A low moan came on the breeze, and Gaza spun with his blaster leveled. The silence lay thick on the battlefield, with only the ticking of the hot APC engine cooling to disturb the peace.
“One of them is faking,” the baron said loudly. “Find him and let’s get some answers!”
Quickly, his wives searched the bodies, using knives to stab any corpse not blown to pieces. Then one small body drenched in blood and entrails jerked at the touch of the blade and the women descended in force, pinning the Core mutie and tying his hands across his back and looping a second rope around his neck. Any attempt to get loose would only cause the prisoner to strangle himself.
Walking over to the masked being, Gaza kicked it hard in the belly, and the desert warrior doubled over, heaving for breath. The prisoner was small in height and build, certainly no older than a teenager. Not that it mattered for very long. Alar had died much too soon. This mutie wouldn’t share his good luck.
Pulling a stiletto from his boots, Gaza turned the blade about in the bright sunlight, the needle tip gleaming evilly. The sand mutie jerked his head forward, to stare at him with blazing violet eyes. Cold fear filled the man’s belly for a moment, but when nothing happened Gaza broke into laughter and the captive slumped with defeat.
“Can’t send mind monsters alone, eh?” Gaza sneered and the captive slumped in resignation.
“Trapped, alone and helpless. But you have spirit. I respect that. Tell me about the underground city and your death will be swift and painless.”
The prisoner continued to stare at the sand and said nothing.
Furiously, Gaza backhanded the being across the face, sending him sprawling. As the captive tried to rise, the ropes tightened and started choking him to death. Moving quickly, Allison and Kathleen grabbed the prisoner and hauled him upright where he gasped for breath wheezing from the effort.
“Is there any way down to the city?” Gaza demanded, walking around the being.
After a long pause, the Core soldier shook his head.
“Still stubborn. You must be kin to your baron.”
The masked being remained mute, tilting his head slightly, but the violet eyes were full of confusion.
“The child of your leader, Alar,” the baron explained impatiently.
Dumbly, the captive nodded and the front bandages became damp below the strange eyes.
Tears? Gaza was shocked at that. Nothing on earth cried but norms. “Remove the bandages!” the baron commanded, yanking off his sunglasses. “I want to see his face!”
The captive fought hard, but Allison got him in a hammerlock and pinned helpless as the others roughly used knives to cut away the layers of bandages, uncaring of any damage inflicted. Victoria lay dead in the APC from the spears of the savages, and the other wives no longer considered the captive a living being. It was merely a thing to be handle in any manner their husband decreed.
A small nose came first, then ears, and full lips, then oval eyes of deep violet and finally long blond hair the color of the moon. Gaza was delighted at the sight of the female. All the better for revenge. Reaching down, he rubbed her chest and felt the presence of breasts, large and soft.
“All of it,” the baron said excitedly, feeling his lust rise. “Strip her to the skin.”
The girl struggled, but the women had assisted in such things before and soon the captive was stark naked before the baron, cringing in shame as she tried to hide herself with one arm across her full breasts, the other between her legs. Her skin was bluish in color, and the man thought she might be a mutie after all, but then he realized it was just from the total lack of sun ever reaching her flesh for a lifetime.
“Magnificent.” Gaza chuckled as he walked around the young female. “And human in every way.”
“P-please,” a new voice said.
Gaza spun at that to see the girl shivering. Ah, she was freezing in the desert heat. Her body was unable to handle the lack of bandages.