CHAPTER NINE

"I'll never look at a gladiator movie in the same way, again," Trip moaned and Jon and Malcolm nodded wearily in agreement.

They'd been sitting on the cold floor now, in relative silence, for one hour, recouping their strength, such as it was. The guards had brought them food and water, but they'd been too weary to even think of eating.

Jon cast an inspecting eye over his companions. Malcolm was rubbing absentmindedly at his left shoulder, flexing the fingers of his left hand. He'd gathered quite a few more bruises, notably around his cheekbones, but overall, seemed to be bearing up.

Trip seemed lost in thought, one side of his bruised face masked in dried blood. His right hand lay cradled in his lap and until his words just then, he hadn't moved since they'd been returned to their cell.

"Ok, so how are we doing, guys?" Jon asked, anxious to lift the gloom.

"I'm alright, sir, thank you. How are you?" Malcolm replied, less than accurately. If he was honest, he hurt a great deal, but ever the stoic, he wasn't about to complain.

Jon had to smile at Malcolm's typical response. "Oh, I've been better, but nothing I can't live with…Trip?"

The engineer's chin came up slowly from his chest as he struggled to give a neutral response. "I'm ok…just wishin' we knew what was happenin' with T'Pol and Hosh."

Jon suspected that Trip was far from ok, but he didn't press the matter. He knew his friend too well, and once Trip had made up his mind not to speak about something, nothing other than a direct order would shift him, and the time for those wasn't here, yet.

Jon rose painfully to his feet and walked to the door, rapping on it loudly until one of the guards shouted at him from the other side, telling him to be quiet.

"I want to see Chancellor Ardl."

"He's too busy to see the likes of you. Now shut up or you'll be put back into your restraints."

Jon sat down again, frustrated, but not surprised. He'd done his best, but hadn't really expected to get to see anyone. He sat quietly, speculating as to what Phlox might be up to.

*~*~*~*~*~*

At that precise moment, Enterprise's medical officer was having another audience with the chancellor. Phlox knew he'd been fortunate not to have been caught when speaking with Ensign Mayweather, but now that he was once again facing their enemy, his breathing quickened. He thought to defuse the situation by praising the chancellor; very few hosts failed to react favourably to compliments.

"That was a quite amazing spectacle today. I haven't seen displays of such raw aggression in a very long time. Denobulans are quite passive in contrast; we reserve our strengths for the marital chambers: having more than one wife can be …very demanding."

Ardl guffawed heartily. "I knew there was something about you that I could relate to…the appreciation of the female form. I've recently acquired a rather exotic example…would you like to meet her?"

Phlox suspected he already knew the exotic female, but he nodded anyway. Anything else would have aroused suspicion. He just hoped that whichever Enterprise officer was brought into the room would understand his subterfuge and play along. He heard Ardl speaking to an aide.

"Bring the human female."

A few moments later, the door opened and a very frightened Ensign Sato was ushered into their presence. Phlox's heart went out to the young woman; she looked so vulnerable, and he knew that Hoshi still held herself in low esteem. This little experience wasn't going to do her any good, at all. He took the initiative, springing to his feet.

"What an enchanting young woman. I believe she's the same species as those men you have. Did you get her from the same place, and are there any more?" He gave Hoshi an audacious leer, playing the role of collector of exotica.

Hoshi's eyes widened at the out of character attitude of her friend, and then understanding dawned. She played along, with an imperceptible pause.

"Get away from me, creep!"

Ardl laughed at her spirit; even after refusing the food that had been provided that day, she still had a lot of spunk in her. He'd enjoy breaking that spirit.

"Now, now, my dear, that's no way to address your friend."

Hoshi put on a wonderfully perplexed expression as she turned to Ardl. "My what? I don't know this person, and I certainly don't want to."

The chancellor watched the interplay between them, almost certain that the man and woman knew each other, but lacking enough evidence to prove it.

"I'd like to see the captain and the others." Hoshi spoke, surprised at her forthrightness.

Ardl nodded. "Yes, I don't see why not. They're probably wondering what I've done with you, and they did perform well today. Doctor, why don't you come along too? I promised to have their injuries attended to, and completely forgot about it. I'm not an animal, you know."

"Yeah, not much!" Hoshi retorted. She was increasingly surprised by how verbal she had become. Although she'd been playing along with Phlox's ruse, she'd been startled at how easily the insult had rolled off her tongue, and now she was giving cheek to Ardl as well.

'I'd better guard my tongue or it'll get me into trouble,' she silently admonished herself.

They were lead through the corridors until they reached the appropriate door, where Hoshi and Phlox were ushered inside. Hoshi's exclamation of concern when she saw her senior officers couldn't be suppressed.

Ardl spoke as he watched the young woman's troubled face. "I'll leave you together for a while. It'll encourage you to put on another good show tomorrow, gentlemen."

Jon struggled to his feet and addressed their captor. "My men need medical attention; you promised that you'd give us that, at least. And I demand to see Sub-Commander T'Pol."

Ardl looked down his nose at the human. "The doctor will tend to your injuries. As for the Vulcan, you're in no position to be making demands. Be grateful that you're alive; in here, situations can change like shifting sand. I'll be the one to decide when and if you see your comrade."

As Ardl and the guards exited the room, Phlox opened his med kit and started preparing hyposprays. He knelt in front of the captain, first.

"You've lost a tooth, Captain, but nothing I can't fix once we're safely back on board. Apart from that and a few bumps and bruises, you're doing quite well."

Jon nodded wearily, more concerned for the others than himself. Phlox moved to Malcolm, who was sitting next to the captain.

"Now, Lieutenant, let's have a look at that shoulder you're favouring." With some difficulty, he managed to ease Malcolm's uniform down off one shoulder, revealing a livid bruise.

"That must hurt! I imagine your arm's been quite numb for a while. There'll be some residual nerve damage, but with physical therapy, that will resolve itself. And the bruising to your face is quite spectacular. This will ease your pain." He administered the analgesic.

Malcolm nodded his thanks, embarrassed at being the centre of attention, and of being examined in front of Hoshi. It went against his upbringing to show any sign of weakness, especially in the presence of the fairer sex.

Phlox had moved on to examine Trip. "How are the ribs, Commander?"

"No worse, no better," he replied, enigmatically. "I guess they're just bruised, after all."

Phlox touched the engineer's forehead with exploring fingers. "You've a nasty gash above your eyebrow, but I've nothing with which to repair it. Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"Nah, just sore everywhere."

The captain listened to his friend's terse replies, and waited for him to speak by his own volition, but when he didn't, Jon spoke for him.

"Trip, let the Doc take a look at your arm."

Trip looked sharply at the captain. He'd tried to hide the fact that the pain in his arm was driving him crazy, but something had given him away. He shook his head, determined not to be the weak link.

"There's nothin' wrong with it, it just took a bang. Probably just the nerve, like Malcolm's."

Phlox smiled gently as he reached for Trip's right hand. "Why don't you leave the diagnosing to me, Commander?"

As he prepared to push back Trip's uniform sleeve, red hot needles of agony shot through the engineer's arm.

"No! Leave it, please," he begged, almost whimpering.

Phlox took pity on him and gently returned the hand to Trip's lap. "Ok, Commander, I think we all know it's broken. The examination can wait until we're in sickbay. I'm giving you a stronger dose of analgesia, but it'll most likely make you sleep."

Phlox rose to his feet once his ministrations were done, regarding his officers with concern. "Gentlemen, I wish there was more that I could do for you."

"Thanks, Doc, you've done all you can. It's important that you stay free, so don't let Ardl see your concern or he'll be suspicious. Hoshi, are you ok?" Jon looked at the young Ensign's tearful face as he now stood beside her.

She nodded her head. "I'm fine, sir, just really angry. I almost had a go at Ardl back there. And when I look at all of you, it makes my blood boil."

Trip's drowsy voice came from the floor. "Hey, Hosh, don't fret. Come down here an' tell us how T'Pol's doin'."

She crossed and sat between him and Malcolm, the worry evident on her sweet young face.

"I don't think she's very well…no, not like any of you, we haven't been touched, but she'd acting a bit strange…well, weird actually. She nearly took my nose off this morning, and her eyes seem really wild. I know she's been trying to meditate, but something tells me it's not working."

"Doc, do you think you can get to see her?" Jon asked.

"On what grounds, Captain? Ostensibly, I don't know any of you, and to ask to see the sub-commander might arouse suspicion, especially as Ensign Sato says they're unharmed. Vulcans resent unsolicited help, and we must trust that if anything is ailing the sub-commander, she can control it until help arrives."

TBC