[Mercy Merchant]

For the second time, Yelena is wakened by a scream in the night.  But this one is different. and is clearly not coming from the room next door.  She leaves the bed and walks the halls, heading in the direction of the scream, or at least she hopes she is going in the right direction.  Her desire is answered when she comes upon Nicolai torturing a pair of captives.  She is surprised that the girl screamed, as those under his care were seldom able to.  Yelena had never been one for torture, which had been her one real failing as far as Nicolai had been concerned.  Her line of work never really depended on it and she sees little real value in this method of extracting information.

[gilga]

Blackbird wakes up and follows the scream, spotting Nikolai torturing the pair of captives with Yelena watching. "What a mess, he thinks to himself." and say to Nikolai -"If it is not too much to ask, could you torture them a bit more quietly? Painkillers are just wearing off and I try to sleep." 
In a non confrontational manner he asks "If it is their secrets you require then I can try to speed things up. It does not always work but when it does it is quicker than torture.". Marco stands by Yelena and yawns quietly as a he waits for the response.

[ismilealot]

Nicolai answers Marco calmly. "Screaming has stopped. Neither one will scream again. See." He points to their mouths where a tube is sticking out of each of their mouths. It's strapped in place to their heads "Tube guarantees breath, no sound comes out of mouth." Then he looks Marco in the eye with his flat, empty expression. "Quick information not important. Accuracy most important. My method is proven for both." He turns and begins to work on the girl. Marco is unfamiliar with the object in his hands. And as Nicolai uses it not a single mark is left on her body. But it's effectiveness at inducing pain is proven when the girl begins arcing and spasming, her face and body a rictus of pain.  Nicolai is as good as his word, no sound except breathing comes out of either of them. Nicolai does not ask a single question while he is torturing the girl. And Yelena knows that he will not. Not one question will be asked until the man is completely broken. It will not take long, an hour, two at the most. NIcolai is a master at his craft.
     Suddenly from her left side Yelena hears a hoarse voice. " Серебряный скорпион вернулся из мертвых. Tsina умрет кричать, зная, что она не удалась .". When Yelena turns she finds the owner of the voice is a man sitting in a wheelchair. Every visible inch of his skin is covered with scar tissue. It's obvious that he suffered severe burns at one point of his life. "Я старый человек. Но, я переживет ведьму, которая предала нашу семью и смотреть, как она страдает тысячу раз для каждого из нас, что она предала." Only part of his mouth can smile in satisfaction, and it disfigures his face even further. But, the fire that burns in his eyes as he speaks is unmistakable. He lives to watch Tsina suffer.

"The Silver Scorpion has returned from the dead. Tsina will die screaming knowing that she is a failure. I am old man. But, I will survive witch who betrayed our family and watch as she suffers a thousand times for all of us that she had betrayed."

[Qwikfix]

The initial screams of Nicolai's torture had ended up rousing Arc as well....she wasn't sleeping, no way to guarantee three good hours, just resting.  Prompted to investigate, she stepped out, seeing Yelena and M--Blackbird already ahead of her.  Stepping lightly, she went behind the pair with a tilted head, peering in to see the sight and sounds of the cold Russian's ministrations to the couple.

She flinched, visibly.  The mechanic's face contorted in a expression of pain and disgust as she bit her lip, her mind flashing back to her treatment while spending time overnight in the jail.  She tried to quell the memories...the pain, the helplessness.  But it was only the two figures in front of her that could mask Arc's reaction from Nicolai...which is what she wanted to avoid.  ...how can it be worth it...  She thought quietly to herself.  Touching Yelena's arm briefly, she shared a look that conveyed how she felt about it before turning back, heading back to the rooms...

[gilga]

Blackbird see that torture as a threat toward them. This is why it is performed right in front of their nose, either this is a test, or it is a warning. Perhaps a bit of both. He listens closely to the astral trying to get some insight on the woman and the man.  He has some plans to shorten their suffering but, is uncertain if he can get away with them. One thing Blackbird is certain, if the woman is not going to make a sound. It is relatively safe to mindlink with her, or perhaps even probe her mind.

Blackbird's face and emotions are a blank slate and give very little insight about the moral outrage he feels, and about his sympathies.

Being a skilled spellcaster, Marco risks a very low force Mindlink spell to Arc. Hoping that her judgement is more to trust than his own.  "Sorry to intrude... Is it okay to talk like this?" He asks her.

On the woman
Assensing: 8d6t5 5
and on the man:
Assensing: 8d6t5 2

[ismilealot]

Marco's probing of the couple reveals that both are cybered, the woman more so than the man. But neither one posses any magical abilities.

[Qwikfix]

As Arc was walking away, she paused as she felt his thoughts connected to her mind, subtly tilting her head in reaction to it.  Gonna take getting used to...  Resisting the urge to turn back to make eye contact, she sidestepped into her designated room, slumping herself against the wall with a sigh.

"I'll have to get used to this before being fully okay...but yeah, thanks for apologizing for it.  On that note..sorry for hitting you, that just kinda came out.  And I ain't going back there.  No matter what this job is about, I am not about that kind of work.  That's for them"

[gilga]

Marco heard a terrible whisper in his ears "They are cybered... both of them...  The woman more than he man...  The woman is in good health - none of them is awakened."  They had a tone, but at their emotional stress and essence loss it felt off, the terrible whisper was all that Marco could hear. A whisper that he once went to great distances to silence - because it always made Marco uncomfortable - even when saying the most mundane things.

The woman indeed did not scream and Arc did not try to shake the spell - it was such a low power that Marco had no doubt she could shake it off, his voice in her mind was weak and so was hers in ease. Intent was understood, but it lacked the bandwidth of doing so in a non discreet manner. It was nothing like...  "Stop dreaming... focus,  you are conditioned to think of passion every-time you are at emotional stress. Stop thinking about Yelena, it is too painful." He thought to himself as his mind wandered to a significantly more successful mindlink that augmented his and Yelena physical emotions.

Marco organized his thoughts into patterns that Arc could understand, it took effort to down the intensity into something understandable.
 " I did not want to say anything earlier because Yelena was connected, but I do not trust Nikolai at all and  I think that he might want to eliminate us
once the deed is over.

Anything he respects, we are not. The only reason we are here is Yelena and the Yelena that lived with these people would have never been friends with us.

I did not come here to help kill Tsina, I do not think people should physically harm each other - it is an odd place for me.

I came here to get you home safely.

I may be paranoid but I think that Nikolai is torturing on purpose right out of our doorstep.  He wanted us to see his art.

It is a statement, a threat or a warning.

A guy like him with all his experience only need a single glance to know that we are not his comrades.

Can you think of anything we can do for these poor fellows?

I mean - it seems so wrong - they are clearly suffering.  Everything I can think about is dangerous. I feel that I am capable of anything but not  in that self help bullshit, in a dark and terrifying manner... I am kind of scared of the ideas I am going to come with.

Oh... do not worry about the punch... you have the unique ability to punch like a girl - even if you use a bulky chromatic cyberarm. This story is going to make quite an impression... It may even help me to get lucky... so in a way thank you.
"

At the same time Marco asked with curiosity "Thank you,
you seem to be very proficient at your work, I am sure you figured everything out, but I have never seen this kind of thing in my life. If the tube prevents them form speaking, how are they going to tell you their secrets ?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena watches the torture with little passion expressed on her face or in her body language.  She has seen this sort of thing many times and her dark soul is pretty much inured to it.   It does bring back memories of her life working under Nicolai in the prison.  First there was some sort of information gathering, often by torture, then the killing, and then the sex that always followed.  Somewhat dispassionately, Yelena notes that Nicolai's technique has only improved during the years they have been apart.  She no longer considers herself the student, but realizes that her mentor can still teach her things.  Not about torture, no, because Yelena had never shown a penchant or aptitude for that.  This had been a slight disappointment to Nicolai, but her other skills more than made up for the deficiency.  Even now, he does not offer to turn the woman over to her, but is satisfied that she watch.

Yelena knows when Jedediah and Arc leave, but she remains.  She knows nothing of these people other than they have been targeted by Nicolai, and that is enough for now.  Ostensibly, they might be key to getting information on Tsina Molovna.  The man in the wheelchair fascinates her and drags her attention from what Ghost is doing.  She kneels at the man's side and looks into his eyes.  She had thought him dead many years ago, burned up in the fire that consumed the safe house they had been living in.  She bows her head in obeisance to her former Bratva leader and lover.  "Я подумал вы мертвых в результате пожара. Я видел предателей наливания топлива на ваше тело и был вынужден посмотреть как Tsina Molovna горит матч и подбросили его в комнате. Я стыдно, что я не смог бы сделать все возможное для сохранения нашей семьи из ее. Я убил несколько, но не достаточно и не в праве. Она убили меня в том, что ночью, как безусловно как она убиты вас. Правосудия уже давно предстоящие и необходимость его обогнал моего желания в течение многих лет. Мы по-прежнему семьи. Я по-прежнему ваша дочь?"


I had thought you dead by fire.  I saw the traitors pouring fuel on your body and was forced to watch as Tsina Molovna lit the match and tossed it into the room.  I am ashamed that I was not able to do anything to save our family from her.  I killed several, but not enough and not the right one.  She killed me that night, just as surely as she killed you.  Justice has been a long time coming and the need for it has fueled my desires for many years.  We are still family.  Am I still your daughter?

[SmilinIrish]

Jed wakes with the feeling that he heard screaming again.  Blackbird is gone.  Rather than exposing himself, Jed decides to scout first.  Closing his eyes he attempts to send his vision away from himself and out into the hall.  As he begins to push through the wall he finds he is unable to progress.  Dropping the spell, he opens his astral sight to find that the room is warded.  Closely examining the ward he sees that it is not an incredibly strong ward.  Fortunately, he has a new trick up his sleeve.  Using a spell to extend his astral sight away from himself, he presses against the wall, this time able to push through.  As he begins to survey the scene before him, he feels like he is peering through smoky glass.  One, two three...all his team is acting fine, but are focused on Nicolai. It quickly becomes evident that he is working on two individuals, and that is where the screaming must have come from.

Jed looks intently as he surveys the scene on the astral, but is frustrated by the fogginess of everything.  Dropping the spell, he recasts it hoping to defeat the ward more soundly...and recasts...and recasts.  Finally, he pushes through well enough to see clearly.  Everything seems to be under control, and everyone is just watching Nicolai. 

Time to take a look around...

  Assensing roll  smilinirish:11D6E5 → 5( (5, 1, 2, 5, 2, 3, 6, 6, 6, 3, 2→ 5 successes against 5) )
Multiple castings of astral window result in one drain. 

[ismilealot]

@ Jed  Right away Jed realizes that all the walls, ceiling and floors are warded against assensing. The wards are only on the walls and aren't meant to prohibit magic being used inside the rooms.

@ Marco  The man and woman's soul are both dark with the deeds of their past. But nothing compares to the darkness that is Nicolai and Yelena. Nicolai does not even look at Marco as he answers. "When ready I will ask."

@ Yelena  Hellfire reaches out to Yelena and places his hand on her head. "позор Tsina только. И она умрет тысячу смертей. Я думал нанять убийц. Но, щедрости я предложил принес то, что осталось от моей семьи мне. Это справедливость. Tsina умрет, и все, что она работала, предал нас за, мы принимаем, и она будет знать, что она потеряла все, прежде чем она умирает."


"It is Tsina's shame. And she will die a thousand deaths. I thought to hire assassins. But my bounty has brought what was left of my family to me. This is justice. Tsina will die, and everything she has worked for, betrayed us for, we take and she will know she has lost all before she dies."

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena remains kneeling at the side of the wheelchair but twists a bit to be able to watch Ghost work his magic on the man and woman.  There is no place in her heart  for mercy towards them.  After watching dispassionately for some minutes, she places a hand on Hellfire's arm and looks up at him.  "Ghost и серебро Скорпион будет делать эту вещь для семьи. Для жизни и мертвых. Я помню их всех из них. Я все еще может вызывать их имена и даже мало Иван Krilenko, которые должны были быть дома с его матерью в эту ночь, но хотела бы так много сделал для оказания помощи с празднованием и умер. Почему более семьи позволить этому произойти к нам? Почему они не закон? Знаете ли вы? Я уже говорил слова мои клятвы в каждый день моей жизни с тех пор как я слева. Я по-прежнему Vory."


The Ghost and the Silver Scorpion will do this thing for the family.  For the living and the dead.  I remember them, all of them.  I can still call out their names, even little Ivan Krilenko, who should have been home with his mother that night, but wanted so much to help with the celebration and died because of it.  Why did the greater family allow this to happen to us?  Why did they not act?  Do you know?  I have spoken the words of my oaths every day of my life since I left.  I am still Vory.

[Qwikfix]

((Placeholder until I get the time to flesh the post out. Noting that Arc's aura confirms her leaving the scene for Jed.  Continuing conversation with Marco, discouraging interference with interrogation for sake of the group's security.  I'm having a rough week energy wise, but I will get back to this!))

[gilga]

Disappointed with Arc's lack of sense of adventure, Blackbird goes back to sleep. She is of course right in the sense that sticking his nose into Nikolai's affairs is dangerous and unfair to the rest of them. Yet, he is curious as to what sort of information does Nikolai want and if there is a hint that may give them some chance.

Blackbird thinks He is torturing people!!! how am I so powerless to stop it?! Where am I and why on earth did I come here? Do they even need me here?

His refuge is that of the powerless, prayer. He prays for the prisoners, for Nikolai and for Yelena. For people that dwell on the past and miss the present. Whose soul is so dark that people become nothing more than tools for their desires. He then prays for himself never to reach their sate of 'evil', by now Marco understands Russian all the time and as Yelena confessed to never stop being Vory he cringed. How could he be so blind to see her for what she really is... a mass murderer and a monster - how can she be so lost and yet such a monster.

How come he still cares ?

[ismilealot]

@ Yelena  Hellfire's eyes grew dark with the fire of his revenge, "Я не просил их. Я не буду рисковать предупреждение Tsina. Ее пытки и смерть должны быть на наших руках. И когда Дух нашел тебя Я знал справедливость, а не только месть будет нашим. За все, что она будет взята из нее."

"I did not ask them. I will not risk warning Tsina. Her torture and death have to be on our hands. And when The Ghost found you I knew justice, not just revenge will be ours. For all that, it will be taken from her."

@ Jed  Jed's sight expands to take in the rooms all around him. As expected most of the rooms around him were small bunkrooms. His sight could take in a few of the people sitting at survellaince camaras but not many. And of course the torture. Nicolai left no marks, but the pain he was inflicting was absolute. The girl was dying, slowly. her body jerking less and less. Until she died and Nicolai turned to the man.