Read Without Rhythm (The Lament) for Free Online

trouble.
    "Prisoner, face the wall. Any attempt to resist further will have you stunned. Pran, work him around to face the back wall. If he tries anything just let go and move to your right. Then come out of the cell."
    It didn't take long, and she was out without any trouble, the man backing up to a hole in the cell door when told to, so the restraints could be taken off. Clark folded them twice and the woven metal wire bending easily, and tucked it back into a small pouch on his right hip, after putting his Kinetic pistol away.
    "Not bad. Now, when the Doctor comes, Doctor Millis, he'll need to go into the cell. Technically we aren't responsible for that part of things, but since this prisoner has shown he's willing to fight, we'll go in with him. For now, if there's a problem, I'll deal with it. If for some reason I can't, then your first priority is to remove the Doctor from the cell safely."
    "OK." She didn't like the sound of that part, her mind filling in the thousand and one things that could go wrong, like the man having another weapon on him, she mentioned it, only to have Clark laugh.
    "Mara and I both checked, but good thinking. From now on I expect you to check every prisoner or person taken for questioning personally as well. Even if we swear we've already done it. There will be training in that as well. Both in how to find weapons and how to hide them. A Guardian is never unarmed. Not once they have even a little training. That's for tomorrow. Remember your job now. It looks like the Doctor is here." He gestured down the dark hallway toward a form that came carrying a brown bag with a handle on the top and who was wearing a nice suit with a funny looking tie. It was crinkled fabric, a bow made of fat red ribbon.
    Doctor Millis also had an amazing amount of wrinkles and perfectly round wire rimmed glasses that shone a bit in the dim space, the lamps on the wall not exactly up to showing everything clearly.
    "So, Guardian, what do we have here? Some monster that failed to pay his taxes on time perhaps? Or a drunk that tried to run out on his tab?" It could have sounded horribly wrong and dismissive, but the tone, which was prissy and higher pitched than Pran would have thought it would be, sounded like he was trying to be funny instead.
    Clark seemed to take it that way, but didn't play back.
    "Rapist that was caught in the act. Managed to lose some teeth, tripping as he tried to go for the new apprentice here. Oh, this is Pran. Just signed on."
    "Oh? Good then. So you knocked the man's teeth out for him? That's an uncomfortable thing. I don't suppose anyone tried to collect them? Perhaps put them in some cool water? I can replace them of course, but it's generally better to do it with a person's own teeth. Less work for me, since otherwise I'll have to manufacture some." He didn't wait, looking through the cell window, then walking in without hesitation at all, Clark right behind him.
    The man was bruised and injured, a lot more than she would have thought, his groin swollen to the point that the Doctor gave him a shot for it, not bothering to leave the man any dignity, doing it with her right in the room. Then, she'd already seen what he had there, so it wasn't a big deal.
    Not for her. The rapist felt it was demeaning, but the Doctor just laughed at him, patting his shoulder gently.
    "Oh, my... That's a good one. You want to complain about a Guardian seeing you naked, after she had to stop you from raping a woman? Ah... Very funny." He kept working, as if the man weren't an actual person then. Polite the whole time, gentle, but detached. The man didn't try to fight, which was good. He just did what the fussy looking man said and sat on the floor, where there was a thick mat for sleeping or resting.
    Once the door was shut, everyone safely in the hall, Doctor Millis sighed.
    "I've seen worse. This is unusual though, isn't it? We normally don't take prisoners ourselves, just have them delivered in capital cases.