Dissecting Justice.

My head is pounding, I cant see much of what was going on just yet because I know we are surrounded by federation guards, and I don't want them to see that I am conscious, not yet anyway. So I’ll just lay here, listening to the noises around me; not that there are many; it’s strangely quiet, and the only real sound is from the soldiers’ foot steps as they walk around the room, accompanied by a soft voice issuing a command every now and then.

I can only guess what they are up to, but I know they were gathering up the unconscious bodies of my crewmates...at least I hope they are unconscious...or do I? I have a nasty feeling that a far worse fate is in store for us.

Wait! What's that? Sounds like someone coming around. Avon I think. The poor bastard sounds distressed, not that I blame him after taking Blake out like he did, I’ve never seen such an expression from the usually expressionless and cold Kerr Avon. A visage of total mental agony. It was frightening.

It actually sounds like he might be weeping, just quietly, but loud enough for me to hear. He doesn't appear to be fighting them very hard either, sounds like he might have all the fight taken out of him for the moment. Sounds like they are dragging him off somewhere.

I can hear footsteps coming towards me now, it was inevitable I suppose. I can feel hands under my arms and I'm being lifted up and over someone's shoulder. Still, I don't feel I’m ready to let them know that I'm awake...

I don't know how far we've travelled but the guard has walked a fair distance from the main centre where we were ambushed. It’s very hard at this point to continue fooling them when it has gotten rather uncomfortable. I have to resist the urge to move; to get some feeling back into my hands and feet. I’ve also discovered early on that this particular guard has a very boney shoulder!

I opened my eyes slowly and took a peek, but all I could see was the back of the guard and forest floor. So much good that is, we could be going anywhere.

The guard has just come to a sudden stop and by the sounds of it the others have too; I wonder what they are up to? Avon seems to have quietened down by the sounds of it. Maybe they knocked him out again or even injected him with something? It’s too difficult to tell. I can’t even tell who is here and who isn't. I wonder what happened to the girls and if they are even near here or not. Maybe I'm alone and I’ve been bought out here to be shot or something? I don't know, the strange thing is, I don't even care any more. So long as its quick; whatever it is.

"Well, well, well. What a lovely surprise."

MY GOD! Servalan is here. I was so surprised; I almost jumped off this guards shoulder. I think I flinched a little but I don't think he noticed. Servalan!!! I just knew she had to be behind this! If we weren't in big trouble before we certainly are now! She'll see to that. Dear God, I’ve gone cold from fear and apprehension, what on earth has she got in store for us?

Wait...Avon's roused himself and I can hear him challenging her, the poor bastard is trying to act like he’s under control but its obvious that he’s not. He sounds better than he did though. She’s laughing at him openly; it’s a cold vicious laugh. She’s won and she knows it.

Avon is silent now; I wish I could see the condition he’s in, the look on his face. Servalan is still gloating, and I hear a slapping noise and a grunt from Avon. It sounds like it was a hard slap. She’s a cast-iron bitch.

She’s just ordered the guards to continue on and I can hear the lead guard’s steps echoing like they are entering a tunnel or something. I had better keep my head down for as long as I can, I might need to remember all this should we somehow manage to escape. Escape!? Ha! What then eh, no ship and nowhere to go. Not much left for us really. I suppose we might be able to steal a ship or something. I don’t remain hopeful however.

My ride seems to have entered some sort of tunnel. Its dank in here and there are broken tiles on the floor, this place hasn't been used in a long time. The air smells moist too, and I can just hear trickling water somewhere. It’s also quite dim and stuffy. I don't like this; it’s too much of a tomb for my liking. My heart just sank with the realisation I might have just hit the proverbial nail on the head.

We’ve just passed a big heavy door made of steel and wood and now we are entering a room of some sort. Obviously it has been roughly cut by hand into the hillside.

"Put ‘em down so that the Commissioner here can get a good look at ‘em."

Stupid guards! Oh well no pretending to be unconscious now. Damn, near broke my arm when my ride threw me from his shoulder and onto the floor. I couldn’t help but cry out.

"Well well, this one’s awake. Hello Dear, was the ride comfortable for you?"

Inhuman bitch. I’ll strangle Servalan when and if I ever get the chance. I may have said it before and not followed through when I’ve had the chance, but this time I mean it.

"String him up, and the others too. All except Avon, strip him and hang him in the middle of the room."

I heard Avon whimper, but I’m too busy with my own small problems to see what they are doing to him. The bastards have attached manacles to the walls of the room and we are being chained in a standing position.

Oddly enough we have full view to a rather naked and pale Avon who’s now been positioned in the middle of the room. He has been manacled also but hanging from the ceiling and he is only able to stand on the toes and balls of his feet. His ankles are also chained to prevent him from kicking out.

"He makes a rather pretty decoration don’t you think? Maybe I should keep him and display him somewhere."

I watch as Servalan walks around Avon, taking in every detail with Avon with her hungry eyes.

"As much as I’d like nothing better, I have something much more satisfying in mind for you, my dear Avon. Much more satisfying."

She has made her way over to one of her mutoids and he has handed Servalan a small knife. I dare say it’s a sharp one; mutoids are just as heartless as Servalan.

Servalan is now in front of Avon again. I'd really hate to be in his shoes right now. That’s not what I call a very secure place to be. Naked and in front of a madwoman with a knife. I can’t help but shudder at the thought.

Without saying a word of any kind and with no warning she leaned forward and ran the blade lightly down his cheek, starting at just under his left eye. I watch as a thin red line appears. I see Avon flinch and I know my face mirrors that look in sympathy.

The line is growing as blood starts to appear and flow down his face to stop at his chin in a parody of tears, it’s pooling a little and then the first drop is starting to fall, that allows the rest to flow more freely, sending them dripping down onto his chest. In growing horror, I watch as she drags the blade down his right cheek copying the damage done to the other side.

The viper has stepped back to admire her handiwork, and a small hungry smile is on her lips. I absently notice that her lips just happen to be painted the exact colour of Avon's blood. How appropriate, I should have known that is why red is her favourite colour. Some may have thought it was the colour of passion, but she shows her true colours at last.

Avon is just standing there, bloody red lines on his cheeks and his blood-spattered chest puffed out, pale and defiant, his eyes flashing angrily. He calls her a Federation whore and she just answers him with the smile in return. Her smile is pure evil.

Servalan moves away from Avon and is walking over to a case put onto a small table on the other side of the room. I watch as she opens it but I can’t see inside as she has kept the contents hidden from it. Somehow, I don't want to know what's in there. I take a quick look at Avon and notice that he has let his guard down a little and I can see the stress and pain reflected in his face.

Servalan has put her blade inside of it and is removing a small round disk from the case, and a needle with something white in it.

She is walking back to Avon. Fear is no longer evident on Avon's face as she approaches him.

Servalan walked up to Avon and has placed the disk to the side of his neck and is switching it on.

"That is a suppression disk Avon, when activated can restrict all pain from registering in that brain of yours, a rather handy little device don't you think?"

What has she got planned? I don’t like where this is heading.

"This my dear Avon..."

She’s holding up the needle

"...Is to prevent your body from going into shock and killing you. We can’t have that now can we, my dear? That would be depriving me of too much pleasure. It is also a clotting agent to prevent you from bleeding to death. It is a most efficient mix, wouldn’t you say?"

A chill has gone through me and I watch her inject Avon with the needle. I can see a pulse in his neck now and I'm sure he knows he’s in big trouble. Even as Servalan is returning to the case on the table, his jaw is getting a work out.

I can hear Dayna whispering to Soolin, I can only make out every other word but I think she is asking her what is Servalan going to do to Avon and what are her plans for us.

"NO TALKING"

A guard just shoved the butt of his gun into Dana’s face, I think he might have broken her nose and it is starting to bleed, she looks to be stunned. If we ever get out of this situation, I'm going to kill him personally and take my time doing it.

Servalan has just picked up an object from her case about the size of a screwdriver and she is walking back to Avon. He looks as stubborn as ever.

"This, my dear is a laser scalpel and I'm going to use it on you."

That venomous smile again.

" Hardest part is deciding how and where exactly to use it "

I hold my breath as she leans forward and is cupping his genitals in her hand, a thoughtful look on her face. Avon looks startled; his eyes are big and shocked.

"No, I don't think I will chose this target. A man with his manhood removed often loses his will to live, and I want you alive for a while yet"

Avon gasps as she gives him a quick squeeze before stepping back a pace to look at him.

"I may not be a doctor Avon, but I studied enough to be able to do this to you. You see, I didn't want anyone to deprive me of this."

She’s insane! I can’t believe she would be so totally evil. I look on in absolute horror as she walks up to him and turns the scalpel on, cutting him from sternum to groin. I can feel my own vomit come to my lips at the same time as hearing one of the girls empty her stomach.

Avon’s face is pale and he has a look about him of a man that knows he is dead. I read fear and inevitability written all over it.

"What’s the matter dear, is it feeling a little breezy in here?"

The bitch is savouring it, I can actually see that her cheeks are flushed and she has a lustful hungry look in her eyes.

"Oh, but the best is yet to come. I have to pay you back in full for the years of humiliation and effort it took to hunt you all down. But especially you Avon, my perfect nemesis, you caused me considerable embarrassment with my peers and colleagues. That’s why you are getting this very special treatment."

She is very close to Avon now and...*Dear God*...she is reaching into the incision she just made and...*I can’t watch*...NO!! She is removing his intestines! I cry out and she is ignoring me. No one should go through this!

I watch helplessly as Avon’s intestines start to loop at his feet. He is pleading with her and weeping, no sign of arrogance or contempt, only despair and horror at what is happening to him.

All I can do is watch and cry out. My throat is sore from yelling and my wrists hurt from tugging at my restraints.

Soolin has managed to tug one of her hands free but has lost a fair amount of skin in the process. A guard has just caught her in the act and is putting her hand back into the manacle. She is whimpering in frustration, tears falling freely down her face. Her frustration is felt by all of us. Though I think she may have had feelings for him that none of us had. It’s a pity. Poor thing. Maybe if those two had gotten together, Avon might have softened a little. They would have been well suited. Why didn’t I see it before?

This is no justice!! This has only reinforced the fact that we were following the right path, the only problem is that we have failed and there is no escape. I know that now. I look at Avon and I see our future.

Servalan is in raptures; she’s walking around Avon touching him. It’s perverse. I can’t tear my eyes away. Each time she touches him he flinches away from her as if he is being burned.

I'm calling out to her to just kill him. End his misery. I’m not the only one voicing it. Laughter is our only answer.

I hate her. I completely and utterly hate her. I'm glaring at her in the hope that by my will alone I can make her burst into flame. This miracle doesn't happen and I've fallen back into despair.

Poor bastard, Avon's pleading has given way to sobbing and defeat. He is just hanging there now, with his eyes shut and his chin on his chest. His tears are falling down his cheeks where Servalan made the cuts on his face causing the tears to be tinged with his own blood.

Servalan has just moved to just in front of him, but he doesn’t even move. She kisses him on the forehead and reaches up to remove the disk.

Avon's head snaps upward and his eyes are wide with horror. Then the screaming starts.

The raw scream that is torn from his throat can never be forgotten. If I even get out of here, I’ll never get that sound out of my head. I’ve never heard a person scream like that, it’s almost an inhuman sound. I can feel tears run down my face...

The poor bastard is in total agony. That and adding to the fact that no one could possibly survive something like that, he knows he's dying.

His legs have buckled and he is just hanging there by his arms, huge racking sobs shaking his whole body. I wish someone would kill him but I know that’s not going to happen. Servalan is drawn to pain and suffering and she is certainly making a meal out of this.

I can’t deal with the scene I see before me, it’s a bad dream that I’m expecting to wake from at any moment. Someone that you’ve spent years with, gutted like an animal and left to suffer unspeakable torment is enough to send even the strongest person insane.

The bitch has turned to face us, victory and total triumph written all over her face.

You can feel the tension in the air around her, as she can barely contain the feeling inside of her.

"Well my dears, I hope you have enjoyed the show, but I’m afraid I'm going to have to leave you now. I have a pressing dinner engagement that just can’t wait. You understand don’t you?"

I hate her so much. She is enjoying this totally.

"Give my regards to what ever gods you might have and try and have a pleasant evening wont you?"

She is laughing at us. Her laughter is an evil sound that echoes around the room. On and on the sound goes, Servalan doesn’t seem to be able to stop.

Still laughing she is rounding up her guards with a series of gestures and ushering them out the door.

"Farewell my dears, it’s going to be awfully quiet without you around."

What’s that supposed to mean?

No! It’s not possible!!

They are closing the door and sealing us in.

Dark, so dark! The air already smells stale.

I listen and I hear nothing apart from Avon’s groans and soft whimpers. I don’t even think he is wholly conscious any more, as his soft cries have no real substance or effort to them. He is near death and I think he has an hour or two at best.

I suddenly realise that she actually did Avon a favour. By allowing him to die even in total agony, in a matter of hours, she has spared him the torment of starving to death.

I hear Dayna starting to yell out in panic. Calling to anyone to help us as she too has come to the same realisation.

Soolin is trying to calm her, in between her own sobs, that is. Tarrant is telling them both to shut up. I never did like Del, too much of a mouth on him. Too late to tell him now though.

I listen with detachment and realise that I have completely given up. For the first time in my entire life, I truly give up. It feels kind of strange actually, sort of looking at things from the outside in.

I lay my head back against the wall and wait for death, however long that will take, and listen to the cries in the dark...

END