WARNING: torture

~

"So, we can't kill him, but can we torture him?" Clockwork proposed. On her face was a sly grin.

Tim gawked at Clockwork and Zero, both with devious looks upon their faces. He knew that these women were two of the most sadistic proxies in the entire Alliance. He also knew that Keith had barely been answering any questions over the past few days. At last, he sighed.

"Okay, fine." he relented. "Just don't accidentally kill him."

The wives smiled eagerly at each other. As they exited the office, Zero tossed a, "thanks, Timmy!" over their shoulder. Once the door had closed behind them, Tim folded his arms against his chest. All he could hope for was that those two wouldn't go overboard. Why did he have to be in charge of so many crazy people?

~

"What kinda weapon do you think we should use?" Zero inquired. Clockwork and them were back in their cabin, asking Rapid Fire for advice. Zero was holding up a machete and a dagger. Her tone was casual, as if they were asking which shirt she should wear for the day.

Rapid Fire tapped their chin, deep in thought.

"I'd say the machete," they answered. "The bigger the weapon, the scarier it looks to the victim."

"Yeah, of course you'd know that," Clockwork scoffed playfully.

"C'mon, it wasn't my fault my mom had a giant collection of firearms." Rapid shot back, though there was a smile on their face.

Clockwork and Zero left the room to leave the cabin, but they were soon interrupted by a still awake Eris. She was in her pajamas, clutching her yellow stuffed rabbit to her chest. Clockwork had decided to leave in the middle of the night so that she and Zero could torture the prisoner in peace.

"Where're you going?" Eris asked through a yawn. Her eyebrows were raised at the sight of the large weapon in Zero's hand.

Clockwork and Zero exchanged awkward glances. Luckily, it wasn't hard to come up with a lie.

"We just need to go on a mission, sweetie." Zero reassured their daughter. "Now go back to bed."

Eris frowned, but nodded drowsily and did as she was told. Hands clasped together, Clockwork and Zero left their home and headed to the main cabin in the dark. Cricket song tore through the night, occasionally accompanied by the hoot of a distant owl. At last, the two made it to the main cabin, where all the lights were off, but it wasn't hard to find the interrogation room. They stopped outside the door.

"You good?" Clockwork piped up as she noticed the look on her spouse's face.

Zero looked nervous.

"I dunno, I'm having second thoughts." they said with a shrug. "Are you sure torturing Keith in the middle of the night will be most effective?"

Clockwork bit the inside of her cheek. She had a point.

"Well, there's no turning back now." she argued. "Besides, he'll be caught off guard, so he'll panic. It won't be too hard to get answers out of him."

"That's true," Zero admitted.

On the other side of the door, the murmurs of voices woke Keith from his slumber. He was all cramped up from being in pretty much the same position for days on end, and he longed for a soft blanket or the strong arms of his husband. His wrists and ankles were beyond sore due to his binds.

The door opened, and two figures entered the room. One of them tugged on the chain hanging from the ceiling, causing the lightbulb to flicker awake. Keith desperately blinked away the sudden brightness; it took a few moments to adjust to the light. One of the figures was the woman with the clock eye Keith had seen earlier that day, and the other was a woman with white skin and hair, black lips, and black circles around her gray eyes, like a panda. Both of them had smiles sewn into their cheeks, which sent a shiver of fright down Keith's spine.

"W-who are you?" Keith stuttered.

Clockwork and Zero both grinned maliciously. It was then that Keith noticed that one of them was carrying a machete, and his heart dropped to his feet.

"Our names don't matter for now." Clockwork said, taking the machete from her wife. Her voice dripped with venom. "All that matters is what you have to say."

Sweat broke out on Keith's forehead. He tried to scoot away, but he was literally backed into a corner. He tried to resist, but Zero squatted down next to him and pushed him onto his side. Mere moments later, he felt the excruciating pain of the blade cutting through his shirt and slicing into his back. He bit down on his tongue to keep himself from screaming.

Clockwork grinned wildly at the sight of the crimson blood seeping from the wound. Zero grabbed a handful of Keith's black hair and yanked his head back so he was forced to look at them.

"Who are you here with?" Zero demanded.

Keith glared at Zero and shook his head. Zero nodded to Clockwork, signaling for her to create another gash in Keith's back. Keith let out a shrill scream of pain.

"You're only making this harder for yourself, buddy." Zero said as she let go of Keith's hair. "The longer you keep your mouth shut, the more my woman hurts you."

"I'm not telling you shit!" Keith growled through gritted teeth. His breathing was unsteady.

Zero smirked at Clockwork, who stabbed Keith once again. His screams bounced along the walls of the small room.

On and on, Keith refused to answer questions. Again and again, Clockwork created wounds in his back. Although Keith was clearly in pain, Clockwork couldn't help but relish in the experience. She took great joy in the art of physical torture.

"Please stop!" Keith wailed. Tears were now streaming down his pale face.

"Only when you answer our questions," Zero cooed, smirking evilly. Like Clockwork, she was entertained by causing pain to others.

Keith's eyes shone with tears of hatred, but also desperation. His tormentors could tell that they were getting to him.

"You're not going anywhere till you fess up," Clockwork insisted.

"Never!" Keith cried out.

"Well then - . . ."

This time, Clockwork forcefully took off Keith's shirt before she sank her machete deep into Keith's back once again. In response to this, Keith let out his loudest scream yet. It was a scream of pain, of panic, of pure, true fear. Clockwork lifted her machete and was about to stab Keith one more time when he screamed again:

"MOM, NO! STOP!"

Clockwork froze where she stood, her breath catching in her throat. Blood was spurting out of the wounds in Keith's back, dripping down the sides of his bare torso. The room was completely silent except for Keith's whimpering and heavy breathing. Clockwork slowly backed away and dropped her machete, which clattered to the wood floor, and she lifted her hands as if in surrender. Keith looked up at her and Zero with a look of pathetic yearning. He seemed to be trying to cover his chest with his bound arms.

A tense silence fell over the room.

". . . I'll go wake up E.J." Zero said at last.