As there was nothing hazardous or hidden in Khan's black long coat upon thorough examination, it had been graciously returned to him. It sat neatly folded on the cell bench but given his situation, Khan did not require its service at the moment.

It was a while before Reyne was able to bring herself to move and it was not without effort. Sore, bruised and embarrassed didn't quite do justice to describe what she felt. She focused on internalizing the pain, sitting with her back to the wall, hugging her knees to her chest. Khan found it slightly odd that the Lieutenant hadn't shed a single tear. The two merely sat on opposite sides of the cell, content with denying the other's existence.

Yet after another ten minutes, Khan let out a sigh. He rose to his feet, picking up the coat, letting it come undone from its folded state. He moved with such silence and swiftness, Reyne barely had a chance to grasp that he was coming over to her before he bent down so that Khan was at eye level, draping his coat around Reyne's shoulders.

Reyne however took this moment to spit straight in Khan's face. He merely flinched, though Khan knew that she had every right to be upset with him.

"I am going to assume that is a foreign means of expressing gratitude" he said, not a hint of ire to his voice as he wiped his cheek, not breaking eye contact. Reyne didn't say anything. She was trying to think of a way to talk without getting herself killed, a considerably easier task, given Khan's imperturbable response. Silence and more staring ensued.

"You're welcome Lieutenant" came Khan's cold reply as he stood up again.

Her situation aside, Khan was not someone she wanted to cross. Yet she'd be damned if he thought of her as some sort of whore.

"I wasn't…" Reyne managed, swallowing.

Khan tilted his head slightly, a subtle movement that was alien, familiar, and threatening all at once. Almost as if he was daring Reyne to proceed.

"For your information...I wasn't attempting seduction"

In one swift movement, Khan crouched down in front of her again; his piercing eyes level with hers. His frozen fixation on her made Reyne feel terribly small.

"But that was what they wanted. If not, then what else were you here for?"

Reyne's fingers dug into the water-smooth leather of his jacket. She actually found she quite liked it...if not for the circumstances.

"Y-You…don't know a thing about me"

Reyne winced and stiffened as Khan suddenly used both of his hands to grab her shoulders.

"Don't I?"

His voice, both terrible and awe-inspiring, sent a chill up her spine that had nothing to do with the cold air around them.

"You've spent the past several minutes trying to internalize the pain. You failed to emit a scream because you know such an action would be useless. You've probably screamed before but no one has come to your aid in the past so you are left to your own devices. You've been hurt before"

"Shut up"

"You've also managed to separate yourself from the circumstances surrounding this" Khan took one hand off her shoulder but before he could touch her scar and bare skin underneath the coat, Reyne grabbed his wrist, pushing against his shoulder with the other hand. She felt the insignia on his shirt under her fingers. He could have easily proceeded, being the stronger of the two.

"You've done enough" she swallowed.

"I assume your defensive attitude confirms my earlier observation. Where is home Lieutenant?"

Reyne blinked several times, taken aback by his question.

"What?"

"It's clearly not Starfleet. The violence within you did not originate at Starfleet nor did your markings. The numbers…You're a category but not of your own volition. Someone else's"

"Stop" breathed Reyne.

"I've just scratched the surface Lieutenant. Your dilated pupils tell me I know more about you in the past few minutes than anyone on this ship ever has"

Reyne's fingers now shook but she had only snatched them back before Khan grabbed her shoulders again, face inches from hers.

"Shall I delve further?"

Had Reyne's mind not been wiped blank, she might have thought Khan had been bereft of mental stimulation for days and that was the reason for this. Boredom. His words reverberated through her skull. Neither of them paid any attention to the entrance of Captain James Kirk and First Officer Spock on the other side of the glass. The shocked silence was palpable, so much so that Reyne felt she could have reached out and touched it with her fingers.

"Khan step away"

Khan merely blinked.

"The Lieutenant is here at your command, Captain. Anything that befalls her is no fault of mine but your own"

"Khan. Step away"

For a moment, Khan looked at Reyne with such intensity that she thought he would ignore the command again. But he blinked again, releasing her, and stepping aside, moving to his previously occupied bench of the cell.

There seemed to be a fog in her mind so much so that Kirk had to try three times to get her attention.

"Reyne?" Kirk's tone was professional, laced with equal parts concern and irritation. Reyne finally looked at him, her hand moving under the coat to be sure her heart was still beating. Her blood pressure was surely rocketing.

"Are you alright?" Kirk asked.

"Fine" Reyne said stiffly, wondering how far she would get if she lodged a formal complaint. Or at least broke into Kirk's place in the middle of the night to exact revenge.

She saw, with relief that Spock had a folded blanket, clothing and even some books. Kirk gave him a nod and soon they were at Reyne's feet in the cell via teleportation. Khan merely stared at the wall, ignoring all three of them.

"Dinner will be served in half an hour" Spock replied, his face a perfectly constructed mask of calm as always. But he was thoughtful enough to have given her some of her books. While Kirk scoffed at her for this seemingly old fashioned habit, Spock seemed to at least respect it. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, and the Hobbit by JRR Tolkien all in a neat stack.

Kirk finally acknowledged Khan, turning in his direction.

"Khan we are two weeks away from Starfleet headquarters. Once there you will be tried as a war criminal and the Council will decide your fate. Is this in any way unclear?"

"Crystal Captain" The way Khan said 'Captain' carried a subtle hint of mockery. He knew Kirk was like a bat with no ears. Flying blind and not able to listen to even the most sound advice.