#28

You awakes in a dark room. You can tell that it is not a dark cave; while there is a smell, it is not the moistness of a cave, but a mixed scent of fuel and...something else. Something burnt. Not burnt meat necessarily, but more akin to ashes. You can't see anything, but suddenly a light snaps on.

“You passed out quickly,” a voice says. “I hope it wasn't from fear—or from any sort of physical weakness. Otherwise this isn't going to be of much use to us—or much fun.”

You attempts to sit up, but You is presently chained to a table. A brief sensation of panic washes over You which You tries to control. However, little can be done about it right now.

“You's quite trapped,” the speaker—a man—affirms. “But we will let You out if You tells us what we want to know.”

“The Item,” another voice, this one deeper, says. “Where is the Item, You? Miss Sanford has told us after some time on our table that You has it. But it wasn't on Your person when we searched You.”

You says nothing, even as the figures suddenly lurch into view. They're certainly frightening enough. They're wearing guard armor, but it's a dark blue—almost black. The armor slips up like living mud around their heads, forming shadowy helmets that have a tiny visor strip across the eyes. The armor is draped in robes that their spidery hands, clad in ash-colored gloves, extend from menacingly.

“I don't know,” You says as bravely is possible. You is in fact telling the truth, but panic grips You again when You realizes that that won't cut it for these guys.

“Come now, You. You can tell us. You would be doing a great service to the Empire.”

“Did you torture Susie?”

“That is quite the powerful possibility. We are being very frank when we say we want the Item, You—and she knew where it was. But she also told us You had it, because she took You to its hiding place before she came to us. You saved us the trouble of tracking You down—because You too came directly to us.”

“I don't want to serve an Empire that would torture my friend. Or my parents.”

“Your parents did scream in a pitch that I've never heard before,” admits the first speaker. “But nevertheless didn't give us much useful data.”

“Are we going to have to make You echo their screams, You?” the other asks.

You tries to hold strong, thinking of Susie—but knowing now what fate awaited her, it fails to help.

“I don't know where it is. If it wasn't on me, alongside my weapons, I seriously don't know.”

“There are many things we can do to You, boy.”

“Like turn me into a cyborg against my will? Or make me into another monster, to terrorize a farm?”

There is no answer for awhile. You just watches them, at first thinking that You may have gotten them; but then You realizes that subtly, their bodies are communicating to each other. Maybe their helmets have a secret communication channel, You doesn't know. But they don't speak. And they remain silent as they begin to walk to a control panel.

With a few keys pressed, a slow buzzing sound appears out of the darkness. You strain to see where it's coming from, but eventually, it appears. It's a disk, hovering somehow, probably via a fuel-powered device. The bottom is covered with tiny metals arms; and from those arms, several knives, scalpels, and cylinders can be seen. You begins to sweat as You realizes what is going to happen. A number of things flash before Your eyes, and You tries to shunt the stress, the terror, into the future, as You's done so many times before now—but it's to no avail. Your eyes begin to slip out of focus as inside, You begins screaming very, very loudly.

And soon that's not just an internal thing.