Chapter Three
Zev
It both infuriates and saddens me how brainwashed this population is. Unfortunately, they don’t know any better. They are forced into a subservient position through mind control. Men are taught to abuse women, and women are taught to accept it with grace.
There are several individuals who are resistant to the mind control hidden within their daily Hydrovita combination.
The government of Ossara isn’t aware that the genetic mutation is still active among its people.
They are under the assumption that when my people were banished from their land, it solved the problem of disobedience.
For a while, they were right. The mutation ceased to exist, but in recent years, it has re-emerged.
We are finding that for the last fifty years, these individuals have been put into the categories of chosen wife, civil servant, and servant.
They are objects to be used rather than fulfilling the peak of their true capabilities.
The individuals who have this genetic mutation are taught by genetically similar caregivers from a young age to rely on subservience to survive. Once they are older and can grasp the severity of the situation, they are taught the truth. Their government is corrupt, and the only way out is death.
My group is trying to change the narrative and free the people of Ossara before they overtake our land.
We call ourselves the people of Torvex. When our ancestors were banished more than two hundred years ago, they took to the mountains before eventually taking over an island off the mainland.
Ossara might have the technology to keep its population subservient, but we have the power.
The genetically mutated people of Torvex hold special abilities, unique to each individual.
Humans are known for adapting, and this is one of the many amazing ways that the human brain maintains survival.
Ossara officials are aware of these powers, but they do not know to what extent they exist. We have had spies within the walls for over two decades, and they are clueless about the mutants.
Unfortunately, the disgusting sludge that they feed their people is actively suppressing the abilities of the mutated.
They might be resistant to mind control, but their abilities are severely underdeveloped, making them easy to unknowingly suppress.
I have been leading missions for the last ten years, helping the mutated find their way to freedom, but I am lucky if I can help one a month.
I manage to get home every other week, but I am determined to help as many find freedom as I can.
They understand the risk when I approach them, so it takes away some of the guilt when they inevitably are caught attempting to escape and killed.
My main ability is telepathic telekinesis, or mind manipulation.
I am also telepathic, but all of the genetically mutated are.
I refuse to use it in a way that harms others unless I do not have any other choice.
I am known for being a cruel man, but not without reason.
I could easily manipulate someone’s thoughts into suicide or murder, but I will not stoop to the level that the government of Ossara has.
Our rations are scarce but sufficient. We have found a way to eat a minimal amount of food without resorting to consuming Hydrovita.
Many of the spies disguise themselves as servants for government officials, police, or military, so we are lucky to have inside information.
They make sure that no one catches them eating their ration bar, but the Hydrovita is destroyed.
This allows them to keep their abilities and communicate with those who do not disguise themselves.
I have had my eye on a young woman for the last few weeks.
It is plain as day that she is one of the genetically mutated, but she hides it well.
If it weren’t for the fact that I can read her mind, I would never know.
Whoever her caretaker was got the point across on how important it was for her to play the role that she is supposed to.
Ren, my second-in-command and brother, has learned that her name is Astra.
He has the ability to manipulate electronics, so he is essentially a walking computer that cannot be traced.
She is the chosen wife of the upcoming leader, Vinny Black.
I can hear her thoughts, and I understand the cruelty that she is being subjected to.
Her mind is strong, though. Her caretaker, Lyra Baron, is one of us and can manipulate sound.
This allows her to talk to Astra without government surveillance listening in.
She’s ensuring not to throw too much information at her at one time, but Astra is already understanding of how corrupt the government is.
We cannot risk telling her about the mind control or the method in which they are doing it.
One mistake could lead to Vinny Black becoming aware of our presence, and she would be tortured for the information.
I am drawn to this woman in a way that I cannot explain.
I know that the genetically mutated are drawn to one another in the sense of them being soulmates, but I won’t know until I can physically touch her.
She will not feel the connection until I am positive that we are connected.
Even then, she will not become fully aware until she accepts.
She has every right to reject me, but I pray that she will not.
I, as well as all of the people of Torvex, am primal by nature, so it can be frightening for someone who has never known anything other than Ossara.
Rejection or not, I am saving her from this life.
“Hey,” Ren says, clapping me on the back. “Still listening to Astra?”
“Her thoughts are interesting,” I say. “She is far beyond anything that she’s been taught.”
“What do you mean?”
“She is very perceptive. She seems to understand the severity of the situation, but the reality of the situation is right in front of her. I find myself wondering why she doesn’t see it, but she doesn’t even know that it’s a possibility.
She is still under the assumption that beyond the wall is riddled with cannibals and savages,” I explain.
“Well… We kind of are savages,” Ren chuckles.
“She’s scared of the unknown. It’s normal for her to be blind to the absolute truth.
Even if given the information, deciding to go beyond the wall would still be a challenge.
Most of them find comfort and protection from the unknown, despite the abuse they endure. ”
“Abuse,” I huff. “You know what this little fucker did to her this morning?”
“What?”
“He throat fucked her while not allowing her to breathe. When she eventually passed out, she almost aspirated on his come. Lyra getting to her immediately after is the only reason she likely didn’t die,” I say angrily.
“Hmmm. Makes me want to stick a drill up his ass and teach it to go deeper,” Ren remarks. “When are we going to extract her before she’s killed by him?”
“I asked that Lyra meet us. She should be here soon,” I say, trying to pull my mind away from Astra’s.
She is about to get assaulted again. I hate myself for listening in on this, but I don’t want her to be alone.
She has been alone for her entire life, and I can be with her, even if she doesn’t know it.
The discomfort that I feel listening to that is nothing compared to what she feels.
She and Lyra have this routine that after he assaults her, she heals her and puts her to bed to rest. Vinny only goes to her to find pleasure, so it will allow a window of time to meet us.
“Why do you torture yourself like this, brother?” Ren asks. “All it is doing is causing you pain.”
“And he is causing her pain,” I snap. “I want to be with her, but this is the only way right now.”
“She is strong, Zev. She will fight every second of how primal you will become once the connection is confirmed,” he says. “You are only riling yourself up, and that will lead to her resistance.”
“I will accept rejection if it means that I was able to comfort her, even from afar,” I say simply.
“Okay,” he sighs.
We are currently across the road from Vinny Black’s house in a home where a spy resides.
Nero has the ability to manipulate thoughts, so this allowed him to navigate his way into a police position.
We stay in his attic to keep an eye on this section of the city.
I can’t say I picked this location to set up without Astra in mind.
I go to the window and watch from a distance.
Vinny never closes his curtains, so I can see everything he is doing to her.
She never fights him because she only becomes more injured.
It’s already bad enough that she unwillingly has an orgasm, which directly leads to her being beaten before being raped again.
His anger always leads to him seeking pleasure, but in actuality, he seeks power over her.
He senses her strong nature, and he hates it.
Luckily for Astra, he is not able to force anything out of her but tears this time.
He still hits her for a while, but he is not nearly as violent as when she had climaxed.
Her thoughts tell me that he has left the room now, and Lyra is tending to her wounds.
He did worse damage to her this time, so it’s taking Lyra a bit longer to heal her.
Once she does, she gets Astra to lie down.
The very moment that she is asleep and Vinny has left the house, Lyra hastily makes her way over to us.
“Hey,” Lyra says sadly as she walks into the attic.
“This time was worse,” I say.
“He is doing more and more damage every time he touches her,” she says.
“What all have you explained? She doesn’t think much about your conversations,” I ask.
“I have explained that there are people who are trying to get people like her to safety. She understands that someone will bring her to freedom, but she knows that there are risks involved,” she explains. “I told her just now that I will try to speed up the process of extracting her.”
“Why?” I ask. “We need to make sure that we are ready because the moment I have her, she is going on the boat. She is the chosen wife of a very powerful individual; her absence will bring uproar.”
“He is trying to breed her, Zev. I have been giving her something to prevent pregnancy; if I am even a minute too late giving that to her, she will get pregnant. Vinny had her supplement modified to include something to aid in breeding,” she says.
“If she is not extracted soon and she gets pregnant, she will be put in a vault for the remainder of her pregnancy and then killed immediately after birth. Vinny’s genetic line only produces males, so that is the only offspring that he needs. ”
“Fuck,” I sigh. “Vinny has a meeting this evening to talk about the transition of power from his father to him. Can we make it happen?”
“Yes, but you are not going to like how,” she says.
“Explain,” I sigh.
“The only way to have her extracted is by creating a distraction. The only way to create a distraction is to piss him off. He’s very attached to the idea of breeding her, so he has only raped one other woman when angered,” she explains.
“Dear God, Lyra. He will kill you,” Ren says. “The last time he raped you, he refused to let you heal yourself, and you had internal bleeding. If it weren’t for us giving you a slow-acting healing supplement, you would have died.”
“I know, but I knew the risks when I joined this movement,” she says.
“My entire goal is to help save those who are imprisoned in this awful society. Our entire goal as the people of Torvex is to free them from mind control so that they can make their own decisions. So they can be free. I want my death to have meaning in freeing that woman from the cruelty Vinny gives her. An honor that I cannot even begin to explain to you. I want this.”
“Okay,” I say. “I trust you, so do not tell us your plan. Just get her to the north guard tower. It is a one-mile journey that she can easily make if she pays attention.”
“Yes, sir,” she says happily. “She will be there.”