Kregg started to answer and then stopped, which Rex had anticipated would happen. The Balance Keeper was apparently a subject whose conditioning was so deep that the information did not come freely, even under direct coercion, indicating to Rex that whatever the Balance Keeper was, she had altered the Legion's loyalty structure in a way that went beyond simple organizational authority.
Rex waited three seconds after the hesitation. Then he looked down at Virella's right hand, which he'd shifted his telekinetic attention to while keeping the physical grip on her throat, and applied a controlled compression to her index finger.
CRAACCKKK!
The crack was small and precise. Virella screamed with pain.
"AAGGGHHH!!!"
"That's one," Rex said to Kregg. "You have nine more before all her fingers are snapped."
"Each one comes after three seconds of silence from you," Rex frowned. "Answer my question without hesitating and her fingers will stop snapping."
