aid, "I'm hungry. Let's go up to supper."

Return to main storyline: 31. Explanation

30d. Torture (Keith's point of view)

Keith was surprised to find himself more intrigued than anything else
at the scene through the observation room window. What she'd called
the third-stage room resembled, more than anything else the young
Sandeman could think of, was a museum exhibit of a twentieth-century
operating room he'd seen once, with cabinets of supplies and equipment,
monitoring machinery, even a surgical table. But operating rooms
didn't have chains hanging from the ceiling, and patients weren't held
spreadeagled, naked, between those and eyebolts in the floor--and he'd
had no particular feeling toward the doctor in the display, where he'd
developed a strong fondness for the Inquisitor.

A couple of minutes after they entered, Odeon glanced toward the
observation room, raised a hand in acknowledgement, and said something
to Cortin. She turned toward them. "Colonel Bradford?"

"Yes," Bradford said, "with Ranger Medart and Lt. DarElwyn."

"If you'd care to, you're welcome to join me in here."

"Thank you, Excellency." Bradford switched off the intercom and turned
to the others, looking surprised. "That's a first; she doesn't
normally allow anyone in there except Captain Odeon or other
Inquisitors. The disadvantage is that you can't avoid her prisoner's
screams by shutting off the intercom."

"Even so," Medart said thoughtfully, "if an invitation's that rare, we
ought to accept."

The three entered the larger room, which smelled of antiseptic--rather
to Keith's surprise. Why should Her Excellency care about infection in
people she was torturing to death? He might ask her later, if it
looked like she wouldn't mind discussing her work.

"The interview went all right?" Cortin asked.

"Quite well," Bradford replied. "I'll get the operation moving as soon
as I get back to my office."

"Good--thanks, both of you." Cortin turned back to her prisoner, still
addressing the observers. "This one's nothing special, except in the
number of his crimes and the fact that he wanted witnesses until he got
to the last victim in each series. It was the rapes that were his
particular thrill; the murders were enjoyable, but more of a side
effect. So I'll be concentrating on the punishment for rape."

Keith watched attentively. These were the preliminaries, obviously,
but he was interested in anything and ever