Keeper Hunter

I found myself explaining Leo’s teams mission in detail even though I told Hlanhildr this already. “Leo and his people are with Spec Ops. So it’s important that they complete their mission?”

“I see,” Hlanhildr said.

I felt my teeth grinding it was an annoying habit she had. “This is important?” I knew pleading wouldn’t work with the Valkyrie.

“Yes!” Hlanhildr replied.

I was taken aback by that I had expected her to say ‘I see’. She wasn’t questioning my words she was agreeing. I ploughed on not sure where I was going with this. “We need up to date info on the brewery.

“That’s easy,” she said putting on her helmet.

Moments later two Valkyrie entered dragging an unfortunate Security Officer between them. They weren’t being gentle. The man was wearing standard Security armour consisting of body armour with arm and kneepads. His utility belt was missing and his hands had been secured behind with Security restraints. There was a bruise on the side of his face. The two Valkyrie dumped him on the floor and stood either side of him.

He wasn’t any of the Security Officers I’d encountered so far. This stranger was a few years older than I with close cropped dark hair.

I looked at the others. “Do any of you know this one?”

They shook their heads I noted they were remaining silent. A wise decision when dealing with Valkyrie.

Hlanhildr stood in front of the man he glared at her. “You’ll pay for this!” He mumbled defiantly his words punctuated with bloody spittle.

“Do I care,” Hlanhildr responded.

“Traitors!” the man spat a bloody glob of phlegm at Hlanhildr. It sailed past her to land on the floor.

Hlanhildr gestured to her Valkyrie a sign I wasn’t familiar with. They jerked the man to his feet. In the mean time Hlanhildr had drawn a combat knife.

“Now answer my questions!”

“Never!” The man snarled.

“Wrong answer!” Hlanhildr said stepping closer.

I was worried murder might be done here. “What are you doing this is wrong on so many levels?”

Hlanhildr shrugged. “I’m doing what is necessary Initiate.” With that she cut the man out of his pants.

I could see he’d wet himself I didn’t blame him for doing that. I probably have done that in his place.

“Any objections and I don’t mean you Initiate.”

Leo and his team remained unusually silent. I guess no one wanted to cross an angry Valkyrie. Well there was me I took my chances with the Valkyrie all the time.

“I’ll say again,” Hlanhildr said sternly. “Answer my questions?”

“Never arouraío!”

Hlanhildr sighed. “What is with you mato. Answer my questions or face the consequences.”

“Never!” the man snarled at her.

“I’m being patient here,” Hlanhildr said with a look at me. “Answer my questions?” She glanced at her combat knife. “Nice time is over. Watch and learn Human,” She reached forward and grabbed his genitals.

I almost choked seeing her do that. I wanted to stop this. I was sure she was violating a number of laws on prisoner treatment. I was as helpless now as with the time Thirika shaved the hair off the two Valkyrie plotting my death in the forest. Like that time I was certain my actions would make things worse. I was sure Thirika would have cut their throats if I had tried to intervene. I felt angry and sick to the stomach having to watch this.

“Answer my question or lose them,” Hlanhildr spoke harshly.

“No!”

I had to admit the man was either an idiot or being brave my money was on the idiot.

“Is that ‘no’ as you don’t think I’ll cut them off. Or ‘no’ as in to my questions. Either way things will go badly for you and I’m past caring.”

I had to say something. “You don’t have to do this?” I tried to appeal to Hlanhildr’s sense of honour.

Hlanhildr turned to me. “This is our way Initiate.” Her attention went back to the man she was holding by the balls. “Lost your last chance mato. I just wonder how long a Cell Stitcher will take to regrow them?” In one swift motion she drew her combat knife back and cut.

The man screamed loudly in agony as blood fountained from the wound. I couldn’t believe what I’d just seen. This was worse than anything I’d encountered before. Bile rose in my throat and I stumbled to the door out my hand to my mouth trying to keep my rebelling stomach in check. I made it though the door and out into the front yard. Blindly I staggered around to the side of the house. A flowerbed edged one of the walls. I couldn’t hold on I opened my mouth and puked. Bile spewed out over the flowers I had no regrets about that. Some knelt beside me I looked across and saw Sindara helmetless her face a pale as it could be. She opened her mouth and did as I did and puked into the flowerbed.

“Ancients?” she mumbled spitting the last of her puke out. She handed me a canteen of water. I sipped some of the water swilled it around in my mouth and spat it out. It lessened the taste of bile in my mouth but that was just it. It couldn’t do anything for the sick feeling in my stomach. I felt Sindara’s accusing stare on me.

“I didn’t think you Valkyrie so ruthless?”

“I’m not a full Valkyrie and they’re not.” I remembered Thirika telling me that their savagery was about rumours they had started about themselves. Occasionally they did something to reinforce those rumours. “I think she was sending a message,” I forced myself to admit.

“Message?” Sindara sounded incredulous. “She scared the life out of me.”

“They do that to me all the time.” It wasn’t much comfort bit it was the best I could do.

“You two ok out here?” Guy asked.

I looked up to see him with his helmet off looking a little to calm for the situation.

“What does it look like,” Sindara snapped at him her cheeks flushed red. A better colour on her face than her earlier demeanour.

“Way to fertilise the flowers. You think we’ll get our deposit back?” His offhand comment had me alert.

I took a closer look at him. There was a wildness to his eyes and a lot of pain.

“Fuck off!” Sindara snapped at him.

“No seriously the amount of blood on the floor?”

Guy was trying hard to hide his fear with a joke. It fell flat in the face of Sindara puking again.

“How can you be so calm. She mutilated that man?” I wasn’t going down Sindara’s route but I had to know.

“I was on Anoxi the Orsini did worse than that to our people,” he answered.

I could see cracks in his calm exterior appearing. “Was it really that bad?” I’d only heard rumours most of the troops sent there had come away with some sort of PTSD.

“A lot of my friends never made it back,” Guy said his voice going quiet.

“Sorry,” I apologised.

“I relive it nearly everyday.”

His comment chilled me to the bone.

“I didn’t know,” Sindara said reluctantly. “Were you a Section 192?” Sindara said staring hard at Guy.

“Yes,” he said his voice lowered.

“Section 192?” I had to ask the question.

“It’s the code for those with post traumatic stress disorder. It states a soldier is not fit for duty,” Sindara supplied.

Whatever was going to be said next was interrupted by two Valkyrie dragging out the man. He was unconscious and his lower half was adorned with blood soaked bandages. They carried him to a ground car with a red blood drop on its side.

“At least he’s getting medical treatment. A lot of those we lost on Anoxi didn’t have that luxury. The Orsini deliberately targeted our medics.” Guy sounded bitter the first bit of animation I’d seen from him.

Hlanhildr exited and walked around to the side of the house were we were.

“Initiate,” she addressed me.

I had to have my say. “Was that really necessary?”

“Yes, yes you’ve said that before,” she said to me. “When they lose the fear it is up to us to make them remember. Otherwise we lose this war.”

I wasn’t sure to which war she referring to.

Hlanhildr snapped her fingers at a two more of a group of combat armoured Valkyrie guarding a dozen or so disarmed Security Officers seated on the grass, “Find some male a bit more co-operative.”

“So you can mutilate them!” I said harshly.

“I’ll keep on doing it until I get the answers I want.” She spoke loudly I guessed it wasn’t just for my ears.

“That’s barbaric!” I almost shouted at her.

She ignored me as the Valkyrie dragged another unfortunate into the house.

“We’ll speak again Initiate.” She looked to the house. “Mother I hate this,” she said in a lowered voice. With that she followed after.

I went to go with but Sindara stopped me her hand on my arm.

“You’ll only make things worse.” She sounded resigned.

I hated the feeling that she was right. “You ok?” I asked her.

“Yes I just…”

Leo exited the house in a hurry I wondered how he had stood it so long. Inkassi was the other still in the house.

“Had enough of the bloodshed?” I hadn’t meant to be harsh but it just sounded that way.

“No I was trying to dissuade the Valkyrie from their actions I don’t know how many laws they are violating. Stubborn bitches,” he said with feeling.

“I doubt I’m going to get them to back down.” My words were more conciliatory.

“No one can.”

All we could do was wait, it was sometime before the Valkyrie dragged out their victim. I couldn’t see any damage except for the wet patch on the front of his pants and the strong stench of shit. After depositing the man with his companions one of the Valkyrie came over.

“Initiate your presence is requested inside we have the info you wanted.”

I had no choice but to go.