Author's note: Yes, this is going to be Malcolm bashing If you don't like the idea of torture etc, please don't read further. Rating may go up in later chapters. I don't own anything except the original characters etc. ~0~0~0~ represents a flashback.

2. Information Gathering

September 1st 2159

Malcolm Reed was sure he was having the worst day of his life. Waking up in a cell had been bad enough, but to find out he was implicated in the deaths of nearly two dozen people was making things far worse. The information had come from the guard who had brought him and his cell mate their morning meal. Knowing he had to keep up his strength, he had eaten the slop that could only loosely be called food, fighting back the urge to gag at the vile taste. Trying not to vomit as the food sat badly in his stomach, he recalled the conversation with the guard in his mind.

~0~0~0~

The door swung open to reveal a heavyset man carrying two bowls. Double swords hung at his belt and his face carried a look of disgust, which bordered on open hatred. The waves of dislike rolling off the man startled Malcolm, and he theorised that whatever he was accused of must have been pretty bad.

"Here, eat," the guard ordered, putting the bowls on the floor with a bump. He stepped back as if to leave but stopped and looked at Malcolm. "You'll pay for what you did," he snarled.

"What did I do?" Malcolm asked, trying to remain calm. He didn't expect the bark of angry laughter the guard let out.

"You know damn well, murderer," the guard replied with a sneer.

"No, actually I don't," Malcolm tried to convince his captor. "I hit my head," he continued, motioning to the dried blood on his forehead.

"You bombed a busy market plaza," the guard told him. "You killed 11 innocent people with your foul act!" With that, the guard stormed out of the cell and closed the heavy door behind him, the clang of the key in the lock having a terrifying sound of finality.

~0~0~0~

The encounter with the guard had happened several hours before and Malcolm had spent the time since then going over the shocking news. How could they believe he had been involved in a bombing? That he was responsible for the deaths of so many people? The very thought of having caused anyone's death made him feel nauseous. He didn't, couldn't, believe that he would ever have done what they claimed, but he had no memory of the events that led him to the cell.

Malcolm started suddenly when Elianne moved to sit opposite him on the second cot. She looked at him curiously, fear evident in her eyes.

"Did you really kill those people?" she asked, her voice hesitant.

"No!" he replied vehemently. "I know in my heart that I would never do that."

"They won't believe you," she told him. "If you're here, it means they have evidence against you or..."

"Or?" he queried.

"Or they've made some evidence to look like you're involved, so they can torture you for information."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"If the First Minister thinks you have something he wants, he will not hesitate to contrive a way to get what he wants," she laughed bitterly.

"Is that what he did to you?" Malcolm wanted to know.

"Yes," she confirmed sadly. "When I refused to be his personal whore, he had evidence fabricated that put me at the scene of an attempted murder."

"What?!"

"Yes, he is an evil man," she nodded. "The evidence was overwhelming and I was sentenced to life imprisonment here."

"I can't think that there is anything he would want from me though," Malcolm mused. "Your civilisation is as advanced as ours. In fact, your medical technology is far more advanced than ours."

"But our weapons are primitive" Elianne told him. "Perhaps they think you can help them with advancements?"

"By help, I assume you mean that they will torture the information out of me?" he guessed, seeing the flicker of fear in her eyes that confirmed his suspicions. "Did they do that to you?"

"No, I didn't even get a trial," the bitter laugh came again. "They simply grabbed me from my home and threw me in here."

"Have you been in this cell alone since then?"

"I wish," she sighed. "They have given me several cellmates since I came here."

"They've mistreated you?" he asked, his tone carefully neutral.

"Oh yes," she snorted. "Ironic really. The First Minister couldn't abuse me himself so he made sure that others did it for him. Had I just agreed to his terms, I would have been in the height of luxury while being abused..." She bit back a sob as she stopped talking.

"Don't worry," he assured her. "I won't hurt you. I promise" He saw her nod slightly, her expression telling him that she believed he was no threat to her.

####

Laying on the cot, he was trying to recall what had happened before he awoke in the cell. He remembered their reception the day they arrived.

~0~0~0~

The tall spires of the city rose up around them, like tree branches reaching for the sun. There were no harsh angles here, everything was smooth and curved. Green spaces interspersed the buildings, making a pleasant environmental mixture of architecture and nature.

The small away team was met by a larger party of their hosts. Each person was dressed in several layers of semi-transparent material in vivid colours, complementing the surroundings perfectly. At the front of the group was a tall, slender man, his robes the colour of polished copper. As with all of his race, he was pale skinned with silver hair and eyes.

The man, First Minister Jerem, greeted them warmly. Captain Archer introduced each member of the away team and the First Minister seemed interested in each one of them. His gaze lingered a moment longer on Malcolm than the rest of the away team, but the Tactical Officer dismissed it as simple curiosity.

~0~0~0~

The memory of the introductions lingered in his mind and he went over the meeting again in his mind. As he recalled the gaze, he felt a sudden knot forming in his gut. The gaze hadn't been of an intimate nature, but there was certainly more interest towards him that the rest of the away team. Perhaps Elianne was correct. Perhaps he had indeed been targeted because if his position and knowledge of Enterprise's weapons systems.

His musing were interrupted by the door being opened. Surprised, he shielded his eyes from the sudden influx of light that flooded the cell. The guard from earlier entered the cell, followed closely by two others. Without a word, the two men grabbed Malcolm's arms and yanked him to his feet, dragging him between them as the familiar guard followed and relocked the cell. Malcolm swallowed fearfully, knowing that the afternoon was not going to be a pleasant one.