Torture

"So here's the plan."

Marcus pointed to the tv, a picture of a small town shined bright against the dimly lit room.

"This is the meeting spot for the test. I don't know the specifics of the trails, but I should warn you that there are going to be a lot of contestants competing."

"How many trials are there?" asked Aria.

"Again, I don't know the specifics. All I can do is escort you and give you the passcode into the Immortal Horses system. This isn't a guarantee that you will make it in since I am bypassing their systems. And you have to have worked with the Immortal Horses or have certain connections with them before entering. But I'm hoping you two and the sleeping dude will be able to pass without being caught."

"And you're helping us for free?" asked Luna with a face of skepticism.

"No-no of course not. Think of it as a long-distance favor. I've got contacts in the Immortal Horses, but not deep enough contacts. If yall get in and become one of the True Immortals then that favor is going to increase tenfold. You'll just have to remember who helped you out first."

---

Ten minutes passed as Marcus explained the boring specifics and inquiries. He went through the past tests into the Immortal Horses, and how this one could relate.

"But remember, this test is ten times more deadly. Nothing like this has happened in the last twenty years. Mysterious a message was sent out across the allied families of the Immortal Horses and the highest-ranking organizations in the world, telling them that they could be chosen as the Sixth True Immortal. And of course, everyone jumped on it."

"So it's going to be tough?" asked Luna.

"Not just tough. It's going to be enigmatic. There is a hidden meaning to this test, and I would suggest for you two to take your time, instead of rushing in."

"You can trust us, Marcus," smiled Luna.

Aria stood up. She walked across the room, to a bookshelf holding old greek literature.

"Good Luna. I need you to be strong. You two are my only lines back into the organization. If you die then I will be left without a way back in. So you better succeed."

"I will!" she got up and walked up to him.

He pointed at the door, "by the way, there is a special place I need supplies from. It's down six blocks from here. Can you go get it for me?"

"Yes!"

She left without a second thought.

"Finally she's gone, now to get you Aria," mumbled Marcus as he walked up to Aria.

Aria turned around. She held out a book of Plato's philosophy.

"What do you want Aria? This was unexpected. Wanting to get into the organization. Even this... I didn't think you would go this far for your goal."

"Damon wake up!" she tossed the book across the room hitting Damon on the head.

Bonk!

"Ow- Huh?"

He looked up at Marcus, at Aria. The tv, the bookshelves, the fireplace. He walked over to them.

"What do you want? I was sleeping."

"Damon, the jar."

She pointed at Damon's suit jacket pocket.

"Oh... Yeah..." He pulled out the jar of Robert's Immortal brains.

Marcus looked surprised.

"Is that...?" he asked with a look of disbelief.

"We got one of your special targets," she said grabbing the jar from Damon and tossing it to Marcus.

"Is he alive in there?" he asked.

"Yes, but we did a number on him, so I don't think he has much to hold onto left."

"Is his Immortality faulty or something?" asked Damon.

"Yeah, he took a test kinda like what you guys are gonna do, except instead of getting the big juice, he got a shitty dose of Immortality. He just became a foot soldier for them. And I used him to get information. But then he fell in love, had a family, and left with all of it."

Damon turned to Aira, he then turned to Marcus, then back to Aria, "Aria is this the Marcus guy?"

"Yup."

"Nice."

Marcus walked to a crate on the other end of the room. He opened it up and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

"Take him into the bathroom and dump him into the tub," he said tossing the jar of brains back to Aria.

Aria went into the bathroom, dumping the brains into the white tub.

"So how are you going to get the information out?" asked Damon curious about the tools and equipment he was pulling out of the crate.

Marcus tossed a pair of pliers to Damon, "I'm going to torture him, plain and simple. Wait until he comes back, twist his nipples off, his toes, his nails. Immortality is a strong power, but sometimes it can bite back."

"Agreed..."

Marcus carried a whole basketful of metal tweezers, pinchers, chains, and cuffs into the bathroom. Damon followed slightly behind.

"Ok, you two get out, for a bit. This information is highly sensitive so I don't want you to hear."

Marcus pushed them out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

"So what now?" Damon asked.

Aria shook her head sitting down on a half-opened crate, "well wait, dipshit. We'll wait until he gets all the info out."

Damon pulled up a crate and sat down next to her, "but this isn't going to work."

"Huh? The torture? How is it not going to work?" questioned Aria.

"His tools... Any Immortal will know how to break past the pain. Even that guy knew how to take the pain."

"Oh yeah... You would know, my little Immortal..." She pulled out five bucks, "then how about we make a bet then. I'll bet five bucks that Marcus is going to succeed. And you will bet that he won't."

"I don't have any money," said Damon searching through his pockets.

"Then you owe me a favor."

"Favor...? Fine, deal."

---

Thirty minutes later.

Marcus came out from the bathroom, his entire body covered in blood.

"So how did it go, Mr. Torturerer?" asked Aria with a winning smirk.

"I only got a smidge of information out of him. He won't stop going on about his family. It is truly sad. I think I'll have to call in a professional."

"Damn... I lost."

"Hand over the money."

She handed the five dollars to Damon.

"What was that?" asked Marcus.

"We made a bet. Damon said you wouldn't get any info out of him. I believed in you."

Damon stood up, he cracked his neck, "fine, I'll get it done."

"What?" asked Marcus confused by Damon's sudden movements toward the bathroom.

Aria smirked asking, "you know how to torture people, Damon?"

"I invented it."

He entered the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

---

Three minutes later.

"Ahhhhhhh! Noooooo! Stoppppp stopppp! Not her! Why her! You! You! STOPPPPPPPPP! STOPPPP! AHHHHHHHAHHHHHH!"

Screamed echoed in and out of the bathroom, vibrating through the walls of the backroom.

Luna got back from her quest down the street.

"I'm back-"

"AHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHH!"

"What's that?" she asked as the screaming continued.

Damon exited the bathroom.

"He's all ready to talk. Just tell him that we will kill his daughter Mindy if he doesn't talk."

"But... How...?"

"Simple... Tell him what he wants to know... Allow him to become vulnerable... Then give him a reason to tear out his own heart."