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The Man</center>
Disclaimer: Though the characters in this story are real people, the events that take place in this work of fiction are not indicative of who they are, what I think of them, or what I want to happen to them.
Jackie?s Note: This is my first work of original fiction that I?ve posted online, and it may be the only one. It depends on how I feel about this one.
In a basic overview, I?m writing this story after a crazy dream I had which you can read in its entirety on my Live Journal in an update of this same title. It takes place in a time and world parallel to our present society; in fact, just about everything will be the same, War on Terror included. This story is based loosely on the dream and will not be written as a mirror to my recurring nightly epic.
Rated WU-16. It means Warning Under 16; yes, I made it up, but it still applies. I generally have warnings about violence and gore, but I?ve yet to truly demonstrate what I mean by that in any of my other fics. This one applies, though. In this chapter, it gets pretty violent. So if you?re under 16, I?m not telling you that you shouldn?t read it; I?m just saying it?s particularly bloody.
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The Man
Chapter 1: Questions</center>
Blood spattered the dark tile in response to the sickening crack of a blunt object crashing into the face of a hunched-over figure sitting upheld only by the restraints of her chair. She issued not a sound save harsh, ragged breathing.
The room was dark, the edges covered in shadow. The stiff metal chair that the prisoner was strapped to could have been in the middle of the room or towards the edge; the darkness prevented the woman from being able to tell. The only light in the room came from the ground; a bright blue circle surrounding the chair in the flooring served to give its limited lighting to the prisoner only.
A man laughed as he circled the chair, ?I almost felt that one?? He was tall ? over six feet. He was bald and bulky with a hooked nose. A gnarled scar on his left cheek served to imply that he?d been at this sort of job for a very long time. He viewed everything from behind his constantly narrowed hazel eyes that were nearly hidden by thick, black eyebrows.
Another man ? a spectator who had been watching from what could have been the edge of the room ? appeared in the dim light to savagely grin. ?I think you broke her nose?? he said slowly.
The man laughed again, ?I think I did, too.? He circled to the front of the chair and stared at its occupant with his dim hazel eyes. A steady drip of blood was falling into her lap from her face. Her short hair was disheveled, her clothes torn, and any part of her skin that shown was bleeding or bruised or both. Her left ankle was swollen to the diameter of a small saucer, and her shoulder on the same side was clearly out of socket.
He placed his rough hands on the woman?s wrists that were restrained to the arms of the chair and leaned forward, pressing all his weight onto her. Her head still hung limp as he turned to the other man and asked more to himself, ?Now what question were we on??? He turned sharply to address the prisoner, ?Oh yes?? Reaching up with his left hand, he grabbed a fistful of her hair forcing her to look at him, ?Who are you working for??
The woman merely glared at him and said nothing.
She was backhanded across the face with his gloved hand causing her head to turn thereby pulling her hair violently. Still, she emitted no sound.
?What is your mission??
?...?
He backhanded her again.
?What are you after??
???
Backhand.
?What?s your name??
???
Backhand.
He forcefully pushed himself up from the chair and threw off the glove, the wood on its backside clattering to the floor. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black, round object with the insignia of a simple hawk on the front. He stuck it in her bleeding face and leered at her, ?Who were you trying to contact?!?
She said nothing at first, then turned away from him and spit a mouthful of blood onto the ground. Facing him again, she glared at him and replied in a raspy whisper, ?I?m not telling you s---.?
Enraged, the man threw the device to the ground with a grunt of fury. 39 hours they?d been at this. Not straight, but she?d been held that long. For 39 hours, she?d been subject to their rough handling and grueling, yet restrained, torture sessions, but she hadn?t so much as told them her code name. It was this frustration that propelled the man to ball his fist and prepare to beat the woman senseless.
?No,? came another voice from the shadows. Calm, liquid, smooth, and tranquil. ?We don?t want to kill her. Not yet, at least.?
The man sneered at her but kept his fist ready to strike, ?She?s not going to crack. Let?s just get it over with.?
?I concur,? input the spectator, ?I doubt we?ll gain anything from keeping her alive. I think the threat she poses is greater than any information we
might squeeze out of her??
?Then I?ll thank any powers that be that neither of you run this operation,? the new voice snarled. ?Leave her. Not a finger is to be laid on her, or I will kill you myself.?
The man curled his lip in disgust as he lowered his fist. He seemed inclined to simply leave the room, but thought better of it. He approached the prisoner; she glared at him defiantly as if daring him to touch her. His face expressed outright hatred and loathing, and he spit on her before stalking to the door. ?Not a finger, Wolfe,? he spat sarcastically before stomping through the door, the passageway closing itself after him.
The two men were silent for a moment before the spectator spoke, ?Am I dismissed, as well??
?That?s up to you,? Wolfe answered as his dark figure approached the lighted circle in the middle. ?You might be interested to see this? Preferably to inform your partner of other means of coercion.?
He entered the lighted portion of the room, and the prisoner was finally able to make out his features. She?d seen him before; in fact, he?d been her target when she was caught. Standing around six feet tall, his sharp, black ensemble contrasted with his lanky, though well manicured, dull brown hair. Concealed partially by stringy bangs were two sunken, glittering grey eyes that focused on everything with an incredible intensity. His strides were measured, strong, and smooth. Though seemingly fit with an average body build, it was apparent that he possessed a wealth of hidden physical strength and other abilities. His narrow, gaunt face implied no mercy as he came to a standstill approximately one meter from the woman in front of him.
Hands clasped behind his back, he spoke in a quiet, calculated voice, ?You should be grateful to me, or rather, my master. He seems to think you are particularly valuable, and thus you are under his protection. I follow his orders without question, though if it were up to me?? He let the sentence hang as he stared at her with a cold, apathetic gaze allowing her to fill in the blank with whatever gruesome means her exhausted mind could conceive. Something about his demeanor made her believe that every one of those thoughts were plausible with this man.
?I know who you are,? he said abruptly changing the subject and taking a measured stride to his right as he began to slowly pace. ?You?ve been quite a nuisance over the years. ? Oh, yes? We?ve known about you for quite some time. I was hoping we?d meet under better circumstances?? Wolfe paused suddenly and looked over his shoulder at the prisoner, ?They say you?re called the Wicked One.? He watched her intently for a reaction, however minute. She concealed it well, and he continued both in words and strides, turning to walk back to stand in front of her again, ?Sharp as ever, I see. Even after two days of our hospitality and no rest? Quite admirable, I must say. Such loyalty and devotion? Your reputation precedes you. However, I must inform you that your perfect record will be forever tarnished. You are going to die here,? and he leaned forward to be directly in her face, ?But such sweet relief won?t come until
after you?ve been broken, and you?ve told us every last secret about your agency.? He smiled savagely very much reminding Wicked of his chosen code name.
?Fortunately for you,? he said straightening with a dejected countenance, ?That is at least another two days away. We?re to allow you 48 hours of rest to ensure that you are in top physical condition for our little
games.
?But in the meantime, I thought I might entertain us with a
demonstration,? he grinned again.
Off to the side, the spectator shifted at Wolfe?s words as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small remote.
Wolfe pushed a button on the remote, and a new part of the room lit up at the prisoner?s ten.
Again, light spilled forth from the ground, this time white, illuminating an impressive display of computer screens and control panels. A large wide screen monitor made up the center of the display; it was encased between three vertically stacked smaller wide screens on either side. The entire set-up had a multitude of keyboards and buttons below it, and set before them were three chairs. Wolfe casually strode towards the system with a certain smug arrogance to every step.
?I know why you?re here,? he looked over his shoulder as he reached the control panel, ?Why don?t you fill us in??
Wicked said nothing and settled to glare at him.
He snorted and turned back to the display, typing in commands. ?Suit yourself. This exhibition should answer any and all questions you have about our operability and power.?
On the multiple screens, several images of a small village popped up. It was in real time; with a yellow-orange tint to the sky, it was apparent that morning had just arrived. Its dark-skinned, malnourished inhabitants were going about their everyday lives. The men were gathered in groups working on various projects as the women prepared what little food they had for breakfast. The children busied themselves by playing together or attempting to help the adults. In other shots of the village, the people were immobile, hardly able to even sit. Barely clothed, their skin was stretched seemingly painfully over their bones. Too weak to even stand, they simply watched life happen around them. The landscape was barren. Dried up trees surrounded the encampment, its occupants the only sign of life in the area.
?Gaachiinyen,? Wolfe explained, and a map of the world appeared on the center screen. It zeroed in on Africa, and then Congo, and again on a smaller region of the country. A tiny red dot marked where the village of Gaachiinyen was. ?A small community,? he elaborated. ?No one will notice when it goes missing.?
Wicked couldn?t prevent the surprised look that overtook her features.
Wolfe reveled in her disgusted shock as he quietly laughed, ?Yes. Say goodbye to the Gaachiinyens. I?d give you the option to nobly save them by answering a few simple questions for me, but I really want to do this. And Gaachiinyen is the perfect test site? So severed from the world, it will be at least a day before anyone realizes the sudden disappearance.?
?What makes you say that?? Wicked questioned weakly.
His eyes glittered malevolently as he regarded her with a frost-bitten gaze, ?And why should
I answer any questions
you have??
Wicked said nothing, merely counting on her hunch that he wouldn?t be able to pass up touting any special features that the weapon had that would disguise such a blatant attack. Maybe it wouldn?t be noticed by Congo, but surely other countries ? the US, Brittan, China, the UN ? surely, with their satellites and other technologies, they?d see?
?We can attack as an invisible unit,? he said finally. ?In a few moments, the world will go temporarily blind?? he caressed each syllable as if it was a beautiful concept. ?And by the time the world is back online, we will be finished.?
The words left her mouth before she could stop them, ?What about witnesses??
Wolfe sneered, ?There won?t be any.?
How was that possible? Intelligence indicated that the weapon was in orbit over Earth; how could an attack made in broad daylight launched from space be invisible to even the human eye?
But Wicked?s thoughts were cut short by Wolfe?s next words, ?Here we go.? His hand moved towards the launch key.
?No!? she quietly gasped.
?Oh, please,? he drawled not even pausing in his actions as he pushed the button. He moved over quickly to give a better view of the screens. The spectator advanced closer to the monitors, remaining in the shadows that still shrouded the edges of the room. For an instant, Wicked turned away not wanting to see, but just as quickly, she looked back. Someone had to see it. Someone had to know what it could do.
It seemed intensely delayed. For quite a few seconds, - at least 7 ? nothing happened. The men continued to work, giving grunted instructions that were silenced by the transmission as they labored to finish their tasks. The women, talking idly as they stirred what was in their pots and caldrons. The children laughing and running as they played, completely oblivious. They had no idea that it would all end in a matter of mere seconds. ? Or maybe it wouldn?t? Maybe the weapon had malfunctioned. Maybe the town was safe.
But just as soon as these thoughts entered her head, the villagers? attention shifted to the heavens as they searched for something they couldn?t find. Then, quite abruptly, the barren trees burst into flames, followed quickly by their houses, and Wicked realized that they must have been searching for a source of sudden heat. Everything afterward seemed to take place in slow motion.
Wicked found herself fighting the urge to vomit as she watched, though she was thankful that there was no sound for the screams the people were emitting must have been terrible as they began to burn.
A few of the people?s skin became warped as boils appeared on all parts of their bodies, their skin smoldering. Most of them combusted, suddenly becoming engulfed in flames as they ran in pain and searched for water that they might put them out. A handful of them were lucky enough to be incinerated, instantly turning to ash as if struck by a beam.
In a matter of seconds, the entire village was nothing but a blackened space, shimmering for the most part as the sand had become hot enough to turn to glass. There was no smoke; it all seemed to have happened so quickly that it was either caught in the glass or it possibly may have never existed at all.
Wicked?s stomach lurched, and she was actually glad that she?d been denied meals as she swallowed hard. To the side, the spectator seemed disturbed, as well.
Wolfe was watching her, an evil glint to his stare, ?Nothing left. All it takes is 15 seconds. The world is coming back online now, and they?ve absolutely no idea what just transpired. Power, my dear. Absolute power. And we can ?? he was interrupted by an incessant beeping coming from the display. He whirled around and cursed under his breath.
?Sir?? came the hoarse, shaken voice of the spectator, ?Is it overhe??
?Shut your hole, Allen,? snapped Wolfe.
Allen, realizing his mistake, glanced nervously at Wicked before shifting his attention back to his supervisor, ?I prefer Phantom, sir.?
?Get her out of here.?
Phantom started towards the captive, ?To her cell??
?YES!? Wolf replied impatiently, then he doubled back, ?No! To the infirmary. See that she?s taken care of. Your 48 hours begin now.?
Wicked was un-strapped from the chair and dragged out of the room after Phantom called the guards stationed outside the door in to help him. As the door began to slide shut after her, through the crack, she saw Wolfe place a cell phone to his ear.
?Sir. We have a problem.?
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** Gaachiinyen means "Small Village" in Odawa. I used a translator, and I have no idea if it's correct, nor do I know if they speak Odawa in the Congo.
I don't know how to pronounce it, either...
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Chapter 1 1/2 -
http://blissfulignorance.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=8274
Chapter 2 -
http://blissfulignorance.com/phpBB/view ... 638#107638
Okay, so if anyone checked out what was on my LJ, they know what this is about. ^_^ I wrote out this part over the break; it's actually the shortest thing I wrote, so I'm posting it first. :-? I'm gonna be posting stuff for at least a week... 
50 days til <s>I leave for Florida</s> FREEDOM! 
Epyon, you need to pick out a first name since your username can serve as your codename. Whoever wants to take Tech's place gets to become a dragon, so... 
Although, if you'd like to be a bad guy, I can certainly hook you up. 
I'm a pyro, just ask anyone in Club Beer! 