Future Fiction

Godspeed (SciFriday Challenge 16)

Regent Noren was bloated with pride as he shot a sinister grin towards his prisoner - nay his trophy.

"You know..." Noren said in contemplation, stroking his unkempt beard. "I thought I killed you already," he continued, glaring at his captive bound to the operating table. "Twice, in fact. That's the problem, you see." The regent paused to pick up a laser scalpel from an assortment of tools placed on a tray near the prisoner. "This time there will be no thinking... I will kill you."

The captive, clad in armor darker than space itself, remained silent. Noren inhaled with disgust seeing that his theatrics failed to have effect on his captive.

"Perhaps you're too daft to understand what's happening. Can you see the machine that is connected to your skull?" Noren pointed his finger towards a large machine in the corner of the room.

"Oh, that's right... you can't!" he guffawed. "Well, since you've been completely immobilized, let me explain it to you. Quite simply, it's a torture device." The pompous captor walked up to the bed and leaned towards his prisoner. "I made it just for you," he whispered gleefully into the captive's ear.

"I know what you're thinking," he said as he backed away. "I'm the Dark Knight! I feel no pain, for I am synthetic! But I have it on good authority that you're not all machine. In fact, there is one part of you that is still human." He pointed at the knight's head.

"Your brain."

Again, the knight strapped to the table made no movement. For the entire time that the regent had been speaking, the captive behaved as if he were in a trance.

Noren was frustrated by his prisoner's indifference, and this time he spoke more hastily. "What this creation of mine does is... you know what? How about I just show you!" As he finished his sentence, he turned on the laser scalpel and drove it deep into the captive's right thigh. Pain - a feeling almost forgotten by the knight - surged through his body. Immediately, the knight's face contorted into a grimace.

"Ah?" the regent stated inquisitively. "So the Dark Knight can feel pain." The regent, now much more happy with the situation, began to pace a circle around the bed. "So here's the deal, 'Dark Knight'," he continued. "Tell me the secret of how your portals work, and I'll let you free. I'm tired of losing soldiers to a vigilante robot who fights unfairly: opening portals all over the place, jumping through them and appearing out of nowhere. But if you decide to withhold this information from me...." Noren stopped his pacing and stood by the tray of tools. He placed the laser scalpel back onto the surface and raised up a saw in its place. "It's going to be a long night for you," he smiled.

The captive took in a deep breath and looked out of the corner of his eye towards his torturer. "Do with me what you will" he said calmly. "But by the end of the night, it will be my blade that is piercing you."

The regent was somewhat stunned by the knight's confident response, but he promptly recovered."Yes, your sword... I'm not sure on how you plan on doing that, considering I've taken the sword for my own now. Not to mention you're strapped to a table," he laughed. The regent unsheathed the knight's sword that he had strapped to his own belt. "It is beautiful, isn't it," the regent said, admiring its craftsmanship. The entire sword was just as black as the knight's armor. Adorning its curved cross-guard were three black gemstones.

"But that's enough talk," Noren said bluntly. He raised the sword and swung down at the knight's foot, severing it just below the ankle. Fluids gushed from the mechanical knight, but he made no sound. Only the expression of the knight was changed by the pain now coursing through his body.

"So, do we have a deal?" the regent said cheerfully. The knight only responded with the closing of his eyes. The regent let out a fabricated sigh and shook his head. "It didn't have to be this way."

_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

The regent methodically tore away at the knight's body with saws, hammers, and other diabolical tools for hours, but to no avail. Now, the only remaining part of the knight was his head and a small circulatory system supplying his human brain with blood. The regent was disgusted with how the night had turned out. He went back over to the tray of tools and grabbed the laser scalpel once again.

"Don't think I won't kill you!" He rushed over and placed the scalpel on the transparent tube supplying the knight's brain with vital blood and oxygen. The knight remained silent.

Regent Noren let out a beastly scream as he swiftly severed the tube. "I've had enough of you!" he roared at the knight's severed head, and hastily stood up.

As he turned around he was met with the sight of a figure and an odd sensation in his chest. He looked in disbelief at the dark figure in front of him. "No," he said quivering. "It can't... I just... how... you're dead!" he sneered. The regent looked down at the curved cross-guard buried into his chest.

"Unfortunately for you," the Dark Knight responded, "I died a long, long time ago."

The regent continued looking at the crossguard. Something was different. There were now four stones across the surface. Noren looked up at the knight with a disturbing smile. "So... I guess that means I'll see you in Hell!" The regent let out an insane laugh that was soon choked out by his own blood. He collapsed into a heap on the floor.

The knight sheathed his sword and looked over at his decapitated countenance lying on the bed.

"I'm already here," he replied.

"Godspeed number three."