicting emotions, a byproduct of her difficulty with losing her link to Korazhu, she abandoned her only friend; it's something she often regrets.

“Are you okay?" Madrid suddenly asks.

“What?!" Sashuna look at him with shock.

“You, uh... You look tired. Are you doing alright?"

Sashuna's lips curl into a faint grin. Bowing her head, her golden orbs scan his features. He looks truly concerned, something that touches her heart. After how coldly she'd left him, she didn't expect him to care what happened to her. The guilt of her actions catch up to her, and the Kanorakus finds herself feeling underserving of his care.

“I'm alright." She murmurs.

“Are you sure?"

She hesitates to answer as her dreams flash before her. Racing through the halls of the Lomboko every night, she trails Draiman and Corova. They flee the conflict between the Slaver's Union guards and the escapees, hoping to sneak aboard Unity and start again. Nearing their destination, Korazhu's mind speaks within hers, assuring her that everything will be okay. 'Don't worry, my love' he says to her. 'We'll have our little house before you know it!' It's something she so desperately wanted with him, and something she wishes she could still have.

Charging down the corridor, they near Unity and prepare to make their escape. With salvation so close they could all feel it, Sashuna turns to her mate, urging him to hurry. However, turning to face her lover, she instead stares down the brutal and indifferent nature of life. A blaster round strikes the back of his head, plowing through his skull and blowing a mist of blood all over her. Bone fragments strike her hide, and one of his eyes bounces off of the tip of the top of her snout. His corpse falls to the metal floor panels, echoing loudly, as if he weighed a thousand pounds. With his death, her hopes and dreams are crushed, and she awakens every night, alone in a strange bed.

“Sashuna?"

“Huh?" She snaps out of her dark vision.

“Are you sure you're okay?" Madrid asks again.

“I'm sure." She nods, feigning a smile.

“Sashuna..."

Reaching out, he suddenly grips her hand. Stopping in her tracks, she turns to face him, looking down at the shorter human.

“Yes?"

“I don't know what happened; why you stopped being my friend."

“Madrid, I... It's not..." She stammers.

“I kept the distance too; I'm just as at fault, but... What I mean is... If you still need a friend, you can always call me."

Sashuna turns her head away, averting her eyes as they start to water.

“I just wanted you to know that." He adds, releasing her hand.

“Thank you." Sashuna murmurs.

Taking a deep breath, she exhales slowly as she looks back at him. The pair share a gaze, only for her to turn her head down, looking at her boot-clad feet.

“Come on. I'm not going to the bridge, but I'll walk with you until I get to my stop." He remarks.

Continuing down the hallway together, they walk in silence. The brief, mostly one-sided conversation didn't ease the tension, but Madrid doesn't press the matter and Sashuna doesn't know how to resolve it. Reaching the security offices first, Madrid says goodbye to the Kanorakus, who silently waves as she continues down the hall. Entering the security offices, Madrid finds only Miss Ayanda, and two other female aliens inside with her. An orange Kanorakus with thick, yellow and red stripes, orange eyes and bronze bristles, and an orange Irakus with fiery eyes and red fur lining her neck and crowning the tip of her whip-like tail.

The women examine an opened case containing weapons, stopping to look toward the human Solakus as he enters. Though they don't speak, they all nod their heads once as a greeting. Approaching the central table that bears the case, Madrid's expression changes upon looking at the Cuetion whips and electron maces.

“We each have two." Miss Ayanda remarks.

“A nice thought, but I hope I won't have to use mine." Madrid replies as he collects the weapons.

Sihl'Ahzen and Fizona glance toward each other, their brows raised in a mixture of confusion and surprise. They understand the mission and are fully prepared for whatever they may need to do. Why does he seem reluctant? With their weapons at the ready, Miss Ayanda follows Madrid, with Sihl'Ahzen and Fizona flanking her. They walk in relative silence, heading for the rear of the residential sphere, before riding the tram toward the commerce pods, where Unity's main prison is located. After departing the tram, Sihl'Ahzen, who already oversees the prison, takes point.

The guards say nothing as she leads them inside, merely saluting. Passing the security checkpoint with their weapons visible, they traverse the main level of the small compound. Entering a hall, they find the prison cells containing the eight Councilmembers, each kept in solitary confinement. With four doors on the left and four on the right, the quartet stand in silence. Fizona and Sihl'Ahzen look to both Madrid and Miss Ayanda, hoping for an order from one of the two.

“I suppose we each take two?" Madrid finally speaks.

“Pick a door, then?" Sihl'Ahzen asks.

“Is there anything in particular you want us to do to them?" Fizona wonders.

“No. Just make sure they surrender their seat on the Council. We need a unique code to input into the computer; they each have one that allows access to their files, and from there we can erase their Council privileges." Miss Ayanda explains.

“This is probably a stupid question, but why can't we just kill them?" Sihl'Ahzen asks.

“No." Madrid swiftly replies. “Don't kill them if you don't have too. I'd like this to be relatively bloodless."

“Alright..." The Irakus sighs.

Picking the first four doors at random, the team begin the dark task. Fizona takes the door closest to her, opening it and finding a Kanorakus man seated in the room. Keeping her eyes trained on her target, she produces a Resonator from a holster. A non-lethal, sonic weapon, it fires a muscle disrupting wave. Mixed with weak electrons, it stuns for a short period of time, the wave having an appearance of a blue orb. Without speaking a word, Fizona shoots him with the Resonator. Dropping to the ground and crying out in pain, she casually approaches him and handcuffs one wrist, locking the other to a bed post in his cell.

Holstering her weapon, she hums a little tune to herself as she unravels the Cuetion whip and sets aside the electron mace. She picks up one weapon, and then the other. By now, her victim has recovered and stands beside the bed, pulling at his wrist.

“What's the meaning of this?! What do you want?!"

“This one looks interesting, don't you think?" Fizona holds up the high-tech whip.

“W-what're you going to do with that?"

“You know, I've only tortured two other people before. Would you care to be the third?" She steps closer.

Activating the whip, the links glow a faint blue and the entire weapon hums a subtle, electrical tune.

“Please... Just tell me what you want and why you're doing this."

“Your code... Give me the code, we'll remove you from the Council, and then you're free to go."

“Oh..." He hesitates.

“This will be the only time I ask nicely. Don't think for a second I'm playing games with you." Fizona growls.

“I-I... I can't give up the code."

“Why?" Fizona asks rather innocently, cocking her head.

“I..." The Councilman pauses. “I just can't."

“Wrong answer!"

Crack!

“Agh!" He screams.

Struck with the whip, a red mark is left on his yellow hide.

“Oooh! That's a nice color on you! Let's give you some more stripes!"

Turning up the current and voltage on the whip to the highest possible setting, Fizona begins to whip him again and again. Stumbling back, he falls against the bed, his arm outstretched as he tries to get away. True to her word, Fizona doesn't ask any more questions. He had his chance. Listening to the screaming in the next room, Miss Ayanda stands with a Dezonian. She'd entered her room last, waiting in the hall to make sure that her agents would actually carry out their tasks. The screams coming from at least two of the rooms don't disappoint her, though she worries for Madrid.

“I will not cooperate with whatever your demands, female Kanorakus."

“I know!" Miss Ayanda chirps.

Drawing her blaster and taking aim, she swiftly fires a single round, murdering the unarmed and passive prisoner as it stands in the center of the room. Opening the door, she looks for the next Dezonian, intent on disposing of it quickly as well. She passes a door, hearing the screams coming from within. With a hard smack, the human woman falls onto her side.

“Wait! Please!"

“I can do this all day!" Sihl'Ahzen chirps. “Whether I do or not is up to you."

Grabbing hold of the woman by her hair, the orange and red Irakus stands beside her as she holds herself up by her hands and knees. With her slender arms and little, fur covered fingers, she grips her victim's throat, squeezing with incredible strength.

“I knew we'd have more fun without toys!" Sihl'Ahzen taunts her.

“You don't know what you're doing!" The Councilwoman exclaims.

“Don't I?"

“I... Can't..."

Sihl'Ahzen shivers as she releases a rush of adrenaline and other biochemicals unique to her species. Forced from the gland in her skull, she's briefly given incredible strength, enough to lift an obese human without injury. She moves her hand from the woman's throat and against her chest, so as not to crush her larynx, before pushing hard and throwing the woman several feet across the room. Thudding against the wall near the floor, she bleeds from her split lip and a damaged nose.

“Give up your seat..." Sihl'Ahzen demands.

“Please... I was chosen for the seat for a reason! I... I can't..."

“I don't want your excuses. Give up your seat... Now!"

The dainty Irakus takes a step forward, her uniquely shaped boot, which covers her razor-sharp talons, thumping softly as she approaches the Councilwoman.

“I can work for you! Please! Just don't take me off the Council!"

“We don't trust you."

Grabbing the human by her sides, Sihl'Ahzen lifts her into the air and above her head, still empowered by the chemicals from her gland. It won't last much longer, but hopefully long enough. Captain Basile didn't want any of them killed unless absolutely necessary, and Sihl'Ahzen intends to carry out her orders, like a good soldier.

“I'm not going to ask again."

“But I can help you! Just don't make me-AHH!"

Unsatisfied, Sihl'Ahzen throws the Councilwoman across the room, slamming her against the wall. She falls down to the ground, spitting up blood on the floor.

“Looks like I might've cut up your insides. Give up your seat and I can see to it you make it to the hospital." Sihl'Ahzen calmly offers, slowly approaching her.

“Wait..."

Grabbing her head and forcing the human onto her back, the birdlike Irakus stares at her victim with fiery eyes. Gazing into the black orbs with golden irises, the Councilwoman's blood runs cold. Sihl'Ahzen takes a finger and thumb and spreads one of her eyelids apart.

“Would you believe that I've never pecked an eye out before?! Maybe you can be my first..."

Sihl'Ahzen opens her beak, snapping her shark-like secondary jaws. Her whip-like tail sways gracefully behind her. She appears at peace with herself.

“Okay! Okay! I'll give up the seat! Just, please... Don't take my eyes." The woman sobs.

“Excellent!" Sihl'Ahzen pushes her onto the floor. “What's your code?"

Emerging from the room with the code written down, the woman cries in a corner, bloodied and beaten.

“Thanks for your cooperation." Sihl'Ahzen taunts her.

“Oh God... I'm sorry." She sobs.

“I'll make sure you get medical attention."

She pauses, watching the woman crying uncontrollably on the floor. Why was her position so important to her? Eager to carry out her mission, Sihl'Ahzen seals the woman inside of her cell before turning toward one of her Irakus commandos; her men and women often take turns guarding the prison, as there's little need for highly trained soldiers.

“See to it that she's secured and moved to the hospital. I'm pretty sure she has internal bleeding."

“Yes, ma'am!" The female commando nods.

A door slides open down the hall, drawing Sihl'Ahzen's attention. Turning her head, she watches Fizona, who emerges from the room with bloodied claws on all four of her digits, and blood dripping from her lips. Her bronze bristles are stiff from anxiety, her orange hide with thick, red and yellow stripes gleaming in the light, a result of her perspiration. Small quantities of blood streak her colorful top that covers all but her back, the buckles holding it also bearing some crimson smears. Fizona wipes her mouth and claws clean with a torn garment in her hand, before throwing it into a room.

“How'd it go, Fizzy?" Sihl'Ahzen asks.

“Must you call me that, little bird?"

“No, but I will... And I'm more like the Solakus legends of a gryphon, not a bird."

“Whatever you say, little bird." Fizona grins.

“So? How is he? My first one is still alive."

“Oh... He didn't make it." Fizona's thick, raptor-like tail sways.

“I didn't think you'd kill your own kind." Sihl'Ahzen remarks.

“He wouldn't surrender the seat."

Just then, another door opens, only for Madrid to emerge. A familiar scent of burnt fur and skin floods the women's noses as Madrid holds the electron mace. From her position, Sihl'Ahzen, who stands across from Madrid, can see inside of the cell he had chosen. Picking the room that had the male Voeldahn Councilmember, the wolf-like man lay in a heap on the floor. Patches of fur have been burned completely away, revealing his charred skin. Keeping the stock settings on the electron mace, Madrid discovered an interesting consequence of it's use; Voeldahn fur ignites when struck by the powerful electrical charge.

The man moans and shifts, clearly left in intense pain. At a glance, the little Irakus would assume he'll be permanently disfigured from the assault. Looking back at the doorway, Madrid glances over his shoulder at his victim before pressing his hand to the plate.

“Hello, sir." Fizona respectfully bows her head.

“How did yours go?" Sihl'Ahzen chirps.

“It could've been better..." He sighs. “But I have the code."

“So do I!" Sihl'Ahzen chirps.

“And I have... The seat."

Sighing, he drops his head.

“Alright... Let's get this over with." Madrid instructs.

“Yes, sir!" Both women reply.

Walking down the hall toward the last four doors, one of them opens. Standing in the doorway is Miss Ayanda. A Dezonian's bleeding corpse lay behind her.

“... What happened to the other one?" Madrid asks.

“I handled them."

“Damnit, Ayanda." He grumbles.

“I did what had to be done, Madrid. This is their mission; they'd never hand it over." Miss Ayanda retorts.

Their eyes lock as they share a gaze. Reluctantly, Madrid nods in agreement. He turns to Fizona and Sihl'Ahzen, motioning for them to continue. As he continues on toward the last door, Miss Ayanda follows behind. He glances over his shoulder at her.

“What?" She asks innocently.

Pressing his hand to the plate, he opens the last door. Stepping into the room, he finds the last Councilmember, the female Kanorakus, seated on her bed. Like the others, she still wears the clothes she was imprisoned in; expensive garments of matching silver pants and top. The shimmering clothing reveals her form, her elegant and voluptuous curves drawing his immediate attention. With a hide of medium blue, like a clear sky on Earth, her lower jaw, neck, chest and belly are white. Her exposed midriff displays a toned belly and broad hips. Her bristles are a matching blue, with white tips, which are stiff from anxiety.

“Hello there, Miss Kinara, or perhaps I should just say 'Kinara'. I'm captain Marcus Basile."

“I know who you are." Kinara growls, narrowing her eyes.

“Then you know why I'm here."

With the electron mace still in hand, he stands before her bed, within arm's reach of her. She turns her unnervingly white eyes toward the doorway, recognition evolving into horror as Miss Ayanda enters the room, smiling sinisterly and tauntingly waving her fingers at the Councilwoman.

“You want me to surrender my seat on the Council." Kinara remarks, staring at Miss Ayanda.

“Yes. Yes, we do." He nods.

“What if I promised to vote as you told me?" She turns toward Madrid.

“That won't work. I'm sorry." He shakes his head.

“We don't trust you to obey; one misplaced vote during a crisis and you could ruin everything." Miss Ayanda interjects.

“We can't allow that." Madrid continues.

Kinara looks down at the ground, staring pensively at her feet. She shifts her arms, one corner of her mouth contorting from her discomfort. Something is clearly bothering her.

“I promise... I swear on my life! I'll do whatever you say, but let me keep my seat!"

“We don't trust you." Miss Ayanda shakes his head.

“Just give us your code so we can input your resignation into the computer, then I'll set you free."

Miss Ayanda seems quite surprised. She knew he wouldn't kill the prisoners after they had the code; Madrid isn't that kind of man, but to release them into the populace?! Her arms, which were crossed beneath her large bust, now drop to her sides.

“What are you doing?" Miss Ayanda questions him.

“Let me handle this." He growls, turning his eyes toward her.

“I can't give you my code." Kinara shakes her head.

“Please, don't make this unpleasant. I don't enjoy hurting people." Madrid replies with a frustrated sigh.

“What could you, a human, do to hurt me?" She asks, glaring angrily at him.

“Oh, lots of things... I could use this electron mace on you; the last guy really hated it. Maybe I'll just pluck each and every bristle from your head, back and tail, one by one? I recall reading that in your ancient past, your war mothers would pluck the bristles from betrayers and conquered leaders as punishment, listening to their screams. Then they'd turn the bristles into coats. I could use a new coat! Hm... What else..."

He rests his hands on her shoulders.

“I could hold you down and pour water over your face!"

His hands slide down her arms.

“Or I could hold you down and do something else..."

One of his hands moves beneath a plump breast, which he gently jiggles, making the meaning behind his threat perfectly clear.

“Mmm, I'd love to see that!" Miss Ayanda chirps.

Both Madrid and Kinara look over at her, startled by her remark.

“What?! That'd be hot to see! She has wonderful colors!"

Swiftly returning to character, Madrid looks Kinara straight into her eyes.

“Or I could jettison you out of the airlock and take your seat that way."

Kinara's bottom lip quivers as she looks up at the human who looms over her. His stern gaze and unshaking voice frightens her; she believes that he'll do everything he's said. It doesn't help that she heard the Voeldahn Councilman and others being tortured by Madrid and the agents in the nearby rooms.

“I-I..." Kinara takes a breath. “I'm just doing my duty. I don't want this, but I can't give you the code. Please... Let me serve you!"

“And I understand that, but you should understand this; you're a liability. You were a soldier once, weren't you?"

“... Yes... It's why I was chosen. One of the reasons, anyway."

“I can tell. You're a fine soldier, Kinara. I wish I had more like you standing with me. Soldiers who listen seem to be few and far between these days." He glances back at Miss Ayanda.

“What?"

“But rest assured, whatever it is you're hiding by not giving me the code, I will discover. I'd rather you not be dead for me to discover it..."

Turning her eyes up, she stares at Madrid. They share a gaze, only for her to close her eyes and nod her head, a single tear running down her cheek. Reaching out, Madrid rests his hand on her cheek, wiping her tear away and patting her softly.

“Mike-Alpha-November-Niner-Four-One." She speaks as he unlocks her.

“Thank you, Kinara. I'll make sure you're released and reassigned based on your skills."

“Yes, captain..." She murmurs.

“Kinara?"

The former Councilwoman turns her eyes up to him.

“I'm sorry about this... I really am."

“Not as sorry as I am." She murmurs.

Rising from the bed, the defeated Kinara heads for the door. She looks almost upset when Miss Ayanda and the guards don't turn on her, leaving her alive. It bothers Madrid, who watches her intently. Exiting the room and entering the hallway, Kinara is stopped by a horrific sight. Standing in a doorway, Kinara looks past Fizona, seeing the bird-like Irakus slumped against a wall. Her female colleague is stripped naked, her yellow feathers caked in blood and her tail limp between her legs and flattened in places where Fizona had stepped on it. She'd been incapacitated by a blast from an electron mace.

Emerging from the room, Madrid sees the corpse in the corner as Fizona cleans her claws. How vicious must the attack have been for her to kill with her own claws and teeth? It's almost primal; it frightens him. Closing his eyes, Madrid sighs.

“I had too. She simply wouldn't cooperate."

“Go..." He growls at Kinara.

Looking back at the captain, she doesn't disobey. Leaving the hall and entering a security checkpoint, he knows she'll be stopped by guards, but at least she won't see or hear his scolding.

“Is there some reason that you can't keep your subjects alive? I can almost buy Miss Ayanda's excuse, because they were both Dezonian, but you... Do the Kanorakus have some kind of bloodlust that I don't know about, some primal rage that isn't written down in any of my books?"

“Not that I'm aware of."

“Then what the fuck?!?!" He screams.

“Relax, Madrid." Miss Ayanda rests her hand on his shoulder. “She accomplished the mission."

“Don't tell me to relax!" He smacks her hand away.

“Mmm, whatever you say." She coos.

“You..." He points a finger at Fizona. “When we say 'alive' we mean 'not dead', just in case you were somehow confused."

“I wasn't..." Fizona retorts.

“Then the next time I want a butcher, I'll call you."

Waving her away like a common pest, a flustered Fizona returns the borrowed weapons to Miss Ayanda before heading down the hall and leaving them alone.

“I don't want her personally leading troops anymore. She can keep command of her unit, but she is forbidden from hands-on work from this day forward, and until I say otherwise." Madrid growls.

“Is that a request?" Miss Ayanda asks.

“It's an order; if you don't do it, I will." He retorts.

“I didn't know you could do that."

“I have the codes from the surviving Councilmembers, and the dead automatically default to me. I can go into the computer and do whatever I want; I could fire you both with the push of a button. You, I can trust, but I've seen soldiers like her before. Stick her behind a desk or I'm taking her job."

Miss Ayanda is floored by his anger and assertiveness. She never expected him to take the Council's deaths so personally. He must be more passionate than she'd thought. Admittedly, she didn't know that Fizona could do the kinds of things she did; as an agent in SI9, she was injured and hospitalized early, seeing little action. Her war record was effectively sealed, but most soldiers and police with enough history to join SI9 had sealed records. The final door slides open and Sihl'Ahzen steps out.

“Mission accomplished. Zero fatalities!" She proudly exclaims.

“Good... Let's get out of here." Madrid grumbles.

Her brow furls at his demeanor. Why is he so angry? She doesn't see the corpse of the slain Irakus, nor did she overhear the conversation taking place at the end of the hall. Following Miss Ayanda and captain Basile, they walk through the corridor and back toward the security checkpoint. Sihl'Ahzen leans closer to her superior, troubled by their shifted attitude.

“Hey... Is everything alright?" She asks in a whisper.