Tegan Chronicles STV Style 3:
What's Left of the Flag 7
B'Elanna waited until the commotion over Tegan's attempted escape had died down outside their communal holding cell before she found Tom. She didn't blame the other woman for her actions, certain that she would have done the same had she been chosen, if she had had the wherewithal to intervene on behalf of one of her crewmates. She didn't have time to berate herself for her lack of bravery as the realization that she and Tom were the ranking officers among the remaining crew weighed heavily on them both. She looked down at the double trough that ran along the length of the open cell wall they were standing near. One had water standing it with sediment muddying the bottom and a fine layer of rust and slime covering the sides. The other had the same amount of rust and some kind of dried gunk stuck to the bottom with tiny bug carcasses in it and what looked like human bones. She wiped the sweat that was forming on her ridges off. "We need to keep everyone hydrated."
"With that?" Tom followed her gaze. They were stuck in a large barred room open to the elements in the middle of a barren wasteland. He looked down at the water. "We'll be lucky if dysentery is the only thing we get."
"What do you want me to do Tom? Wave my hand and make fresh water magically appear? It isn't like we've got any replicators handy."
When she started to come to she became painfully aware that she had been stripped of her uniform and she was suspended above the floor by her wrists in nothing but her Starfleet underwear and tank top. A feeling of déjà vu swept through her, she had been in very similar circumstances before.
"It is possible the tranquilizer reacts differently with her chemical make-up." Tuvok had been the first to wake up from the medically induced stupor. His voice was flat and not too far off to her left.
"Maybe." Janeway conceded from somewhere in front of her.
"Did I miss the party?" Tegan blinked against the harsh light emanating from white panels interspersed in the ceiling.
"We were just wondering when you were going to regain consciousness." Tuvok watched as she took in her surroundings. First looking down at the smoothly polished floor which was 20 centimeters from her dangling feet, next she looked up at the heavy metal shackles around her wrists which were connected by a chain that was slipped over a large industrial hook so she could be easily raised and lowered. Her eyes traveled over her comrades who were identically restrained and quickly noticed that Tuvock was in a similar state of undress.
"Everyone ok?" She moved her eyes back to Janeway who was hanging in front of her and Tuvok.
"You are the only one who put up a fight. I do not believe it was wise to try and escape when we were outnumbered seven to one."
"I was planning on taking on two-thirds, that left three-point-five for you and the Captain."
Janeway shook her head.
"Your logic is most unsound." Tuvok politely informed her.
"Did I?" She couldn't even put the question to words.
"Yes." Tuvok answered when Janeway didn't. "I believe you killed him."
Tegan closed her eyes. She felt her stomach churn like a stormy sea. "I didn't—I didn't mean to. I just meant to cut off his blood supply long enough to render him unconscious."
"I do not believe it was your fault." Tuvok looked at Janeway who was watching Tegan with concern filled eyes; the rest of her command mask was completely intact. "You were following your survival instinct."
She opened her eyes letting them plead for forgiveness from her captain. "I tried to let go."
"The electric jolt from that cattle prod, for lack of a better description, kept you from being able to release him." Janeway let her eyes fall to the charred skin where the prod had come in contact with Tegan's shoulder. She knew she hadn't meant to take it that far and she believed what she was telling her whole heartedly. She agreed with Tuvok, Tegan had been following her instincts and, even more so, her military training. The fact she felt remorse for what she had done touched Janeway in ways she couldn't explain.
"How come you got to keep your clothes Captain?" She changed the subject before she started reciting different and often contradictory oaths she had taken in her head.
"Most likely because, for now, they have no intention of torturing me." She offered the only explanation she had.
"Not physically at least," Tegan reasoned. She spent several seconds trying to gather up enough saliva to be able to expectorate it before she flipped her body upside down and brought her feet around her elbows locking them there. She looked like a trained chimpanzee doing circus tricks. She spit the contents of her mouth onto the floor and listened to it sizzle before she flipped her legs back down. "I was going to unhook myself and get us out of here, but looks like the floor is rigged with some kind of electrical current."
Tuvok regarded her for a minute. "The thought had not occurred to me."
"I just thought the escape route looked too easy." Tegan looked over at the door as she heard heavy footfall echoing toward them. "Guess we're about to find out what's going to happen to us."
Three floating spheres followed Jurroth and another man in a lab coat into the large room and Tegan immediately knew what they were.
"You're broadcasting this?"
He walked over to her and grabbed her jaw. "I don't know if you are brilliant or stupid. But either way you are going to pay for killing Ranoll."
"I killed him?" She forced a smile onto her lips. Both Janeway and Tuvok could sense it was artificial. "So who are you broadcasting to?"
"Your shipmates so they know what to expect." He jerked her head to the side letting it go. "Plus I want them to see how quickly you give up."
"If you expect me to give up quickly or easily you'll be greatly disappointed." She watched him nod to the man in the white lab coat.
"This is Dr. Murdrow, he's going to give you both an injection. It will keep you from passing out from the pain. I want to make sure you get the full experience." His maddening grin from earlier returned and caused Tegan's stomach to revolt like a nest of hornets after being poked with a stick. "And these," he opened his palm to reveal two discs that reminded Tegan of the memory recall devices the Tok'ra used, "are neural links. I'll only have to torture one of you and the other one will feel the pain as well. Should either of you try to remove the link it will kill you both. If one of you dies the other one will die as well.
"You know you can save them, Captain?" He realized he had never asked her, her name.
"Janeway and you'll get no information from me." Her eyes offered the deepest apology to her two friends for what she had to let happen.
"I will be fine Captain, no matter what happens don't give them anything." Tegan lifted her chin actually allowing the doctor to inject her with the chemical suppressant.
"As well I." Tuvok gave no resistance when Dr. Murdrow injected him.
"Fine?" Jurroth reach up and pressed the metal disc against Tegan's temple until it engaged. "I was going to torture him until you killed my friend, now I'll get even more satisfaction as I break every last bone in your body."
He stepped over to Tuvok and repeated the process. Almost as soon as the neural link was activated Tuvok's face scrunched in pain. It was so brief and fleeting that no one who didn't know him well would have caught it before his Vulcan mask slipped back in place. Janeway had been looking directly at him and the expression immediately caused her concern. She filed the information away for later hoping she would be able to ask him about it in the future. At this point she didn't know if any of them would survive, it was a very real fact that they wouldn't and her mission to return Voyager's crew home safely would fail. She had already failed some of them, it was a burden that weighed heavy on her heart but she had no time to let guilt eat away at her. She needed to be strong and steel herself against what was about to happen. She knew no matter how much training she had been through, the simulations couldn't prepare her for the actual situations.
"I'll give you one more chance to give me the command codes to Voyager, Captain Janeway." He paused waiting for a response and only received a steely gaze. He turned to Tegan and held the stick up against the bare skin of her shoulder. "Maybe you can give me the information I need?"
"I am Lieutenant Kiser of the Federation U.S.S. Voyager." Was the only response she would give him.
"Well Lieutenant, let's just see how hard you are to kill or how easily your Captain Janeway breaks. Whichever comes first I really don't care. Though I do love a good torture and I do hope you won't disappoint me." He squeezed the handle of the stick sending an electrical jolt through Tegan that caused both her body and Tuvok's to jerk. To their credit neither one yelled out. Jurroth turned to face Janeway. "Captain?"
"If you think that hurting members of my crew is going to make me any more likely to give you the information you seek, you are highly mistaken."
Jurroth roared deep in his chest and swung the electrical stick around catching Tegan in the abdomen. "I'm not going to just hurt them Captain. I am going to torture them until they beg for me to kill them and then I'm going to continue to torture them until they actually die. I've got plenty more to work with and I'm in no rush."
He swung again this time it was accompanied by several cracks resounding as it connected with the right side of Tegan's ribcage knocking the air from her lungs. "Well, it looks like I've already started breaking those bones."
Tegan clenched her jaw tightly refusing to cry out as she stared deep into the slate blue abyss of Captain Janeway's eyes and focused on not letting the pain overwhelm her. She wasn't sure what would happen if she allowed her eyes to glow and deplete her body of sodium and potassium to the point that she would seize. Her concern wasn't for herself as much as it was for Tuvok and not knowing what something like a seizure might do to the Vulcan mind. It was something she planned to talk to the doctor about when they got out of this mess.
After staring at her for several minutes Jurroth walked out of the room followed closely by the timid, in comparison, doctor.