[ COMPLETED ]
German Translations Provided By @vanessanats
BOOK 1 of the ORPHIC series
ZEITGEIST
/ˈtsītˌɡīst,ˈzītˌɡīst/
the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time.
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"Cruelty, like every other vice, requires no motive outside of itself; it only requires opportunity."
???, Russia. December, 1991
SHE'D COLLAPSED FROM THE DRASTIC temperature difference the room produced. The vents would let loose a sweltering, almost unbearable heat, that Verfall couldn't tolerate. She'd sweat and tremble and swallow nothing, agitating her throat like sand brushing against each other in the middle of a bone dry desert. Then a blast of cold air would enter the room and she'd get the taste of sweet relief as the room grew neutral in temperature. But the relief would only last a few seconds before the walls would start to grow too cold. And she'd shiver, her hands still clasped behind her back as she struggled to remain standing. It was no surprise when her knees hit the ground with a crack.
She'd tried to stand back up- she had- but her muscles had locked and she'd found herself sprawled across the floor. Her body ached and her limbs hung onto her like weights that shouldn't have been there. The sweltering heat was back, and she wondered if she'd been laying there overnight. She didn't sleep- she'd just fallen unconscious without her permission. It was hard for her eyes to remain focused as the door screeched open.
The sound was muted, and so were the footsteps approaching her. Her body trembled as she tried to move, only achieving a slight twitch in her fingertips. Karpov hauled her onto her feet, accompanied by two other agents who helped the handler as she was dragged out of the room, legs limp beneath her.
A cold towel was pressed into the back of her neck and she shivered at the feeling, sweat still drying against her forehead. Another door was unlocked and pushed open, and Verfall had enough conscience to see the blob of flesh in the corner of the room, reflecting the ceiling light with his metal limb.
Winter remained motionless as his eyes settled on Verfall.
Verfall was thrown onto the floor and she winced as pain exploded across her entire body. She wrapped her arms around her torso, curling into a ball as the two agents stepped forwards, lips pressed into a tight grimace as one of them unclipped the baton attached to his hip.
He didn't swing it like the agents usually did when they beat Winter. Instead he pressed the object against the side of her neck as it flared to life. Verfall found herself uncomprehending of the white hot pain shooting up and down her skin as her lips let loose animalistic groans of pain.
"Ты живое оружие."
You are a living weapon.
Karpov's voice was muddled as Winter's eyes sharply moved to him.
