Sirna closed his eyes for several seconds to garner some inner strength. The infidels had no idea their world was about to come crashing down about them. Opening his eyes, he stared at the captain as if he were the devil himself, focusing on the man’s narrow eyes for the first time noticing one was brown and the other blue. He knew it. A sign of the evil that lay within. If captured by one of his freedom fighters, they would pluck his eyes out then burn him alive.
“In a raspy voice, speaking for the first time since captured, Sirna said. “What do you want from me?”
Captain Isinov rose from the bed. “Ah, the man has a voice after all. A bit dry from the drugs that we have provided to you, but understandable.”
He walked over to where his medical assistant stood in the room’s doorway with an older, gray haired man. “Please come in Comrade Doctor. I would like to introduce you to our VIP,” he said sarcastically. “Introductions are in order. Mr. Sirna Miliruid, please meet the esteemed, Doctor Razinski, of our humble Medical Institute. Our Doctor Razinski works for the Russian military establishment here at the Institute, specializing in the technique of extracting information from prisoners such as yourself. He was kind enough to come here today to assist in our conversation. From what I hear he can be quite persuasive.”
The Captain eyed Sirna, waiting for his reaction. Sensing none he continued. “Doctor if you would be so kind as to lay your tools of the trade on the table, we can proceed.”
Sirna ignored the doctor as he dropped his black medical bag on the table. Wasting no time, Doctor Razinski started extracting odd shaped metal tools from inside the bag laying them on a table beside Sirna in a neat row according size. He smiled nervously down at Sirna. “Today is your lucky day Sirna Miliruid. You are to be the first test case for a new version of a truth serum we have developed right here at our Institute.”
The doctor turned to the captain with a questionable look upon his face: “That is if the Captain allows me to proceed?” He pointed to a needle and syringe. “Then again, he may have some other interesting ideas?”
The Captain had enough of the doctor’s toying. He needed to begin the process as soon as possible.
Captain Isinov brushed aside the petite doctor, approaching his display of tools, selecting a stainless steel surgical scalpel with a 1-centimeter blade. He held the scalpel up to the ceiling light, waiting until the stainless steel blade reflected its artificial rays into Sirna’s eye blinding him for a second or two.
“Thank-you doctor, that will all for the moment,” the Captain said.
“Sirna, I would like to start by asking you a few questions. Now, you can choose to ignore them, or you can provide me with the answers I require. It’s your decision.”
With blade in hand, Captain Isinov slowly sliced the green hospital robe that Sirna wore, cutting its thin fabric from his knees up to his chin.
Sirna started his evening prayer not knowing what time of the day it was, asking Allah to provide him with the strength to withstand the torture that would surely come.
Captain Isinov looked back to the doctor in disbelief.
When his prayers ended Sirna screamed aloud, “Allah Akbar.”
Captain Isinov jumped back in response, startled for the moment, quickly recovering as he moved the scalpel to within inches of Sirna’s eyes, allowing him to see the sharpness of the stainless steel blade.
“Enough with the pleasantries; let us start off with an easy question shall we? Where is the location of the Rebel Headquarters, Sirna?” He pushed the sharp end of the blade into the soft tissue above Sirna’s right eye, blood now flowed freely.
“I am not a monster, just a plain soldier like yourself. I only want to know certain pieces of information, and then I will leave you to your God.”
He moved the blade to the left eye. “Shall we start again? Let’s be reasonable men Sirna. Where is the location of the Rebel Headquarters?”
He waited several seconds before plunging the blade into the skin above the left eye.
A shriek escaped from Sirna’s lips, sounding as if he were a wounded animal. Crimson liquid covered both of his eyes now, his eyelids fluttering uncontrollably. He begged Allah to take him as he struggled against the chains that bound him to the metal-framed bed.
“Your god cannot help you here Sirna, only I can stop the pain.” He put his hand over Sirna’s mouth to stop his prayer from being heard. “Tell me what I want to know and I will see that you are sent to a proper medical facility for treatment.”
He scouted for a new instrument of pain, settling on a claw hammer. “They will repair the nerve damage above your eye so you can still lead a normal life.”
“I am not enjoying watching your life slowly drain away from you, Sirna.”
He grabbed Sirna’s right foot, pushing up his leg so the foot lay flat on the table. “Where is the location of the Rebel Headquarters? I will keep asking the same question over and over again. I will have no chose but to break every bone in your body very slowly if you do not respond.” He waited several seconds before seeing no response was forth coming, he brought the hammer to bear down on his large toe, the force of the blow undoubtedly shattering the bone into tiny fragments.
Sirna passed out from the excruciating pain.
Captain Isinov slapped the man repeatedly, trying to revive him. Seeing no response, he used the hammer to smash the remainder of his toes on the right foot.
“If he lives, he will never walk again.”
Captain Isinov placed the hammer gently back on the table where the doctor’s assorted tools lay, trying to control his anger, remembering how many of his countrymen have died due to rebels like Sirna.
“I don’t want to continue like this. It’s not right. I’m sinking to the level of this bastard. I am a professional soldier, not a murderer.”
“It is time for the new truth serum comrade doctor. This man is as tough as a Siberian plow horse.”
With that, he relinquished the reins of the interrogation to the doctor.
Doctor Razinski walked over to where his assortment of tools that lay spread on the table, selecting the plastic syringe and needle as his weapon of chose. He then searched his medical bag for the glass vial of serum, absentmindedly locating it in his lab coat pocket.
“Elusive little thing,” holding the vial up for the Captain to see. “This will relax our friend to the point of him experiencing no pain whatsoever. He will feel as though he were drifting on a cloud- bank. We will be able to start the interrogation within seconds of the cool liquid flowing into his veins.”
The captain smirked at the prospect of an interrogation without some type of pain being inflicted on a prisoner. “You have to make them feel something comrade doctor, so they will remember and tremble from your mere footsteps walking down the hall.”
The doctor nodded. “I would have agreed with you until this miracle drug came along and replaced our old sodium pentothal. With sodium pentothal, a prisoner could resist to a point where some type of torture might be necessary. Times change.”
Captain Isinov slapped Sirna across his blood-smeared face. Damn it, wake up you little shit!” He then proceeded to slap him only harder.
Sirna still lay unconscious upon the bed.
“Raising his hand for the fifth time, caught in mid-air by a thick-armed barrel of a man from behind, Captain Isinov reacted by swinging his left hand in the direction of the man. Again, the fist caught in mid-flight by the same powerful man.
Captain Isinov quickly realized his mistake. “Sir, my apologies,” he said, snapping to attention. “I was not aware it was you, General Poszk, please forgive me.”
As Commander in Chief of all Russian Special Forces, including the KARPOV Group, General Poszk was Captain Isinov’s boss. The General maintained the utmost respect for Captain Isinov even though he personally reduced him in rank three times over the past 14 years for conduct unbecoming an officer. Captain Isinov would have been Colonel Isinov with a good chance to receive his Generals strip if he had kept his nose clean.