Section 9: Prisoners
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It was late, but D'argo still sat by her side. Cleaned up properly, Chiana didn't nearly look half as bad as when the humans had found her. Norianti had sewn up the cuts and gashes, bandaging them with her plants and drugs to stave off infection. Blue bruises still peppered her body but they had at least stopped swelling. The old woman had been full of praise for the Qujagan healer's preliminary work and had quickly set to the long term healing Chiana needed.
Sleep took five cycles off of her, D'argo noted as he watched the Nebari slumber. She had an innocence about her that shone through all the brighter when she was away from the cares of their existence. Such a remarkable woman, one able to win her place back in his heart.
D'argo had been there perhaps three arns when her eyelids fluttered and slowly opened. "Chiana," he breathed so she would know he was there.
She turned towards him, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that her eyes were solid black and not the disturbing white of the blind. "I can see you," she whispered, tears coloring both her voice and cheeks. Gently, D'argo wiped them away.
"I told you it would come back," he said softly, wanting suddenly to laugh for joy.
"Five days, D'argo. I was blind for five days. It keeps getting longer. Someday I'm not going to get it back." Her breath hitched as she tried to hold back the fear. D'argo took her hand and tried to soothe her, careful of her wounds.
"We'll worry about that if it happens," he said.
"But - "
"*If* it happens," D'argo repeated. With his free hand he grabbed the flask Norianti had left for when she woke. "Now drink this," he said, holding it for Chiana.
"What is it?" she eyed the concoction suspiciously. D'argo just gave her a look that told her he neither knew nor wanted to know. "Right," she muttered before obligingly drinking the potion with a grimace. With a sympathetic smile, D'argo replaced the empty cup on the work table. Chiana closed her eyes and settled back into the few pillows on her bed, a flitter of discomfort crossing her face before settling into the comfort of the numbing draught. Sleep would soon come.
"Have we found John and Aeryn yet?" she asked softly. Her eyes remained closed against hope. D'argo gently stroked her forehead.
"We're going to rescue them tomorrow," he told her.
Chiana's eyes flashed open, locking onto his. "When are we leaving?"
"You're not going," D'argo corrected her. No way, no how was he letting her go beaten to within an inch of her life.
"D'argo you need me." Chiana tried to sit up, but he pushed her back down.
"I'm taking the humans with me. We'll be fine," he insisted.
"You're taking *four* humans with you and you'll be *fine*?"
D'argo had to admit she had a point there. But the bruises and stitches told him that Chiana was safer on Moya. Right now, she wasn't in pain only because the old woman had her drugged against it.
"Look," she said reasonably, squeezing his hand, "I can cover you from Lo'la. I won't leave her, but you need me down there. Just in case."
And looking into her deep black eyes as she struggled against sleep, D'argo knew that even if he did say no, she wouldn't listen. "You're not coming, and that's the end of it."
"D'argo, you can't keep me here."
"Yes, I can."
"You can't. I'll be safe in Lo'la." She struggled to sit up again, but this time her own muscles refused to support her.
"Just go to sleep," D'argo sighed. Finally succumbing to the drugs, Chiana slowly went to sleep again, never relaxing her grip on his hand.
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The humiliation of being poked and prodded buck naked by a bunch of funny- faced aliens wore away with the arns that passed. Tired, gagged, fed up, and helpless to do anything more than pull on his chains and worry about Aeryn, John retreated to his thoughts which thus far had remained sacrosanct. 'Scorpy did worse to me,' was the litany that ran through his mind as cold hands and needles went where they had no right to be. However it was little comfort to his present predicament. Even now his mind refused to confront the invasion of his body head on.
Instead, he stuck to worrying about what was happening to Aeryn. If her 'examination' was anything like his, she and more importantly the baby were probably doing as well as he was. Hopefully better. Hopefully, she had escaped when they came for her, but John wasn't holding his breath. No, they would have to wait for the cavalry in the form of one pissed off Luxan and his badass ship. D'argo would come, John had faith in that.
When the door opened, he automatically looked down to see what new toy the mad scientists had dragged in. But it wasn't a toy; instead it looked like the head honcho. The newcomer was a little taller than the others and dressed in black instead of the dull blue and gray of the pokers-and- prodders. And that was definitely a gun strapped to his leg. Must be compensating for something. John was once again painfully aware of his own lack of covering. Defiantly, he met the soldier's eyes and didn't back down.
"The male?" the newcomer asked the chief scientist.
"Yes, lord," said the latter as one would to a near equal. Unlike most of the others, he did not duck away from the 'lord.' "They appear to be of the same species, although as you know we have not finished our examination. Tomorrow we will begin the interrogation, if you wish to attend."
"Hmmm," was the only reply as the lord once again raked his eyes over the human, his face splitting in what John had come to recognize as getting a better look. "There are no others?"
"No, lord. Simply these two. It will be a shame to lose them when we begin our interior investigation."
John jerked in response, his synthetic chains clattered against each other. That did not sound good.
"Hmmm," the lord murmured again. "We shall see." He turned then and left the room with the chief scientist.
As the rest of his torturers finished their tests, John's mind was spinning with the implications of 'interior investigation.' Somehow, he didn't think it just meant sticking more sticks up his butt. And what about Aeryn? The baby? What would happen when it was discovered? Images from his nightmares of when Aeryn was the Scarrens' prisoner leapt out him.
D'argo would come. That was a simple fact. But timing had never been their strong point. As he was led back to their cell, John paid even closer attention to the hallways than he had on the way out. Hallways, turns, soldiers, scientists, hiding places, he hoped he could remember it all.
Aeryn was sitting with her back against the far wall when John arrived. The same five guards that had escorted them out stood watch while his hands were unshackled and his gag removed. When they were finally alone, Aeryn said, "We have to get out of here."
"So you heard about the 'internal investigation,' too?"
She nodded in reply as he sat down next to her, pulling her close for warmth. "It'll be soon."
"We have at least a day. They're gonna interrogate us tomorrow," John told her.
"We should be out of here by then."
"You got a plan?"
Aeryn smiled. "I've been thinking."
"Good." John kissed her. "So have I."
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It was late, but D'argo still sat by her side. Cleaned up properly, Chiana didn't nearly look half as bad as when the humans had found her. Norianti had sewn up the cuts and gashes, bandaging them with her plants and drugs to stave off infection. Blue bruises still peppered her body but they had at least stopped swelling. The old woman had been full of praise for the Qujagan healer's preliminary work and had quickly set to the long term healing Chiana needed.
Sleep took five cycles off of her, D'argo noted as he watched the Nebari slumber. She had an innocence about her that shone through all the brighter when she was away from the cares of their existence. Such a remarkable woman, one able to win her place back in his heart.
D'argo had been there perhaps three arns when her eyelids fluttered and slowly opened. "Chiana," he breathed so she would know he was there.
She turned towards him, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that her eyes were solid black and not the disturbing white of the blind. "I can see you," she whispered, tears coloring both her voice and cheeks. Gently, D'argo wiped them away.
"I told you it would come back," he said softly, wanting suddenly to laugh for joy.
"Five days, D'argo. I was blind for five days. It keeps getting longer. Someday I'm not going to get it back." Her breath hitched as she tried to hold back the fear. D'argo took her hand and tried to soothe her, careful of her wounds.
"We'll worry about that if it happens," he said.
"But - "
"*If* it happens," D'argo repeated. With his free hand he grabbed the flask Norianti had left for when she woke. "Now drink this," he said, holding it for Chiana.
"What is it?" she eyed the concoction suspiciously. D'argo just gave her a look that told her he neither knew nor wanted to know. "Right," she muttered before obligingly drinking the potion with a grimace. With a sympathetic smile, D'argo replaced the empty cup on the work table. Chiana closed her eyes and settled back into the few pillows on her bed, a flitter of discomfort crossing her face before settling into the comfort of the numbing draught. Sleep would soon come.
"Have we found John and Aeryn yet?" she asked softly. Her eyes remained closed against hope. D'argo gently stroked her forehead.
"We're going to rescue them tomorrow," he told her.
Chiana's eyes flashed open, locking onto his. "When are we leaving?"
"You're not going," D'argo corrected her. No way, no how was he letting her go beaten to within an inch of her life.
"D'argo you need me." Chiana tried to sit up, but he pushed her back down.
"I'm taking the humans with me. We'll be fine," he insisted.
"You're taking *four* humans with you and you'll be *fine*?"
D'argo had to admit she had a point there. But the bruises and stitches told him that Chiana was safer on Moya. Right now, she wasn't in pain only because the old woman had her drugged against it.
"Look," she said reasonably, squeezing his hand, "I can cover you from Lo'la. I won't leave her, but you need me down there. Just in case."
And looking into her deep black eyes as she struggled against sleep, D'argo knew that even if he did say no, she wouldn't listen. "You're not coming, and that's the end of it."
"D'argo, you can't keep me here."
"Yes, I can."
"You can't. I'll be safe in Lo'la." She struggled to sit up again, but this time her own muscles refused to support her.
"Just go to sleep," D'argo sighed. Finally succumbing to the drugs, Chiana slowly went to sleep again, never relaxing her grip on his hand.
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The humiliation of being poked and prodded buck naked by a bunch of funny- faced aliens wore away with the arns that passed. Tired, gagged, fed up, and helpless to do anything more than pull on his chains and worry about Aeryn, John retreated to his thoughts which thus far had remained sacrosanct. 'Scorpy did worse to me,' was the litany that ran through his mind as cold hands and needles went where they had no right to be. However it was little comfort to his present predicament. Even now his mind refused to confront the invasion of his body head on.
Instead, he stuck to worrying about what was happening to Aeryn. If her 'examination' was anything like his, she and more importantly the baby were probably doing as well as he was. Hopefully better. Hopefully, she had escaped when they came for her, but John wasn't holding his breath. No, they would have to wait for the cavalry in the form of one pissed off Luxan and his badass ship. D'argo would come, John had faith in that.
When the door opened, he automatically looked down to see what new toy the mad scientists had dragged in. But it wasn't a toy; instead it looked like the head honcho. The newcomer was a little taller than the others and dressed in black instead of the dull blue and gray of the pokers-and- prodders. And that was definitely a gun strapped to his leg. Must be compensating for something. John was once again painfully aware of his own lack of covering. Defiantly, he met the soldier's eyes and didn't back down.
"The male?" the newcomer asked the chief scientist.
"Yes, lord," said the latter as one would to a near equal. Unlike most of the others, he did not duck away from the 'lord.' "They appear to be of the same species, although as you know we have not finished our examination. Tomorrow we will begin the interrogation, if you wish to attend."
"Hmmm," was the only reply as the lord once again raked his eyes over the human, his face splitting in what John had come to recognize as getting a better look. "There are no others?"
"No, lord. Simply these two. It will be a shame to lose them when we begin our interior investigation."
John jerked in response, his synthetic chains clattered against each other. That did not sound good.
"Hmmm," the lord murmured again. "We shall see." He turned then and left the room with the chief scientist.
As the rest of his torturers finished their tests, John's mind was spinning with the implications of 'interior investigation.' Somehow, he didn't think it just meant sticking more sticks up his butt. And what about Aeryn? The baby? What would happen when it was discovered? Images from his nightmares of when Aeryn was the Scarrens' prisoner leapt out him.
D'argo would come. That was a simple fact. But timing had never been their strong point. As he was led back to their cell, John paid even closer attention to the hallways than he had on the way out. Hallways, turns, soldiers, scientists, hiding places, he hoped he could remember it all.
Aeryn was sitting with her back against the far wall when John arrived. The same five guards that had escorted them out stood watch while his hands were unshackled and his gag removed. When they were finally alone, Aeryn said, "We have to get out of here."
"So you heard about the 'internal investigation,' too?"
She nodded in reply as he sat down next to her, pulling her close for warmth. "It'll be soon."
"We have at least a day. They're gonna interrogate us tomorrow," John told her.
"We should be out of here by then."
"You got a plan?"
Aeryn smiled. "I've been thinking."
"Good." John kissed her. "So have I."
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