فصل 33

33

The Dinner Jacket

Welch had never been more than a few feet inside Cell 25, but he knew enough about it to fear it. He never imagined he would someday occupy it. The infamous cell was designed to bring its occupant the maximum amount of stress, fear, and pain. Hatch sometimes used Tara to create an added dimension of terror, but even without her contributions it was horrible. He wondered how long he would be able to endure it.

While Welch was locked away by Amon and three guards, the Electroclan was taken to the dungeon with the RESATs strapped to their chests and their hands chained behind their backs.

In spite of Hatch’s orders to keep the youths separated, there weren’t enough cells to give everyone his or her own, so McKenna and Cassy were kept in the same cell, as were Zeus and Torstyn. Once in the cells, their chains were removed but the RESATs were only turned down, not enough for them to use their powers, but enough to allow some relief from the overwhelming pain that made it difficult to breath and kept their hearts pounding at more than a hundred and fifty beats a minute.

Cassy was the only one who had never been inside a Starxource plant. About ten minutes after being locked in the cell, she said, “At least there’s food.” On a side table extending from the wall was Rabisk. Cassy picked up a biscuit.

“I wouldn’t eat that,” McKenna said.

“What is it? And what are these little fibers covering it?”

“It’s Rabisk.”

“What’s Rabisk?”

“It’s what they feed the rats. It’s made of ground-up rats. Those fibers are rat hair.” Cassy dropped the biscuit, almost throwing up. After a moment she asked, “Do you think they’re going to feed us to the rats?” “Don’t think about that,” McKenna said.

“Where do you think Jack and Ostin are?”

McKenna spun around. “Shhh! They’re listening.”

Cassy looked around the room, then said, softly, “Sorry. This is new to me.” McKenna walked over to Cassy and put her mouth up to her ear. “They’re probably making a plan to save us.” McKenna had barely finished whispering when from each corner of the room came an audio blast as loud as the horn of a diesel truck, loud enough to almost knock them over. It was followed by a voice from the overhead speakers. “Prisoners of Cell 17. No talking is allowed. Stay away from each other or you will be punished.” McKenna stepped back. “Like we’re not already being punished?” The horn blasted again, followed by a sharp pulse in the RESAT, dropping both girls to their knees.

“Enough already!” Cassy shouted. “We get it!”

Out of all of the surviving Electroclan, Taylor was the least affected by the capture. She had already hit her emotional bottom, and she no longer cared what happened to her. She had lost Michael and with him all hope in their cause. She didn’t know if her parents or brothers were still alive, and if they were, she assumed that Hatch would find them all and kill them. It wasn’t a question of if, only when. No matter what Hatch did to her, she was already broken. Not even the rat bowl held any terror, as there was simply no more pain she could add to what she already felt. As she lay back on the cell’s hard mattress, she heard someone call her.

“Taylor.”

She looked over. Michael was standing near the door. Or, at least, what seemed like a projection of Michael, since the image quivered and shimmered in places.

“You’re not really here . . . ,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “I know you’re not really here.” She buried her face in her hands.

“It’s not over, Taylor. Don’t lose hope.”

Taylor looked up, expecting the image to be gone. Instead Michael was just staring at her.

“Why are you tormenting me like this?” she screamed.

The vision faded.

Taylor rubbed her eyes again as she lay back on the mattress. “I really am going crazy.” * * *

The youths had been locked up for about seven hours when an alarm went off in the cells, followed by a voice coming from the ceiling speakers.

“Enemies of Hatch Islands. Prepare for transport. Elgen guards will be at your rooms shortly. Stay away from the doors or you will be punished.” The message was followed by a sharp increase in the RESATs’ amp, dropping all of the youths to their knees. Within a few minutes, two guards appeared at each cell, walking them to an electric cart and driving them to a separate part of the building, the curved observatory deck above the bowl. It was the same room where Prime Minister Saluni had been humiliated and dragged away as the rest of the Tuvaluan government learned of Hatch’s plans to take their country. The bowl was closed off by a metal screen, leaving the room lit by stark, overhead blue and white LED lighting. There were several long tables set with china, crystal, and silverware in preparation for the evening’s feast in honor of Captain Shool.

Cassy, who had been separated from McKenna, was the last to arrive. Everyone else was already kneeling on the floor, their hands cuffed behind their backs and chained to a ring on the floor.

Cassy was brought over to the last vacant spot, a space between Quentin and Nichelle, and locked down. After the guard stepped away, she looked over at the set tables, then asked Nichelle, “Hatch is having us for dinner?” “Be careful how you ask that,” Nichelle said.

“Hatch has lost his mind,” Quentin said. “Word was he was planning to eat Michael when he caught him.” “He’s crazy,” Cassy said.

“Yeah. He is,” Nichelle replied.

“How did you guys live with him all those years?” Cassy asked.

“When you’re raised in an asylum, crazy is normal,” Quentin replied.

Cassy frowned as she looked around the room. It seemed nicer than the other parts of the plant she had been exposed to. It was less industrial. There was padded carpet. The walls were paneled in stained wood, and bronze light fixtures provided soft illumination. “Where are we?” “We’re next to the bowl,” Quentin said.

“The bowl,” Cassy repeated. She had only heard of the bowl. Still, the very mention of it made her shudder.

“Are they going to feed us to the rats now?”

“No. They don’t feed from here,” Quentin said. “This is where you watch the rats feed.” A light alarm beeped and the massive wall divide began to move. As the two parts separated, the light from the bowl flooded the room in brilliant, oscillating orange hues. Within less than a minute the walls had completely parted, exposing a broad panoramic view of the rat bowl. The rats glowed crimson and orange. They were being moved by the continual sweep.

Cassy looked at the scene with awe. “Oh . . .”

“That’s the bowl,” Quentin said to her. “That’s where the rats produce electricity. You should see it when they’re about to feed.” “It’s hideous,” Nichelle said.

Cassy just stared. “It’s strangely beautiful.”

“Only from this side of the glass,” Quentin said.

Suddenly a voice filled the room. “My Glows, my Glows.” Everyone except Cassy recognized the voice coming from a speaker near the center of the room. It was Dr. Hatch. “Welcome back to Elgenland.” “You’re psychotic!” Torstyn shouted.

“Considering your present circumstance, Torstyn, you should be more careful with your tongue, unless you’d like to lose it. But I digress. You of the Electroclan cult caused quite a mess of things the last time you were here. You murdered thousands of my men. I’m sure you weren’t planning to be back so soon. But make no mistake, you will be spending the rest of your lives here. How long the rest of your lives are, and the quality of those lives, depends solely on how well you cooperate with my instructions.

“Which leads to why I had you brought to the bowl. The reason is simple. Motivation. At the end of the week, one of you, along with former EGG Welch, will be fed to the rats. I have not yet selected which one of you it will be. You’re all so special that it’s going to be difficult choosing just one of you, but if any of you wish to help sway me with your defiance, it will certainly be appreciated.” The youths glanced back and forth at one another. Suddenly an alarm sounded from inside the glass. A chute, almost twelve feet wide, slowly began protruding from the wall. It continued to extend to more than thirty feet, then abruptly stopped. Slowly it began to lower until it was just six feet above the bowl’s floor. Immediately the rats swarmed beneath it, the brilliance of their coats growing into bright orange and yellow until they glowed like molten lava.

“They’re about to feed,” Quentin said softly.

Hatch continued. “I would like to use this demonstration to remind you all what’s at stake. For those who have witnessed this before, forgive the redundancy, but when it comes to teaching, a refresher never hurts. Personally, I never tire of watching them feed. Please, your attention to the bowl.” An amber light began flashing as a door at the mouth of the chute began to open.

“What do you see, Ian?” Quentin asked, forgetting that the RESATs that took away their powers had taken away Ian’s sight.

“I don’t see anything,” Ian said. “I’m blind.”

“Sorry, man,” Quentin said. “I forgot.”

Something slowly emerged from the door. It took a moment for Cassy to understand what she was seeing. “They’re feet,” Cassy said. “Human feet.” “Indeed, young lady,” Hatch said. “When your compadre, Vey, decided to go all supernova on us, his flash blinded most of my guards. Fortunately, I was wearing my protective glasses.” “Shame,” Torstyn said.

“A second mark on Torstyn,” Hatch said. “Congratulations, Torstyn. You are now well in the lead in the race to the rat bowl.” “I was already scheduled for your bowl, you nutcase.”

“Oh, I’m going to enjoy watching those little beasts rip the flesh from your bones, Torstyn. But as I was saying. Nearly all of my personal guards were blinded by the flash. Unfortunately. A blind Elgen guard is about as useful as an armless boxer. Of course, being loyal Elgen, they apologized for their state and promised that they would do whatever they could for our cause. I assured them that, in spite of their situation, they could still provide some benefit. They were genuinely excited about that prospect. You are about to see a few of those men give their all.” The body began to move out of the door until it was entirely on the chute. The man was alive, bound at the ankles and knees, with his arms tied against his waist and chest.

“You’ve got to admit this is pretty cool,” Hatch said. “Look at those rats scurrying to feed. Of course there’s really no way that we could ever know what their favorite food is, but from the increase in their excitement and subsequent electrical output, it’s pretty clear that they prefer fresh meat over Rabisk. They certainly do look excited, don’t they? The rats, that is. The human doesn’t look like he’s having as much fun.” “You’re sick!” Abigail shouted.

“Be quiet,” McKenna said to her.

“We hear from the gentle Abigail. Torstyn, you have some competition. But with your fiery temper, you’re up to the challenge.” Torstyn clenched his jaw but said nothing.

As the conveyor lowered, the rats gathered more closely together in anticipation, until they formed a large hill of rat, with those on the top jumping for the belt.

As the man slid down the chute, he continued to struggle against the straps that held him. Then, as his feet extended over the edge of the chute, the first of the rats, in a wild frenzy, flew at him. Within seconds they were swarming around him as he screamed in pain.

“You’re lucky you get to see this in person,” Hatch said. “I could put it on YouTube and get a billion views.” Within two minutes the man’s rib cage was exposed as the rats ate his internal organs.

“It’s the simple pleasures,” Hatch said.

Abigail began shaking. McKenna leaned into her. “Don’t say anything.” “You’ll notice an improvement to the process. Since the rats can’t digest fabric, what’s left of the clothes wreaks havoc on the Rabisk machines. So we tried something new. We created what we refer to as ‘the dinner jacket.’ Not what most exclusive diners are looking for, this jacket is actually edible. It’s made of dried vegetable and fruit textile. It’s like wearing apricot leather. It’s nothing you’re going to want to serve to guests, but the rats like it.

“They say clothes make the man, and you are what you eat. I think we just proved both statements correct. But I digress. Our dinner guests are waiting. Contestant number two. You might recognize this one.” As the conveyor started again, the first man’s bones dropped into the bowl and were quickly covered by the teeming swarm. The second man was screaming loudly enough that they could hear him even above the frenzied squeal of the rats. Cassy recognized the man as one of the crewmen from the Joule—the one who had tried to kiss her. She turned away.

“No fair looking away,” Hatch said. “Turn back, or I’ll slow down the chute so he can suffer more.” Cassy forced herself to watch. Even before the man was completely consumed, the third man began rolling down the chute, another crewman from the Joule.

“Now notice what he’s wearing,” Hatch said. He suddenly laughed. “I sound like I’m an announcer at the Miss Ratworld fashion show: our third lovely contestant is wearing an inedible creation by Christian Dior.” He laughed again. “I was saying, the third guard was a little more defiant than I preferred, so he didn’t get the dinner jacket. He got the leather corset. The significance? The corset protects his vitals. So that means the rats will have to burrow through his body to get to the really juicy stuff. It also means that he will be fully alive and feeling all of it. Some of these unlucky corset wearers not only get to see their own bones; they can see rats burrowing under their skin.

Abigail gagged.

“I know, it sounds unpleasant. It is, of course. Far more so than you could imagine. But I point out his attire because the one of you whom I choose to feed to the rats will be wearing the same thing—leather armor. I think with all this buildup and anticipation, it would be a shame to have it over so quickly.” “Just take me!” Quentin shouted. “You deranged madman.”

“Noble Quentin,” Hatch said. “Cool your tongue before I cut it off like I did to the other inhabitant of the monkey cages, which is exactly where I’m returning you. I hope you’re not too disappointed.” Quentin gritted his teeth. “I’m good. I like monkeys.”

“Ah, I miss that. That’s one of the things I always liked about you, Q. Your unabashed sense of humor. Joking in the face of terror. What a remarkable gift. You would have made a grand king, maybe even my successor if you hadn’t gotten so . . . stupid.” “I could never fill your shoes, Hatch,” Quentin said. “Actually, I couldn’t fit my feet into them, they’re so small. What do they say, small shoes, small . . . brain.” Tara laughed.

“That’s one for you, Tara. And you, Quentin, you jest with the boldness of a man whose fate is already decided. But just because your fate is sealed, don’t believe that I can’t make it worse. Trust me, I can always make it worse. There are other things I can cut off besides just your tongue. And, if not to you, perhaps I could arrange something for your girlfriend, Tara.” Tara blanched.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Quentin said.

“I thought that might get to you. And for the record, Frank, the young man formerly known as Zeus, isn’t in the running for the bowl either. His destiny is with something as unspectacular as the sprinkler system in the courtyard. He will be tied to a chair. Then, as each sprinkler makes its rounds—you know the sound, cha, cha, cha, cha—each time that water hits him, it will burn like acid. It will likely take hours to finish him off. Imagine that, burning him alive with water. What a fascinating twist. We’re all very excited about this. We plan to record it for posterity.

“In fact, the guards talked me into having him installed with a heart monitor so we can call the exact time of death. They’re doing that because they’ve already started putting down bets on how long he’ll survive.” Hatch’s voice lowered. “I give you forty-five minutes.” Tessa’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at Zeus. Zeus just looked down, defeated.

The alarm began to beep again. With the meat devoured, the rats’ brilliance had already started to fade. The sliding doors began to close on the bowl.

“Show is over,” Hatch said. “Got to save some for later. I hope you enjoyed it. More important, I hope it inspired you. You will now be taken back to your rooms. Get some rest, if you can. I will be meeting with you in the morning. And I have a very big surprise for you. All of you. Sleep well, Glows.” The speaker clicked, and the room went silent.

The guards unhooked the youths, then took them all back to their cells.

“What do you think his surprise is?” Tessa asked Quentin.

“No idea,” Quentin said. “But I can wait to find out.”