Shall Not Perish by Richard Tongue

Author:Richard Tongue [Tongue, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Publisher
Published: 2018-02-19T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

 “Wake up!” a gruff voice said, forcing Romano from his hard-won sleep. The young officer’s eyes snapped open with a start, and he looked up to see Diego making his way to the open door, a tall, black-uniformed man standing in the corridor with what appeared to be a cattle prod, crackling with electricity, in his hand. Romano looked around, trying to spot some means of escape, but found none. Instead, he rose to his feet and walked through the door, ignoring the sneer of the guard as he followed Diego to the end of the passage.

 All the prisoners were following, mostly four to a cell, either wearing the ubiquitous beige overalls or the remnants of spacer jumpsuits, battered from long use. It was immediately obvious that while the Guild were keeping their prisoners fit enough to work, that was all they were doing, and that the barest possible minimum level of comfort was provided for them. That all the guards were obviously well fed only added to the carefully measured sense of inferiority they were attempting to foster, techniques right out of the manual.

 The prisoners, most of them obviously broken, shuffled into the room, hundreds of them moving to cold metal benches, all facing a stern-faced woman at a lectern, wearing the same uniform as the guards but with silver insignia on her shoulders. She looked at Romano, and a twisted smile crossed her face.

 “Fresh blood,” she said. “It’s always fun to break in someone new. I’m sure you’ll find your stay here most pleasant, given the intransigence of your commander.”

 “I’m afraid there’s been some mistake,” Romano replied. “I asked for a single, not a double, and I’ve got to say, the room service around here sucks.”

 Intense, agonizing pain erupted between his shoulders as one of the guards jabbed his prod against his skin, the electric pulse ripping through his system. Somehow he didn’t – quite – fall unconscious, but it was a struggle for him to remain awake, to suppress the deep cry of pain he desperately wanted to make. The other prisoners looked away, aside from Diego, none of them willing to face him.

 “Speak only when you are specifically instructed to do so,” the woman said. “I am the Administrator of this facility, and my word is law. For you, effectively, I am God, with the power of life and death, and I am responsible only to my conscience.” She looked into his eyes, and her smile spread wider, as she said, “Splendid. There is still some of the fire burning within you. I think this is going to be a most interesting experience.” She gestured for one of the guards to stand behind him, and added, “Indicate your acknowledgment.”

 “I understand,” he replied.

 “That’s a start, I suppose,” she said. “What training do you have?”

 Cracking a smile, he replied, “Lieutenant Junior Grade Frank Romano, United States Space Force. Serial number O-3310-06.”

 The pain whipped at him again, and this time he fell to his feet, writhing in agony, still somehow able to resist the all-but-overwhelming urge to scream, to cry out in agony.

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