C421 Building Courage

Hammer gave us one final instruction. "Torture is a very dangerous thing," he said, his voice unusually serious. "You can lose yourself if you become too obsessed with it." The words immediately caught our attention. Bighead looked confused. "How?" Hammer turned toward him. "I don't have to remind you all what you felt after killing someone." Nobody spoke. The memory was still fresh for all of us. Even after everything we had experienced during training, none of us had forgotten our first time taking a life. The shock, the fear, and the silence that followed had stayed with us. Hammer continued. "Torture can affect you in the same way. At first, you will be shocked. You may be scared of what you are doing. But the more you do it, the more you can lose yourself." He looked at each of us. "You can become cruel. You can become heartless. Eventually, you may stop feeling anything at all."

Silver frowned. "Then why do we have to learn it?" Before Hammer could answer, Beast laughed. The sound immediately drew everyone's attention. "Young lady," Beast said, "if your enemy is withholding information that you desperately need, and you do not have enough time to convince them to cooperate, what would you do?" Silver opened her mouth, but no answer came. Beast smiled. "Exactly." Hammer stepped forward. "That is why this lesson exists. Not because torture is something to enjoy, but because the world you are entering will not always give you time to negotiate." His expression hardened. "When you are interrogating someone, you must understand the difference between emotion and information. The pain someone experiences should not automatically convince you that they are innocent." I felt uncomfortable hearing those words. Hammer continued. "If you have evidence that someone is withholding information, you must be prepared to make difficult decisions." He paused. "But remember this carefully. You are responsible for what you become. The moment you begin enjoying another person's suffering, you have already lost control."

The room fell silent. For a moment, I thought that would be the end of his explanation. Then Hammer looked toward Beast. "Show them how it is done. They will watch you first, and then each of them will take a turn." Beast's face immediately brightened. "Finally," he said excitedly. "You have given me something worth my time." His enthusiasm made the atmosphere even more uncomfortable. He walked toward one of the prisoners and pushed him toward the interrogation room. The man stumbled forward, still unable to see because of the cloth covering his head. The rest of us remained outside the room, watching through the open doorway. I had never seen Beast this excited during training. Among the coaches, he had always been the most intimidating. His methods were harsher than those of the others, and even the Lions knew that he approached combat without hesitation. But this was different. This was not a fight. There was no opponent who could defend himself. There was no battlefield where both sides understood the danger.

Inside the room, Beast removed the cloth covering the prisoner's head. The man looked frightened. Beast smiled. He reached for a sharp dagger. The moment I saw it, my stomach tightened. Before anyone could react, Beast injured the man's hand. A loud scream echoed through the room. Pixel immediately turned her face away. Silver closed her eyes. Hammer watching withiut blinking. "If you are afraid to watch," he said firmly, "what will you do when it is your turn?" Pixel slowly looked back. Hammer continued. "Pay attention. You have ten minutes each to obtain whatever information these people are carrying. You need to understand what Beast is doing, but you must also learn how to think for yourselves." The prisoner continued crying out. My breathing became shallow. Bighead stood beside me, his expression tense. Chipmunk had her arms folded tightly across her chest, while Survivor stared into the room without saying a word.

None of us had expected this lesson to be so immediate. We had imagined interrogation as asking questions, applying pressure, and reading someone's behaviour. We had not expected to witness violence before breakfast. Inside the room, Beast leaned toward the prisoner. "Tell me," he said calmly. "Who are you?" The man shook his head. He said nothing. Beast laughed. "Let's see how long you can keep quiet." He walked toward a toolbox positioned against the wall and opened it. The sound of metal tools moving inside made everyone outside tense. Beast removed a large nail and a hammer. Chipmunk's eyes widened. "Oh no." Kiddo whispered, "What is he doing?" Before anyone could answer, Beast restrained the prisoner's hand against the wooden chair. Then he struck. The sound of the hammer hitting the nail echoed through the room. A scream followed immediately. Everyone outside reacted at once. Silver stepped backward. Pixel covered her mouth. Cipher looked toward Hammer in disbelief. I felt my entire body tighten.

Beast asked the question again. "Who are you?" This time, the prisoner began speaking. His voice trembled as he gave Beast the information he wanted. Beast listened carefully. He asked several more questions, forcing the man to explain himself. Within minutes, the prisoner had revealed enough information for Beast to stop. The room became quiet. Beast stood up and placed the hammer back inside the toolbox. He looked satisfied. Then he walked out. His hands were covered in blood. He looked at all of us with a broad smile. "I hope everyone saw how I did it," he said loudly. "Do not disappoint us when it is your turn." Nobody answered. The words remained in the air as Beast walked away from the doorway. I looked at the others. For once, Bighead had no joke. Chipmunk's face was pale. Survivor looked angry, although she tried to hide it. Kiddo kept glancing toward the interrogation room. Even Cipher, who had faced Hanna without hesitation, remained completely still. Hammer turned toward her. "Madam, you will go first."

Cipher looked at him. For a moment, she did not move. Hammer gestured toward the room. "You may use any equipment you believe will help you. Even Gold and Diamond dagger, if you choose." Cipher remained frozen. The dagger was more than a weapon to her. It represented her position, her family, and the responsibility she carried. Using it in a room like that felt like carrying it into battle. Reaper noticed her hesitation and laughed softly. "Madam, you do not have to be afraid." Cipher looked toward him. "You must understand something. Your enemies cannot know your soft spots. If they realize you are afraid to hurt them, they will use that weakness against you." He paused. "You must not allow fear or kindness to control you. Do what you believe is necessary to make him talk." Cipher's eyes moved toward the interrogation room.

For several seconds, she said nothing. I could see the conflict in her face. This was about deliberately causing pain to someone who could not fight back. Cipher slowly took a breath. Then she stepped forward. The door opened as she entered. Another prisoner was already seated inside, waiting for her. The man looked up when Cipher walked into the room. She stopped just inside the doorway. For the first time since becoming Cipher, Alicia appeared uncertain. Outside, the rest of us watched silently. Hammer folded his arms. The ten-minute countdown began. And Cipher stood alone with the decision of how far she was willing to go.