Final Distance (part 10 of 30)

Two days after her initial “interrogation,” Natsuki was rudely awakened in the early morning and taken back into the camp for further questioning.

Her single day off had come about because Bardas had decided to try his luck with Jousuke, which unfortunately for the noble, was just as stubborn and silent as his niece. The burly man had returned sporting several injuries, mainly on his face since body blows didn’t seem to have much of an effect. The massive amount of blood from his mouth, he explained, being on account of the several teeth he was now missing.

With this in mind, Natsuki was a bit apprehensive of what she would have to try to endure, that anxiety increasing tenfold when Bardas informed her that he would surely “break her today.” And break her he did, quite literally in fact, because when the girl had returned to her tree, her left arm hung limply at her side, features wracked with pain and not wanting to account just what had taken place. Still though, she assured the others, she hadn’t given up any secrets.

And then, a few days later, the time had finally come. The day to set their plan in motion.

Jaxen emerged in the late afternoon, coming to escort Natsuki to yet another session of questioning, but looking surprisingly calm despite the burden he carried on his shoulders. After unchaining the girl, taking caution of her damaged left limb, he helped her off the ground.

“This is it,” Natsuki whispered in his ear, “If you’re going to help us, do it now, before you take me to Bardas.”

Simply nodding in compliance, the noble quickly unlocked the chains bearing one of the nearby soldiers, Corin by name, who stealthily slipped away, beginning the treacherous journey back to the Resistance camp.

After returning to Natsuki’s side, the two made their way towards the interrogation tent.

“After you bring me back,” Natsuki continued her instructions, “you should escape as well, just to be safe. Our camp is directly southeast from here.”

“…I understand.”

After the two men had finished their work, they stepped aside to allow their captain to start his procedure, which inevitably had to begin with a speech as he stood and began to pace in front of the girl.

“What is this…the third day I’ve had you sitting in this chair? I must compliment you for being the first to last this long, of course, I took it a little easier on you…considering that you’re a woman and all…”

Natsuki mentally snarled at the sexist remark, but otherwise showed no outward emotion, keeping her expression stoic as the man continued.

“But you see, I’m done being nice,” Bardas stated, trailing his fingers along the large battery sitting on the table near Natsuki’s chair, “With this, I can’t lose. You see, either you’ll finally give up and spill everything in that pretty little head of yours, or you’ll die from having three-hundred volts of electricity course through your body.”

“It’s really up to you now,” the man commented, poking the girl’s shattered arm. Natsuki winced, but didn’t give the bastard the pleasure of hearing her groan in pain.

Sitting down on the other side of the battery, Bardas resumed his babbling, “Right. I think we all know how this works. I ask a question, and if you don’t answer…”

With a quick twist of the knob, a wave of electricity pulsed through Natsuki’s body, but it soon dissolved, leaving the dark-haired girl breathing heavily.

“Questions, questions…let’s see…Ah yes, you’re certainly a relative of that politician Saeko Kruger, are you not? The resemblance is striking…You’re her daughter perhaps? Tell me, where is she now?”

Natsuki’s silence was met with another jolt of hot energy.

“We’re getting off to a bad start, missy,” Bardas teased, “Alright then, why is it that the Resistance suddenly pushed for an all out assault on our troops?”

Again with no reply, Natsuki’s body was wracked with pain, and she closed her eyes as her body convulsed. What she hadn’t expected, however, was for an image of a certain ruby-eyed woman to flash in her mind right before the current was shut off.

“Was the assassination of Commander Roland a direct order?”

Still lacking any kind of response, Bardas huffed, “Fine. I see that you’re going to be stubborn until the end. Congratulations on earning yourself a death ticket. At least I can still have a little fun with you though…”

With another flip of the switch, Natsuki’s body was sent into another fit of seizures.

“No…I’ve got to…hold out…”

“Fifty volts.”

“I…want to…see her smile…”

“One hundred.”

“…hear her voice…”

“One-fifty.”

“…feel her warmth…”

“Two-hundred.”

“SHIZURU!”

Turning the battery to its maximum voltage, Bardas watched as the girl violently shuddered against her restraints before her body went completely limp moments later, an amused smirk forming on his lips.

“Good night,” he mocked, “You two. Dispose of her corpse.”

“Yes, sir,” both men replied in unison, snapping to attention as Bardas made to leave the tent.

“Forgive me,” Jaxen uttered in his mind, feeling immensely guilty for just standing back and allowing the captain to murder his new ally.

But as he began removing the wires off of her body, he noticed that her chest seemed to rise and fall even if just by the tiniest amount. With all haste, he pressed two of his fingers to the girl’s neck, searching for a pulse, and his heart leapt when he felt a weak throb.

“She’s alive!” he suddenly exclaimed before biting his own tongue, cursing his stupidity.

“WHAT?!” Bardas roared as he reentered, stomping over to the spot to take a look for himself, “How did she…?! That was enough electrical current to kill a grown man…”

Taking the girl’s chin in his hand, he roughly tilted her head from side to side, “Now that I think of it, she doesn’t seem as banged up as a few days ago…Just what in god’s name are you…?”

“What do you want us to do with her, sir?” the other soldier questioned.

Letting go, Bardas once again made for the exit, “Tie her back up for now. I’m going to arrange for her to be taken to the capital for inspection…”

1. The level of voltage for the battery is based on a 1,000 ohms scale.