Page 63 of Destinies of Diamond
“I’d rather not,” I replied. “Why don’t you let me go, Vincent? I’ll be on my way and nothing will come of this.”
My cousin shot me a sympathetic look. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. I have specific orders from The Grand Judiciary to keep you under watch at all times. And if that fails, I’m authorized to proceed with more harmful methods.”
I sneered, not believing him for a second. “More harmful than this?”
I stared down at myself, or better said, what was left of me. The Grand Judiciary was taking no chances. Once they’d managed to snatch me up—and Helios only knew how that had happened—they’d attached countless suppressors to my recently reformed body, making sure to gradually sap the flow of photons coursing through me. But they hadn’t stopped there. I was currently lying on a heat-resistant metal slab, with a drone hovering over me, slicing me open with its laser.
It had already removed a lung and it was working on my liver. It hadn’t gone for my hearts yet, which sucked, because if it had done that, I’d have been able to access Helios’s flame and return to Nexus. Not ideal, considering the fact that Selene was missing, but better than being trapped here, getting vivisected.
I had to rely on the fact that sooner or later, they’d get a little too ambitious and take things too far. But that would take a while, especially since Vincent was here to make sure I didn’t die on them. “Why did you do this, Jared?” he insisted. “Why did you betray us?”
“How do you know I did?” I asked, baring my teeth at him. “Your cousin is dead, Vincent Glass. He died as a child, in the explosion of a garrison. I took his place, to spy on you filthy Terrans. And it worked beautifully. Not even that bitchy chimera was able to read me enough to distinguish my real intentions.”
Vincent’s breath caught at my apparent confession. I laughed at him, deliberately mocking his pain. “Oh, what now? Are you going to cry? You know, no matter how much pain I’m ever in, it won’t compare to what that kid experienced as he died.”
The irony was that it was mostly true. In my apsid form, my brain could better block out physical trauma. Even if they sliced me to pieces, I’d still be able to function, at least to some extent. As a human, I would have been crippled by the agony right now. Even years after that day, when I’d been killed by my own people, I couldn’t say I’d experienced a pain that was fiercer. The only thing that could perhaps compare was the time I’d transported me and Selene to Nexus, since I’d been forced to give her my natural shield. But even that had been less powerful than being burned alive, as a human.
Vincent believed me, which was both good and bad. “You piece of alien trash. I’ll fucking kill you.”
He pressed a button on his communicator and the drone beeped, having obviously received some kind of message. It started moving faster, digging into my body with greater purpose. “By the time I’m done with you, there’ll be nothing left of you but pieces.”
I spat in his face even as the drone began trying to separate my arm from my body. It managed to dig into my skin, but my bones resisted. I laughed harder, already starting to feel the suppressor cuffs heating up.
If I could crack them, I’d be able to mimic what that girl had done all those years ago. Just a little more and I could be free.Come on, come on.
Another drone showed up, joining its friend. At this point, my cousin had stopped trying to ask me questions. He was just watching me get tortured with an almost savage expression of satisfaction on his face.
Time passed. More people came and left, some belonging to the Crius Guard Corps, others members of the various star fleets. Doctors dropped by to check on me and retrieve the organs the drones had extracted. My body stubbornly endured. I drifted between pain, anguish, and dread, always aware that every second I spent here was a risk to Selene.
If I didn’t come back with news from Terra, what would the others do? They couldn’t attack Hades Base on their own. That was insane. They might be powerful, but they couldn’t bypass all the defenses there, especially not without me.
I sent a mental prayer to Helios, willing him to give me the strength to beat this. It was difficult, because my mind was still a little fuzzy after what I’d experienced when I’d tried to leave Terra. I couldn’t remember everything, but I knew something had happened to Zephyrus.
A part of me wanted to ask Vincent about it. He belonged to the Harpy Squad too, so he must have some knowledge of what was going on. After our earlier exchange, he wouldn’t be inclined to provide me with any reassurance, but maybe I’d be able to wriggle it out of him with insults.
I was working on the exact details of my plan when a rattled guard burst into the room. “Terrible news! The king is dead!”
“What?” one of the doctors asked. “Impossible! How? He was heading this way, perfectly safe, protected by the chimeras.”
“I don’t know, Sir,” the guard replied, “but the ship exploded. We’ve yet to receive news from Prince Brendan, although we know the Venom is no longer on Tartarus Base.”
The way they were speaking seemed to suggest they didn’t deem Brendan a traitor. That was good news, since it meant the king hadn’t shared his plans with his underlings. But on the other hand, I couldn’t believe Philip was dead, just like that.
Philip’s fate wasn’t the most important part of the equation. My blood turned to ice as I remembered my earlier episode. The ship had exploded. Zephyrus had been there as well, and that meant her metallic body had been destroyed. And while I grieved for her and the other chimeras, I believed they could come back, once their shells were rebuilt.
Selene wouldn’t be so lucky.
Oh, Helios. No, no, no, no, no. This couldn’t be happening. Selene couldn’t be dead.
I hadn’t gotten the chance to tell her how I truly felt about her. I’d tried to apologize, but nothing I’d done had made up for my actions. I hadn’t been able to help her or make her forgive me.
Selene. Selene. Selene.
I screamed, the heat inside me increasing more and more. The drones were blasted back. The suppressor cuffs cracked, unable to contain the unleashed power of my grief.
“What the fuck?” Vincent cursed. “Stop!”
I didn’t stop. I didn’t care about anything anymore and I had no intention of waiting or relying on outside assistance. I felt broken and shattered, and I’d break and shatter everything in retaliation.
