Chapter 5
Seconds later he found himself back in the transporter room, barely acknowledging Lojal with a brief nod before storming off in the direction of his quarters. The young Bajoran was left with two more questions to ponder. Why was his captain in such a foul mood on a day like this? And what was in that case? Chakotay had almost made it to his quarters, when Seska called him from one of the narrow side tunnels that branched off from the main passageway.
"Chakotay! I've been looking for you all over the place!"
She was the last person he wanted to see right now. He turned toward her impatiently. Not bothering to conceal his annoyance he asked gruffly,
"What is it, Seska?"
"I don't understand you, Chakotay. Why are you in such a bad mood? You should be celebrating! You've made a wonderful catch today!"
"That wonderful catch has given me a lot of work to do. So, if you don't mind, I'll get on with it."
For a moment she did not know how to respond to his obvious hostility. However , Seska was never one to be short of words...
"Okay, be like that then. Do you think we could have dinner together later? I'm sure I could do something to cheer you up and take the day's stress of your shoulders." she purred, smiling suggestively.
Her attempt at seduction made his stomach turn. He needed to be alone, to organize his thoughts, and as far as Seska was concerned, he wanted to be as far away from her as possible.
"I don't think so, Seska. What do you actually get out of this? You know that things won't go back to the way they were. I thought, I had made that quite clear to you. I'm sick of being harassed by you, so I would appreciate it if you could stay out of my way in future. It's over, Seska! It's been over for months! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get on with what I was doing!"
He stormed off, leaving a stunned and for once speechless Seska behind. She decided to let it go for the moment. She would try to talk to him later, when he was more amiable. No point in angering him more.
Kathryn Janeway awoke to a startling sensation. Someone was untying her wrists... Had someone come to her rescue? Had her crew already managed to escape? Full of hope she opened her eyes and froze, when they looked straight into the darkly handsome face of the Maquis captain. Kathryn's heart sank.
Chakotay gave her a warm smile, and still a little dazed, she simply stared at him, mesmerized. When she realized what she was doing, she immediately averted her gaze and blushed violently. When he spoke, his voice contained none of the threatening and mocking tones of their previous exchange.
"How are you feeling, Kathryn?"
Clearing her throat she rasped, "I'm fine," in a voice that seemed alien even to her own ears.
It was a lie. She had a terrible headache, and her arms were now completely numb. Her shoulders felt, as if they had been pulled from their sockets, which was no doubt the result of having slept with her arms tied above her head for hours, and her wrists showed deep red marks where Chakotay's belt had cut into her skin. Her throat was even more on fire than before, if that was at all possible. What she would not give for a glass of water... She coughed dryly.
Chakotay stopped what he was doing and raised a glass of cold water to her lips, elevating her head with his free arm. Eagerly she drank. It was just as well he was holding the glass, since she doubted she had the strength to lift it herself. Her body appeared to be entirely made of Jell-O, no bones or muscles at all. After he had freed her arms, she sat up tentatively, wincing at the spasmodic pains in her neck and shoulders. She felt a little dizzy, and for a moment the room began to spin around her again. Then it subsided. Her hands instinctively moved to her sore neck in an attempt to rub away the agonizing pain that was centered there, but her aching arms made it an impossible task to knead out the knots that had formed there. Tentatively she moved her legs over the side of the bed, until her feet touched the floor. Chakotay had watched her every move since she had regained consciousness, and it was obvious that she was in considerable pain.
"Don't lie to me, Kathryn. You're not fine. I'll get you a hypospray for the pain."
"I said, I'm fine, Chakotay!" she countered angrily.
After all, she had him to thank for the excruciating pain she was suffering now... and now he had decided to play mother hen? Please! She would rather die than accept his help.
"Oh really? All right, prove it to me. Get up and walk to that door!"
Kathryn gave him a defiant glare and steeled herself. She would not let him know how weak she really was. She was going to walk to that door, even if it was the last thing she would ever do.
Leaning against one of the bedposts, Chakotay watched the spectacle with sarcasm.
Straightening herself, she used her arms to push herself off the bed and into a standing position. But when she was finally on her feet she could not feel her legs. The bones and muscles still had not returned. Like a rag doll, she began to sink to the floor. Chakotay , who had observed her very closely, managed to catch her just in time, before she hit the ground. Wordlessly he swept her into his arms and laid her back onto the bed. Kathryn had flushed a deep crimson with indignation and embarrassment.
"I suggest you stay there for a few more hours, until the antidote has had a chance to fully neutralize the neural toxin in your system. In the meantime, I will give you a hypospray for the pain. And stop lying to me, Kathryn!"
Chakotay disappeared into an adjacent room for a minute and then returned with a hypospray in his hand.
"This will make you a little sleepy for awhile..."
She brought up a hand in a desperate and feeble attempt to stop him from administering the drug.
"I don't want to go to sleep again. I want to know what you're planning to do with us! I don't want the hypo, I want answers!"
"This is not about what you want, Kathryn! I'm the one in charge here!"
With those words he roughly pinned her wrestling arms with one hand and administered the hypospray into the side of her neck with the other. Kathryn struggled in vain against him. She just did not have any strength left in her. It was as if her body had been drained of all its energy. Humiliated and helpless, she felt the pain in her body lessen, and a blissful sleepiness engulfed her.
Chakotay let go of her arm, lay it gently down at her side and began to pace the room. This was hopeless. He would never be able to get any information out of her, and he had no illusions that the Federation would be willing to exchange goods or information for any of the Starfleet crew. He just hoped the other officers were a little more accommodating. What was he supposed to do with this uncooperative hostage? He was not a violent man by nature, so he could not even imagine using torture on her, although he had no scruples using it on Cardassians, but that was different. Kathryn Janeway was not a Cardassian, though. She was human, she was a woman, and above all, she was an innocent bystander in this whole mess.
But he could not let her go, either. She knew too much about the location of the Maquis hideout. However, keeping her and her crew here indefinitely was out of the question. Maybe wit a little clever talking he would be able to convince some of her crew to join the Maquis in their cause. A lot of Starfleet personnel already sympathized with the Maquis -- that was a well-known fact. But he had no such illusions as far as the captain of the U.S.S Voyager was concerned. In the end she was another mouth to feed, and the Maquis had very little resources as it was. He knew what some of his people would suggest: kill her if she refuses to cooperate. But he was not about to let another innocent life perish.
Chakotay stopped his pacing and looked at her prone form on his bed. She looked so vulnerable, lying there. It was difficult to imagine how insufferably stubborn she could be. She was still wearing that darn Starfleet uniform. He promised himself that he would make her change into some civilian clothes the next time she woke up.
Maybe a bath would do her some good, too. She looked like she could do with a little relaxation. It had been a tough day for her. Maybe she would be more cooperative if she were more relaxed.
She looked awfully thin... Probably skipping meals and working too much, he thought, recalling the habits of the captains he himself had served under in the past. He would replicate something light to eat for both of them, when she had had her bath and changed into some fresh clothes, and then he would seriously try to talk some sense into her. After that, he would have her taken to the brig, where the rest of her crew were being kept. It looked like he had some time to beat until she woke up, so he decided to freshen up a little himself. He went through the door he had earlier sarcastically asked her to walk towards and took a long real water shower. Just in case that she woke up unexpectedly, he left the door wide open, so that he would still be able to keep an eye on her.
At least I won't have to watch her every minute of the day once she's been reunited with the rest of her crew in the brig, he thought wearily. Chakotay let the hot water stream splash his face, and for a blissful few minutes, he actually managed not to think about the implications of the day's developments. Neither Cardassia, nor the Federation, nor the picture of his incinerated village, nor Seska, Tom Paris or Kathryn Janeway entered his mind. For a scarce few minutes, as the steam of the hot water spread through the bathroom like a fog through his mind, Chakotay was at peace...
He stepped out of the shower and quickly dried himself off. The towel wrapped around his waist, he looked at himself in the mirror. He had not shaved in a few days, and after reassuring himself that Kathryn was still asleep, he decided to treat himself. Life in the Maquis was hectic and unexpected. A real shower and a shave were luxuries he seldom found time for. Having finished, he walked back into the bedroom and opened the wardrobe. He dressed quickly in a pair of brown soft trousers and a beige cotton shirt, which he left unbuttoned around the collar. Just as he had finished dressing he heard her stir on the bed. A low moan escaped her as she slowly woke up. Stretching her stiff body, Kathryn Janeway opened her eyes. After the initial confusion of not immediately recognizing her surroundings, her heart sank yet again. She was still a prisoner. Nothing had changed. Well, almost nothing. She felt a little better. The pain, that had earlier paralyzed her, had now reached an acceptable level. Her headache was reduced to a dull pain behind her temples, and her arms felt a lot better. Her neck was still very stiff, and the angry red marks on her wrists burned, but her strength had begun to return. She would certainly be able to make it to that door now, and further.
Slowly she sat up on the bed, her eyes scanning the room for Chakotay, only to see him walking towards her.
He had obviously freshened up and changed his clothing. Kathryn could not help but notice that the contrast between his bronze skin and the beige shirt was extremely becoming. He had shaved, too, and looked a lot less savage now.
She felt a little self-conscious, imagining what a sight she must be. Her hair had partly escaped its restraints, and her uniform was creased badly. How long had she been wearing it? She had no idea how long she had been here. Her make-up had no doubt disintegrated, and she had a pressing urge to go to the toilet -- very pressing as a matter of fact if she did not want to humiliate herself by wetting her uniform.
"How are you feeling now, Kathryn?"
"I....I....Could I use your bathroom, please?"
Chakotay could not help but tease her a little.
"Sure, it's right through that door if you think you can make it."
Kathryn gave him an indignant glare and carefully rose to her feet, taking tentative steps. She made it this time.
When Kathryn reemerged from the bathroom, she was greeted by Chakotay at the door, holding out the travel case to her.
"Why don't you freshen up a little and get a change of clothes? It'll do you good!"
He gave her a gentle smile, and she reached out a hand to take the case, which she recognized as a standard Starfleet issue travel case. Just as she was about to grasp it, Chakotay noticed the red marks on her wrist. He got hold of her arm with his free hand and took a closer look. The marks looked painfully inflamed.
"Do you have the same thing on the other side?"
Kathryn nodded once, feeling a little uncomfortable.
"Alright, have a nice hot bath, and I'll see if I can get my hands on a dermal regenerator."
He walked past her into the bathroom, carrying the case and put it down next to the bathtub. Giving her a last reassuring smile he left. She heard him lock the door behind him.
Kathryn approached the case, snapped it open and began to inspect its contents. She was surprised to find all her civilian clothes, followed by cosmetics and her brush. On the bottom of the case she found her night wear, her dressing gown and... she gasped in exasperation and simultaneously felt the heat rise in her cheeks, as she discovered that he had packed only her most delicate lingerie. He had not even bothered taking her Starfleet issue underwear. Apparently indignation was going to be the order of the day. Infuriated, she left the case and turned on the water to fill up the tub. She briefly caught her reflection in a mirror and recoiled. Good god, she thought, I look like hell! And so she did. Her uniform was creased and stained, and her face did not look any better. Dirt stains marked her forehead and cheeks, and her lips were so dry that they had split. Blood had dried in the numerous little cracks. Her hair bore a distinct resemblance to a ruffled bird's nest -- she did not even want to speculate about what she smelled like. Captain Kathryn Janeway was mortified at the thought that someone had seen her like this -- and the Indian Maquis captain of all people! Oh well, there was nothing she could change about that now, but she could change the way she looked -- and smelled, she added mentally with a grimace of revulsion. She turned her attention back to the travel case and found the cosmetics box. Opening it, she was glad to see that Chakotay had not only packed her make-up, but also her favorite herbal bath. She added some of it to the bathwater. She was delighted to see that he had packed her shampoo and soap as well.
Back in front of the mirror, she began to tentatively pull the pins from her hair. It took her a while. Moving her arms still caused an unacceptable level of pain. Finally she had extracted the last pin, and her hair cascaded freely down her back. It was always a relief to get those pins out. They tormented her scull. Sometimes she wondered why she was putting herself through this ordeal -- Starfleet protocol and the respect of her crew seemed silly excuses for such torture. She made a mental note to think about wearing it differently when she got out of here -- in a style that caused less discomfort... if she got out of here, she corrected herself and shuddered. Pushing all negative thoughts aside she began to divest herself of her uniform. When she was standing there in nothing but her Starfleet issue underwear, she got worried. What if he was going to come in? After all, she had been locked in the bathroom from the outside and was not the one in control of her privacy. But then she decided that she really wanted to have that bath. Devil may care! She would worry about an intrusion of privacy when it actually came to it -- if it actually came to it.
It was a wonderful sensation when the hot water caressed her aching muscles. She quickly felt herself relax, as she inhaled the perfume of the herbal bath. Kathryn lay there for a few minutes, eyes closed and concentrating to relax. Who knew, when she would get another chance to do this? Hearing steps in the room on the other side of the door brought her back to reality. She washed herself quickly, and then emerged herself completely in the water, wetting her hair. She lathered the shampoo into her tresses and massaged her skull, once again almost forgetting the outside world. When she had rinsed her hair she got out of the tub, wrapping herself in one of Chakotay's large white towels. She wrapped a smaller one around her head and quickly attended to her make-up, making sure that all the dried blood had been removed from her lips. Then she dried her hair and brushed it into a shine.
She began to relish in her newly found solitude in the bathroom and wished she could stay there for the rest of the day, but she knew that was not going to happen. The reality of her situation was that she was a hostage. Things were not going to be this comfortable for much longer. Soon she would be interrogated and probably tortured... and maybe killed. A shudder crept down her spine and all feeling of comfort was lost. The spell had been broken. She put on a long-sleeved gray cotton dress that went up to her ankles and had a nice V-neck, and some matching shoes.
Before going to the door, she returned all her things to the travel case. Then, reluctantly, she knocked.
"Chakotay, I've finished in here." Footsteps approached the door, and she heard a key turn in the old lock.