Chereads / Blitz Leone / Chapter 10 - Breakdown

Chapter 10 - Breakdown

The next day, Moise is ordered by DIVA to leave the observation ward and go to one of the training rooms.

She obeys without saying a word and follows the highlighted path to her destination.

Once inside, Moise meets Cecelia standing with Dele, both flanked by two armed guards.

Confused, she asks, "Why did you bring me here?" and Cecelia answers, "My dear in this world we properly introduce ourselves before asking questions. My name is Cecelia, Leader of the Eastern Sector. Before I let you loose in my sector, I must be sure you are able to show perfect compliance and discipline in all areas".

Gesturing to the guards, Cecelia continues, "That rag on her head looks dreadful, we need to get rid of it immediately".

Shocked and offended Moise shouts, "Do NOT touch my hair" as the guards start pacing towards her.

She raises her hand to swipe at one but before she can connect, Moise feels a sharp pain and bitter cold envelope her body.

Immediately, Moise falls down to the ground, convulsing in pain as her hair erratically pulsates and sparks fly violently from her body in all directions.

Struggling to breathe, she screams "Aaahg... Aaah... what did you do to me!?" and Agent Bassey mockingly responds, "This is what happens when you don't comply".

Unable to continue watching, Dele demands that she stops and Cecelia obliges him saying, "You're such a spoilsport you know".

As quickly as it came the pain fades and Moise feels a warm relief rush over her weak body as she keels over violently coughing up blood.

One of the guards roughly grabs Moise off the ground by her hair, pulling out a large knife as she mutters, "Please...stop".

Before he cuts, Cecelia shouts, "Wait!", before walking over to Moise to tell her "I own you, I can do whatever I want with you. Remember that next time you want to act stupid, now get out of my sight".

The guards restrain and drag Moise out of the room as Dele grabs Cecelia by the arm shouting, "What the hell do you think you're doing!?".

She removes his hand from her person replying, "I'm doing my job, you should try it sometime instead of chasing after young girls".

Shaking his head, Dele replies, "You still won't let that go will you. Just don't let your feelings come before the organisation".

Stepping out to leave, Cecelia tells him "You of all people should be the last to tell me that".

Sequence 2

The guards drag Moise through the facility to an unknown room where they remove her restrains and throw her down to the ground.

Once the door is locked, Moise removes the bag from her head and looks around to see a decrepit and worn down cell housing a bed, desk and small chair, with only a dim light on the ceiling showing a semblance of modern technology.

Over the intercom Cecelia sends Moise the following message, "Seeing as we have been properly introduced I will keep this short. I have set several tasks ahead of you to gauge your compliance. Complete them and you will be rewarded, fail them and you will be sorry.

Enjoy your stay".

Breathing in a deep sigh, Moise sits up thinking, "When I get home many people will be sorry, I just need to get through this, I just need to try".

After 30 minutes of waiting a small latch opens and food is slid into her room from part of the door.

Moise slowly crawls over to the unsavory sight of hard yam and dry burnt beef with a plastic fork and foam cup of water accompanying it.

Knowing that she's being watched, Moise proceeds to carry the tray to the table and eat the unsavoury meal with her often forgotten royal grace.

From another part of the facility Cecelia looks on as she mockingly says to Dele, "At least this pet comes with manners" and he grumbles, "Whatever" while taking his phone out to read a message.

"What are you doing?" Cecelia curiously asks and Dele dryly replies, "I got a message from my team so we will have to discuss this later" as he leaves the room to attend to other business.

Once Dele is gone she lets out a loud hiss before taking her attention back to Moise who has finished the food and is looking up curiously waiting for her next test.

With nothing to hold against her Cecelia tells Moise to stand by for her next assignment and she nods affirmatively before calmly to lying down on the worn out mattress.

The next morning she's woken up by the sound of harsh screaming from several SDF guards who barge into her room.

They take turns in demeaning her and ransacking the place making up imaginary things she did wrong.

Moise stands and does not react even as they aggressively poke and shove her.

After five minutes of constant harrasment, they stop and leave the room a scattered mess. From the intercom, Bassey orders Moise to clean up immediately or she will be punished.

Quickly, Moise tries to get things in order but is stopped halfway when the guards barge in again and harass her out of the room claiming orders from above.

They chase her down the halls of the facility down to a training room where she's forced to perform strenuous combat exercises for several hours until her body is completely sore.

Once she's on the verge of passing out, they drag her back to the cell which has now been stripped of all the furniture and carelessly throw her in.

"I told you there would be consequences for failure" Bassey mockingly tells Moise as she lies exhausted on the cold, hard ground.

Moise slowly picks herself up from the floor shouting, "What do you want from me!?".

She's met with silence and bangs her fist on the floor in frustration.

For two weeks, constant harrasment and over exertion from combat training wear down Moise's ability to resist as well as her hopes of escaping.

At the end of the second week, she's brought before Cecelia in rusty chains and forced to kneel as she gloats, "You look so dull my dear, why the sad face?".

Moise refuses to answer so a guard pulls her face up my her hair shouting, "She asked you a question!" which forces Moise to mumble, "I... I am fine".

"Are you sure? You look thirsty" Cecelia asks as she fills a glass of wine before splashing half of it in Moise's face saying, "Here, have a drink".

Unfazed, even as the alcohol burns deep into her eyes, Moise stares blankly at her captors forcing Cecelia to sigh, "That was some expensive wine you know".

"It was not to my taste" Moise replies to which Cecelia responds, "Maybe you will prefer this instead" as she pushes a button

After a few seconds a grey side panel opens to reveal Moise spear held up by a rack on the other side.

Upon seeing it, Moise desperately gets up forcing the guards tighten their grip as they struggle to hold her back.

Taking advantage of the moment Cecelia smiles saying, "I know you want it, all you have to do is obey my commands, destroy our enemies and we will give you what you want, what do you say?".

With no other choice Moise kneels down and raises her chained hands proclaiming, "I am your humble servant".

Sequence 3

A group of boys returning from school each covered in dirt from playing an intense game of football walk along the deserted streets on the way to their houses.

While arguing which player was the best, one decides to snatch the ball from his friend to demonstrate his skills.

In the process one the ball strays away to the street and he runs after it. Before he can reach it though, a white truck zooms past which barely misses him.

Quickly, he grabs the ball and runs back to his friends before four black pick up trucks zoom past in the same direction.

Inside the leading truck, SDF-2570 radios the other cars in the convoy saying, "This is Hercules 2, the trap did its work, all teams repare to dismount. Make this a clean one boys, over".

Twenty seconds later they come across a group of armed men who fire upon their convoy. As several shots impact the bullet resistant glass, the troopers form a wall with their vehicles and get out to return fire at their attackers.

The bullets however have no effect against the fortified attackers, and with another truck approaching from the other side, SDF-2570 orders the men to stop firing and calls for backup.

Thinking they have won, the attackers hail their comrades while still shooting at the SDF troops. Within seconds their celebration turns to shouts of panic as the truck is smashed and sent rolling into the bushes in the blink of an eye.

One fighter turns around to shoot in at whatever caused the crash but is struck by a lightning bolt before he can even aim his rifle.

The lightning spreads out from his leg to the ground, killing everyone nearby except for an old man who lies cowering inside the white truck.

After a few moments of scanning, the SDF men quickly move in to search the vehicle. Inside they find the man who pleads with them saying, "Help I've been kidnapped! Help hEaggh..."

Immediately one trooper drags him out by his neck and handcuffs him while the rest search the vehicle for any anomalous objects.

With the search ongoing, a shadowy figure wearing a uniform similar to theirs emerges from the bushes.

As the figure approaches, one of the men gives a thumbs up saying, "Great job 11".

11 replies with a brief nod and fist bump before turning her head in the direction of a faint noise behind them.

One second later, the sound of multiple gunshots sends the men diving for cover with 11 quickly pushing her comrade out of the way before the bullets strike.

The wounded shooter tries to limp away but is swiftly caught and kicked into a tree by 11 who then drags him back to the white truck for questioning.

SDF-2570 crouches and pulls the man by the collar asking, "A little girl went missing last week in this town, does the name Gift sound familiar?".

The man turns to spit out the blood blocking his airway before replying, "I don't know... Ughh... I don't know anybody like that".

SDF-2570 says again, "Are you sure?" as 11 releases a crackling electric pulse out of her left hand.

Realising he's out of options, the man gives in and leads them to a clutch of huts several hundred metres from their present location where they find the severed head of a young girl buried inside one of the huts.

SDF-2570 shouts "Where's the rest of her?" and the man raises the charm on his neck saying, "It's here, that old man is the one who prepared it for our operation".

Satisfied, he grabs the charm off his neck and tells his team "We have all we need, let's go".

As they make their way back to their transport vehicles 11 asks "Why did you not kill him for his crime?" and 2570 replies "It is not our decision, headquarters may find him useful some day, just like you".

Removing her helmet, Moise replies, "That man is nothing like me".