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TWENTY-NINE

THE BLOOD PROPHET'S PROPHECY

~CORVUS~

The scream that tears through the reinforced chamber carries notes of agony that would shatter normal human psyche, yet registers as mere acoustic data through enhanced sensory processing designed to catalog suffering with clinical precision.

My tattoo drill continues its methodical descent through layers of flesh and muscle, the specialized needle penetrating tissue with surgical accuracy that transforms artistic instrument into interrogation tool.

The modified equipment operates beyond standard parameters—enhanced voltage creating thermal damage that cauterizes nerve endings while maintaining consciousness through carefully calibrated pain distribution.

Blood wells around the drill point in crimson fountain that speaks to arterial proximity despite deliberate positioning that avoids fatal puncture.

The subject's left shoulder blade has become a canvas for five hours of systematic artistry—geometric patterns carved through skin and subcutaneous tissue with precision that approaches bone without crossing into irreversible structural damage.

Each line serves dual purposes: aesthetic expression and systematic torture that pushes enhanced pain tolerance beyond sustainable parameters.

The flesh appears almost translucent now, layers of epidermis and dermis stripped away through repeated passes that reveal muscle fiber and connective tissue beneath.

White bone shows through deepest sections where drill pressure exceeded conservative limitation—artistic vision demanding anatomical exposure despite medical consequences and infection risk.

The wound edges carry angry red inflammation that speaks to systematic cellular damage and bacterial colonization beyond normal healing capacity.

Sepsis builds with mathematical inevitability as exposed tissue provides bacterial highway directly into circulatory system.

Temperature elevation registers through enhanced thermal perception—fever developing as immune system struggles against overwhelming infection load that exceeds even enhanced healing capability.

Yet consciousness persists through pharmaceutical assistance that maintains awareness despite biological crisis demanding systematic shutdown.

Press observes from the corner with calculated detachment that transforms human suffering into entertainment value and tactical intelligence gathering.

His expensive suit remains immaculate despite proximity to systematic torture and biological fluid dispersal—clinical observation maintaining professional distance from crude methodology required for information extraction and systematic compliance.

The subject's restraints strain against reinforced mounting points as enhanced reflexes attempt escape through involuntary muscle contraction and systematic resistance.

Titanium bonds designed for enhanced subject containment prevent meaningful movement while allowing sufficient range for artistic expression and systematic torture progression.

Each struggled motion opens wound channels further, drill depth increasing through gravitational pressure and muscular tension.

"Where are Nyx and her pack hiding outside the Parazodiac?" Press demands with authority that expects immediate compliance despite obvious physical compromise and systematic torture duration.

His voice carries institutional weight that transforms inquiry into command—expectation of tactical intelligence despite circumstances that should render coherent response impossible through pain intensity and pharmaceutical interference.

The subject's response emerges through damaged vocal cords and chemical enhancement that maintains communication capability despite systematic physical breakdown.

"I did everything in my power to find out, but everything leads to here!" The words carry desperate honesty that speaks to genuine effort rather than tactical resistance or systematic deception. "Every possible tracking method, scent trackers, even transmitters!"

Enhanced perception catalogs micro-expressions that confirm truthfulness despite circumstances that should inspire tactical deception and information protection.

No indicators of fabrication or systematic misdirection—genuine confusion and tactical frustration at tracking failure that defies professional capability and enhanced methodology.

His breathing comes in ragged gasps that speak to cardiovascular stress beyond normal parameters, yet determination persists despite obvious medical emergency and systematic breakdown.

"Blood tracking, digital surveillance, enhanced scent analysis—everything!" he continues with increasing desperation that suggests complete tactical cooperation despite systematic torture and biological crisis. "I've done everything to track her location, but it all leads back to here!"

The admission carries implications that transcend simple interrogation results to encompass strategic intelligence regarding institutional security and systematic pursuit methodology.

All tracking vectors converging on Ravenscroft itself suggests deliberate misdirection or technological manipulation that exceeds standard evasion technique and tactical concealment. Professional pursuit capability systematically defeated through superior planning and enhanced countermeasures.

But his next revelation sends electricity through enhanced neural pathways with recognition that transcends simple tactical intelligence.

"The last confirmed location was Level Minus Zero!"

My drill pauses mid-descent through muscle tissue as understanding crystallizes with devastating clarity.

Level Minus Zero represents Riot's designated containment—the fighting pits where systematic violence serves as entertainment while enhanced Alphas prove capability through controlled combat and biological dominance.

The convergence point for all tracking suggests presence rather than absence, arrival rather than departure.

My mind buzzes with possibility that emotional suppression cannot completely eliminate despite years of systematic conditioning and judicial detachment.

The tracking convergence speaks to strategic intelligence that defies random coincidence or tactical accident. Every pursuit vector leading to the same institutional location suggests deliberate orchestration and systematic planning that operates beyond normal evasion methodology.

Could it be?

After six years of separation and systematic isolation, could our strategist have returned to institutional hell for purposes that transcend escape or simple survival?

Their escape route. Their returned savior. Their Omega.

Jinx.

The name forms in enhanced consciousness with recognition that threatens to overwhelm emotional suppression through systematic hope and tactical anticipation.

Not mere possibility but probability based on tactical intelligence and strategic assessment that aligns with historical pattern and established methodology.

She assembled us once through calculated precision and strategic vision that transcended institutional parameters.

Her return to facilitate extraction represents logical progression of planning that began six years ago with systematic intelligence gathering and tactical preparation. The tracking convergence suggests presence rather than absence—arrival rather than departure, implementation rather than evasion.

Press's voice cuts through recognition with institutional authority that demands continued systematic procedure.

"I didn't tell you to stop," he states with dangerous quiet that suggests disciplinary consequence for unauthorized pause in systematic torture and interrogation methodology.

My response emerges with clinical precision that masks intellectual excitement beneath professional compliance.

"My drill jammed," I observe with characteristic detachment that provides tactical cover for unauthorized pause and strategic consideration. The explanation serves dual purpose—plausible mechanical failure and subtle insubordination that maintains control over systematic procedure.

I settle back into observation position with calculated casualness that suggests mechanical adjustment rather than deliberate cessation.

"The poison is going to start the hallucination process, so it's best we wrap this up," I add with clinical assessment that prioritizes tactical efficiency over continued torture duration and systematic entertainment.

The pharmaceutical enhancement maintaining subject consciousness operates on temporal limitation that approaches critical threshold.

Chemical balance designed to sustain awareness during systematic torture proves unstable beyond six-hour parameters, biological tolerance reaching limitation that promises psychological breakdown and systematic delirium.

Press's growl carries territorial challenge that questions authority hierarchy and systematic command structure.

"Are you trying to order me around?" The question emerges with dangerous precision that suggests disciplinary consequence for perceived insubordination or tactical challenge to institutional authority.

My response flows with judicial calm that acknowledges authority while maintaining tactical assessment and systematic observation.

"Facts remain facts regardless of emotional reaction," I state with characteristic precision that reduces interpersonal tension to logical consideration and systematic evaluation. "So it's your choice."

The statement acknowledges his decision-making authority while providing tactical intelligence regarding optimal timing and systematic methodology.

Emotional investment in systematic torture creates tactical blindness that compromises efficiency and strategic objective achievement. Clinical detachment serves institutional purpose more effectively than personal satisfaction or territorial display.

I return attention to drill maintenance with movements that suggest mechanical repair rather than deliberate delay.