by Simon E Bond
As he wiped the sweat from his brow, Stout took pleasure watching his subject take it all in while he sat and watched Charlie through the screen.
Charlie stood up but his knees started to buckle beneath him from lack of strength with the extreme heat. The sensation of dryness was getting to him and the thirst started to become more uncomfortable. He started to lick his lips, then placing his hands into both pockets for a false hope there may be some kind of liquid but the pockets lay bare.
"Shit… this heat, it's too much,” said Charlie panting as he removed the top half of the coverall that was soaked with sweat.
"I take it you need some water; that will be part of your task,” said Stout.
"This is no game; I need water now, damn it,” demanded Charlie as he kicked his boot into the ground and the sand blew back at him.
"Work for it; but remember, fail and it’s lights out,” replied Stout. His hand hovered over the kill switch at his control panel but activating the chip would be too easy, killing Charlie now would make him look like a bad sport.
"You can't do this to me. Please, I can give you more credits if that is what makes you tick,” said Charlie in desperation.
Silence followed and Charlie called out again, "Are you listening to me?" Stout had him were he wanted—in the middle of desolate place, in a desert, on a nearby moon, with a harsh environment for company.
Charlie began to move. His feet trudged one step after the other with the sand almost up to his knees as he sank further and made the job of gaining distance even harder.
The sweat and heat was becoming more unbearable with every stride but he knew he had to keep moving towards the mountains in the distance.
"He is struggling, sir," the android said over Stout's shoulder.
"Let him; he’ll be fine, besides he’ll come across the first set of containers soon,” Stout replied.
Stout could see Charlie's view through his control panel; the microchip sent back any information Stout required—Charlie's body stats; heartbeat; pulse; everything was easily accessible.
After what seemed like an age, he had reached the foot of the first mountain; sharp rocks covered the bottom.
“So he wants me to climb this?” thought Charlie with despair.
"Do not let me down; this is endurance test one, which you do not want to fail,” said Stout watching Charlie's view closely.
Charlie took deep breaths as he reached for the first set of rocks with hands and pulled himself up. The sharpness of the rocks cut into each of his sweaty palms; he nearly lost his grip but managed to cling on as he started his ascent.
“Fuck, keep going; don't look down”, thought Charlie as he pressed on with his climb.
He turned his head all he could see was nothing but sand below him and the breeze was still doing nothing to change the humid air all around him.
"What do you want next? What is going on?" said Charlie.
"Keep climbing to the top; there will be two containers awaiting you,” replied Stout.
"You leaving gifts for me now?" replied Charlie sarcastically as he continued to climb.
He reached a ledge on the mountain face and climbed onto it to catch his breath and gain some energy back.
His trousers were sodden with sweat; so much so he decided to remove them and continue in his boxer shorts.
Stout touched the screen in front of him with his finger moving it across the image of Charlie's body, a cold shiver shot up Stout's spine as perverted thoughts ran through his head.
"Everything okay, sir?" asked the android next to him.
"Yes,” replied Stout, wiping his brow, "Just looking at the subject’s skin and build; it’s very attractive, he must have good DNA,”
"He needs to keep moving; the two containers are waiting for him but time is running short for the woman,” replied the android. He tapped the screen and an image appeared of Stout's drug addicted whore.
The cage was held with a steel cable between two cliff tops and dangled over a large cavern. The cage itself was filled with water and the woman inside had an oxygen mask attached to her face. A small oxygen bottle was attached on the outside of the cage and the gage on the meter was almost reading zero.
Becoming aware of her surroundings, she looked around and tried to scream, but the water was flowing around her and muffled her voice. The woman was becoming frantic as she hit her fists against the glass in a feeble attempt and made very little impact. Being submerged was the least of her problems, if the cable snapped it would mean certain death from the fall.
But Stout did not like the easy option; he played with his victims, ensuring that they had as much prolonged mental and physical suffering as possible.
"Move; you’re wasting time, move now!" demanded Stout through the intercom.
"Fuck you!" replied Charlie.
"Now, sir?" asked the android.
Stout flicked a switch against his control panel and Charlie grabbed his head, pain instantly pounding against his skull. As the pressure started to build, Charlie fell to the floor and curled up inside the corner of the ledge, screaming in pain. A few more minutes and the chip would explode; this was Stout's first lesson to him. Charlie had to listen to his advice and instructions, Richard was dead Charlie was on his own with no one to turn to for comfort or help.
"Please… stop the pain… I can't take it," screamed Charlie as his vision became blurred and the pain unbearable, like hot pokers ripping into his head.
Stout kept his finger firmly pressed; he took great pleasure looking at different cameras and seeing Charlie suffer.
"Sir, I suggest we release the pain; looking at his sensors, he could go into arrest at any moment," said the android.
The android was right and Stout knew it; he reluctantly took his finger off the button.
"Jesus, you nearly killed me! Let me get my breath back, I’ll carry on; just give me time,” replied Charlie. His body was shaking and he struggled to catch his breath before he succumbed to Stout's orders.
"That was a lesson my friend; any more delays and you will feel the pain again and again,” replied Stout.
Charlie stood up and removed his soaked boots, leaving him barefoot for the rest of the climb. The rocks became sharper with each step and the cuts more frequent on Charlie's feet and palms. To make matters worse, sand had started to seep into the wounds.
"God damn it," said Charlie, wincing with pain.
His efforts finally paid off when, with relief, he saw that he had reached the top. Looking over, he saw two small black containers. Charlie knelt down but was clueless what to do next.
"Don't worry, they’re not explosives,” emitted a voice in his ear.
"It may help you carry on, water perhaps?" said Stout.
"Thank Christ,” replied Charlie as he pulled the handle from the first container towards him. It would not budge and appeared to be jammed.
"Come on, damn it; I’m sick of these fucking games,” shouted Charlie as he kicked the handle.
Still nothing; he was desperate for water and his body was becoming severely dehydrated. Reaching down, he grabbed a jagged rock from the ground hoping it would do the trick.
"You trying to make me lose, Stout?" said Charlie.
Stout looked closer at the screen, tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair.
"Well, what do you think? He needs to make it through this, I need his…" Stout said then paused.
"His body stats are beginning to decline; I think we need to end this task as soon as we can,” replied the Android.
After a couple of hammer blows, the rock shattered into tiny pieces and made a deep cut into Charlie's hand.
"Damn it,” said Charlie and he pulled at the handle. The container opened up but he was not greeted with water. Instead, sand started to flow out from the inside of an opening.
"Fuck! Come on...!" shouted Charlie in desperation, picking up the container and throwing it against
the cliff face. A cloud of sand and metal exploded into the air.
"Don't give up, you’re doing well; just keep up with the pace better,” said Stout.
Charlie ignored the voice inside his head as he walked over to the second container. This time there was no issue with the handle, it seemed to open easily. Charlie lifted it up and looked inside—no water but sand again. His rage washed over him as he threw it over the ledge and it went crashing into the cavern below.
"I need water now, damn it!"
"Keep moving. You’re nearly there. You’ll need to climb to the top of this mountain, then you will see another—start that one,” replied Stout.
It seemed like an age but Charlie had started to climb the second mountain. He lost his grip a few times, almost killing himself, but he carried on.
"When you reach the summit there will be another two containers, I assure you they do not contain sand this time,” said Stout.
The woman was still panicking as she attempted to force her way out of the cage, the oxygen virtually gone. The straps on the mask attached to her face dug deep into her skin.
She knew this would be the work of Stout; he had grown tired of her just like a child with an old toy.
"She appears to be struggling as well,” said the android as he walked over to another set of screens similar to the ones that Stout was watching.
Turning in his wheelchair to face the android, Stout started to look concerned; maybe he had got the timing wrong after all, Charlie was starting to lag behind in the task.
"Increase the oxygen level by two per cent," replied Stout; he wanted this game to carry on so he had to make exceptions just this once.
"Levels adjusted, sir,” replied the android, moving his robotic hands over the controls.
The woman's eyes started to sting; she had been in the underwater for a while. Her screams went unanswered behind the mask as each moment passed.
"He should be near her any moment now, sir,” said the android.
Pulling himself up with his hands, Charlie was making headway. He had passed the worse of the pain now. His feet were cut and blistered but they had almost become numb with discomfort.
“Come on, not long; you can make this”, thought Charlie”. His mind automatically thought of how much easier it would be if he still had Richard.
After struggling with his demons, he reached the top and with gasping breaths he pulled his body onto yet another ledge. It was a wonder he had managed to get this far.
"Well done my friend; you made it,” said Stout, sounding surprised.
"Look over to the boulder to your left, there is a container; open it," he demanded.
"Why should I trust you? It could be explosives for all I know,” replied Charlie.
Collapsing, Charlie had no choice but to open it; he would die without any liquid in his body and this was his only chance at survival.
He could only crawl at a slow pace as the sand rubbed underneath his body each time he moved a little closer to the container.
The sun glistened off the surface as he reached his prize, the rays almost blinding Charlie.
Rising to his feet, he started to feel dizzy because the exhaustion was too much. Although he would love to kill Stout on the spot, he had to keep going; Charlie's choices were spent.
The handle opened with hardly any force. Looking down, a warm feeling washed over him, like he had just acquired all the credits in the universe, as the cold water shone in the bright sunlight.
"Jesus, thank god,” wept Charlie as he lifted the container up to his lips, drinking the contents as fast as he could. The rest he poured over his body. Every drop dried up as it hit the ground, quickly being consumed by the heat.
"Well, he has surprised us, sir; his hydration levels are getting back to an acceptable level,” said the android.
"He will need the energy for the next task; the woman needs his immediate help,” replied Stout with a grin.
After a couple of minutes rest sitting down, Charlie noticed the next container edged in between two large rocks. He rose to his feet and decided to investigate after looking around and seeing that the sun was starting to set.
"So boss, what am I supposed to do next?" said Charlie, but he heard nothing.
"Give up on me already, arsehole?" said Charlie, shaking his head.
"Smaller than the other one; that's a bit different,” said Charlie as he reached for the handle.
The container opened, no water was inside but it contained a sensor and a note. Charlie opened up the note up and started to read it.
Like you, everyone wants to be a hero but your heroic actions involve stealing. Well, let's see if you can up the mark this time in a different way.
Regards,
Stout
"So sorry to disappoint you," spoke Stout in Charlie's ear.
Following the order located on the other side of the letter, Charlie flicked the sensor with his thumb and it started to blink a blue colour. Moving forward, a beeping sound grew louder.
Charlie walked around another ledge and stopped dead in his tracks.
Just in front of him he saw the woman struggling inside the tank.
The sensor stopped and fell silent. Charlie was confused as to why the woman was suspended between the two cliffs.
"You don't have much time, get to her quickly. She has oxygen pumping into her body at the moment but that will soon change,” said Stout.
"What are you going to do?" asked Charlie.
"You ask too many questions; your time starts now,” replied Stout.
Charlie walked towards the edge of the cliff. Looking down, he felt dizzy with the sheer scale of the drop and took a few steps back.
"You’re testing my patience,” said Stout.
“Hold on one minute; let me think,” replied Charlie.
His only choice was to attempt to try to rescue the woman inside. But he had no time to think; he needed to act fast. The woman started to bang on the glass again after she had noticed him and saw he was her only chance of escape.
Charlie decided to take the risk; he reached forward and wrapped his hands around the hard steel wire of the cable. He then pushed himself backwards and quickly wrapped both of his legs around the cable.
“Don't look down, don't be a stupid bastard”, thought Charlie.
Every movement he made seemed to take forever. Tilting his head to his side, he looked and could make out the woman's face; she was scared.
"Bastard, what the hell did she do? No one deserves this!" shouted Charlie.
Charlie's hands were starting to lose their grip a little, but his sheer determination kept them held firm.
"Do it, I’ve waited long enough,” Stout said, rubbing his hand over his chin.
"Yes, sir,” replied the android as he pushed a set of buttons on the console.
A second tube attached to the cage started to feed in liquid; it slowly entered the chamber and then the glass tank.
"Hold on, I’m nearly there,” shouted Charlie as he looked over at the woman.
The woman was kicking her legs and scratching at the glass; something was wrong, she was in pain.
"Increasing the feed,” said the android.
The liquid began pumping in fast and the water started to become discoloured with tinge of red as the liquid ate away at the woman's flesh.
Charlie had reached his goal, but slipped yet again and was holding onto the cable with one hand; his body hanging precariously above the void below.
"No, stop this, you sick bastard!" screamed Charlie as he watched the woman struggle.
The woman's adrenaline took over and as she fought for her life, she somehow managed to remove the mask. In doing so, she had torn a piece of flesh from the side of her cheek.
Charlie tried to kick at the glass with his feet, but just slipped off with each attempt.
The skin on the woman's legs started to dissolve and her bones becam
e visible. The liquid was doing its job and Stout was enjoying every minute of it.
"Please god, no!" screamed Charlie.
The woman, however, was already dead and all that remained inside the tank was her mushy bloodied remains.
Charlie closed his eyes, unable to bear witness to what was he was seeing any longer. He managed to latch his other arm onto the cable and started to make his way back to the ledge where he started. The cable started to sag slightly because of the weight, but he knew he could still make it in time.
He made it back to the ledge, but suddenly two small explosions could be heard behind him. Charlie tilted his head around and watched the cage become detached from the wire and fall into the void below; a dense thud followed as it hit the bottom.
"I shall delete her file now, sir,” said the android.
Stout nodded and turned his chair around to face the vastness of space before him. The planet below glowed brightly; Charlie was alone down there and Stout would create the next move for his subject.
Pulling his body onto the ledge, Charlie looked below and could see nothing but dust rising from the abyss.
"Shit… Shit…" panted Charlie as he struggled to get his breath back.
The sun had almost set over the horizon and the heat had subsided, much to Charlie's relief, but the cold air was starting to creep up on him and keeping warm was his main priority now.
The covering offered by the ledge was giving him some comfort but he was still out in the open and alone. Strange insect noises in the background could be heard and Charlie had no idea what they could be or if he would come to any harm from them.
The temperature had started to drop even further and he had to keep warm. He quickly grabbed one of the empty containers, hopeful that he could make some kind of makeshift fire inside it.
"It’s something at least; I have no choice,” said Charlie.
After a couple of minutes of searching, he came across some discarded clothing that had belonged to the woman..
Charlie started to tear at the soft material with the end of a sharp rock, quickly he started to gather some strips together ready for a fire.
