Blackbow

by Greg Ramsay

  Every floor of the tower was awash with torchlight. Humans stood at strategic points with commandeered Mot weapons. Many bowed to him dramatically when he passed, his boots thumping determinately on the concrete floors. In distant rooms covered occasionally by rag curtains, he could hear Mots screaming while humans chanted ‘Vengeance!’ over and over. Some woman could be heard demanding sexually degrading acts of their slaves while others could be seen in other rooms using them like toys for their pleasure. Welcome to the life of a slave! Bruce marched on, his mind swimming with memories of the two former slaves that assaulted him on the island. How’s it feel to be my bitch...

  “Well answer me!” A former slave screamed at a Mot two rooms ahead of him.

  Using his rage to carry him forward, Bruce broke into a run, trying to keep his composure. Mistress and Zane’s words kept burning through him, forced to the forefront by the very same suffering he’d experienced being perpetrated on almost every floor of the tower. Nearing the upper floors, people didn’t have the decency to occupy rooms, most proudly tortured Mots in full view of onlookers too cowardly to partake themselves.

  “Join us King!”

  “Yes, please, you freed us!” Many humans exclaimed.

  Unable to respond, Bruce carried on, trying not to snap and murder all those he fought so hard to save. One redheaded woman laid bare on the floor forcing her slave to finger her while eager men jerked off on its head. How’s it feel to be my bitch? Noticing his intense eyes watching her she kicked the Mot away and presented her nude genitals to him.

  “Let me thank you properly...Take me, King!” The woman said in a seductive tone. Almost vomiting in his mouth, Bruce picked up his pace.

  “Oh, right, he has a Queen doesn’t he? What a prude...” He heard the seductress coo in the background.

  The debauchery and ironic abuse all around him only descended further into fetishistic torture the closer he got to the penthouse. The ways Mots were abused reminded him of Reva’s grotesque mind breaking techniques. The only difference being these Mots didn’t agree to be their master’s toilets, nor to anything else they sadistically devised. This was pure torture for vengeance’s sake, driven by overwhelming hate that felt no sense of irony. All around him the screams and begging of Mots mixed with the rhythmic thumping of weapons on their flesh as humans beat some of them to death for fun.

  The muffled thumping of his boots barely registered above the symphony of violence raging around him, sending fresh torrents of painful memories like a stormy sea in his mind. Stop... Stop... STOP! Bruce screamed internally, putting the last of his willpower into his final steps before the penthouse, desperate to put an end to it all. Upon reaching the threshold of the armoured penthouse door, he could hear a woman yelling to someone. He entered quietly. A tall African American woman held a groveling slender Mot by a leash.

  “Queen Regnant, to continue, this DOG had the nerve to disobey my command to neuter itself. It even cut me!” The woman exclaimed to a vengefully cold looking Savage on a throne held up by Mot bodies. Monster’s body was similarly propped up in a throne like hers, very close to her right side.

  “Unacceptable. Such disobedience will never be tolerated. Thank you for your diligence, Cynthia.” Savage said like a strong mother hearing of familial abuse. Before Bruce could even make sense of what he was seeing she stood, nocked an arrow and loosed it into the Mot’s head.

  “Have its cock removed by its family then you can do what you wish with it. We have to set an example. Obedience or death, they deserve far worse than that.” Savage professed calmly. Smiling the woman called Cynthia gestured to a nearby prostrated slave. Moments later the body was dragged away for its ordered desecration.

  “Hiya Bruce!” Savage exclaimed cheerfully, hoping off her corrugated metal throne held up by corpses to skip over to him.

  “You’ve been gone over a month... I’ve had tons of time to set things right. What do you think of the place?”

  “What?!” Bruce managed to blurt out incredulously.

  “I ruled in your place just like you asked...” Savage cooed, her filthy armoured body weaving around him like a cat wanting attention.

  All Bruce could do was stare at Monster’s rotting corpse slack jawed for a moment until he saw her unironically self-satisfied smile.

  “I trusted you...” He said in an almost detached manner, the rage in his mind threatening to overwhelm him.

  “And you were brilliant to do so, humans are free. Now the Mots get to pay for what they did to us!”

  “THAT ISN’T WHAT I WANTED!” Bruce screamed, catching her off guard. Savage’s expression was that of a confused child that expected praise but got slapped instead. Noticing her honest confusion Bruce struggled to calm his voice.

  “I told you to guide them all as I would, make sure Everyone had fair wage and trade so that our two species could coexist peacefully...you... YOU DIDN’T FUCKING DO ANY OF IT!” Bruce screamed before punching her hard in the head, sending her staggering back.

  “Bullshit Sergeant! I treated them EXACTLY as you would, just like how your raised me during training. I’ve been MORE than fair with these abominations considering all they did to humanity, to me... To my Monster!” Savage pointed to Monster’s body stuck sitting on a throne of corpses with indignant rage in her eyes and tears streaming down her cheeks.

  “Savage, this has to stop!” Bruce exclaimed seriously.

  “It will stop, when they’re all whipped or dead!” Savage growled. Their altercation was interrupted by someone running in from the hallway.

  “Savage what the hell?!” Spirit exclaimed breathlessly, looking to Bruce’s lethally cold eyes for answers. “I’m just acting on the great King’s wishes, my Queen.” Savage seethed mockingly.

  “MY WISHES WERE FOR YOU TO MAKE PEACE. I EVEN ASKED YOU TO BURY MONSTER AND ALL YOU’VE DONE IS PROP HIM UP LIKE A FREAKISH ATTRACTION!” Bruce screamed, his body shaking with rage. Spirit was left speechless for a moment, tears welling in her eyes.

  “All of this horridness was because of you? I hoped I was wrong... I...” Spirit faltered briefly, her mind swimming with confusion and anger. Savage stood there like a vindicated conqueror, offended, and genuinely confused. She took a deep breath through tears, her face contorting in rage,

  “HOW CAN EITHER OF YOU HEARTLESS FUCKS JUDGE ME?!” She screamed, her breath stuttering out of her with the effort of overcoming her constricting sadness.

  “You abandoned me here in the middle of your civil war... I do my best while both sides attack me for disrupting their disgusting lives, and you judge me?! Even worse, you abandoned Monster... Just ordered he be buried and took off rather than see it through. How dare you arbitrarily decide that for EITHER OF US... You don’t even know what he wanted! You...” Savage cut out, her rage leaving her unable to speak.

  “Took off, TOOK OFF?! How can you say that to Bruce, you knew he was desperately trying to save me or we both would’ve been there... besides you didn’t even bury Monster and you’re preaching about caring? You’re a fucking psycho!” Spirit yelled, her voice seething with incredulous rage.

  Savage broke out into a fit of mad laughter. “We are just pawns to you... you seriously didn’t even know...” She said calmly, her eyes lowered and she shook her head disappointedly.

  “News flash ‘great rulers’ he loved me!” Savage growled before breaking into more laughter.

  “Alright ENOUGH OF THIS.” Bruce roared as he extended his bow and nocked an arrow.

  “That’s right almighty King, solve your disputes with vengeful violence...” Savage trilled before deftly leaning out of the way of his first shot.

  The arrow was so fast it carved a gash along her breastplate as her body twisted. She quickly took cover behind one of the remaining pillars near her throne that hadn’t been shredded by bullets.

  “New bow eh? Shame you didn’t have that before, Monster might still be alive.” Savage seethed at Bruce. Bruce tried to line up a shot but she kept
herself one step ahead as he’d trained her to.

  “No response? It’s all the raping isn’t it... You know I thought you’d be happy they were getting it back... but no, now you’re trying to kill me. Maybe you forgot they did the same shit and worse to ALL OF US!” They traded a couple of arrows, neither of them gaining an advantage. Spirit rushed from the outside, providing overlapping fire that forced Savage out of cover.

  “You’re wrong!” Bruce growled, loosing an arrow that caught the side of her knee as she scrambled for cover.

  “Both species tortured me, you ignorant bitch. And neither were right to do so!” Savage laughed from behind her throne.

  Slowly she crawled behind Monster. Bruce watched her armoured hand reach around and grab him by the genitals. She jerked aggressively a couple of times then grabbed an arrow out of midair with her free hand.

  “Nice try Spirit...” Savage growled while dropping the arrow, in the same motion she grabbed her pistol and fired into Spirit’s position.

  “He loved me! I used to catch him near me at night... he liked to watch me while I slept. I even spread my legs for him like a good girl. He never tried to take me though. Always bitched out cuz he thought it’d be inappropriate...” Savage rambled.

  “Shut up!” Bruce yelled, running to the other side of her pillar amidst more gunfire directed at Spirit. “You good?” he called out.

  “Fine, it barely tickles!” Spirit replied.

  “One night I even heard him say he always wanted to be with me... but then he’d cry cuz he was a Mot and Mots did so many horrible things to me... So now we’re together, just like he wanted!” Spirit said cheerfully.

  Right as she finished her rant, Bruce rounded the corner behind the thrones with bow drawn. Savage rapidly lunged for him with her gun in one hand and sword in the other. Suddenly, Bruce found himself in frantic melee combat with his most aggressive student. He forced his body to relax so he could remain in control and counter her skillfully violent strikes. Spirit broke cover, firing arrow after arrow into the joints of Savage’s armour behind her knees.

  While still parrying his attacks. Savage tucked her arm into her armpit, blind-firing into Spirit unexpectedly. Seeing Spirit stagger Bruce doubled his attack effort, overcoming her defense before brutally beating her away. Savage recovered quickly, facing sideways so she could keep her sword on Bruce and gun on Spirit. Bruce stepped back and knocked one of his new heavy arrows, aiming it for her forehead.

  “It’s over.” Bruce growled intimidatingly.

  “Is it, Blackbow? You and I both know I can pull this trigger faster than Queen bitch over there can dodge. You wouldn’t want to have to abandon your loving subjects to try and repair another hole in her head, again now would you?”

  Savage replied with a calm coldness that steadied his hand.

  “Savage stop this! It’s not too late... no one’s been harmed.” Bruce reasoned calmly.

  “That look in your eyes says your lying, but of course you are. You’re just a psycho killer like me playing at being a good guy. That’s the only way you can seriously say ‘no one’s been harmed’ like it’s a fact... Well here’s some reality for ya: none of us are good, Sarge. We’re all broken. I’m the only one honest enough to break our enemies while you’d let them be cuz it’s suddenly the ‘right’ thing. So why don’t you do the world a favour and kill me. Then you can go back to playing King to those who’ll see your head on a spike the first chance they get!”

  Drawn by the gunfire, armoured Mot soldiers stormed into the room with weapons drawn. Some had knives and actual military swords. Many of them had injuries doubtless sustained in their rush to aid the King while beset upon by mad humans.

  “My King, shall we end her.” One with familiar scars on his face asked dutifully.

  “No, I have this handled. Task your forces with the liberation of your fellow Mots, no killing permitted.” The soldier looked at him surprised for a moment, then slapped his chest in salute and left to see it done.

  “You’re seriously freeing them?! You unbelievably righteous retard!” Savage yelled enraged then fired the rest of her bullets wildly at Spirit.

  Sustaining a shot to her armour and one to the mask, Spirit side-stepped into partial cover then shot at Savage directly in the chest. Seizing the opportunity she’d afforded him once again, Bruce parried her blade and used the force from Spirit’s shot to help drive Savage to the ground. Bruce aggressively applied his boot to her face until she released her sword. In one fluid series of moves he carefully pinned her to the ground, mindful to ensure she couldn’t reach any of her weapons. Bruce drew an arrow from his quiver, holding its razor-sharp edge just above her windpipe.

  “Your loving subjects tried to gangbang me Brucey...” Savage said softly, her eyes filled with intensified rage unlike anything he’d seen even in her worst bouts of bloodlust.

  “Do it.” Savage demanded seriously.

  Suddenly an arrow flew past his raised arm, carving a deep gash in her cheek, followed by another that grazed the side of her throat.

  “Enough!” Spirit demanded angrily, standing above them both with a third arrow nocked.

  “You still threaten me after I tell you your precious Mots and their former slaves are all the same? You of all people should embrace the vengeful uprising of our broken brethren, or did you forget you were a Mot’s sex doll too?” Savage enquired pointedly.

  Not inclined to give her the satisfaction of an emotional reaction, Spirit gave her a blank look.

  “I never forget, I just don’t use it as an excuse to become like them.” Spirit said seriously.

  “Say that after you’ve trained enough to feel alive, to once more feel human, and a raging multi-racial mob threatens that. And all because you were evil enough to try making their lives better!” Savage growled, noticing Spirit still wasn’t reacting, she continued,

  “You don’t believe me or don’t care cuz you’re a self-righteous bitch now, but someday you’ll understand: deep down we’re all broken, anything other than that is just an act. If you want anyone to conform to your better way you have to murder all who don’t or they’ll eventually blame you for their weakness... their ‘pain and slights’... or for taking away the ‘pain and slights’... When they do at least your Knight will be there for you.” She finished with a mocking sarcastic tone, remembering the initial mobs when she tried to change the system on Bruce’s arrogant orders.

  Bruce quivered the arrow once held near her throat, debating knocking her out.

  “See, you won’t kill me... but even if you do, it won’t matter.” Savage stated sadly.

  “He may not but don’t think I won’t if you push too hard. I’m so tired of getting shot at!” Spirit growled. Savage burst out laughing.

  “You really don’t listen do you, golden girl? Your Knight will abandon everyone to save you! He won’t even apologize for it either... doesn’t matter what happens to his pawns, after all. When the Knight’s in play, the game changes, pawns are of no value.” Savage rambled.

  “Do you really want to die, is that it?!” Bruce asked seriously.

  “I’m too tough to die, Knight. I’m the sacrificial sex doll that’s been playing at being a warrior, and you’re the murderous war machine that’s now playing at being a hero for all the world’s victims. Let me guess... if I say yes you won’t help me, right?” Bruce’s rage started to give way to sadness when he finally registered the mournful edge to her voice.

  “I’m sorry. I left you here because you were the only one available I could trust to contend with this madness...” He started to say but she cut him off with yet more angry laughter.

  “Of course, now you apologize cuz it’s so much easier than killing one of your own, your dear, psychotic student. Do you want me first, is that it? Go ahead, strip me down. You, Spirit and I, ex-slave threesome on a bed of corpses with Monster as our witness!” Savage offered seductively, adopting her practiced willing smile the Mots had her wear as a girl.<
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  “No. I’ve just realized this society of murder just breeds more conflict. I’d rather keep you around like the old days...” Bruce said sadly. Right after he finished saying that the scarred Mot soldier returned. “My King. The soldiers don’t have the manpower to restrain your freed meat... I mean humans. Too many have gone to declare you for prospective challengers.”

  “Challengers to what?” Savage asked sweetly, catching the soldier off guard.

  “To the King’s reign.” He responded.

  “Stop!” Bruce ordered seriously, making the soldier freeze in place. Once more Savage looked to Bruce with lethal intent.

  “In the end, race means nothing, we’re all worthless broken shits and anyone who goes from righteous murderer to hypocritical restraint for appearances is the worst kind of joke. Only fools buy it, Knight! This is your Last chance to prove you care about me as person and not as a broken pawn that you want to play to death. Kill me now, or I’ll challenge you and make sure only one of us survives!”

  She’s suicidal... all because of me... but she’s strong, there’s still hope... isn’t there? There has to be! I have to believe she’s strong enough to get past all of this or what will come of the rest of us... Bruce thought hopefully, then looked to Spirit whose expression showed she was thinking similarly. As if she read his mind and wanted to support his interpretation, she disarmed her bow. They shared a final look then he stepped away from Savage, handing her weapons to the soldier.

  “See she gets those back when she leaves the Mecha.”

  “Yes my King.” The soldier replied dutifully, helping Savage up politely before half-leading-half-dragging her out.

  “You’d rather keep me, your broken pawn... but I am no longer yours, oh royal Prime Minister Blackbow. You have chosen to give me to the very world you swore we’d be above when I knew you only as Sergeant. Everything you put us all through was a lie. You never wanted anything good for us, just to make us things.... Useful tools to bring about your wishes.... Death will be the final thing I bring you, a final parting gift for all you put me through. Only once you’ve lost all hope will you have any chance of remembering who you are, and then in that moment I will end you.” Savage stated with intimidating resolve then marched from his throne room, leaving him to an empty throne, built on corpses.