Chapter twenty five
After the phone call finally died down, Levi grabbed the phone and began to scroll through it. Kel still continued to send me annoyed glances and I waited for Levi to be done with what he was up to.
Levi typed on the phone and read aloud. "Hey mom. Sorry I couldn't pick your call. The market's very noisy right now. Will call you later." He paused to look at Kel. "I had to check how you send your messages, so it won't be unsimilar. I can't have your mother finding anything out now."
Kel glared. "What are you going to do if my dad comes in too? Are you going to torture him? "
"We already know that your dad's away for the weekend, so we have all time we need." I smirked.
Levi added. "Don't look so surprised, we know everything we need to know about you. We've been planning for a while, since we figured out that you betrayed us. All we need are answers."
Kel spat. "I'm not telling you anything."
"That's quite unfortunate. Don't say that we didn't try. Since you don't like the easy way, we'd move on to the hard way." Levi signaled to me, and I gave him a quick nod.
I dragged her by the arm and pushed her on the chair. Levi handed me the rope from our supply bag, and I tightly tied her to it.
Levi's smile turned lopsided. "Just one last thing." Before handing me a spider shaped device.
Kel stuttered. "Wh—what the hell is that?"
Levi shrugged. "Nothing serious. You see, my lovely Tamar would put this at the back of your neck. It will sink into your veins and you'll feel a sharp pain. It would only be for a second."
I continued, and began to place it in her neck. She winced in pain for a while, and I rubbed her back soothingly. "It's actually more like a lie detector. It's linked to your pulse. We had our tech guy whip it for us. It took a while for it to be made, but it was worth it because of what it can do."
Kel's mouth went dry. "What can it do?"
Levi and I shared amused glances, before I answered. "If you tell a lie or evade a question, it would release over a thousand volts of electricity and electrocute the hell out of you."
Levi added. "If you continue to be passive, then we'd increase the dial to a higher number of volts and you know how that's going to end for you. I do hope you put your exception of heightened touch into consideration, cause you're going to feel a whole lot of pain, compared to a regular person."
"First question. What was the whole plan from the start?" Trying to sound as neutral as possible, I asked.
Kel snarled. "Fuck you." She looked determined not to say anything. The image of sweet girl I used to know, was fading away from my sight as quickly as possible.
Levi's face hardened. "Wrong answer."
The device turned on. Kel threw her head back and screamed in pain for a short while. Then stopped and began to breathe hard, when the device turned off.
I inquired. "Are you ready to answer now?"
She said nothing. We weren't surprised. I continued with my questioning. "I'll ask again. What was the whole plan?"
Kel glared at us for a second, then huffed. "What did you expect? To capture all of you. The dictator wanted you all to know your place. He calls the shots. He was sick of making deals with Radiants."
I smiled sweetly. "See. That wasn't so hard. It can all end peacefully if you cooperate. Simple as that."
"Whatever."
"Question number two. How did the government know where the Clandestine was? It was well hidden and undetectable for external forces. So how did they get us?"
Kel sighed. "They already told me what to do. Lay low for a month. Let them trust you, then strike. I was told to make sure I had a phone nearby or to make a temporary G.P.S machine. I already knew the basics. I was trained. I somehow didn't need to make the machine, I just used Juan's phone. I turned on his location and G.P.S, and made calls with my mom. She helped me with the tracking. Basic stuff. I had to wait for when it paid them. I was told that it was important for Levi Caden not to be captured. No one wanted to test the waters with your dad. So I picked the day I was sure he was going to leave. They raided hours later and I went free."
"You used Juan? How can you do that to him? He loved you."
Her eyes watered. She instantly seemed like an innocent person I used to know. Fear doused in her tangerine eyes. "You think I didn't love him too? He mattered the world to me, but I had to do what needed to be done. That's why I made sure he was one of the free people. You too. You were my friend. I wanted both of you to be safe."
I scoffed. "Do we look safe to you?"
"It's at least better than being in that refinement facility."
Levi demanded. "If you knew it was such a crappy place, why would you do such a thing to Radiants like you?"
"I had no choice."
Levi repeated. "Wrong answer."
I came prepared, and shoved a cloth in her mouth. I couldn't risk her making sounds for neighbors to hear. She made muffled screams, as she shivered from the pain of the electrocution. I pulled out the cloth from her mouth. "Are you ready to talk?"
Tears streamed down from her eyes. "Yes, yes. I'm ready to talk. I'll cooperate. I'll do anything, I swear."