On the afternoon of the sixteenth day of capture, Djaisiuk and Kiacyl were working as usual at their computers, and Faquire was sitting quietly on his cot, looking rather bored, when the door to the workroom opened suddenly and Kandryl entered. Kiacyl and Faquire looked up immediately, and the surprise was evident on their faces. Faquire tensed and drew back a little, but did not speak. Kiacyl stood silently, looking up at Kandryl and awaiting orders. Kandryl ignored both of them and waited until Djaisiuk turned around to look at his visitor. Once he did so, Kandryl stepped forward and smiled.
"I have only one question for you today, Djaisiuk," said Kandryl in his purring voice. "And it requires only a 'yes' or 'no' answer, so you should find no difficulty in providing it."
Kandryl drew out a piece of paper and held it in front of Djaisiuk.
"My question is this," continued Kandryl. "Did you write this code?"
Djaisiuk looked at the paper silently; he did not react to the code. He merely sat thus for a moment, then lowered his eyes slightly, ignoring Kandryl's question.
Kandryl's face hardened. "I will not accept a non-answer to this," he said in a low voice. "This time, you will answer me, or you will face very strong consequences."
Djaisiuk did not move or raise his eyes. Kandryl slowly withdrew the paper and turned to Kiacyl.
"Go," he ordered.
Kiacyl left the room immediately without a word. Kandryl then stepped to the door also and instructed the guard to enter. He then motioned towards Faquire, and the guard stepped forward. Faquire drew himself back, obviously ready for a fight, but the guard was undaunted. He reached for Faquire's arm, and Faquire leapt to one side, doubling up his fists to fight. The guard was quicker though, and he struck Faquire a hard blow to the head. Faquire was stunned for moment only, but that was enough. The guard pulled Faquire's hands behind his back and placed restraints on them, binding them tightly together. He then did the same to his feet, putting close-fitting restraints on Faquire's ankles. Faquire had recovered himself by then and struggled a little, but the guard ignored this and merely lifted him and dropped him back onto the cot.
Throughout the proceeding, Djaisiuk had kept his eyes on the floor, sitting still with an impassive face. Kandryl had watched Djaisiuk with a strange expression but said nothing. When the guard had finished, Kandryl motioned him to leave, then motioned Djaisiuk to come to the table. Djaisiuk silently obeyed. He seated himself in his usual chair on the side of the table nearest the computers, turned half-sideways, and Kandryl seated himself in the chair on the far side of the table from the door, practically touching the cot on which Faquire was lying. Faquire turned over onto his side, lying almost on his stomach, and looked up at Kandryl with a poisonous glare, but Kandryl took no notice of him.
"You've been working extra, Djaisiuk," said Kandryl, still speaking in that low, purring voice which was always indicative of danger. "Perhaps you'd care to make a confession."
Djaisiuk, as usual, did not even look at him. Faquire, on the other hand, raised his eyebrows at this and looked at Djaisiuk in surprise and awe. He guessed what Kandryl was implying, and he seemed very happy to hear it.
Kandryl again pulled out the paper and spread it now on the table in front of Djaisiuk. Djaisiuk did not look at it.
"Perhaps you'd care to tell me the meaning of this," said Kandryl. He waited a moment, then took hold of Faquire by the hair and jerked his head back, still looking at Djaisiuk. Faquire suppressed a gasp with difficulty.
"Or perhaps you'd care to see this one die before your eyes," continued Kandryl in a voice that was low and menacing.
Djaisiuk still did not react. He did not look at either Kandryl or Faquire.
"Oh, so you're going to kill me now?" gasped Faquire in a strained voice, his throat being stretched by the position in which Kandryl was holding him, making it very difficult for him to breathe. "Don't think that that frightens me. And don't think that Djaisiuk would lift a finger to save me either! He wouldn't, unless it was perfectly convenient." Faquire was lying, and he knew it, but his loathing of Kandryl had hardened him so far that he felt very little guilt in doing so.
Kandryl continued to hold Faquire, still watching Djaisiuk. Faquire soon started to gasp, finding it increasingly difficult to breathe in that position, but still Djaisiuk did not move. Faquire began to wonder whether Djaisiuk really would sit there and do nothing until Faquire himself lost consciousness from lack of oxygen, but Kandryl did not hold him for that long. Faquire was just beginning to feel dizzy when Kandryl let go. He fell forward and then rolled himself over onto his back, trying hard to breathe deeply without gasping. He couldn't help but look across at Djaisiuk, wishing that he knew what the latter was thinking, and whether Djaisiuk had known that Kandryl was bluffing.
"I thought that you might not be moved by that," said Kandryl, still looking only at Djaisiuk. "So I am prepared to try something, shall we say, closer to your heart." Kandryl pressed a button on a communicator, and two guards entered the room.
"I'm giving you a chance now," continued Kandryl, "to tell me exactly what it is that you've been doing. I've been lenient with you for far too long. I warn you: this will go on no longer."
When Djaisiuk still made no response, Kandryl motioned to the guards. The two of them stepped around the table to stand on either side of Djaisiuk's precious instrument: the tall wooden piano.
At this, Kandryl thought that he caught the briefest movement of the eyes as Djaisiuk glanced over at his instrument, but still he did not move otherwise.
"I will ask you," said Kandryl quietly, drawing his words out very slowly, "and you will answer. If you do not answer, then these men will destroy your instrument, piece by piece."
Djaisiuk did not react, but Faquire did. He struggled again with the restraints and pulled himself up to almost a sitting position. Kandryl, however, ignored him.
Again Kandryl held out the paper in front of Djaisiuk. "Did you write this code?" he asked.
Djaisiuk did not answer.
The guards took hold of the top piece of the piano, a long, thin board that lay over the high top, and ripped it off. Faquire cringed.
"What was its purpose?"
The top board was broken into several pieces.
"Why did you erase it?"
The guard on the left struck the front of the piano, shattering the front panel.
"Stop!" cried Faquire. "You beast! You insane, cold-blooded, barbarous, inhuman, vicious--"
Kandryl turned calmly to face Faquire and, reaching out, took the latter by the throat, pressing with a finger in such a way as to nearly stop the blood flow in Faquire's neck. Faquire choked, and Kandryl held him until the former's eyes began to glaze. He then let him go, and Faquire again fell to the bed, much closer to unconsciousness this time than previously. It consequently took a bit longer for him to recover this time, but Kandryl did not wait. He turned back to Djaisiuk and continued.
"What more did you write?"
The guard on the right reached inside and cut several of the strings. The instrument seemed to cry out as the strings snapped, and Djaisiuk closed his eyes and lowered his head slightly.
"Did you write this code?"
More strings were cut.
"What was its purpose?"
Several keys were torn out.
"Why did you erase it?"
Still keeping his eyes closed, Djaisiuk put his hands over his ears. Kandryl was quiet for a moment, then motioned one of the guards to take Djaisiuk's hands down. Faquire had, by this time, recovered himself again. As the guard stepped behind Djaisiuk and forced his hands down and behind his back, Faquire opened his mouth to speak again. But the words died on his lips, for, as the guard held his hands behind him, Djaisiuk did open his eyes. He looked straight at Kandryl and showed emotion to him for the second time. This time was different from previously: his expression today was one of pity. The look lasted a very short time longer this time than it had the last time, but again it soon vanished; Djaisiuk's face became again perfectly emotionless as he lowered his head and again closed his eyes.
Kandryl was surprised, and Faquire was shocked. Kandryl had seen emotion displayed on Djaisiuk's face once before. Faquire had never seen emotion on Djaisiuk's face at any time. There was silence in the room for a moment, then Kandryl continued.
"Did you write this code?"
More of the keys were torn out. Kandryl, not content, motioned to the guard holding Djaisiuk. The guard shifted his grip on Djaisiuk's hands so that he held them both in his right hand. With his left hand, he roughly took hold of Djaisiuk's head by his thick brown hair and turned the latter's face towards his instrument. Djaisiuk still refused to react. And he did not open his eyes.
"What was its purpose?"
Piece by piece, bit by bit, the piano was slowly reduced to nothing more than a heap of wood pieces and broken wires. Djaisiuk had remained perfectly still through the remainder of the procedure. Faquire had felt hot tears of rage burning in his eyes. He found that he couldn't watch either the destruction of the instrument or Djaisiuk and had at last turned his face to the ceiling again and closed his own eyes. He prayed that God would deal justly with these evil men; he did not say, "Lord, forgive them, for they know not what they do," but rather, "Lord, judge them, for they know full well what they are doing!" And he did not feel guilty praying it. He did feel a little guilty about not feeling guilty though.
At last the destruction was complete. The first guard stomped on a few of the larger pieces, breaking them into splinters. Kandryl surveyed the destruction, then turned again to Djaisiuk. At a sign, the second guard released his hold, and Djaisiuk again bowed his head slightly.
Kandryl reached forward and lifted Djaisiuk's chin so that he could look him in the eye. Djaisiuk opened his eyes now and returned the gaze, but still refused to show any emotion.
"This is not the end," said Kandryl, smiling menacingly. "This is only the beginning."
Reaching to his right, he ran a finger gently over Faquire's jaw-line in a sort of caress. Faquire pulled back with a look of disgust, but Kandryl only smiled.
"Remember," Kandryl purred, speaking again to Djaisiuk. "What I can do to inanimate objects, I can also do to animate ones."
With that threat, he stood and again motioned to one of the guards. The guard stepped over to Faquire's cot and roughly undid the wrist and ankle restraints, leaving in place the one binding him to the cot and also being careful to avoid allowing Faquire to strike him. This done, Kandryl motioned for the guards to follow, and the three left the room.
"I have only one question for you today, Djaisiuk," said Kandryl in his purring voice. "And it requires only a 'yes' or 'no' answer, so you should find no difficulty in providing it."
Kandryl drew out a piece of paper and held it in front of Djaisiuk.
"My question is this," continued Kandryl. "Did you write this code?"
Djaisiuk looked at the paper silently; he did not react to the code. He merely sat thus for a moment, then lowered his eyes slightly, ignoring Kandryl's question.
Kandryl's face hardened. "I will not accept a non-answer to this," he said in a low voice. "This time, you will answer me, or you will face very strong consequences."
Djaisiuk did not move or raise his eyes. Kandryl slowly withdrew the paper and turned to Kiacyl.
"Go," he ordered.
Kiacyl left the room immediately without a word. Kandryl then stepped to the door also and instructed the guard to enter. He then motioned towards Faquire, and the guard stepped forward. Faquire drew himself back, obviously ready for a fight, but the guard was undaunted. He reached for Faquire's arm, and Faquire leapt to one side, doubling up his fists to fight. The guard was quicker though, and he struck Faquire a hard blow to the head. Faquire was stunned for moment only, but that was enough. The guard pulled Faquire's hands behind his back and placed restraints on them, binding them tightly together. He then did the same to his feet, putting close-fitting restraints on Faquire's ankles. Faquire had recovered himself by then and struggled a little, but the guard ignored this and merely lifted him and dropped him back onto the cot.
Throughout the proceeding, Djaisiuk had kept his eyes on the floor, sitting still with an impassive face. Kandryl had watched Djaisiuk with a strange expression but said nothing. When the guard had finished, Kandryl motioned him to leave, then motioned Djaisiuk to come to the table. Djaisiuk silently obeyed. He seated himself in his usual chair on the side of the table nearest the computers, turned half-sideways, and Kandryl seated himself in the chair on the far side of the table from the door, practically touching the cot on which Faquire was lying. Faquire turned over onto his side, lying almost on his stomach, and looked up at Kandryl with a poisonous glare, but Kandryl took no notice of him.
"You've been working extra, Djaisiuk," said Kandryl, still speaking in that low, purring voice which was always indicative of danger. "Perhaps you'd care to make a confession."
Djaisiuk, as usual, did not even look at him. Faquire, on the other hand, raised his eyebrows at this and looked at Djaisiuk in surprise and awe. He guessed what Kandryl was implying, and he seemed very happy to hear it.
Kandryl again pulled out the paper and spread it now on the table in front of Djaisiuk. Djaisiuk did not look at it.
"Perhaps you'd care to tell me the meaning of this," said Kandryl. He waited a moment, then took hold of Faquire by the hair and jerked his head back, still looking at Djaisiuk. Faquire suppressed a gasp with difficulty.
"Or perhaps you'd care to see this one die before your eyes," continued Kandryl in a voice that was low and menacing.
Djaisiuk still did not react. He did not look at either Kandryl or Faquire.
"Oh, so you're going to kill me now?" gasped Faquire in a strained voice, his throat being stretched by the position in which Kandryl was holding him, making it very difficult for him to breathe. "Don't think that that frightens me. And don't think that Djaisiuk would lift a finger to save me either! He wouldn't, unless it was perfectly convenient." Faquire was lying, and he knew it, but his loathing of Kandryl had hardened him so far that he felt very little guilt in doing so.
Kandryl continued to hold Faquire, still watching Djaisiuk. Faquire soon started to gasp, finding it increasingly difficult to breathe in that position, but still Djaisiuk did not move. Faquire began to wonder whether Djaisiuk really would sit there and do nothing until Faquire himself lost consciousness from lack of oxygen, but Kandryl did not hold him for that long. Faquire was just beginning to feel dizzy when Kandryl let go. He fell forward and then rolled himself over onto his back, trying hard to breathe deeply without gasping. He couldn't help but look across at Djaisiuk, wishing that he knew what the latter was thinking, and whether Djaisiuk had known that Kandryl was bluffing.
"I thought that you might not be moved by that," said Kandryl, still looking only at Djaisiuk. "So I am prepared to try something, shall we say, closer to your heart." Kandryl pressed a button on a communicator, and two guards entered the room.
"I'm giving you a chance now," continued Kandryl, "to tell me exactly what it is that you've been doing. I've been lenient with you for far too long. I warn you: this will go on no longer."
When Djaisiuk still made no response, Kandryl motioned to the guards. The two of them stepped around the table to stand on either side of Djaisiuk's precious instrument: the tall wooden piano.
At this, Kandryl thought that he caught the briefest movement of the eyes as Djaisiuk glanced over at his instrument, but still he did not move otherwise.
"I will ask you," said Kandryl quietly, drawing his words out very slowly, "and you will answer. If you do not answer, then these men will destroy your instrument, piece by piece."
Djaisiuk did not react, but Faquire did. He struggled again with the restraints and pulled himself up to almost a sitting position. Kandryl, however, ignored him.
Again Kandryl held out the paper in front of Djaisiuk. "Did you write this code?" he asked.
Djaisiuk did not answer.
The guards took hold of the top piece of the piano, a long, thin board that lay over the high top, and ripped it off. Faquire cringed.
"What was its purpose?"
The top board was broken into several pieces.
"Why did you erase it?"
The guard on the left struck the front of the piano, shattering the front panel.
"Stop!" cried Faquire. "You beast! You insane, cold-blooded, barbarous, inhuman, vicious--"
Kandryl turned calmly to face Faquire and, reaching out, took the latter by the throat, pressing with a finger in such a way as to nearly stop the blood flow in Faquire's neck. Faquire choked, and Kandryl held him until the former's eyes began to glaze. He then let him go, and Faquire again fell to the bed, much closer to unconsciousness this time than previously. It consequently took a bit longer for him to recover this time, but Kandryl did not wait. He turned back to Djaisiuk and continued.
"What more did you write?"
The guard on the right reached inside and cut several of the strings. The instrument seemed to cry out as the strings snapped, and Djaisiuk closed his eyes and lowered his head slightly.
"Did you write this code?"
More strings were cut.
"What was its purpose?"
Several keys were torn out.
"Why did you erase it?"
Still keeping his eyes closed, Djaisiuk put his hands over his ears. Kandryl was quiet for a moment, then motioned one of the guards to take Djaisiuk's hands down. Faquire had, by this time, recovered himself again. As the guard stepped behind Djaisiuk and forced his hands down and behind his back, Faquire opened his mouth to speak again. But the words died on his lips, for, as the guard held his hands behind him, Djaisiuk did open his eyes. He looked straight at Kandryl and showed emotion to him for the second time. This time was different from previously: his expression today was one of pity. The look lasted a very short time longer this time than it had the last time, but again it soon vanished; Djaisiuk's face became again perfectly emotionless as he lowered his head and again closed his eyes.
Kandryl was surprised, and Faquire was shocked. Kandryl had seen emotion displayed on Djaisiuk's face once before. Faquire had never seen emotion on Djaisiuk's face at any time. There was silence in the room for a moment, then Kandryl continued.
"Did you write this code?"
More of the keys were torn out. Kandryl, not content, motioned to the guard holding Djaisiuk. The guard shifted his grip on Djaisiuk's hands so that he held them both in his right hand. With his left hand, he roughly took hold of Djaisiuk's head by his thick brown hair and turned the latter's face towards his instrument. Djaisiuk still refused to react. And he did not open his eyes.
"What was its purpose?"
Piece by piece, bit by bit, the piano was slowly reduced to nothing more than a heap of wood pieces and broken wires. Djaisiuk had remained perfectly still through the remainder of the procedure. Faquire had felt hot tears of rage burning in his eyes. He found that he couldn't watch either the destruction of the instrument or Djaisiuk and had at last turned his face to the ceiling again and closed his own eyes. He prayed that God would deal justly with these evil men; he did not say, "Lord, forgive them, for they know not what they do," but rather, "Lord, judge them, for they know full well what they are doing!" And he did not feel guilty praying it. He did feel a little guilty about not feeling guilty though.
At last the destruction was complete. The first guard stomped on a few of the larger pieces, breaking them into splinters. Kandryl surveyed the destruction, then turned again to Djaisiuk. At a sign, the second guard released his hold, and Djaisiuk again bowed his head slightly.
Kandryl reached forward and lifted Djaisiuk's chin so that he could look him in the eye. Djaisiuk opened his eyes now and returned the gaze, but still refused to show any emotion.
"This is not the end," said Kandryl, smiling menacingly. "This is only the beginning."
Reaching to his right, he ran a finger gently over Faquire's jaw-line in a sort of caress. Faquire pulled back with a look of disgust, but Kandryl only smiled.
"Remember," Kandryl purred, speaking again to Djaisiuk. "What I can do to inanimate objects, I can also do to animate ones."
With that threat, he stood and again motioned to one of the guards. The guard stepped over to Faquire's cot and roughly undid the wrist and ankle restraints, leaving in place the one binding him to the cot and also being careful to avoid allowing Faquire to strike him. This done, Kandryl motioned for the guards to follow, and the three left the room.
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