Roxton sat near the fire, fidgeting restlessly. It was a mutual agreement that they would set off for the tree-house at dawn, which gave them a few more hours of rest. But he would find none tonight. His thoughts were on his friend.

'No one deserves to go through that,' Marguerite had said on the way back to the Zanga village. 'Can you imagine the aftermath? How is he going to cope?'

'He'll find a way,' Challenger sounded confident, but his eyes gave him away. 'The lad's strong.'

For his sake I hope you're right, George.
It was about two a.m. in the morning when Roxton entered the tent.

'I'll take over from here Veronica, I can't sleep anyway.'

'Neither can I,' the younger woman said with a sigh. She rose stiffly from the chair and left in a rustle of tent-flaps.

Roxton watched Veronica disappear into the dark, worry etched on his tired features.

She's close to breaking-point, he thought. Another addition to the casualty list.

He reluctantly tore his attention away from one concern to focus on another and took a seat on a chair next to the bed.

'Looks like it's just you and me, Neddy-boy,' he said in a faux light tone. 'What story shall I tell you. you've probably heard of Moby Dick more times than me. And I doubt you'd like to hear all those Chaucer tales. I've had just about enough of them myself.'

'I'll tell you about the time Will and I were put in charge of the Easter eggs.' He said with a grin.
He spent the next hour recounting all his favourite childhood memories - most with him being a nuisance to William. He felt awkward talking to an unconscious man, but it did make the place seem a little less lonely.

When Ned suddenly opened his eyes, Roxton almost fell off the chair as he tried to reach the bed.

'Malone?' He asked concernedly. 'Ned?'

Malone scrambled up, oblivious to the bandages that had been painstakingly wrapped around his body. Roxton quickly grabbed him.

'Whoa, Ned, it's okay..'

The words never registered. Malone fought against the grip, and they ended up on the floor. He strained against Roxton, trying desperately to escape. It was then that Roxton noticed that his wrists were pressed together like they were in shackles.

Another recollection.

'Slow down Neddy-boy, you're safe now.' He wished that he could have given the Boss a slower, more painful death for doing this to his friend.

'Let me go,' he moaned. 'Please.. Veronica! Where are you? Roxton..'

'I'm right here buddy.'

Malone looked at him, and spoke his first lucid words to Roxton since the capture, eyes bright with tears.

'Don't leave me here with him. Please. I can't, no more.. Roxton.. it hurts..'

Roxton cradled him as his strength slowly gave out.

'It's alright, kid. I'm not leaving you. Ever.'

He nodded, and knowing he was secured, slumped against the older man, trembling with exertion and fatigue.

'I.. I wish I could have been there to stop them,' Roxton confessed softly. 'But I couldn't. I didn't know.. how would I have known?' Roxton closed his eyes briefly, feeling the pinpricks behind the lids. But when he reopened his eyes, his determination was once again strong and resolute.

'It's too late for regrets now, that I know. But there is still time to heal, and I will do everything I can to help you Ned, or die trying.'