Half Life

Integral

Tucker knew it couldn't be good news when they came for him. 

He had been sitting against the wall in his cell, bored but not uncomfortable. Sam was in the next room over, and they had been able to talk for the last few days. A kind of numb stupor had eventually set in. He couldn't access the network of Space Corps headquarters, so even his usual digital distractions were pointless. 

And then, out of nowhere, security arrived. They unlocked his cell and escorted him down the stark white hallways of headquarters. Sam was nowhere in sight. Tucker hoped they would keep her out of whatever was happening. She had been frantic and upset for days now. 

He was lead into a small windowless room. A chair, table, and long mirror were the only furnishings. Tucker sat down and waved sarcastically at the mirror.

"Oh wow, a two way mirror. I never would have suspected! Very subtle of you."

.........................................................................

Danny stood frozen behind the mirror, eyes locked onto his best friend. He looked tired, but not unhealthy. 

Danny rounded on Spectra and her guards. 

"What are you doing? He doesn't know anything about this. I never told anyone about what happened that day."

"We're not going to do anything to him dear," Spectra soothed. "All you need to do is tell us what you remembered."

Danny bit his lip, staring out the mirror. The guards having left Tucker alone, he tilted the chair back on two legs and put his feet on the table. He was innocent. Unharmed so far. Danny knew he had the power to protect his friend. But...

His mind strayed back to the memory. The escape pod full of Halpha children. He had been shut out, but what is they had found refuge? Survived beyond Space Corps reach for all these years. His species, his friends... his sister? 

He had no doubt of Space Corps plans for him once they had the information they needed. He would be killed, and any survivors would be hunted down. He couldn't let that happen. 

As the silence stretched, Spectra let out a long sigh. 

"You're making this so hard on everyone Daniel." 

Through the mirror, Danny saw the door open behind Tucker. A single man entered, holding a strange mechanical instrument in his hand. 

"This is your last chance to tell us freely Daniel," Spectra warned, coming to stand next to him. 

He remained silent, a sick worry growing as he looked out at Tucker. 

"Very well."

The man holding the tool activated it. A strange, tinny wavering sound echoed through the room. Tucker winced, holding a hand over his goggles. 

"Your friend has integrated technology, as I'm sure you're aware," Spectra commented. "Goggles and enhanced hearing aids. These have become so familiar to his body, that the metal has fused with his bones and muscles."

Another wave of sound emanated through the room. Tucker yelped, clamping his hands over his earpiece. 

"Few things would be more painful to him than the slow magnetic removal of these pieces." 

Danny's heart stopped. 

The attacks became more frequent. Pulsing waves of sound hit his best friend, little by little tearing metal out of his skin. Tucker yelled in pain, small trickles of blood oozing from the edges of his goggles. 

"Stop!" Danny pleaded. "Please stop hurting him!"

"What happened to Halpha? Were you the only survivor?"

"I-I...."Danny stammered, Tucker's screams ringing in his ears. "If you stop hurting him, I'll tell you."

Spectra looked at him for a long moment. Then she nodded.