| Generated by Google Flow text-to-video AI software, powered by Omni Flash |
Pribadium is in what passes for a cell around here. She thought this might
happen, but she ordered her people to make no attempt to rescue her. It’s
not like they can do any real damage. Even if she didn’t have a secret means
of escaping, they would be dealing with a virtual immortal. Her
consciousness is streaming to a backup body on her ship. Well, it’s not
streaming at this very moment. They were at least smart enough to install a
signal jammer. Which is illegal, of course, and more than enough grounds for
her to remove them with prejudice. She still doesn’t want to do that,
though. She sees this as a challenge now, and solving it means more than the
outcome itself.
She could teleport out, no problem. If it were anyone else, she probably
would. Time travel isn’t entirely a secret anymore, though most view it
through a technological lens. This guy acts like he knows something about
the biological component. That’s one reason she’s sticking around, because
it’s the best way to get Sora to explain what he knows. So she will stay
here and play the prisoner as he asserts his dominance. And while he
believes that he’s gaining the upperhand, she’ll learn what she needs to
know.
He opens the cell door. “Are you ready to talk?”
Pribadium yawns. It wasn’t part of the plan, but it’s a nice touch, so she
doesn’t fight it. Close the door, you’re letting all the darkness out,” she
jokes.
She imagines that he’s frowning, though she can’t see his face. He shuts it,
and doesn’t open it back up for another four days.
Pribadium has barely moved a muscle. That’s what people like her can do.
They can statue themselves up, and remain almost perfectly still for days on
end. She still has to breathe, and blood continues to flow through her
veins, but she doesn’t need food or rest, and she certainly doesn’t need to
talk to him, so when he asks her again, she remains silent. He is so mad
that he leaves her in there for eight more days.
When he opens the door again, he doesn’t say a word. He gruffly walks over
to the wall that she’s been leaning against, scoops her up, and drags her
back to the diplomacy room, which has been altered to make it look more like
an interrogation room. The artwork on the walls is gone, and was replaced
with a mirror. It might be an actual two-way mirror, or it’s just designed
to resemble that. If these mortal humans are young kids who were only born a
few decades ago, they might not understand how that technology works. “Why
have you not tried to escape yet!”
“You locked the door,” Pribadium points out.
“How would you know?” Sora questions. “You never even checked it.”
“I guess I just assumed you weren’t dumb enough to keep it open. Was I
wrong?”
“Of course not, but it pisses me off that you just sat there the whole
time.” This is the thing about mortals. Two weeks is long for them. It takes
time out of their short lives. She remembers feeling like that when
she was normal. She doesn’t anymore, and these people have the same
choice. Why are they not exercising their rights?
“Well, I wouldn’t want to piss off the man who is keeping me locked up in a
room, now would I?” she snaps back. “Tell me, what’s your endgame here?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Sora asks. “When your weapon of mass destruction shows
up, you’ll be killed too. They’ll have to act, and then we’ll have
the tactical advantage, and before you say anything about your backups, we
took care of those. No version of Pribadium Delgado will survive. So stop
smiling, and answer my goddamn questions!”
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