Corpus purred, watching Crinis shake as he knelt over the glowing energy blade. Stalking around him, he caressed Crinis' tentacles in a mockery of affection, enjoying the feel of his field as it told him the medic's tanks were rolling, beyond ready to rebel and have him purge. "Who freed you from the Institute, Crinis?" he asked. The medic's optics snapped from the blade to him, as they should. "You did, sir," he whispered. "Very good~ Who saved you from being trapped as an observer in your body?" "You did, sir." Corpus was still smiling pleasantly when he came to a stop before Crinis, holding a whip. "Are you grateful, Crinis?" "Yes." The whip struck his cheek and he flinched, but his optics didn't shut. He'd made them all learn that shutting their optics was worse than keeping them open. "You're such a beautiful liar, Crinis," he purred. "You're not grateful for my generosity at all." He reveled in the flare of distress from the other mech's field. "I am! I am grateful, sir!" he tried to assure him, only for the whip to flick dangerously close to his lips. "If you were grateful," he said, smile still pleasant but voice deadly, "You would not have disobeyed the client, disobeyed ME, and lost us a good chunk of money." He'd been so bored lately. Both of them knew that Crinis' nature would force him to disobey. Both of them knew Corpus had set him up for punishment. But Crinis knew the ritual, and Corpus did so love dangling the possibility of mercy over his helpless servant's head. "I'm sorry, sir," Crinis whispered. "I'm so sorry, I'll never do it again-" The whip struck his other cheek. "Such a liar~" he crooned. "We both know you'll spare the pretty ones and the children every time." 'The pretty ones' being whoever the client or clients wanted to have abducted for fragging, in addition to their other wants. "How did you let them go this time, Crinis? What did you do while Cohors and Faciem were ripping apart the enforcers and blowing up this particular city hall?" As always, Crinis had to answer honestly. "I had a ship," he said quietly. "I bought it on our way to the planet, and... And I sent a drone ahead to gather all the secondary targets and their offspring to get them on a ship and send them to a randomized location with enough fuel to keep them safe. It was done before we arrived, so I was under the town hall making sure no one could escape underground while Cohors and Faciem set up." Corpus smirked. "Unfortunately for you, I managed to procure their coordinates. And I'll give them to that client unless you do something to please me." "Anything!" Crinis replied, predictably, his optics wide and desperate. "Drop yourself onto that blade you've been eyeing so nervously," he purred. "Scream loud enough, and I could be convinced to delete the coordinates from my memory files and from the ship's computer." Crinis dropped, and Corpus laughed while the medic screamed, his interfacing equipment being sliced through. And this was only the beginning.