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Yang Mine
Two hulking soldiers dragged a helpless figure as the three moved about in the bowels of the Hive base. The trio moved about the deepest parts of any Hive base, below the recycling tanks and the genejack mines…they moved through the very bottom of any Hive base. The bottom of each base that no-one on Chiron wanted to see.
The stagnant air smelled of smoldered metals, noxious fumes, and the stench of the recycling tanks as they broke down organic matter into material that could be used again…in one form or another. A “beneficial side effect” to the location that the three were headed.
As the three winded a corner, the hapless man noticed a genejack worker slumped against a wall. The ogrish man wore the heavy worksuit that Drones were known to wear. His face was a blank slate of emotion, with only the basest level of intelligence recognizable.
“Help. Me.” The man mouthed to the Genejack. A futile gesture.
The genejack continued to stare blankly at the figure as the guards dragged him by. He barely had time to realize a thin strand of drool draining out of the genejack’s mouth as one of the guards slapped him in the back of his head.
“No talking, fool.”
The three men rounded a corner and at last reached their destination, a simple iron door sealed shut. The guard on the left of the man immediately reached for the right wrist of the prisoner while still grasping his left. The guard on the right briskly approached the door and saw that the guard punched in a security code in a hidden panel near the door. A hiss escaped from the door as it slowly creaked open…and the sound that reached the prisoner’s ears chilled him to the bone.
===========
Air inside the door was cleaned and scrubbed clean of the pungent aroma behind the men. Where they stood was surprisingly clean, no dirt or dust was in the air. The floors themselves were surprisingly sterile…like a hospital. Still, the man shook in terror as the air was filled not with the smells of industry and stench of organic decay, but filled with the echoes of cries of pain. The occasional plead for mercy was distantly heard, along with the sobbing of men and women under duress. He could even hear the laughing of someone, laughter sounding like the cackle coming from a madman.
The two guards that flanked the man stood motionless while he shook with the fear of the unknown. If they felt any emotions, he couldn’t tell.
A uniformed woman approached the outsiders as the man hung his head in resignation. Her footsteps were barely audible over the noise. The two guards raised the prisoner to his feet while one of the guards moved his head to look at the approaching woman.
The woman carried a datapad and continued reading it without looking up. She stopped barely a foot away from the man and stopped.
“Prisoner A-34-T. We’ve been expecting you.” She smiled menacingly.
The woman turned from the trio and walked down one of the hallways. Over her shoulder, she motioned for them to follow.
==========
They approached the steel door and the woman stepped forward. A few seconds later, the door slid open and the four of them stepped inside. The interior of the room was bathed in red light. Machinery jutted out from various angles on the walls and the man finally realized where he was.
One man stood with his back facing the four as the woman stepped behind the figure. She leaned forward and spoke something inaudible to the sillouette. A few seconds later, the figure nodded and the woman turned to leave the room without looking back.
“Prisoner A-34-T….or should I say Governor Jalin Nawashcuk. Former Governor Nawashcuk. We finally found you, in transit toward Peacekeeper territory no less.” The figure turned around slowly.
Nawashcuk met the eyes of the man. Chairman Sheng-ji Yang.
Chairman Yang continued, his gaze never faltering from the traitor as he continued to speak. One of the guards walked over to a wall and removed four metal bands…
“Governor Nawashcuk. You’ve been caught trying to desert the safety of the Human Hive for Lal’s anarchistic government of Democracy. We have educated you since birth, protected you from Planet’s native life, instilled the ethics of hard work…”
The guard returned and clasped the first band on the ankle of his right leg.
“…given you the privilege to accompany us on our diplomatic missions into Peacekeeper territory. You have betrayed the very spirit of the Hive.”
Chairman Yang approached the prisoner as the guard clasped a second band on the left leg.
“I personally appointed you to the position of governor of this very base. A base named after ME.”
A third clasp on the right wrist. Chairman Yang raised his right index finger and smiled.
“I have one last assignment for you. You are to be the personal observer for all traitors of the Hive here at Yang Mine.”
One of the walls instantly came to life. Dozens of smaller screens came to life, showing various images of people writhing in unimaginable agony. The last clasp on the prisoner’s left wrist was secured and he was dragged into the center of the room as the Chairman stood in observance. Nawashcuk was positioned so he was facing the wall of the vidscreens. The guards left him in place and exited the room. Nawashcuk stood still, accepting his fate. Yang spoke one last time.
“My gift to you. You get to watch every individual who was sent here in your city. Enjoy.”
The Chairman exited the room as the Punishment Sphere crackled to life. The former governor's screams echoed in the hallway and joined the others in a symphony of anguish as the door slid closed.
Two hulking soldiers dragged a helpless figure as the three moved about in the bowels of the Hive base. The trio moved about the deepest parts of any Hive base, below the recycling tanks and the genejack mines…they moved through the very bottom of any Hive base. The bottom of each base that no-one on Chiron wanted to see.
The stagnant air smelled of smoldered metals, noxious fumes, and the stench of the recycling tanks as they broke down organic matter into material that could be used again…in one form or another. A “beneficial side effect” to the location that the three were headed.
As the three winded a corner, the hapless man noticed a genejack worker slumped against a wall. The ogrish man wore the heavy worksuit that Drones were known to wear. His face was a blank slate of emotion, with only the basest level of intelligence recognizable.
“Help. Me.” The man mouthed to the Genejack. A futile gesture.
The genejack continued to stare blankly at the figure as the guards dragged him by. He barely had time to realize a thin strand of drool draining out of the genejack’s mouth as one of the guards slapped him in the back of his head.
“No talking, fool.”
The three men rounded a corner and at last reached their destination, a simple iron door sealed shut. The guard on the left of the man immediately reached for the right wrist of the prisoner while still grasping his left. The guard on the right briskly approached the door and saw that the guard punched in a security code in a hidden panel near the door. A hiss escaped from the door as it slowly creaked open…and the sound that reached the prisoner’s ears chilled him to the bone.
===========
Air inside the door was cleaned and scrubbed clean of the pungent aroma behind the men. Where they stood was surprisingly clean, no dirt or dust was in the air. The floors themselves were surprisingly sterile…like a hospital. Still, the man shook in terror as the air was filled not with the smells of industry and stench of organic decay, but filled with the echoes of cries of pain. The occasional plead for mercy was distantly heard, along with the sobbing of men and women under duress. He could even hear the laughing of someone, laughter sounding like the cackle coming from a madman.
The two guards that flanked the man stood motionless while he shook with the fear of the unknown. If they felt any emotions, he couldn’t tell.
A uniformed woman approached the outsiders as the man hung his head in resignation. Her footsteps were barely audible over the noise. The two guards raised the prisoner to his feet while one of the guards moved his head to look at the approaching woman.
The woman carried a datapad and continued reading it without looking up. She stopped barely a foot away from the man and stopped.
“Prisoner A-34-T. We’ve been expecting you.” She smiled menacingly.
The woman turned from the trio and walked down one of the hallways. Over her shoulder, she motioned for them to follow.
==========
They approached the steel door and the woman stepped forward. A few seconds later, the door slid open and the four of them stepped inside. The interior of the room was bathed in red light. Machinery jutted out from various angles on the walls and the man finally realized where he was.
One man stood with his back facing the four as the woman stepped behind the figure. She leaned forward and spoke something inaudible to the sillouette. A few seconds later, the figure nodded and the woman turned to leave the room without looking back.
“Prisoner A-34-T….or should I say Governor Jalin Nawashcuk. Former Governor Nawashcuk. We finally found you, in transit toward Peacekeeper territory no less.” The figure turned around slowly.
Nawashcuk met the eyes of the man. Chairman Sheng-ji Yang.
Chairman Yang continued, his gaze never faltering from the traitor as he continued to speak. One of the guards walked over to a wall and removed four metal bands…
“Governor Nawashcuk. You’ve been caught trying to desert the safety of the Human Hive for Lal’s anarchistic government of Democracy. We have educated you since birth, protected you from Planet’s native life, instilled the ethics of hard work…”
The guard returned and clasped the first band on the ankle of his right leg.
“…given you the privilege to accompany us on our diplomatic missions into Peacekeeper territory. You have betrayed the very spirit of the Hive.”
Chairman Yang approached the prisoner as the guard clasped a second band on the left leg.
“I personally appointed you to the position of governor of this very base. A base named after ME.”
A third clasp on the right wrist. Chairman Yang raised his right index finger and smiled.
“I have one last assignment for you. You are to be the personal observer for all traitors of the Hive here at Yang Mine.”
One of the walls instantly came to life. Dozens of smaller screens came to life, showing various images of people writhing in unimaginable agony. The last clasp on the prisoner’s left wrist was secured and he was dragged into the center of the room as the Chairman stood in observance. Nawashcuk was positioned so he was facing the wall of the vidscreens. The guards left him in place and exited the room. Nawashcuk stood still, accepting his fate. Yang spoke one last time.
“My gift to you. You get to watch every individual who was sent here in your city. Enjoy.”
The Chairman exited the room as the Punishment Sphere crackled to life. The former governor's screams echoed in the hallway and joined the others in a symphony of anguish as the door slid closed.