Chinagirl18 - You're right - Steve's captors are extremely cruel. And you'll get the answer to whether he's in a "circus of freaks" or a" science holding dungeon" (love that term, by the way).

Mari - Claudia's going to be trying her hardest to rescue Steve. No one hurts her friend and gets away with it!

Sabi2 - Thank you! I should warn you, while nothing past 3.04 is in this fic, there might be some events in this fic that match up to the metronome plot in later eps. of the show. I'm not using it from the show, the same plot points just happen to get have been plotted out in the fic before the eps. came out.

elphie gray - I actually don't watch "Revenge", but I love to think that Claudia pops a bowl of popcorn and makes Steve sit on the couch with her so they can watch it.

tmmdeathwishraven - Poor Jinksy is right! I'm glad you're liking this fic!

Cindy Ryan - Thank you! I hope you like this chapter!

1Shadow-kun - Thanks! I'm glad you like this fic!

ultrablonde - I try to update at least once a week, sometimes more. Can't make any promises, though. I hope you like this chapter!

Steve woke up to a roaring, and people running past his cell. He wondered what was happening - it sounded almost like a wild animal was in pain. Whatever it was, it was scaring the hell out of everybody. As his captors ran past his cell, he could make out snippets of conversation.

"Shit - I thought we drugged it."

"Must have given it the wrong dosage."

Steve made sure to keep his ears open, trying to gather any info that he could tell Claudia. He wondered if he could still communicate with her - both times he had well... "talked" to her, she was the one who had stopped and started the conversation. But maybe he could do the same as well?

Claudia?

Nothing happened. For a second he felt ridiculous. Then he closed his eyes and tried again. Like it or not, his communication with Claudia was the only thing that might help him escape.

He tried to picture her: the shocking red hair, slight body, sharp eyes. He pictured the way she smiled and said "Jinksy." He pictured the way he had seen her when he had opened his eyes for the first time after being dead: the remarkable amount of relief, the way she had thrown herself onto him and held on for dear life, crying all the pain away.

Steve?

Claud!

Did you ring?

Yeah. Did you hear me?

Yeah, but...it's weird.

Nothing's weirder than this.

It was like...I felt you in my head more than I heard you.

No, that makes sense.

And it did. Steve could feel Claudia's presence as well, the hum of her thoughts as well as the pulse of her emotions. But more than that...he could feel something in his head, something telling him Claudia was there, and he wasn't alone.

What's going on?

Just wanted to see if I could connect with you. And to tell you that I don't think I'm the only thing being held in this place. I heard something a while ago...it sounded like an animal. I think they were hurting it.

Crap. Anyone that tortures animals is no good. Sarah Mclachlan is going to be super pissed about this.

Very funny. But seriously, how are you in locating me?

Not too bad...But Steve could feel the weariness in her thoughts.

Claud...'fess up.

I'm trying to find your location, but it's kind of hard to do when your head's next to the toilet.

What?

I'm a little sick. Nothing to worry about, just feeling nauseous.

Steve was about to ask how sick she was, when a stabbing stomach pain ripped into his stomach. He winced. He had been having the stomach pains for a few days now, since whoever had him was refusing to feed him.

Ouch...

Oh Jinksy...are you not feeling good either?Claudia sent a wave of sympathy down their link.

It's nothing...not as bad as what you're going through. Just a little hungry.

Suddenly Steve heard his cell door being opened.

Claud? Have to go. I think I'm about to get some answers about why I'm here.

I'll be waiting to hear from you.

Their conversation stopped, and Steve felt Claudia's presence leave his head. He felt strangely alone. He wished Claudia could have stayed, but he couldn't try to figure out why he was being held captive while simultaneously communicating with someone telepathically. It would have been too much.

Steve summoned the energy to raise his head from the cot. There were two people crowded into his small cell, looking at him like he was a wild animal. It was the same fanatic eyed man, accompanied by another assistant with a clipboard.

"Subject's dealt with starvation well."

Yeah, well. He couldn't even get off his cot. Even if the man dangled the keys to his cell right in front of him, he wouldn't be able to get them.

Suddenly it hit Steve. Starvation. That was the reason for Claudia's hunger pains. She couldn't actually starve, because she was eating, but she could feel the pain of Steve being starved.

Then why is she throwing up, and not me? Steve puzzled over the idea for a second, before realizing the answer. Claudia was several inches tinier, and weighed less. Her body would feel the pain even more fiercely.

Great. Just another way for me to hurt her.

"We should get the blood tests and whatever else we can out of the way now, while the subject's incapacitated. We'll have to feed him when we need to undergo the psych tests. He'll be no good to us then if he can't even add 2 + 2 because he's too hungry."

They were going to feed him. Steve held onto that little piece of knowledge like a drowning man. They didn't want to kill him, and they wanted to feed him. Anything else could wait for a later time - he was going to get food, and he was going to get it soon.

"Take the subject upstairs for a blood test." Steve was grabbed by his arms and pulled to his feet. He stumbled, and nearly fell to his feet before being grabbed by two men and dragged away.

He was taken to a stark white room, and his first thought was that it looked like a dentist's office. There was a large chair that leaned back up into a bright overhead light, with machines and trays of sharp tools all around the chair. It wasn't exactly comforting.

He was strapped into the chair by his ankles, wrists and waist. For the next hours, he was injected with so many needles he lost count. They took several blood samples, leaving him even more drained than before. They strapped electrodes on his head and measured his heart rate, brain waves and more. By the end of the experiment, Steve felt like a human lab rat.

It's just lab human, Jinksy. Unless you're part rat.

Claud! What are you doing -

I'm sorry. It's been hours since I heard from you, and I got nervous.

"What's happening?" Steve was vaguely aware that in the background, several men and women were gathering around the machine measuring his brain waves. "What is that?"

Claud, get off, NOW. They're hooking me up to a machine - they can see my brain waves and -

I'm gone.

In seconds, Claudia disappeared from his head. Steve breathed a sigh of relief, but stopped when he caught everyone in the room looking at him.

"I told you, he's the real thing." The fanatic eyed man said. "Did you see those brainwaves? Something happened." He grinned, pleased with the day's work. "Take him back to his cell, and bring him some food. We need him conscious for tomorrow's tests. I changed my mind, we're going to be doing something a little...different than psych tests."

The second the electrodes were off his head, Steve searched for Claudia's presence.

You okay?

Yeah, they saw something, but I don't think they know it was you.

I'm sorry Jinksy.

Claud, if anyone should be sorry, it's me -

Steve, for the last time, it's not your fault. How 'bout this? I won't keep apologizing if you don't.

Fine. Steve sighed, trying to ignore, for Claudia's sake, the guilt he felt. Even if he tried to keep up the completely rational argument that it was his fault, Claudia would never let him win.

What's going on now?

They're going to feed me. Finally.

Claudia sent a wave of relief down their line, and Steve knew that she was just as worried about him as he was about her.

Find out anything more about where you are?

Steve was going to reply when he was thrown in his cell, where he saw several sandwiches and water bottles waiting for him. He was about to throw himself at them when Claudia's voice stopped him.

Careful Jinksy. I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, but if you eat that too fast, it'll come up and your stomach will be even emptier.

Steve knew she was right. Carefully, he picked up one sandwich and eat it as slowly as possible. Then a second, and a third. Finally, after several sandwiches, Steve finally felt full. He sighed, relishing in the feeling.

Feel better?

Much.

Good. And hey - my stomach problems are better, too!

Steve suddenly felt a rush of guilt, but instantly tried to conceal his thoughts as to why he was feeling that way.

Steve, what's going on? Claudia said, curiosity mixing with irritation in her voice. What don't you want me to see?

It's nothing.

Steve, you're being held hostage by a bunch of people that are running tests on you, and you want to keep info from me?

This isn't - You wouldn't - Steve was losing concentration. It was perfectly easy not to think about something on a normal basis, but when somebody was pushing at him, trying to get him to confess, it was hard to conceal his thoughts. It was like every thought in his head had suddenly turned to his greatest secret -

Steve.

She knew.

You son of a bitch.

Claud, I can explain -

You didn't even tell me! You told Myka, you were thinking about telling the others so they could help you with research, but you didn't even think about when you were going to tell me.

It's not that I don't trust you -

You just thought I'd take the metronome away from you.

Yes!

You really think I'd hold you captive on this earth? You think I'm that selfish.

I didn't think you'd do it for you, I thought you'd do it for me. You know that I'm glad to be alive again. So if you thought I'd stop the metronome because I was worried about you, you'd never give it back to me.

I'm not sure what to say right now.

Claud, please, just try to understand -

NO! Claudia's rage flooded him for an instant, mixing with his own guilt. NO, I don't want to listen, or understand, or say that it's okay. I have a right to be angry, Jinks, dammit!

I was only trying to protect you.

Just like you did by telling me you got fired, tricking me into thinking you were a double agent and then making me find your dead body in an airplane hanger?

And suddenly Steve got an image of his own dead body, his eyes open and staring blankly. The image came with sorrow and horror, so overwhelming that it was all he felt for a second.

You know what, Steve? You want to be alone so bad, you got it. And with that, Claudia's presence left his head.

Claudia? He tried to reach out to her, but it felt like there was a wall in the middle of their connection, blocking his attempts to communicate with her.

Claudia! You're not being fair!Panic flared up in him - Claudia wouldn't block him out forever, would she? Not with him being held captive somewhere. She wouldn't leave him...

Claudia! Claudia please! He tried to force his thoughts through the wall, trying to connect with her once again, but her rage had built the wall, had blocked their connection, and no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break through it.