"Commander! I don’t even know where to begin explaining. This wasn’t supposed to—”
"You’re damn right it wasn’t supposed to happen like this! Now my nephew needs to be executed, or I’ll lose face in front of my Legion!" the commander screeched. His face flushed crimson before he was even done speaking.
"Sir, no one needs to know—"
"You’re damn right they don’t! But to thank you for this ‘spectacle,’ I’ll have your Battalion form our spearhead once we arrive on Gebradim Beta. If you survive, we can speak about forgiveness. If you know what I mean," he cackled.
The BC winced and even took a step back. The peacock must have had something on him to be so afraid. Levi would have to do some more digging if we managed to get ourselves out of this shit.
"Very well, Commander. I thank you for the opportunity to serve our glorious Legion," Aiden snapped and saluted the older man.
"Right, right," Commander Cafka replied and fumbled with his hand to salute back. "Now, if you will, I need to have a word with your rookies and that big brute," he said, pointing at Samson. "That man put a bullet between my nephew’s eyes!"
"I’m sorry, sir, but we do not offer our enemies any pardons, just like they don’t for us. Am I wrong, sir? Isn’t that how you taught us?" Samson asked.
"But in the eyes? He’ll stay scarred for life!"
Samson shrugged.
"If it makes you feel better, sir, he can shoot me back. If he has the—you know, sir."
I wanted to burst out in laughter and hug Samson. He sure had some monster-sized balls inside that smart-cloth suit for sure.
"Guards! Take the survivors to the brig immediately!" Cafka ordered and turned to the two officers behind him. "See, sons? That’s how you deal with lowlife scum. Never show them you might be afraid, or any other kind of weakness. They’ll use it against you as soon as you turn your back on them."
"Right, father. Can we visit them in the brig later?" the one on his left asked, a stalky fellow with short black hair and a crooked nose.
"Sure, sure. We’ll have some fun with them later, especially with the girl," Commander Peacock said as they walked off.
"Fucking hell, man. I didn’t sign up for this shit," I murmured and glanced over at Samson. "Does this shit reach so far as to follow me into space?"
"Endure it. Sooner or later a stray bullet will hit Cafka or his bastard sons. No worries. And for what it’s worth, even if we’re killed down there, it was worth it."
"Or a stray knife might cut their windpipes," Levi whispered and hid behind Samson. "Wait, killed?" she squealed. The squad of armed guards surrounded and handcuffed us before we could even put up a fight. Samson was pushed along first with their shock batons, followed by Levi, me and the rest.
The ship’s enormity hit me like a brick in the face. Due to the earlier darkness, I hadn’t noticed the size of this place. To boot, I hadn’t come here the ordinary way. Long, wide corridors went on for eternity, or at least it felt like they were. What was more, I’d started counting when they marched us out of the training bay, and I was already at twenty-one minutes. At the pace we were marching, I could imagine the behemoth of a ship being at least two miles in length.
During the whole trek, no one spoke a word except Levi. She had continued to nag at the guards until the lead one hit her with a stun baton. After that, we’d kept our mouths shut. Soon enough though, we found ourselves standing before a giant elevator that said Maintenance shaft 2-F and Brig, 1-F. One of the guards walked up to the controls, pressed some buttons, and opened the sliding door. The rest prodded us into the metallic maw of the beast. Once inside, the same guard pressed some more buttons before we sped down the elevator shaft. What a shitty feeling it was to be degraded in such a manner.
The commander and his two sons already awaited us down in the brig. When I saw the look on their faces, I knew that we were in for a shitload of pain. And they only confirmed it when we got close enough to hear them speak.
"Father! Can I hurt that big guy? He looks like it’ll be worth my time!" the stalky son said, smacking his lips and rubbing his hands in glee.
"And I want the girl! Just look at her body, oh god that waist!" the second son said. He was short and broad, built with the size of a sumo wrestler—what a pack of hyenas.
"No, wait! How about me?" I blurted instantly. "She’s skinny on the bones. You won’t have much fun prodding and beating her."
"They’re talking back, father! What should we do?" the short one asked.
"Fulfill his wish. Once you’ve practiced enough on him, you can get the girl for dessert. I’ll watch from the control room," Cafka said as he patted both his sons on their backs.
"Fucking hell. How could Earth ever let such scum be in control of their defenses," I whispered?
"They didn’t. Succession policies and all," Levi whispered back. "And thanks. I owe you one if we survive this," she grinned.
"Hey! No talking!" the head guard growled and struck my left side with the stun baton. Electricity flowed through my body, stunning me momentarily and making me want to vomit. I dropped to my knees and received a kick from the fat son.
"Into the cell with him! I need to question the traitor!" he barked. I glared up at the weak, pathetic soul. He winced, but recovered quickly and kicked me again for good measure. "Now! We need to get to the bottom of this betrayal!"
Betrayal, I thought as all air left my lungs, and sudden dizziness washed over me. For some reason, I fainted there in the hallway, but soon enough, I was awake again and strapped to a torture rack.
"What the hell? You’re going through with this just because we won the mock battle?" I cursed pulling at the restraints.
"Battalion three is a mockery among the officers, and the noble-born leaders. Why would such an outfit be allowed to win? Disgusting! And you even hurt a member of the royal family! What else did you expect?" the captain’s son spat at me. "So that you know, the name is Edwald the third. You will have the honor to be my first victim."
I frowned.
"You’re going to torture me to death? And how the hell is Earth allowing you to do such things? Just kill anyone you don’t like and make it go away?"
He stopped and stood there with a mischievous smile on his face.
"Why, yes! Didn’t you figure out as much? I can’t kill you just yet, though. Father said that you need to stay alive until the seventh day. Once we’ve arrived at our destination, I’ll have so much fun killing you!" he snickered. "And yes, whenever one dies, daddy makes it go away. The guards know much better than to antagonize father."
I didn’t like what I heard at all, but what I liked even less, was the absence of Gremory. Suddenly, a loud male voice screamed from the cell next door. I was sure it belonged to Samson.
"You guys are insane," I whispered. "Let me fucking go, you coward," I yelled and pulled again at the restraints, but they weren’t going anywhere. The little prick took out a black, leather mask, and put it over his eyes, took off most of his clothes and opened a bag on the table.
"Now, what do we have here?" Edwald whispered, tracing his fingers along with the knife’s edges and other instruments of torture. "Maybe we could start with this one here? It’s my favorite after all," he gloated and approached me with a thin scalpel. The thing looked nasty as hell.
"You’ll regret this, I promise you that! Once my sponsor finds out, you’re all dead."
"The devil? Oh, he’s out of the picture and has been so for a while now. We, Humans, run this operation now. What? You look surprised," he mocked. I cursed and looked away. I would already endure the pain somehow and choke that devil for all I was worth. He pulled a good one on me.
Edwald leaned in and traced the scalpel along my right thigh, just hard enough to break the skin and draw blood. Who was I even kidding? Endure torture? Even Samson screamed like someone was ripping him a new one. Whatever happened next, I was happy that someone had mercy and knocked me out.
I didn�
�t know how much time had passed before I went unconscious the first time. The second followed up very quickly under the constant battering. He’s used a metal club, or a rod, or whatever the hell that thing was, and broke every bone in my body. First, the legs, then the arms and everything else followed one after the other.
The third time was the worst when he started pulling teeth and nails, driving knives and pieces of hot metal under my eyelids, deep into my fingers and toes. I lost track of time soon after. I didn’t even know what day and time it was. I had no idea. My body felt broken and drained, eyelids too heavy and they didn’t want to flutter open. Was I even alive?
"It sure wasn’t worth it, huh?" a voice whispered. I couldn’t even hear my voice anymore. Had I gone deaf?
"Sure was," I thought. "If I were to go out already, at least I would go with a smile on my face."
"I’m the one who’s keeping you alive, Human. But I won’t be able to for much longer, so maybe you’ll get your wish and go out with that smile. For now, however, all I’m able to do is to keep your inner organs working. Endure for a while longer, and you’ll have a chance to make it out of here alive," the voice whispered again.
"Lucifer?" I thought. No, did I just speak out or did I think about what to reply? Everything was hazy and blurred out into nothingness.
"I'm not him. At least not in the way you might imagine. To be more precise, I’m this ship, the Devil."
"Wait, so you're a living ship?"
"Something along those lines. Long story short, Lucifer created the core using one of his ribs. But enough of that for now, I’m hungry. We are hungry. We need food to regain our power," the gravelly voice spoke.
"Yes, I’m hungry," I replied. "I need to feed."
The voice was still present, I could hear it hum, but it didn’t speak for what felt like hours. But there it was again.
"What if I created an opportunity for you to feed? Would you do it?" the voice asked.
"I need food," I murmured under my breath. I could feel my power wane by the second, more and more. How did he think I could even open my mouth?
"Very well. Survive for three more days using my power reserves. We’re halfway there to the beta colony. Survive. Don’t give up, just as Samson and Levi haven’t either. I have high hopes for your group, hopes for freeing us all from a debt that needs to be paid to Cafka’s family. In blood."
"Cafka? That scum! I want to devour him and his sons!"
"You will have your chance. Don’t die and don’t give up. Lucifer might get very angry about failing your contract. I would avoid it at all costs if I were you."
"Even when it’s not my fault?"
Devil let out a burst of raucous laughter before his presence disappeared.
"Huh? How come you’re still awake?" a familiar voice asked. I remembered who it belonged to vaguely, as if through a fog. "Maybe I haven’t hurt you enough."
A renewed, sharp pain shot up my chest. I couldn’t breathe as something writhed inside me. Then, the pain was gone again as I drifted off into the abyss.
Chapter Six
“Cain, you’re awake," the low but happy sounding voice said. "I have to say I’m disappointed with your performance. It’s quite—lacking? Yes, that’s the word!"
"How is it my fault? I got hauled off to the brig for doing my job!" I hissed.
"Ahh, now that’s what I wanted to see. Yes, you still have spunk! I just might give you a second chance. Would you care to have a drink with me? You’ll have to pour it in yourself though, Gremory isn’t here today as you might notice."
I nodded and got up from the leather recliner. My body felt much heavier and somehow awkward. It’s as if I was in someone else’s skin. Walking proved to be a choir, and my feet kept brushing against each other. Annoyed, I looked down and gasped.
"What the—"
"Ahh, you’ve finally noticed!" Lucifer exclaimed happily clapping his hands. "Well, go on then, look at your body," he added. With a snap of his finger, a large, oval mirror appeared before me. Smoke wafted from the shiny object and slowly dissipated into the air. My heart started thumping as an image of me appeared in the mirror. No, this can't be. What was going on?
"What have you done to me?" I asked, not knowing if I should be angry or happy about the whole situation. "I look like a fucking monster!"
"Yes, yes! The rage! The hatred! The Fury! You’ll be the perfect candidate for Devil! Now I see why he took an interest in saving you. And what? Aren’t you happy with your body? I went to great pains to remodel it after my image."
I shook my head in disbelief and wanted to ask him if he was insane, but it wouldn’t do anything but embarrass me in front of Lucifer.
"Will I—always remain like this?" I asked after calming down somewhat.
Lucifer shrugged.
"No. Only when your body feels the need to fight and defend yourself, or the ship. You will be able to change at will once it has fully rooted itself in your body and has become a tier two Armament."
"So just like Gremory?"
"No, not like her. You’re—more or less unique. Devil wasn’t able to interface with you the usual way. It has taken over your body on a molecular level. You will be much stronger than she is once you’ve learned to control your abilities."
"I see. What now? I can’t stay here forever, then?" I asked, dropping on a wooden bench. "I want to get revenge on those bastards! I want to rip them limb from limb with my claws!" I snapped and looked down at my hands.
"No, not really. I mean, technically you could, but it wouldn’t do you any good in the long run. Anyway, the only thing I can offer you for now is a mental blockade. What that means is that your pain tolerance will skyrocket for a couple of days. Beyond that, I’m unable to do anything," he said with a shrug. But then he turned back to me with a smug expression on his face. "Until you’ve made the necessary sacrifices to Devil, that is."
"As in sacrificial killings?"
Lucifer shook his head slowly.
"No, you need to devour them. Eat their brains and hearts if you will. And once you do so, your progression should start. You will get more powerful, faster, and more durable. You’ll be able to rip battleships apart with your bare hands once you reach a certain power level."
I was quiet for a long moment as eating brains didn’t sound all that appealing. There was a critical matter at hand, though.
"What about Cafka and his sons? What about the rest of this scum called Humanity? Will I be able to destroy all of them if I please?"
Lucifer’s face lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Why yes, yes, you will! I’ll make you a deal. Many have wronged me and gone back on our agreements. I managed to trap most of them down in hell, but a few have eluded me for some reason unknown to me. I want their offspring, and Cafka is at the top of my list."
I smirked, baring my teeth at the devil.
"As long as I can smear his son’s faces on the exterior of this ship, I’ll do whatever you wish of me," I replied.
"Very well, then. However, new problems will arise once you’ve crossed that line. Do you want to know what they are?"
"If it matters to me, yes, I’d like to know."
"In that case," the devil started and took a long sip from his own glass which somehow remained always full. "There are many factions, both political and religious. You are part of a ‘dead’ faction," he said, quoting the words with his hands. "The other faction is many times stronger as you can imagine. After all, dear old dad is many times stronger than me. However, he does not interfere directly. His goon squad does it for him."
"So, like, God has a legion of his own? And I assume they’re the ‘religious’ faction?"
The devil nodded, all serious and business.
"He’s not the only threat, though he is the greatest one. Families are backing the other three main legions, organizations and mercenary outfits to do their bidding. You will have all of Humanity against you if you go down that path. Luckily, Humanity is
just a speck on the global scale of things, so there are ways to play their game. I just thought it fair for you to know what you’re getting into."
I sighed and cracked my neck, then my fingers.
"I want to punish Humanity for going astray. If you can help me with that, I’ll go against God if need be. Cafka is just one person with a major backing of his family. Killing just one isn’t good enough for me. I want to remove anyone who’s in power and abuses it. I want to kill anyone who turns a blind eye to those in need. Can you help me in that case?"
"Good, good. However, I will give you one last bit of advice regarding this matter, or rather two pieces of advice. Record everything and tamper with nothing. Dig up as much dirt as possible against Cafka and his predecessors. Devil will help you with that. As for the second thing, once father sends his envoy, agree to whatever he offers and act like you’re playing his game. If he says to cut off your arm, do it. If he says to kill your favorite pet, do it. There will be a time to get even with him. And yes, I can help you achieve that goal if you’re patient. "
"Very well. I’ll keep it in mind, boss," I said with a nod and took one last sip of the sour liquid.
"Now, go back and endure for three more days. During the last day, I’ll give you an opening. Don’t disappoint me, son of Declan, or we won’t be talking under such civil terms next time."
Slowly, the darkness engulfed me before I could finish my drink, carrying me into a short, but very much needed slumber.
"Wakey, wakey!" a voice sang. "Wakey, wakey!" the same voice now screamed in my right ear.
"I-I’m awake," I croaked, my throat dry as sandpaper. I was barely able to breathe or speak from pain. My eyes wouldn’t open no matter how hard I tried to see why the idiot was screaming bloody murder in my ear.
"Ahh, good. And there I thought I killed you a bit too early. Damn you had me sweating like a pig for a moment, you scum!" Edwald screeched with his annoying voice. In moments like these, I hoped for a quick death. "That deserves quite the punishment. Oh, and I prepared something special for you!"
Legion of Steel Page 5