Space Odyssey: Spectre

"Ha!" Steel's fist connected with Sender's abdomen again as the door opened and the captain walked in. He looked over for only a second before he continued punching the man. Sender's body was already covered in cuts and bruises. He was hanging from the roof by his hands tied with a metal chain.

Sender was in the same pair of pants as when he was detained. The rest of his clothes had been stripped off. Not even his shoes or socks remained.

Steel on the other hand was in a black military shirt with military pants and boots. His hands had the infantry gloves on them, he did not want to break his fingers while punching the man. He had barely broken a sweat since he began beating on the man an hour and a half ago.

"I did not realize torture was your form of relaxation." The captain joked as Steel walked over causing Steel to chuckle in response. "What have you gotten from him?"

Steel shrugged, "I have yet to ask anything. You want to start? I am feeling a little parched so I will get a drink." Steel took off the gloves, tossing them onto a metal table. The sound of metal on metal made Sender flinch. Then Steel chuckled as he walked over to a box and opened it up pulling out a bottle of water.

Mendez sighed and shook his head, this cadet was going to be trouble no matter where he sent him. He honestly gave the cadet permission to interrogate the prisoner in hopes that he would ask for help. He did not think the kid would come out the gate using torture tactics. "Okay Sender, what information have you sold to the info brokers?"

"I sold a lot of information. I gave him intel on locations of witnesses. I gave him intel on people we keep a close eye on because we think they might be spies or traitors. I sold him intel on people who have been contacted by rebels and foreigners in hopes of turning them, and have turned them down or been turned down in some cases. I sold locations of interest that are in the empire." He narrated quickly, hoping the beatings would stop.

"Okay stop. Steel you mind taking a lunch break while I get someone in here to write all this down." Mendez asked Steel with a look of annoyance.

"Ha… I don't mind, I guess. Don't worry Sender I will be back!" Steel called out as he left getting a moan of pain and fear in response

Steel walked straight to the cafeteria. When he walked in his eyes instantly snapped to a figure he saw was eating. He smiled and grabbed a tray and his food before he walked over to join them.

As he sat down the person across from him was struggling with holding her fork. It fell out of her hand again as he sat.

"How is the new hand treating you Charlie?" Steel asked.

"Steel," she looked up from her tray. "It sucks. I am learning how to use my arm all over again. But you seem almost chipper. I heard you were the one that figured out the shit with Sender, what did you do with the scum?"

"Actually I just came from interrogating him. I have been beating on him since I woke up. It was quite relaxing, but Mendez came in and actually started asking questions." Steel explained before casually jumping to another topic like it wasn't strange. "How is your physical therapy going?"

"It is going well enough. The system already recognizes the new arm. But it is like I have to train a whole new arm." She went to pick up her utensil again when her head shot up, "wait what the hell did you say? You casually mentioned torture like it was nothing, I noticed this last time as well. You had no qualms or difficulty with killing either."

Steel just shrugged, "because it is not my first time doing either. When I was in the slums I had to beat a man to death with a candelabra. He was trying to rape a young girl in the orphanage that I was in. I did what I had to because it was part of what I needed to do. Another time I helped torture a man that had kidnapped a bunch of other kids at the orphanage. I asked the local gang for help but they said they wanted something in exchange so I learned how to torture people and became good at it."

She seemed mystified by the way he was responding and unsure of how to proceed. "I apologize… I guess."

"It is fine." Steel shrugged, "so the arm? How is it?"

"Yeah… it is annoying. I am still going to need time off. But I need something to do while I wait and am stuck in Medbay. What do you think?" She asked. Intent on moving on to something else.

"Well the ship doctor seems nice. I am sure he could provide you with busy work while you are stuck there. Maybe learn some skills beyond just first aid." Steel recommended.

"What? Become a doctor and a soldier. My parents would become livid." She joked.

"Look, everyone has their talents. Mine happens to be programming and machines-"

"And fighting." She interrupted.

He chuckled, "and fighting." He leaned forward, "you just need to find yours. Try a few things out to see what pops out at you. Once you find it, use it to help yourself grow as much as possible."

She leaned back. She became lost in thought. Her hand, the one she lost, began absentmindedly tapping the table. She probably had not even realized she was doing it. Well that was interesting, he spotted someone else spotting it out of the corner of his eye. Steel smiled and finished his meal before leaving.

Time for more relaxation.

He walked back to the room he was interrogating Sender. When he walked in he smiled as Sender began struggling against his chains. Mendez was there with another person he had never seen before.

"Sir?" Steel stepped forward.

"He has given us all the intel he can remember selling. Specifics as much as he could remember. I think we could stop… but I have a feeling you don't want to?" Mendez stated causing the person he brought to write all the information Sender was giving to them.

"No, there are plenty of other things I am sure he has yet to volunteer. So I will continue until he squeals everything from the dirty thoughts he had as a child. To the names of the women he violated." Steel slid on the gloves. Making fists to make sure they were on correctly.

"Wait wait wait-" There was a sickening crunch as Steel landed a punch right in his rib cage.

"Not right now. Now it is the beating time. The captain and his writer will come back whenever they feel like it to get more intel out of you. Until then, you get to be my punching bag." Mendez sighed and led the other person out of the room while Steel gave Sender a grin.

Steel spent another thirty minutes punching the man when he suddenly started laughing. He stopped and frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I can't feel… anything." His speaking was becoming slurred.

"Ah!" Steel smiled again. "You know, growing up in the slums you encounter some pretty nasty stuff. For instance there is this outlawed drug for nano humans, it was originally developed to help the rapid repair of organs and damaged bones. A life saving drug." He chuckled as he walked over to the same drawer that had a water bottle.

Inside were several syringes most had green liquid in them but a few had a translucent blue. As he pulled it out and walked over, Sender started twisting in his chains and struggling.

"It was actually fairly difficult to acquire unless you knew some good underground doctors. Which is why I could only get it if I was working for a wealthier gang. Fortunately on board this ship we have a very knowledgeable doctor that very much dislikes you." Steel narrated as he uncapped the syringe.

He squeezed the plunger causing a spurt of green liquid to pop out. "Luckily the good doctor was able to make a special variant of the drug I got to use only once or twice. Ambrosia Version B6-08, not only does it rapidly repair origins even if bones and other things are out of place. It makes the entire body extremely sensitive throughout the experience and for several hours afterwards." He stabbed it right into a vein in the man's neck and emptied the syringe before pulling it out.

Steel smiled as the man began convulsing and spasming as he screamed in pain. This would be the longest two days of the former Inquisitor Sender's life.