Bottle show
It started like any other day.
Captain Meeklo Braca stood in his customary place against the wall of Grayza's office. Watching her spiteful and spirited machinations was one of his favourite pastimes. She looked so beautiful when she was barking orders at a high-level technician, swearing at an incompetent commander or charming a much-despised politician.
Her beauty was the cold sort. It seemed cliché to compare her to ice but there equally seemed no other word for her.
Normally he enjoyed listening to her berate and sneer at those who weren't him. It was only when she mentioned Scorpius that Braca's smile became forced. It was the mention of that name that pulled his attention back to the moment. She had been threatening to remove sensitive body parts from an indignant Scarran when an intercepting message had called forth a transformation in the Commandant.
"…Scorpius knows that. He's a fool to believe he could get away with it. Braca," her eyes locked with his, "we have a guest and you are the only one I can trust to appreciate this happy reunion as much as I do. Come."
"Yes, ma'am," Braca said obediently around the knot in his throat.
The door to a cell, Braca didn't notice which cell, slid open. He was prepared and so didn't flinch at the sight of Scorpius lying on the bare pallet, his teeth clenched in pain, his clothes torn, his skin slick with sweat. He stood at parade rest to the right of the door and watched.
"What a joy it is to see you again," Grayza smiled down at the half Scarran.
"Shut it, you toxic bitch," Scorpius forced through his teeth.
The typical banter and insults flew back and forth for a few minutes. Grayza always did this with Scorpius. It was how she organised her thoughts, got into her rhythm. She did this, Braca knew, because Scorpius made her uneasy. She was used to much duller opponents than him and had to pick every word carefully.
The conversation went on to John Crichton, wormholes, Scarrans (whose existence Grayza was blaming on Scorpius today) and how to combine the three. Braca had heard all of this before. No one seemed to be able to catch the elusive human. Every time Grayza sent out another brigade on another search Braca relaxed a little more. It was getting comical and Grayza was starting to fray.
"If you don't have anything useful to say you know I'll just have to find it myself." Grayza turned to Braca. "Shoot him."
"Ma'am?"
"Not dead. I want him to talk."
"I… yes, ma'am." He snapped his back to attention and lifted his gun from its holster.
He pointed it at the prone figure on the pallet and hesitated. This felt wrong. But then he'd been readjusting his moral compass on a daily basis since starting working with Grayza. Scorpius looked at the ceiling. Was he trying to make this easier for his former lieutenant or was he just too exhausted to turn his head?
"Sorry ma'am, the charge is depleted."
"Useless," Grayza snapped as she snatched his gun and tossed it to the floor, shoving one she had borrowed from the guards back into his hand.
"This one is charged. Now shoot."
"Where.."
"ANYWHERE! Just do it, Captain."
Scorpius was still staring at the ceiling. His eyes were wandering back and forth as if he were counting the ceiling tiles. The knot that had been building in Braca's chest since they left Grayza's office was threatening to swallow his heart which thumped and thudded a good six inches above where it normally resided, an awfully long way from his stomach which seemed determined to exit through his feet.
Braca watched Scorpius trying to distract himself. Trying to pretend he wasn't there. Or was he pretending he was pretending he wasn't…"
"BRACA!"
A searing light burned from the end of Braca's pulse rifle, searing the air and slicing through flesh and bone.
A strangled cry followed, then a gasp. Braca then noticed his eyes had closed and he forced himself to open them.
"Now, Scorpius. What were we talking about?" Satisfied for now, Grayza ignored Braca and went back to trying to extract information from Scorpius.
As the taunting, attempted seduction and hissing went on, Braca began to feel ill. He was well aware Grayza was a paranoid bitch and all for testing his loyalty. He also knew that, when it came down to it, he could kill neither of the other people in that room.
Scorpius hadn't looked at Braca once since he walked in. His eyes followed Grayza closely enough, though, so Braca knew he could focus. Was Scorpius angry at him?
Scratch scrape slap
Was he so distracted by Grayza that he just hadn't noticed Braca? Or was he angry and ashamed at his ex second-in-command and right hand man. Did he believe that he had really lost Braca to Grayza, that he was really available to the highest bidder? Braca couldn't blame him.
Smack bang lick
But he had no idea what to do about it anyway.
"Shoot him again."
It was not like he could walk up to Scorpius and say "Hey, I'm still on your side."
"Now, Braca!"
"I'm just pretending I don't give a toss for her benefit." It was just…
Braca felt hot breath on his neck, soft flesh pressed up against him from the front, trapping him against the wall. Before he looked up the pressure was already beginning to hurt.
"That's it. I would ask you what had gotten into you today but that would be a stupid question. I'm sorry if proceedings have been unable to keep your interest. What can we do about that?"
Braca didn't answer. There wasn't an answer that wasn't going to get him into trouble. He pressed his lips together just in case a stray word fell out.
Grayza moved her lips closer to his. So close he could feel her warm breath flowing over his own lips. "I have been very rude, hardly letting you get involved when I know you have a special interest in this subject. So I'm going to let you extract the information, all by yourself. I'm going to leave you in charge of this prisoner." Her lips brushed his tantalizingly as she turned away. At the door she turned back. "Oh, there are a couple of things, Captain. You don't drink, eat or sleep until he talks. I turn up the temperature in here 2 degrees for every 10 microts he is silent and if he dies or escapes your life is forfeit. Make me proud and I will be very grateful," she purred as she slid through the door and locked it behind her.
It was some moments before Braca turned away from the door. There really was only one other place to look and for the first time since he fired the shot Braca looked at Scorpius. The smell of burnt flesh was more prominent since Grayza and her pheromones had left. Braca noticed he had hit Scorpius in the upper right thigh. It has been an excellent shot. Painful but not life threatening. Braca felt a moment of pride but as his eyes got closer to Scorpius' face, his spirits sunk again.
"There is no need to be afraid of me, Lieutenant."
"It's Captain now and I'm not afraid." That was true. And also a lie. He wasn't afraid of Scorpius or the rising temperature in the stuffy cell or even for his own life. He was afraid of losing the respect of-
"You wouldn't happen to have a cooling rod on you, would you?"
"No, sir- I mean Scorpius."
Scorpius chuckled. "Old habits, huh?"
"You are running out of time," Braca said evenly. "You have no choice but to speak of what you know."
"Oh, I have a choice," Scorpius said with a slight smile followed by a wheezing cough.
"I can stay silent and die. Looks like I'll be taking you with me, Lieutenant."
"Isn't that a little extreme?" Braca forced the words though clenched teeth. "And it's captain," he added.
"This situation is extreme. Besides, I really don't have what the good commandant is looking for, so I don't seem to have any other choice."
Braca knelt beside Scorpius' head and leaned into his line of sight. "This is no time for playing about," he said gravely.
"You're scared and it's impairing your judgement," Scorpius said with frustrating calm.
"I'm fine! It's you I'm worried about!" Braca, in an uncommonly childlike moment, clamped his hand over his own mouth. He then shot to his feet and began pacing the room, hoping to wipe out his lapse by walking really fast.
Scorpius chuckled harder and Braca stopped, pulled out the borrowed pulse rifle and ripped back the trigger in anger. This time the blast hammered into Scorpius' right shoulder. He put his hand over the wound but kept laughing. Fury burned up Braca's rigid body, colouring his face a deep red. He fired again. Scorpius took a hit to the left arm, a glancing blow.
"Having no trouble pulling that trigger now, boy," he laughed harder.
"It's CAPTAIN!" Braca roared.
Several more shots rang out and, fortunately for Scorpius, went wide. Braca's hair was plastered to his head with sweat. His normally calm brown eyes were darting around wildly.
Scorpius was no longer laughing. "Sit down, keep still," he said softly.
Braca's rolling eyes focused. "I don't take orders from you anymore." His voice sounded rough.
"Forget that and sit the hell down!" Braca dropped to the floor by reflex.
"Better," said Scorpius mildly. "I don't know if you noticed but," cough, "but th e temperature has been rising in here, just as she promised and faster by my calculations. Your commandant is in a hurry it seems."
Braca sat quietly for a moment, taking that in.
"She wouldn't do that to me."
Scorpius was getting shocky by now and this time the laughter went on for several minutes before he could compose himself. This time Braca didn't react. "I don't remember you being this naïve, Braca." Scorpius said when he finally composed himself. "She only cares about what she can get. You are useful to her but even a prized tool will be sacrificed to achieve the perfect work of art.
"She wouldn't."
"She is."
"This is for your benefit." Braca gestured vaguely at the walls.
"Yes, it is. She thinks I hold the key to her great masterpiece. I don't," Scorpius finished flatly.
Braca got back to his feet and started pacing again. "Of course you would say that! You think I have the power to get you released, even if I wanted to, which I don't-"
"You were never able to lie to me, Braca. Now sit down. All your pacing around is just making you hotter. Keep low and keep still. At least buy yourself some time, man!"
Braca hesitated but thought better of arguing and sat back down.
They sat in silence for some time.
"I'm sorry," whispered Scorpius after a while. "You can torture me if it will make you feel better."
"Shut up."
Then the sound of harsh breathing.
Scorpius' head rolled to the side as if too heavy to control. Braca sat with his back resting against the pallet, his arms resting on his knees.
"No, really. Why haven't you?"
"Because you don't know anything," Braca said evenly.
"But Grayza seems sure that I do. In fact cough she gave you the order to get that knowledge from me. How exactly did you get that promotion again?"
"Shut up."
"You're a good-"
"Shut up. I don't care what you think of me."
Braca had his back to Scorpius so couldn't get offended by the latter's tiny indulgent smile.
…
Braca's uniform jacket lay strewn on the floor. He was now leaning heavily on the hard pallet. His head hung to one side, his breathing only slightly quieter than Scorpius' pained rasp.
Braca blinked furiously, his eyes stinging and burning. He could only make out colours and blurred shapes and the only colour he could see was red.
"So, you would die for me?" Scorpius whispered. Braca blinked again. He didn't remember Scorpius being so close to his ear.
"Shut up," Braca said weakly.
"It's too late for that," Scorpius said.
"Don't ask stupid questions," Braca whispered.
"Don't you want to get out of here?"
Braca didn't say anything. He started a moment later when something hard was pushed into his hand. A feverish hand closed over his and lifted his arm, guiding his finger to the trigger. Braca could no longer see but that didn't matter as he couldn't lift his head to fix his gaze on where he was aiming.
"Shoot, Captain."
"…he's coming around."
A cold liquid dripped behind his ear and down his neck. He could hear people moving around him, picking things up, putting them down. He felt a cool breeze, artificial of course.
"No rush, Captain," came a nurse's voice as he forced his eyes open. But there is a rush.
Braca slowly rolled his head to the left, then to the right. He could see no sign of Scorpius.
Panicked, he sat up too fast. His head swam and he swayed. A nurse grabbed his arm.
"Captain Braca, lay back-" but Braca brushed her away. He slid his feet out from under the thin sheet but the moment they hit the floor so did the rest of him.
Hands grabbed at his shoulders and pulled him back onto the bed.
"But my prisoner! What happened to him?" he spoke over their requests for him to stay put.
"You sound worried," said a familiar voice.
Braca sat up again. "How? What happened?" he asked a smiling Scorpius as the medical staff moved away, glancing back as they left to make sure Braca was staying in the bed.
"Apparently we were being watched. After sending me to the point of death with no result, Grayza decided I was t elling the truth and, therefore, your death would also be a waste. Those shots you sent into me may have saved your life. She is sure of your loyalty now."
"But why are you free?" Braca asked.
"Because there is something else Grayza realized. Out of all of us I am the one who has the best chance of getting that knowledge from Crichton. Seems her own men are struggling with the job. So, for now, I'm permitted to continue. She made a deal with me she is not going to keep and I suspect I will end up here again but, for now, I am free."
"I- I'm sor-"
"For what?" Scorpius' voice dropped to a whisper. "I will see you next time you have something you feel the need to tell me. Take care, Captain."
Braca watched him leave. His old commander was clearly still in pain and was limping heavily but his mixed heritage and his cooling rods allowed him to recover from heat delirium faster than a full Sebacean. Now he had Grayza's sanction he would get any medical assistance he needed. Braca lay back on the bed. He wanted to get back on duty but even he knew that wasn't going to happen for at least an arn. He was about to drift off when he remembered something.
"Who did I shoot?"
…
Commandant Grayza rubbed her hip for the twentieth time in as many minutes. If that wretched captain had not been delirious from the heat, his head would be on a pike. That is the penalty for shooting a superior officer, or it damn well should be, according to Mele-On Grayza.