Work Text:
“You'll have to try harder than this” Tarq said.
The Wraith threw the young teenager against the wall of the cage they were in. Her face and arms were covered in blood from hits she hadn't been able to dodge. She gasped as she tried to pull air back into her lungs and wiped the blood from her mouth with her arm.
The Wraith ran at her and grabbed her by the neck with one hand he lifted her off the ground as he strangled her.
“You were made to fight these creatures Zero ZeroOne. You must be able to take them out under any circumstance.” Tarq said as he watched.
The teenage girl gripped the Wraith's arm, digging her nail into his skin but the pain didn't faze the Wraith. He simply continued to squeeze her neck with his teeth bared in a smile.
The edges of her vision started to go black the longer the Wraith choked her.
"No one is coming to help you. No one is coming to save you. When you are surrounded by Wraith on the battlefield and the lives of your team and the lives of civilians are on the line the only person you can rely on is yourself." Tarq said.
His words sounded so far away to her and there was a ringing in her ears on top of them. And the only thing she could see was the Wraith's eyes. Those amber eyes full of violence and smugness. She hated it. It only confirmed what she had been told. The Wraith were evil. She had never seen any kindness in their eyes. She had never seen mercy. But she couldn't remember if she ever saw that in Tarq's eyes. She looked over towards Tarq and into his green eyes. They told her he truly was going to let her die here. She felt a pit in her stomach where emotions were stewing. Emotions she shouldn't have towards her commanding officer.
She gripped the Wraith's arm tighter and took a deep strained breath in and with the last of her strength she brought her leg up and kicked the Wraith hard into the stomach. The blown knocked the wind out of him slightly and she used that to grab his head and shoved it back to the side. She then used her feet to press against the bars of the cage and shove him back and slam him hard into the ground with her full weight. He hit the floor with a hard thud and before he could react she sunk her teeth into his throat. He thrashed and screeched but the girl held tight. She knew where to bite to make the kill.
When the Wraith's body went limp she released him and sat up with a face and chest covered in blue Wraith blood. Her shoulders moved up and down as she breathed heavy. Videum turned her head to look at Tarq.
He wore a smile without teeth. "Good" He praised her. "Next time you'll do it faster." He said. "Now finish your kill."
"It's already dead, Sir."
Tarq's eyebrows furrowed. "You've been given and order Zero One. Do not make me repeat myself. This is a survival skill and it will keep your body in top performance."
"Please Sir." She pleaded. "I don't- I don't like it. They look too..."
"Finish your sentence ZeroOne!" He snapped and stampped his cane.
Videum swallowed hard, the taste of blood reminding her it was there. "They look too human, sir."
"They are not human." Tarq voice went low and cold. "You should know that ZeroOne. They are vile evil creatures that destroy everything in their path. They are nothing close to human!"
"Yes-yes sir." Videum stuttered out. "I'm sorry sir" she said and looked away from him and down at the body of the dead Wraith. She swallowed again, another taste of Wraith blood going down her throat.
Tarq sighed and smoothed his thinning hair with his hand. "You have to move past these feelings, Videum. You're a strong girl. You were made for this." He said softly, like a parent encouraging a child.
Videum looked over at him. It had been a while since he had used her name. She took a breath in and nodded. "Yes sir." She said sounding more solid for him. They then turned to the Wraith again. She ripped through the leathers the creature wore till she could see bare flesh. Her mouth began to water as she leaned down and bit into the Wraith's chest taking a large chunk of flesh into her mouth. She chewed it haphazardly before swallowing. The taste was delicious and savory in just the right way. She ate and chewed through and even then she easily cracked the Wraith's ribs. She liked the organs, she liked the way they poped when she not into it, especially the heart.
Tarq let her eat for a few more minutes before stamping his cane twice. Videum immediately stopped and sat up. She then stood to her feet and walked over to the door to the cage. Tarq met her at the door and waved his hand over the sensor. The door opened pulling to the side and allowing the two to face each other.
Tarq looked up at Videum. He couldn't remember when the girl had gotten so tall. Her mouth, chest and hands were covered in blood. For a moment he saw a glimpse of something her had been trying to forget. He reached up and cupped her face and began trying to clean away the blood with his thumb. The same way he did when she was small. He didn't realize he was doing it until Videum reached up and took his wrist gently.
"Do not dirty yourself with that, sir." The child said. The words brought him back to reality. He pulled his hand back.
"Yes." He said and cleared his throat. "go clean yourself." He stepped to the side and let her go.
"Yes sir." She replied and started heading back to the training camp.