CHAPTER 3
JUSTICE…PERVERTED
Just as Nox had thought, a group of 4 security sligs and 1 mudokon soon arrived and handcuffed Nox without a word. He could faintly remember hearing shouting, arguing. It sounded like Wrask and one of the security sligs.
Nox couldn’t remember much about what happened after the exhausting ‘re-live’ of his war days, ‘The Charge of Bunker D-14’ to be precise, and lay on the floor of the café in a daze, soon injected with a heavy sedative by a mudokon working for the security sligs, forcing him to become completely unconscious…and helpless.
All became black, and he dreamt…oh how he dreamt. Dreamt about things he didn’t want to dream about. Dreamt about war, dreamt about the violence he had endured when he was a young slig in the ‘D & M’ war, of the horrors he had set sight upon, of the stressful situations he had got into, of the mental strain it all forced onto him.
So young…so young.
“I shouldn’t of been there,” He mumbled through numb silence, “I was too fresh…too…too innocent.”
But worst of all, he could hear the voice in his head.
Now look what yeh gone and done…eh? Now look what yeh gone and done! You’ve fucked it up as usual! Now what they gonna’ do with ya’! now what the FUCK, are they gonna’ do with you!! Oh, and by the way, that was a real smooth move you did in the café, stickin’ yer gun in yeh gob! You stupid, stupid, STUPID fuckin’ idiot!!! Where they gonna’ take yeh? Where yeh gonna’ wake up? Im bloody disappointed in you.
…you…are a killin’ machine…the sooner you realise that, the quicker we’ll get out of this shit!
“Why? Why were you so strong today? Your like a stench! You just wont go away! It was just another day, why suddenly force me back to my war days!!”
Nox started shouting into solid darkness, “Why make me attack another slig!! What was the fuckin’ point?!? He was a FRIEND!! What’s wrong with you?!?…ANSWER ME!!” He finished on a bellow, then all silence consumed him once more, the relentless pitch black of his mind never ceasing, never failing.
Because im the one keeping you alive, sonny-boy.
A strong, musty smell overwhelmed Nox when he started to come around. Before he opened his eyes he could hear echoing, robotic slig footsteps, muffled. The smell of old dust and dampness became ever stronger, and he suddenly sprung bolt upright with a gasp, to find himself lying on top of a wooden board, in the corner of a small, metal-walled cell, a windowless metal door to his right.
“Shit”, he sighed, putting his face in his hands, “well done Nox’y old boy, you’ve got yourself into Custody”.
He could hear robotic echoing footsteps again, outside the cell, he looked up towards the door in the tiny cell, and heard the slig footsteps echo closer, closer…then begin to fade away.
He got off the supposed ‘bed’ with a weary heave, surprised that he still had his mechanical legs, and felt his head pound.
“Fuck me,” Nox grumbled, “what did they inject me with, Scrab tranquiliser?!?”
The walls were a metallic grey, seeing as they were metal, and not painted. He touched the dark steel with the tip of his finger, cold. The floor was green marble, and echoed when you stepped on it, he also noticed a camera high in the top corner of the cell, silent and still, the black lens small and shiny.
That’s enough deep thinking fuck-wit, concentrate on what’s goin’ on here and now, not the bleedin’ camera and walls.
Why don’t you just shut up!
Listen fucker! Lookin’ at camera’s an’ shit aint gonna’ help yeh at this moment in time is it?!? So do me a favour and get yourself outta’ here!!
He heard echoing slig footsteps outside once again, growing louder. Just when the footsteps usually began to fade away again, they ended, and Nox tensed, readying himself for a slig to enter. The door gave a clank, and it swung open, banging against the metal wall loudly, at Nox’s expense.
A slig was standing in the doorway, letting 2 other sligs armed with truncheons to enter the small cell with Nox. Nox held his hands in front of him, gesturing to them not to come any closer,
“whoa lads! Im gunna come quietly, just tell me where im goin’.”
The 2 sligs stood in front of him brandishing the weapons threateningly…but uneasily. They glanced at each other quickly, trying their best to keep their eyes on Nox.
There more afraid of you than you are of them!! ‘Ave em over, son! Beat ‘em down! Mess ‘em up! Show ‘em what veterans are made of!!
The slig standing at the back, in the doorway, spoke, whilst holding a piece of paper in his right hand,
“Veteran class Private Nox, we’ve already arrested you on suspicion of assault,” he droned, “you do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence…what defence?!? Err…yeah, if you do so. Anything you do say may be used in court as evidence against you. As you know, slig, you are army class, meaning you will not be going to a general court, but to a court marshal” he looked at the piece of paper he was holding in his hand, “says here you’re a veteran from the ‘D & M’ war, not many of them left.” he remarked as he looked up from the paper to stare at Nox with intimidation.
The 2 sligs in front of Nox were still uneasily focused on him, as if he was about to set off a bomb. Nox still had his hands up to keep back the 2 truncheon-wielding sligs, his head was pounding even more now.
“Yeah, I was, now why the bloody armed guards?!?”
There gonna’ start something, show ‘em a move or two!
“well, you assaulted a fellow slig…you might understand me better if I use the term ‘comrade’”, the slig replied sarcastically, “don’t you remember? Shall we ‘jog’ your memory for you?”.
The 2 sligs glanced back at him.
Yeah definitely, im not just sayin’ it now Nox, there gonna’ ‘ave you if yeh start actin’ naïve! Just do ‘em now dammit!!
“enough of the fuckin’ sarcasm,” Nox started, clearly annoyed “I’ve been through more shit these past 5 years than you’ve ever been through. What do you do anyway? Got a nice, cosy security job for this building? Maybe do a bit of pencil-pushin’? You must be half my age and yet you act like a bloody glukkon!” Nox was flinging his arms about in frustration, “Show some respect and listen, I said I’d come quietly, I’m not gonna’ start a brawl! Especially in these circumstances!”.
“oh sorry what was that? Your gonna’ start a brawl? I think we need to persuade you to calm down by force-”
Nox sharply butted in, “That’s it! You just try it! I really wanna’ start smashin’ your fuckin’ face in lad!!” he yelled, pointing at the slig “You got 2 sligs that look like their gonna’ piss ‘emselves, and you, the runt of the bunch! You really think you can take me down? Look at the tattoo!” he held his fore arm up aggressively, starting to lose control, “I’ve seen more action than a fuckin’ randy scrab in a breeding pen!! Come on! Lets see what yeh got!!” breathing heavily, he held his arms up ready to grab the first truncheon that might swing towards him.
That’s the one, my boy! I’ve not seen you this willing to fight since you were in that pub brawl last year! You sure showed him to keep his fat mouth shut, now show this one…
The slig at the back shouted “No don’t!…just handcuff him for Odd’s sake”.
Nox calmed himself down, and held out his wrists.
Whaddaya doin’!!! NO!! do NOT just hand yer self over to ‘em?!? They’ll beat ya’ the first chance they get once there on, mate!!
The 2 sligs performed a sigh of relief that big it was almost theatrical, then one pulled out a pair of handcuffs from the metal pocket hatch on the back of his mechanical legs, and slapped them on Nox.
The click of the handcuffs as they fixed around his wrists seemed deafening to Nox…it was one thing the sadistic voice was right about.
We’re fucked now…well done.
The slig in the doorway moved inside the cell, his ring of keys jingling on his mechanical legs, and slammed the door shut behind him.
“Well, seems your tough, but not too bright. Now we’re gonna’ show you what we do here.”
Before Nox could even take this in, the slig guard to his left grabbed him by the back of the head and attempted to pull Nox’s face down towards his metal knee plate, attempting to knee him in the face, but luckily, Nox’s mechanical legs slipped on the green marble floor, and he fell onto his knees.
Good! Good! Now let ‘em ‘ave it!!
Realising what was going on, Nox grabbed the truncheon from the same sligs other hand, and with both handcuffed hands, he heaved on it, making the slig let go of the back of Nox’s head and try and grab back his truncheon, to no avail.
THWACK
Nox let out a yelp and saw a flash of white before his eyes, as the second sligs truncheon made contact with the back of his head. Pain exploded within it, and Nox felt himself sway slightly on his knees, seeing brightly coloured dots before his eyes. In these crucial seconds, Nox’s hearing became muffled and distant due to his head injury, but he heard one thing.
Survive.
With his hearing still impaired, he swung his newly acquired truncheon with all his might at one of the left sligs robotic legs, causing it to buckle and break, and the slig to topple over with a cry. Nox unsteadily got back to his feet.
THWACK
Another whack, this time to his stomach.
KILL ‘EM!! KILL ‘EM!!!
Nox nearly doubled over, but took the pain and swung the truncheon towards the ‘whack-happy’ sligs face, there was a dull thud as it hit him on the mask, just below the eye-lens and he spun as he fell to the floor. Nox could no longer contain it, and he doubled over with a grimace of face tentacles.
“aaaaaaaaaarrrgh” he groaned, feeling dizzy again. He heard a jingling of keys.
He’s gunna’ get away! Kill that little shit!!
He looked up to see the sarcastic slig already at the door, fumbling with the lock.
Must be a slam-door lock.
Who cares?!? GET HIM!
Nox ran at the slig, his cuffed hands hanging low in front of him, letting out a wail as he went, his hearing still bad, the pain very real. Nox crashed into the slig with his shoulder, smashing him against the door with a loud, metallic thud.
Nox was then catapulted backwards as the door hit him in his side and 3 more sligs entered the room. Nox lay on his back, looking up at the dark ceiling, his hearing slowly drifting back. He could feel blood dribble down the side of his head, and hear slig voices.
“He just went berserk!! Started tryin’ to kill us!!”
“Don’t talk shit to me! I saw what happened on the camera’s, you were provoking him”.
Nox saw a sligs face hover above him,
“looks like you’ve been causin’ trouble, pal. We’re taking you to the court marshal, now!”.
Nox felt himself get lifted up onto his feet, and frog marched out the room. He closed his eyes, wandering why people kept shitting on him. His head injury was worse than he had first anticipated, as he couldn’t walk, and felt so, so tired.
He then spoke with a slur as they escorted him into the green corridor outside, “ this world is still chewin’ me up, when’s it gonna’ spit me out?”.
“soon pal, soon” came the sympathetic reply from one of the guards.
Good kiddo, you got through it. You’ll be doin’ a lot more o’ that if yeh get sent down! Oh yeah!!
Nox groaned as they walked him down the corridor, on their way to the court room.
Outta’ the frying pan, an’ into the fire, sonny boy.
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replies are welcome, and constructive criticism.
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