Kalon

Chapter One-Hundred-Nine: Vedda Nulak

Galactic Quadrant: Darna Quadrant

Ruling Government: Talum Merchant Federation

Solar System: D-447

Planet: Ora

Location: Research Facility

Existence stirs, my mind is distant though. How long was it this time? How long was I asleep? My body feels worse than before.

"All this sitting around is so boring," Mallock groans, I hear him stand abruptly, "Come, there are things I would have you see. No one said I couldn't torture your mind."

I try to move against the restraints, but again nothing, my tendons are still cut. Light spills into my eyes as they flit open. He pulls from my arm a tube. Warm blood blots onto the white marble floor.

"Oops," Mallock says, pressing a piece of cloth firmly against where the blood flows, "Made a boo-boo."

My eyes water as he pulls at the tubes in my throat, wrenching them free, I feel blood seeping into my lungs.

"Decontamination complete," a voice says.

"Sir!" a woman screams from the other side of the room.

I recognize her voice, Mallock's father called her Doctor Hemallia.

"Slag," Mallock curses under his breath.

"Med team on my location now!" she yells into her holopad, stepping past him, "What were you thinking?"

"Spare me the annoying questions," Mallock yawns, sitting down and putting his feet up on her desk.

"Your father will not be pleased," she seethes, her jaw tight as her nostrils flare, "This is my project, my specimen."

"I just wanted to take him out for a few minutes, it was harmless, really," he replies, picking at his teeth with his fingernail, he shoots me a glance for a moment, then looks back at her, "He'll be fine, relax."

"You want me to relax?" she scoffs, turning to face him, she yells, "Then you should leave!"

Mallock's expression turns as he looks at her. Standing slowly, he moves toward her, she backs away fearfully until the table stops her, he stares down at her, more than a head taller.

"Well, look who finally grew some claws," Mallock says, slamming his hand down on the table, she flinches. He gives a satisfied smirk, "You're right, maybe I should leave, there are better uses of my time than watching father's newest pet."

She does not speak, fear is caught in her throat, I can feel it trying to crawl into me as well as he looks down on me now. Pushing her out of the way, he leans down toward my ear.

"Don't disappoint me," he whispers.

He moves to leave the room, stumbling over his own foot, knocking into the table, and sweeping some of the vials on the ground, something is strange about it though, it seemed almost, intentional.

"Oh, clumsy me, sorry Hemallia."

"No, no, the samples," she says, rushing over to the floor, those who were called in join her, trying to salvage what they can.

"Weeks of work ruined," she seethes.

Mallock turns to me with a grin, walking by the bed they have me strapped in. As they are all distracted, he pulls something from his jacket… I feel it when he opens the black case. Netherium. He slides it next to my leg, between the restraints. Not a large amount, but enough that I can feel my body drinking it in already.

"Do call me if you need anything," Mallock says to the staff before he exits the room, giving me a nod before he rounds the door.

"Slagging prick!" Hemallia yells after the doors close, pounding her hand against the floor, "If he wasn't his son, I'd dissect his demented brain, fragging frag balls."

"We can't use any of this Ma'am," one of the workers says, holding up broken vials.

"I know that!" she yells, standing up and opening her holopad as she storms out of the room.

There are only three of them left in the room. The pulses of Netherium echo up my leg, and I feel the tendons pulling the muscles back to form. Why would he give it to me? Is this a trick? A trap? Does it matter? Looking around again, I see surgical blades on one of the nearby tables. If I can get free of my restraints, then there is hope, regardless of its origin. If there is a trap, I will carve my way through it. One thing is certain. This may be my only chance. I must take it.

My wrists are slick with blood as I start to pull them forcefully from the restraints.

"I hope she steps up to the big boss, Mallock's been killing off some of our subjects."

Halfway there, my heart beats faster, my mind feels less drowsy without the tube attached to my arm. I feel the bones sliding from joint, I must be slow, or else they will hear it.

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"He's a child in a man's body," another groans.

"I've never seen a child fillet someone for looking at them wrong," the next says, there is caution in their voice, they look over toward me, but my eyes slam closed before they meet my gaze.

Did they see? No, they would have said something. My heart pounds faster as I peek slowly. Relief fills me as I see they are not looking anymore. More relief when my hand slips the restraint. I do not waste time. Instead, I yank my other arm and my legs free. The sickening pops draw one of their attention immediately. The Netherium weaves the bone back to its proper shape with another crack.

"Hey…" the cautious one says, their voice becomes louder as they point a shaking finger toward me, "Hey!"

The others turn and look, but I am already sitting up by the time they react. They try to grab me, I grab the blade from the nearby table and cut at their arms, sending them backward.

"Sound the alarm!" another yells as blood streaks across their white garb.

Sliding from the table, my feet hit the ground, my body groaning as my balance is found lacking, sending me tumbling into the first one. My legs are trembling, just from my weight, sekat. I have not walked in months. The one I tumbled into tries to push me away, but I slide the blade into their belly and twist, my arms are much weaker than I remember. Looking at them, my eyes widen, I am gaunt, and my body is withered.

They are all screaming and crying as I come for them without mercy. It is shameful though, my feet barely find footing and my body does not respond as it ought. My skills cannot be used properly with such a frame. What have they done to me? Months without exercise erasing years of hard labor. My body feels malnourished as well. My jaw grinds as I weakly grab the mask from one and slam it into the other, barely managing to crack it. I stumble over, still learning my balance on these unfortunate legs. One of them makes for the door, holding the wound on their belly, I throw my blade into the back of their leg, sending them to the floor. At least my aim is still correct.

Rolling now, my ribs hurt as the sores on my body protest to the movement. I clamber up from the roll, almost falling back down when the tube that had been in my throat trips me. Frustration rises as my weak legs cramp up, nearly sending me to the ground. One of them throws a seat at me, I try to evade it, but my body is so weak, it barely listens to me. The chair strikes me and sends me hard to the ground, slipping on my blood and theirs. I need to change the dynamic.

My body is weak, legs barely able to hold me if I stand. I need to keep low then, using my other arm for balance, like an animal I will kill them. My eyes narrow as I take them in. One nearly dead, one with a light wound to their arm that trickles to the floor, and the last crawls to the door with a blade in their leg. I can do this.

I scamper across the floor, slicing the arteries in their legs and severing the tendons. As they fall into my domain upon the ground, I slide my blades into their necks, twisting and cutting everything I can. Even as they sputter for air I do not stop. I cannot stop.

Blood soaks me as I crawl now towards the one that is nearly to the door, a fresh streaking of blood behind them, made fresher by mine as I close the distance, grabbing their leg and pulling back as hard as I can.

"Please! Have Mercy!" they scream.

"Vedda Nulak," I say with gritted teeth, my voice almost unrecognizable from the tubes ravaging.

There is no mercy as the blade carves into them.

The three are now dead.

Shaking knees try to steady me against the door, how do I unlock it? I try pounding the pad, but it flashes red.

"Unauthorized," the system voice says.

Taking the blade, I try to pry up the housing, but to my surprise, the door opens.

"Authorized."

Looking up and down the hallway. There is no one here. My hand grips the railing on the wall to hold my weight, my legs are still not strong enough to hold me for long. Most of the small amount of Netherium is gone too, used to heal my broken frame. I am so weak, I can barely walk. Making it to the next doorway, this one too opens. Dread begins to rise in me. This is too easy, the trap comes soon. I must be ready for it.

Moving lower now, hunched against the wall, blood streaks from me, I don't know if it is mine or theirs. My breath is ragged, just this little exercise is taking its toll on me. I hear a familiar voice coming from down the hall. It is Hemallia, the one who tortured me for samples, the one who has helped do this to me. My eyes focus as my legs fill with determination. If I take her, there is a chance. She seems important. I should use that.

She speaks to the man that Mallock called father. I can hear his voice coming from her wrist. She has not noticed me yet, so I wait behind the wall of the doorway. Not knowing how much the man in the holo can see. I do not want anyone else alerted. This trap has Mallock's hands on it, not his father's. I may be able to exploit Mallock's need for stimulation, but I do not know what drives his father besides perhaps money.

"The subject is fine, sir. We were able to handle it." She says, I can see her hand clenched behind her back as she continues with "I am not sure having your son Mallock here is conducive to productivity, sir."

"What has he done now?"

"Sir, he has been contaminating the subjects, even killing some of them." She says, her frustration barely held back, "Sir, he has even resorted to engaging with the subject directly now. I fear that he will continue this behavior and ruin my project and my…"

"Your project?" the man asks, his voice ebbs coldness "Let us not forget, this is my project."

"Of course sir, sorry sir," she says, her voice has retreated the courage it showed.

"I will tell him to stop hindering you." The man says, then his voice becomes colder still, "But if you cannot even handle the tantrums of a spoiled man-child, perhaps you're not cut out to be the lead on the project."

Her stance changes "Sir… I."

"Do your slagging job," he says, and a beep follows as the connection is severed.

She drops her wrist slowly, letting out a frustrated scream as she punches the wall closest to her. Nursing her hand now groaning in pain. There it is… my moment.

My legs carry me as swiftly as able. She almost turns as I grab her hair from behind and drag her into my grasp, placing the surgical blade firmly against her throat. My other hand covers her mouth as her eyes spring open wide and she struggles for a moment, until she realizes the blade will only dig deeper.

"Scream and find your tongue on the floor," I say, she slowly nods, letting out a whimper. When she settles, I release her mouth.

"How did you…" she begins, but I push the blade tighter.

"I will ask the questions," I say, trying to remain calm, barely able to stand.

She nods again.

"Where is the security room?" I ask her, hoping to find weapons. My body is not… reliable.

She points towards another corridor and I press her to move forward.

When we come upon the door marked security, the door slides open on its own, and my jaw flexes. Hope trickling out of me like the blood.

"Oh, my… what a turn of events," Mallock says, standing on the other side of the room with his hands on his hips, his expression is one of forced surprise hiding the glint of a smirk.

"Mallock help me!" Hemallia yells.

"Help you?" asks Mallock through a chuckle, no longer feigning his surprise, instead staring down at her with a satisfied smirk on his lips he says "It's your project, your specimen, far be it for me to interfere with your work."

"Mallock…" she whimpers, "Please, for the love of the Gods."

Mallock roars with laughter, then in a single movement splays his coat over his knee as he sits down and cracks his neck.

"Thought about it," Mallock says, feigning a yawn, "Sounds boring," he turns now, giving me a stomach-churning wink as his finger taps on the edge of an energy pistol, "Besides, father said not to hurt his precious toy, and he said to stop bothering you, Hemallia."

"Mallock, please…" she begs, tugging at my arm, her eyes dancing on the blade that presses firmer.

"Hemallia, I've said no already," Mallock says, cracking his knuckles, then spinning the pistol on his palm, "Don't worry though, I'll be sure to let father know of your failure."

Pulling her backward slowly as I make for the doorway, Mallock raises a finger.

"Before you just go trouncing around the facility, I think you'll find what's in section three the most… entertaining," he says, and with that he waves me off, picking at his teeth with his fingernail again.

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