Ch. 3

Her throat still burned. She'd screamed it raw. The spot where they'd inserted the tracker was still sore to the touch, and that bruise was definitely a vibrant red and purple. It had been…well, she was no longer sure of how long it had been, days at least.

Guards came and went. Sometimes she noticed when they left, sometimes she didn't. Exhaustion chewed at her every moment. The ache and tremble of fatigue was heaped upon already-abused muscles. Every step she took was painful, and yet she had to continue taking them. Anytime she stopped, it was worse.

The guards were there to encourage and educate her. Or so they claimed. They did keep her moving, but it was hardly under positive reinforcement. She had several particularly tender spots that they had learned quickly and now aimed for when prodding her along. Her right kidney and left thigh were prime targets for eliciting grunts of pain. They'd only managed to hit the tracker site once, that had been more than enough to send her to a knee, and she kept her right arm tucked protectively over it after that. Consequently, her right elbow was starting to swell from the strikes it was taking.

Hitting her as she passed, aiming for spots that would elicit the most reaction from her was the only amusement the guards had. She, at least, understood that. The monotony of their task had to be mind-numbing. How long could you watch a person stumble around a room and not lose interest? If she didn't have to concentrate on mundane things like putting one foot in front of the other, she'd be bored out of her mind, too. As it was, it was taking all her will power to remain upright.

Will power and thoughts of rescue. She knew now that Voyager was still flying and that B'Elanna and Tuvok were with her. It had been the only good news she'd heard since that day in the street when Neelix had showed her the tellurium. Of course, the news hadn't been intended for her ears, but on her second day in the room the guards had gotten edgier, hitting her harder, whispering nervously to each other when they thought she couldn't hear them. Apparently, there'd been an escape from the prison, the first ever. The two alien prisoners had disappeared in a stream of blue and white light.

It had taken a lot of self-control to not react to the news, but it meant everything to her. It meant Neelix had gotten back with the tellurium. It meant B'Elanna and Tuvok were safe, and Voyager was still flying which meant she just had to hold on long enough for her crew to find her.

Augris wasn't making it easy. As delighted as she'd been at the news, he'd been the complete opposite. He'd beat her into unconsciousness. He probably wouldn't have if she hadn't smiled at him after the first punch, but as soon as she had, he'd known. Known that somehow she'd heard the news. Her beating hadn't been the only consequence; she hadn't seen the same two whispering guards since.

Considerable time had passed since that day. Days. A week. Which would mean her total time of captivity was nearing two weeks? She shook her head; she didn't think it had been a week yet, probably not even five days...but she couldn't be sure. She wasn't even entirely sure the news of Voyager had come on her second day. It could have just been at the end of a really long first day. She had no way to mark time; food, water, and rest had become precious commodities offered in small doses at inconsistent times. She hadn't gone completely without any of them, but the concept wasn't far off.

And anytime that it wasn't a special moment of rest, she was forced to be up on her feet, circling the room, continually moving. Allegedly, she was learning. More accurately, she was being broken down. Fatigue was an old but effective way to manipulate someone, and 'old ways' seemed to be what the Education Center was all about. The place had a much more primitive feel to it than her earlier prison. There were no force fields or manufactured walls – just heavy doors and massive locks. It was old and the sense of permanence it inspired was hard to ignore.

The smooth stone walls were particularly dry and dusty. Outside the three water cubes they'd allowed her since she'd been brought into the room, she didn't think there was a single drop of moisture in the place. She had the impression this particular room hadn't been used for much of anything in quite some time. Her presence had already left its mark. A clean swath had been created in the dust all along the walls from where she'd trailed a hand or rubbed a shoulder along them as she made her circuits. Mostly, the wall was the only thing that kept her from falling over.

"Five-one," a guard called to her from across the room. "Break."

She'd looked up when he'd spoken. Five-one. It galled her to acknowledge the designation they'd given her, but she welcomed the respite, sliding down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. She forced herself to stay awake long enough to briefly massage her calf muscles. They were like rocks attached to wooden pegs for all the feeling she had in them. The pain would be even worse when she had to move again, but it'd wake her up. Unfortunately.

Something fell across her forehead, leaving a trail that itched as it passed. It was quickly followed by another something, something wet, drops were falling on her, and she gasped back into consciousness to find Augris sitting in a chair next to her, dropping water on her head. She swiped at the wet spot on her head and stiffened into a sitting position, sliding up against the wall, trying not to react to the cramping muscles in her legs. He flipped the dribbling water cube into her lap. She held out for only a brief second before picking it up and sucking its cool, wet contents into her mouth.

"This cell was meant to hold ten to fifteen men for as long as they needed to be housed here," he said, conversationally. "On occasion, though, it held as many as seventy for much shorter periods of time."

He looked at her, but she said nothing.

"The guards tell me you don't know your name."

Janeway's gaze flicked to the guard standing sentry beside him. "I know my name."

"So, you do speak? I was worried you had perhaps lost your voice on your intake day," he commented. She swallowed, feeling the still-tender tissues of the back of her throat. He leaned back in his chair. "Since you claim to know it, why don't you tell me your name?"

The corner of her mouth quirked upwards. She wasn't so far gone yet to know what he was playing at. "That's against the rules."

Augris turned in his chair to eye the guard. "Is this true? Have you been telling her it's against the rules to say her name?"

"Of course not, Magistrate. That would serve no purpose."

"Then she's lying?"

"She is." The guard brandished the shock wand at his side and stepped forward. "She knows the penalty for lying."

Augris held up his hand, halting the guard. "Allow me to clarify before we take further action. It may be that her species does not have the mental capacity to retain multiple numerals." He turned back to her. "Your designation, or name, is Prisoner 98473351. To simplify matters, we shall address you by the last two numerals. Five-one."

She toyed with the water cube in her hands, staring silently at both of them.

"Now tell me." Augris leaned forward. "What is your name?"

Silence.

"Continued silence will be considered defiance," the guard said, moving forward, the shock wand buzzing with unreleased current.

Augris held him off again. "Five-one. That is the designation you will answer with when asked your name," he told her, never taking his eyes off her. "Now, if you continue to defy us, we will have to move to more persuasive methods of education." He paused, knowing full well she understood every word he said. "What's your name, prisoner?"

She took the last sip of water in the capsule, tilting her head back to let it drip into her mouth. Setting it aside, finally, she took a breath and answered. "My name is Kathryn Janeway."

The shock hit the bare sole of her foot, traveling instantaneously up the rest of her body, sending her muscles into blinding spasms. Her teeth clicked together, and she barely felt the brunt of the floor impact her shoulder as she slid uncontrollably to the ground. The guard continued to hold the wand in place until a grinding scream of pain tore from her throat past her clenched teeth.

Even after the wand had been removed, her body twitched. Augris leaned over her, his face filling her vision. "So much unnecessary pain." He moved a lock of hair out of her face. "But you will learn. You will learn everything I need you to know."

He straightened, pulling his jacket into its proper place. "Let's bring in the trough. Put her in it and make sure she's strapped down tight. I'll begin in an hour."