A Fork in the Road
Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2018 8:34 am
Shen watched the man die with a blank expression, Chi having dulled his sympathy and conscience just a smidgen so he could manipulate the man easier "Of course he wasn't fully healed. It would've taken much longer to bring him back to good health, if the actions Yato has confessed to are all true. Imagine the agony of having your last moments stretched on for days...." Chi didn't really want to, but Xue giggled maniacally in the back of their mind, taking a deep sadistic pleasure in imagining the man's suffering "Oh come on! You all are too soft. I thought you would at least understand how absolutely fucking hilarious that is, Chi!" The other was answered with a mental eye roll as Chi dipped down to pick up the sheets of metal. He caressed the bar-code on his right wrist and a screen of chakra appeared in front of him, showing all of the empty slots within his storage network. He selected a spot and then touched the metal, sealing the sheets away and dismissing the screen with a flick of his wrist. The girl landed at his feet as he turned to look at Yato, the psychopath's words registering slowly. Well, even though it was slower than Shen usually processed information, it would still be several times faster than a normal person would process. He was meant to kill the girl.
"Moral crisis alert. Are we really okay with ending the life of an innocent child?" "HA! As if this is really up for debate. I say we slash her throat and kick her carcass to the curb. It's not like she means anything to us, and it is well worth a little blood to make sure Mister Loose-Screws doesn't try to do us like he did daddy deadman over there." "Eloquently put as always, King..." "Xue is right, but it doesn't feel right to kill something that doesn't contribute to our research. Then again on the other hand, it lessens the chances of him attempting to kill us." "I'm all for it if we can come to a general consensus." "Lan, your conscience is always a credit to us all but it is moments like these where you need to learn to put that aside and think about what is best for the Collective. You are going to be the shield that keeps us protected, after all." "Right. What are we waiting for, then?" Shen looked down at the form of the girl, so small and fragile as she curled into herself. It was a sad, almost heart-wrenching sight. She was broken at such a young age, most likely beyond repair at this point. They would be sparing her from a life-time of psychological torment, really, putting her out of her misery. Like a rabid dog or some other animal. It was better to think of her that way.
That didn't mean he couldn't ease the way. Shen crouched down, kneeling on the dirty floor and pulling the child into his lap. Her head was tucked into the crook of his neck and shoulder, his arms wrapped protectively around her form. He began to rock her gently, humming in a low and soothing voice to her. His lips pressed to her temple, letting the vibrations from the melody as well as the sound itself calm her. He needed to lull her, make this as comfortable as possible. After a minute or so of this treatment, one of Shen's hands reached behind him and into one of his pockets. He turned her face more into his shoulder, obscuring her sight so she wouldn't see the sharp blade of the stiletto-like kunai in his hands. The weapon slipped cleanly between her ribs and punctured not only her lung, but her heart as well. She died within moments. The weapon was positioned as though to only let a trickle of blood free from the wound, with whatever got free staining her clothes rather than Shen himself. He slid her from his lap and onto the ground, running a hand across her face before standing fully, stretching out his limbs "Killing children is always unpleasant business. Anything else you want me to do? Kick some kittens? Dismember a puppy?"
"Moral crisis alert. Are we really okay with ending the life of an innocent child?" "HA! As if this is really up for debate. I say we slash her throat and kick her carcass to the curb. It's not like she means anything to us, and it is well worth a little blood to make sure Mister Loose-Screws doesn't try to do us like he did daddy deadman over there." "Eloquently put as always, King..." "Xue is right, but it doesn't feel right to kill something that doesn't contribute to our research. Then again on the other hand, it lessens the chances of him attempting to kill us." "I'm all for it if we can come to a general consensus." "Lan, your conscience is always a credit to us all but it is moments like these where you need to learn to put that aside and think about what is best for the Collective. You are going to be the shield that keeps us protected, after all." "Right. What are we waiting for, then?" Shen looked down at the form of the girl, so small and fragile as she curled into herself. It was a sad, almost heart-wrenching sight. She was broken at such a young age, most likely beyond repair at this point. They would be sparing her from a life-time of psychological torment, really, putting her out of her misery. Like a rabid dog or some other animal. It was better to think of her that way.
That didn't mean he couldn't ease the way. Shen crouched down, kneeling on the dirty floor and pulling the child into his lap. Her head was tucked into the crook of his neck and shoulder, his arms wrapped protectively around her form. He began to rock her gently, humming in a low and soothing voice to her. His lips pressed to her temple, letting the vibrations from the melody as well as the sound itself calm her. He needed to lull her, make this as comfortable as possible. After a minute or so of this treatment, one of Shen's hands reached behind him and into one of his pockets. He turned her face more into his shoulder, obscuring her sight so she wouldn't see the sharp blade of the stiletto-like kunai in his hands. The weapon slipped cleanly between her ribs and punctured not only her lung, but her heart as well. She died within moments. The weapon was positioned as though to only let a trickle of blood free from the wound, with whatever got free staining her clothes rather than Shen himself. He slid her from his lap and onto the ground, running a hand across her face before standing fully, stretching out his limbs "Killing children is always unpleasant business. Anything else you want me to do? Kick some kittens? Dismember a puppy?"