[Munch's Master]

So, I'm finally updating. This chapter took forever to do for no real reason other than my laziness. Larry & co. will return in the next chapter.

Chapter 21: Futile Actions

“Kill him. With yer bare hands. An’ do it now. Kill him.”
The words were spoken short and soft, yet were cannonballs to Arthur’s mind. The crowd of Sligs didn’t change their expression, the gleeful menace remaining. Merrick, having said his piece, folded his arms to watch, expressionless. The only 2 people to react visually were Arthur and Mikey. Mikey crumbled, folding up as much as his broken body would allow, cowering and begging Arthur to reconsider.
Arthur was equally despairing. He turned to Merrick. “What? Ya, ya can’t expect me ta just, kill him. I ain’t no mudlover, I don’;t need ta kill him ta prove that. You see me tomorrow , you’ll see. I ain’t no revolutionary neither, can’t spell the word so I damn sure ain’t one.”
Merrick’s cold stare was unshakeable. “You want me ta say “Ok Arthur, yer probably telling the truth. We’ll give ya tomorrow ta prove it.” But I won’t. You’ve caused trouble before, an fact is, I can’t risk givin’ ya till tomorrow. He’s guilty as sin. You too, far as I’m concerned. Unless you do somethin right now ta convince me otherwise.”
A tortured expression hammered itself to Arthur’s face, his inner agony expounding itself outwards.
“C’mon, Merrick. C’mon, I, I don’t like it here, I admit. But I wouldn’t take it down. I’m not that stupid, or miserable, an I ain’t got the guts fer something that suicidal neither.”
“Prove it.”
There was no way round, no chink in the mortar for Arthur to lever his way through the wall between him and forgiveness. And, as often happens when one is struck, upon hitting the wall, a red fog clouded over Arthur.
Mikey looked up from his not quite foetal position. “Arthur!....gak, you, don’t have ta prove em. Ya….ya didn’t agree ta nothing, I’ll admit! Don’ let this….cough…slave regime wi-Urrrk!!”
Mikey’s words abruptly ended as a vice-like hand clamped round his throat. An iron grip pulled upwards, forcing the aspiring mutineer’s broken body up to eye level with Arthur.
“Shut the f*** up.”
A fist followed the words, Arthur’s knuckles burying themselves into Mikey’s stomach. As Mikey fell towards the ground, landing on the 3 remaining limbs he had, another hammer like blow sledged downwards, smashing against the side of his face. It rained down again and again, each time followed by a demented yell from Arthur. Mikey’s yelps of pain were drowned out by the noise of the other Sligs, his attempts to crawl cut off as a metal leg shot forwards, motors hissing as the shin of Arthur’s pants smashed against Mikey’s arm, unbalancing him and leaving him prone again. The gyros swivelled back and forth as Arthur kicked at Mikey’s abdomen now, ribs bruising, buckling and finally cracking upon each blow from the solid metal.
“Arthur….please!”
The call of sympathy seemed to only enrage Arthur more. In Arthur’s mind, it was not the pitiful revolutionary lying before him, but a face who he detested, changing with each blow- Lak, Merrick, others whose names were forgotten or unimportant. Arthur raised his leg, lowering the irresistible steel down onto Mikey’s sternum. He pressed hard, trying to bury the pants through his chest. Mikey gripped the metal, trying to force it off, which only spurred Arthur on to reach down and drag the Slig up again. He kicked at Mikey’s buckled right leg, the broken machinery ultimately coming lose from its components. Arthur smashed another fist into Mikey’s face, before gripping his pants waist and pulling, wrenching the equipment from Mikey’s broken body. Arthur snarled again, before tossing the broken Slig across the empty circle. He pounced on the battered body quickly, clenching both hands around the shell of a lifeform’s throat, and squeezing. Mikey flailed, his battered body trying to free himself, snatching, grabbing, clawing; but his efforts slowed, before ultimately ceasing.
Arthur stood up. “Killer or corpse. Either way there’s a dead body. This way, there’s just the 1. But with the guilt I’ve gotta deal with now, I may as well be dead too.”
Arthur walked up to Merrick, going as close to the head of Security’s face as he could. “There’s yer proof.”
The senior guard’s face cracked into a grin “Indeed. Well done.”
Arthur turned menacing again, a manic edge to his voice “Don’t compliment me! Don’t thank me! I didn’t enjoy it. And don’t think I’ll be stayin’ in these Barracks tonight. Maybe not any other night neither. I can’t stay with Sligs who get happy ‘bout killin’ each other.”
He turned and marched towards the door, barely waiting for it to slide open before he exited, uncaring of his superior's or peers' reactions. They didn't matter to him anymore.
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Across and above from the Barracks, another watcher surveyed the execution, through means of a camera. Eyes gleamed.
“He’s got a killer edge then. Been in fights before from what I ‘ear, but never killed. Interestin’.”
The purple scuttling creature at the first figure’s side spoke from the corner of his mouth. “He detests his colleagues even more, now. Such actions may have aided his transformation into an insurgent.”
The first figure spoke again “Perhaps. But I doubt it, Raymond my friend. He can’t be manipulated, but he can be controlled direc’ly. It’s certainly not a matter necessary for yer ta raise at the next Board of Directors’ meetin’.”
The vykker at his side, Raymond, Chief Executive of the company, turned to face Godrar. “How is it that you intend to control him then? You know I don’t head down here much.”
Boss Godrar smirked “Indeed ya don’t. Too busy with yer paperwork an publicity over in yer off site office. And I can control him very easily. Through the correct employment, of this footage. Play!”
Godrar’s loud command was quickly acknowledged by the Voice Control, and the screen output changed immediately.
Raymond watched. “I assume you haven’t shown the others this.”
The Glukkon smirked again “Of course not. If they’d seen this, I’d be in no position to employ it.”
Raymond nodded “I’m sure you’ve got the situation fully under control, sir.”
Godrar nodded likewise “Indeed. I’ll have someone call the Slig up here tomorrow. See how he handles it.”
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