UOW North Korean Chronicles: Chapter 1.2 Valora Salinas

The door opened and two guards dragged in Valora Salinas, who was kicking and struggling against her captors. The struggle was interrupted as they shoved her head and face first into a giant container of ice water. On the other side of the container, sat a Korean woman, dressed in a uniform that marked her as a high ranking officer in the North Korean military. She calmly glanced at her watch as the guards held Valora’s head under water. Finally, she gave the slightest of nods and Valora was dragged up, just long enough for her lungs to reflexively gasp for air.. A gasp that opened her lungs up for when the guards immediately plunged her head back under water. This continued for another 3 rotations before Valora was tossed to the ground at the woman’s feet and dragged up to her knees so she looked up at her captor. The unknown woman smirked and leaned forward. “Can you speak any language other than English?” She asked. Valora smirked and leaned forward a bit before speaking in Japanese. “Yes, I can speak other languages.. Like now when I say it’s too fuckin’ bad the Japanese didn’t wipe you mongrels out!” The woman’s expression darkened and she stood up hitting Valora with a vicious backhand and took a knee. “They tried. They failed. You Americans tried. You failed. And now, your country is led by another nation. A fool controlled by Moscow. Soon, Pyongyang and Beijing will also control that fool. You are a nation of whores… and very soon you will be our whores!”

She stood up and sat down, glancing over at Valora. “You obviously are no stranger to torture. Who trained you?” Valora smirked. “Rambo movies.. Something about a barely literate Italian caveman rampaging through bad guys just makes me all wet down there.” The woman smirked and nodded and the nightstick held by the guard hit Valora right in the kidneys causing her to…. Moan. The Korean woman raised an eyebrow. “Interesting.. One more time.. Who trained you?” Valora smirked. “Alright… alright.. You win… I was trained by Bruce Lee.. those fuckin nunAHHHH! Yeah!” Valora groaned/moaned again as she was hit again with the nightstick. The woman leaned back in the chair and nodded. “You will answer me whore.. Or you will watch as I torture your.. What.. lover? I know your perversion.. Is the American your lover? Your daughter? We’ve observed you since your arrival and I watched past episodes of your fighting show.. You care for her… tell me what I want to know or you will watch me break her.”

Valora sighs and lowers her head, muttering a curse under her breath. She looked up to see the woman playing with a scorpion. The scorpion rests on her hand and she talked to it sweetly in Korean.. Valora was amazed.. The creature didn’t sting her.. It was almost as if they were friends.. Or as if she had the ability to control it somehow..” The woman looked at Valora. “I am Kim Ji-Min… sometimes called Lady Scorpion. I am one of the Emperor’s Hand. I manage intelligence and espionage. I interrogate prisoners.. I am a Colonel in the North Korean Imperial Army and believe me.. If you continue to be difficult.. My friend here will sting your friend.. I will let the venom burn her blood and veins.. Let the venom bring her to the brink of death so that I can pull her back just to do it all over again…”

Valora knew that particular torture all too well and sighed. “If you’re a professional, you know torture doesn’t work.” Kim nodded. “Indeed. But it works for our purposes. The Emperor is not interested in fact. The Emperor wants to hear specific things.. My job is to ensure prisoners tell the Emperor what he wants to hear. Last chance. Who. Trained. You?”

Valora sighed and shook her head. “Touch one hair on her head, puta.. And I swear I will make you beg me for death… And you can’t scare me.. Your emperor wants us to fight.” Kim smirked. “The Emperor wants you all… to die. You think he will be upset if you are forced to fight injured?” Kim paused for a moment and nodded to her guards saying something in Korean. The guards bowed and headed out, leaving Valora and Kim alone. Valora smirked. “That was a bad move, puta.” Kim nods. “Perhaps.. But our mutual friend from Beijing wanted me to get you a message.” Valora thought for a moment. She didn’t know anyone in Beijing.. Then she thought some more and sighed. “Fuckin’ Tibetean cunt sticking her nose in my business…”Kim smirked. “She is keeping you alive. I might be able to get you and your...friend out.” Valora shakes her head. “Kronin. Big guy.. German.. He comes too.” Kim frowned. “You are asking a lot.. I can help two people survive the tournament.. I can not guarantee a third.. If he survives his fights I will try to help him. That is all I can promise.” Valora nods. “And us?” Kim nods. “I am in the tournament.. As one of his chief assassins, the Emperor wishes to highlight the skill of his military… I and a few others have been given the honor of executing people for the Emperor. I can help ensure you and Abbigail Dresden have...easier fights. A better chance of survival.” Valora shakes her head. “I don’t need it.. But Abby… she’s never fought for her life before.. Fuck.. I don’t even think she’s capable of killing someone.” Kim nods. “Then you must teach her. The Emperor’s desires are clear and if she wins and refuses to kill her foe.. She will be killed.. You all are in North Korea now.. The only way you live is to obey the Emperor..” She glanced at her watch. “And our time is up.. We will speak later…”

As she finished the comment. The guards returned with Abbigail and Kim stood up, pacing over to her. As she arrived, she caressed Abbigail’s cheek and nodded. “Answer or she meets my friend.” Valora sighed. “The CIA gave me some training.. Mexican Federal Police.. By tracking and fighting criminals and such you pick up a few things…” It was partially true.. But Valora was leaving out the bigger part. Kim nods. “Anyone else?” Valora hesitates and Kim nods and Abbigail is shoved face and head first into the ice water. Kim nods. “She will not be brought up for air until you answer. Bare in mind I have done research on you.. Your fighting career.. Anyone else?” Valora sighed. “MOSSAD…” Kim nods to the guards and Abbigail is pulled up, gasping for air.. Her face red as her lungs burn. Kim nods. “You are Jewish?” Valora gives her a deadpan look. “Do I look fuckin’ Jewish?” Kim nods. “MOSSAD doesn’t train gentiles.” Valora nods. “Sure they do.. When they leave active duty, most of them turn merc.. Hire themselves out to countries.. Criminal groups.. Anyone who can pay.. The Central and South American drug cartels use them all the time to train their death squads. I was a special case.. They were tracking a nazi war criminal.. She was moving through Mexico and other areas so they needed someone who could blend in.. I volunteered to help.. They trained me.”

Kim nodded and Abbigail was pulled out of the water, gasping and coughing as her lungs burned. Valora was not looking at Abbigail, however. Partially because Valora knew in this situation she had to be cruel to be kind. The more obvious it was that she was concerned about her, the more the North Koreans would use that to their advantage. She also partially knew that she would not want someone she cared about to see her suffering to see her.. Humiliated and taken advantage of. She would give Abbigail that same dignity. Also, Valora was busy studying the woman in charge. This Kim Ji-Min was well trained. She was smart, thorough. She had an eye for detail and was utterly ruthless. She was, in many ways, the human version of the scorpion that seemed to be the only thing she showed genuine compassion and emotion to. No doubt she was the pinnacle of North Korean training and education. She had likely been honed into what she was since birth. Carefully chiseled into the epitome of what the State wished her to be. But, as well trained as she was.. There were the ever so subtle body language clues Valora was looking for. Kim Ji-Min was a sadist. She was getting off on watching Abbigail suffer. Valora smirks. “Speaking of perversion.. Does your master know about yours?! The guards looked up puzzled and curious. Kim turned her attention to Valora who made a grand show of sniffing the air. “Oh yeah… there it is.. Such a rare and beautiful scent.. Only a select few can appreciate.. I mean truly appreciate it. But if you know what you’re looking for you can find it.. Below the smell of feces.. The coopery scent of blood.. Shit mix that with the scent I’m talking about and oh fuck.. What a heady mixture.. Beneath the dirt.. The smell of burnt flesh.. The smells of suffering.. Past all of that..” Valora paused for grand effect, taking a deep breath before looking at Kim. “Is the scent of a Korean whore who wets her panties watching people suffer. So really.. Are you doing this for your Emperor? Or because it gets you all wet down there? You even allowed to wear panties?”

Kim Ji-Min stood up and narrowed her eyes. Valora found herself giving her adversary grudging respect. Most people would have lashed out. It was the effect she was going for. Torture was all about control. The way you survived it.. Or ended it in a quick death, was to take that control away from your captor. Kim Ji-Min, however, was a true professional. And that was bad fucking news for Valora, Abbigail and the other members of the UOW roster. Kim said something to the guards in Korean and they replied instantly, taking Valora’s shirt off and dragged her back to the water basin, only this time, Valora’s entire torso and head were dunked into the water, soaking her back. Kim Ji-Min, while this was going on, calmly walked to a third basin and reached in, removing a bamboo cane that had been soaking in the water. Valora was then pulled to a standing position and secured to cuffs at her wrists and ankles. Kim Ji-Min whispered in Valora’s ear. “I know what you’re trying to do. It won’t work. As punishment.. We will see how strong your pupil is..” One of the guards grabbed Abbigail by her hair and yanked back hard, forcing her to watch as Kim swung the bamboo cane and hit Valora dead center in the back. Pain. Pure, unadulterated pain shot through Valora’s spine, spreading out to every nerve in her body as the pain spread out in waves from the epicenter of the strike. Valora did not cry out in pain. Another strike. Valora’s skin opened. Blood ran down her back. Still, she refused to cry out. A third strike. Then a fourth. Blood trickled out of Valora’s mouth because of how hard she was biting her lip to avoid crying out.

Abbigail however, saw the pain in Valora’s eyes with each strike. At 6 Abbigail cried out. “Stop it! God Damn it! Stop it *now!!” Kim answered with two more strikes. The most Valora gave was a small grunt. Kim set the cane aside and nodded, walking around Valora, glancing at her captive with might almost be a semblance of respect at the woman’s ability to endure pain. The moment was brief, however and Kim nodded. “So.. the American is not as well trained as you are. Useful.” Kim glanced at Valora’s back and nodded, speaking to the guards in Korean, gesturing to the bloodied back of Valora, switching back to her heavily accented English as she addresses Valora, “I think I have an idea.” She says before she leaves the room with her guards, leaving Valora and Abbigail alone for a few moments. Valora sighs and looks at Abbigail. “Quit giving her control. You’re making her job easier by showing her what you care about.”

Abbigail shrugged. “They can’t keep torturing us forever, can they? They want to see us fight.” Valora smirks. “No, young grasshopper.. They want us to die.” Valora was about to continue, but they were interrupted by Kim Ji-Min walking back into the room and looking at a list. She glanced at Valora. “I believe you will face the old American. Reagan. In a Inferno match.” Valora smirks a bit. “So you think I’ll have any problem at all lighting that old man on fire like a Roman Candle on the Fourth of fuckin’ July?” Kim smirked. “I imagine you’ll have no problem at all with that. But it serves the Emperor. He wishes to see the old American die. You have a choice. Kill the American you face or your pupil here will suffer for you displeasing the Emperor.” Valora nods. “And is there a reward for doing your dirty work?” Kim nods. “Prove you can be useful to the Emperor. Prove you can do as you are told and your treatment will improve. We might reduce or stop torture.. We might even feed you real food.” Kim smirks evily and sets the bottle of tequila on the table. “I know you need this. Keep resisting and it only gets harder.. You can’t fight at full potential while suffering from withdrawal. Do as the Emperor commands, the bottle is yours.”

Valora sighed and rolled her eyes. “Fine.. you want him dead.. I’ll kill him. But my cooperation has a price.” Kim nods. “Yes. I’m sure I know what it is too. But no changes until you prove you are willing to cooperate. Kill. Walter. Reagan. The Emperor commands it.” Valora lowers her head for a bit, knowing for the moment she is defeated and nods. “Fine… one dead gringo, coming up. Does the Emperor want original recipe or extra crispy?” Abbigail snickers and laughs a bit as Kim nods. “Make sure he dies. The details are up to you. We look forward to seeing if you are as… creative as rumors suggest.”

To be Continued in Next story segment