Chapter 43. A Name.
The world came flaring back to life as I gasped and took in a deep breath of air. I immediately tried to get a sense of my surroundings; my head was pounding, the meat between my shoulders stung, and my muscles ached. My hands were restrained behind my back and secured to some sort of pipe I guessed from the cold metal feel of it against my skin. The floor was damp on my bare feet. I shook my head, trying vainly to shake the cobwebs from my rattled brain. I quickly came to a conclusion…the situation was fucked.
I lost count of how many times I had been knocked unconscious since I received the “gift” from the Coeus. I had bounced from one life-threatening chaotic event to another. I had thrown myself and my crew into fight after fight, and it still felt like I was an ant trying to move an elephant. In retrospect I suppose I should have put more thought into this before I so willingly accepted my role. I can imagine that if my life were a story, the readers would have plenty of comments on how ignorant I was to just jump into this without a second thought. Well, those people weren’t faced with the sudden emergence of an advanced alien species threatening the livelihood of an entire planet, so it would be easy to second-guess my decisions.
So here I was in a dark room, chained to a pipe with no plan of escape. My crew were all being held captive somewhere in this city, I’m guessing, and if I didn't manage to free them, I would have no hope of completing the task before me. This was the last test; the last floor of this dungeon and I was currently unable to do anything to complete it. I moved my legs to see if I was able to stand up, I smiled at a sudden realization... I have pants…I HAVE PANTS!!! Finally! Something positive. It was a small victory but a victory, nonetheless.
I suddenly heard feet shuffling in the dark then a metallic clank as what I guessed was a latch on the door was unlocked and three men walked in. I couldn't make out their faces, the light behind them burned my eyes after being knocked out and waking up in pitch darkness. I squinted and lowered my head trying to give my eyes the chance to acclimate to the flood of light, but it was no good.
“This him?” a man asked.
“Yeah, Boss. That’s the one. Naked as a baby Lacertine he was. Brud was hollerin at a couple of civies walkin down the bully. They reckoned he was soft up top and ran on bout their business. I caught him in the alley with his prick out,” the second man said. I recognized him as the man from the alley.
“I don’t know what this is about. I am not from here and not even sure how I got here…” I said.
“Pipe down now, boy. Boss gonna get you sorted,” The man from the alley said.
“Boss? Boss of what? Who the hell are yo…” A large hand slapped me hard across the right side of my face before I could finish. Blood and split trickled down my chin as anger began building from deep inside me. “You might come to regret that.”
“Is that right, little human?” a deep voice replied with a menacing chuckle.
“Easy, Brock. No reason to harm our guest. Apologies…I’m sorry I didn’t seem to catch your name, fellow.” A third voice said. The man's words dripped with false concern as he spoke.
“Dawes,” I said before spitting blood onto the ground in front of the man.
“Dawes, huh? Dawes it is nice to meet you. My name is Matthias. It seems you have found yourself in a bit of a predicament. My man Kindo here says you are a bit of an anarchist,” Matthias said before squatting down in front of me. He grabbed the front of my hair and jerked my head up to look into my eyes.
“Thas right, Boss. Boy said the Council could get fucked. Man throw words like them round he bound to end up in a big pile of shit ‘for the sun come up,” Kindo said.
“Dangerous words, Dawes. Dangerous indeed. What would a naked degenerate like you be doing downtown spewing such hateful rhetoric at our glorious Universal Council?” Matthias asked, still holding my head up by the hair.
I looked Matthias in the eyes and smiled. The blood that had been gathering in my mouth coated my teeth and just as he realized what was about to happen, I spit the entire mouthful of blood in his face. “Any more questions?” I asked with a wicked red smile.
Matthias shoved my head back, slamming it against the pipe. The impact rattled me, causing me to see spots. Probably a concussion, I thought to myself. Matthias stood, taking a handkerchief from the pocket of his stylish blue suit, and started wiping the blood from his face and chest in disgust. “Not the start I was hoping for Mr. Dawes,” Matthias said, “Not the start I was hoping for at all. Brock, I think our guest needs some rest. See to it that he gets some immediately.”
I turned my head to see the giant man walking toward me, he grabbed me by my hair and pulled his right fist back to strike. I looked him right in what I guessed was his eye since my head was spinning and the flood of light was still obscuring my vision. “Fuck. The. Council.” I said with a blood-soaked smile before the massive fist made contact with my temple knocking me out.
I came to, once again in darkness. I’m not sure how long it had been this time. My head throbbed; my jaw was still tender from the slap as well. As soon as I came to, I heard the latch once again. There must be cameras, they are watching me, I thought to myself as the three men returned once again.
“Mr. Dawes! You are well rested I presume." Matthias said with a mocking clap. "Is it safe to say that we are ready for some civilized discourse, or do we need to relegate ourselves to our more based tendencies once again?”
“He be lookin good and tender, boss. I say the boy bout ready to start yappin,” Kindo said with a sycophantic bob of his head.
“I’d say it’s about time to move you into quarters that you might find more comfortable, wouldn’t you, Mr. Dawes?” Matthias asked, running a finger along the wall to inspect the dirt and grime, “All you need to do is tell me who you work for, it’s that easy. I have a room with a nice comfortable bed, I can have Brock here fetch you some warm food and fresh clothes. I just need a name.”
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“I don’t work for anyone. I told you I don’t even know where I am,” I said hoarsely.
“Tssk, tssk,” Matthias shook his head, “Come now, Mr. Dawes, do you honestly expect me to believe that a human mysteriously appeared in the capital and is not affiliated with anyone? I have seen your species before, you know. I was recently on holiday and witnessed a glorious display of the ferocity of the human species. The Universal Council sponsored an exclusive event, it really was quite glorious. One hundred humans were pitted against each other in a winner-take-all tournament-style fight to the death!” Matthias clapped his hands together excitedly and smiled, “You humans aren’t the biggest, but when faced with death, you can be quite ferocious! It was quite a show, a little too much blood and mutilation for my taste but entertaining nonetheless.”
The realization hit me then. I had been so caught up in my own battles that I had not even considered what had been happening with the people that were shipped off-world. They were being used as entertainment for the citizens within the domain of the Universal Council. The feelings of rage and anger that grew inside me were like nothing I have ever experienced, I push them down and say nothing, though.
“You didn’t know, hah! Well, isn’t this just wonderful!” Matthias said, “Brock do be a dear and bring me a chair. These shoes are expensive but not built for comfort I’m afraid.” Without a word Brock left the room, returning a few seconds later with a chair for Matthias. “Thank you, Brock,” Matthias reached out to pat the large man on the shoulder, “Kindo, Lights, please.” Kindo tapped some sort of screen attached to his forearm and the room lit up. I immediately took stock of the men. All three men were the same species I saw walking down the boulevard before I retreated into the alley. They were humanoid, resembling humans with a few minor differences. Their eyes were larger than humans, their fingers slightly longer and more bulbous on the tips. Their skin was much paler than any human I’ve ever seen, as well. Compared to Princess Danae and the few other Havokium I had seen, these men were bigger. Thick muscles covered their bodies under their clothes. The ears were also different, where Princess Danae's ears came to a slight point at the top; these men had ears that were not large but resembled what I could most closely describe as fin-like. Webbed with three small points facing to the back.
Kindo was the smallest of the three, standing just around 6 feet tall. The man had brown hair that was thinning on top and greying on the sides. He was dressed in clothes that didn't stand out: brown pants, a striped long-sleeve shirt, and brown boots. You could have easily assumed that he bought his clothes on Earth except for the plasma pistol that rested in a shoulder holster and the data pad that was grafted into the bottom of his left forearm. Brock, on the other hand, was huge. He was nearly 7 feet tall. One of his arms would dwarf the two of mine put together, and his legs were like massive tree trunks. He was dressed in all black with a shaved, tattooed head, and also had a plasma pistol in a shoulder holster. On his hip was a knife the size of a short sword in a sheath. He smiled as he saw me eye it, pulling it out to reveal its plasma-edged blade. The blade's edge burned bright white as he held it close to my face. “You like, little human?” Brock growled.
“Now, now, Brock. It wouldn’t be proper for you to filet Mr. Dawes. He is our guest, after all,” Matthias said as he placed his hand on Brock’s forearm.
Matthias was the vision of grace and etiquette. He wore another pristine tailored suit that screamed money. His hair was jet black and slicked back. He had a thin mustache sitting atop two thin, serpentine lips. His eyes were the brightest blue I had ever seen, and his face was thin with sharp features. Matthias sat down on the chair in front of me. Crossing his legs, he pulled a small rectangle from his pocket. He pulled what looked like a cigarette from the container and tapped it on his knee. “Where are my manners, would you like one?” he asked before grabbing another from the container.
“I don’t smoke cigarettes,” I said.
“Lucky for you, this isn’t tobacco then. Our society managed to relegate the negative side effects of the majority of our vices centuries ago Mr. Dawes. One must allow oneself to indulge from time to time. After all, how am I to trust a man that won’t smoke with me?” Brock puts the thing in my mouth, “Not cigarette little human. This is Chalo, we call it a stinger,” he pulled a lighter from his pocket and lit the stinger. I inhaled the smoke and felt it invade my lungs; the taste was of smoke and slightly bittersweet. There was no pain, just a warm, relaxing feeling that rushed through my entire body. My muscles relaxed and I felt at peace.
“Good man,” Matthias said with a clap, “Now, to business. I have seen no humans that were not enslaved. I find it odd that one would appear out of thin air, and in the capital no less. I must say, Mr. Dawes, you are in a bit of trouble here. I am willing to help you, however. I know the enslaved are often forced to perform unsavory tasks for their masters, but I understand that this may not be your fault. I do, however, need a name, and I fear that we are running out of time. I could continue to leave you in this room, let you rot, let you waste away, but I honestly just don’t have the time. So here is what we are going to do: you are going to give me a name, at which point I will move you to a more comfortable room, and we can discuss what to do with you moving forward. I am nothing if not a man of my word and I give you my word that no further harm will come to you if you provide me with the name of the person that sent you,” Matthias sat back in his chair and took a long drag of his stinger. His blue eyes drilled into me as he waited for a response. “So, what do you say Mr. Dawes? Do you have a name for me?” I looked at him, trying to guess his angle. If he was loyal to the Council I would most likely be killed as soon as I gave them a name. If he was affiliated with the rebellion in any way, then that could be my way out of this mess. I didn't have enough information, hell, I didn't even have the information he wanted. I thought for a second; what name could I give that would appease him? Not Danae; if he was loyal to the Council, they would torture me for every scrap of information I had on Danae and the Flaming Retribution. Then it came to me, I would answer his question with test. If he knew this name, it would shift the paradigm of this whole situation.
“I am running short on time and patience Mr. Dawes. I fear I must have a name, now,” Matthias said, a bit of agitation in his voice.
“Koametes,” I said.
“P…pardon me?” Matthias shifted uncomfortably in his seat at the mention of the name.
“I said Koametes sent me,” I replied.
“Brock! Unshackle Mr. Dawes immediately. See that his is provided with clothes and accommodations more fitting an honored guest,” Matthias stood and clapped his hands as he ordered the monster of a man around. Matthias bowed deeply as I moved to my knees, “I apologize for this inconvenience Mr. Dawes. I was not aware the Administrator had and active agent in the capital. I can only ask for your forgiveness and hope that I haven’t delayed your mission. If there is anything you need, anything at all don’t hesitate to ask.”
Brock moved to unshackle me but stopped to look at my forearms, “What is on your arms, little human?”
I stood as he finished unshackling me. I took one more drag before tossing the stinger on the ground and rubbing my wrists where the shackles were before turning and looking Brock in the eye, “This? Oh, it’s just a little upgrade I got a while back. Wanna see how they work?” Before he could speak, I backhand him across the face, the large man stumbled before catching himself on the pipe I was shackled to. I didn't have my armor, but the Administrator ensured I wouldn’t lose the portion that made up my arms. I also had all the strength from my stat increases so her warning that I would have nothing more than what I had before receiving the armor wasn’t completely true.
I walk over to Brock as he shook his head and wiped the blood from his chin, “I told you that you would regret hitting me.”