Chapter Thirty-one

"I want every green drop out of his veins, throw the rest of him into freezer for now. I'm sure we can find a market for most of it."

Razor grit his teeth together against the rage in his heart. He stared at his fallen partner desperate for any signs of life, but found none. Salen's frame was completely relaxed as two of the men grabbed him by the wrists to drag him away. The purple drug oozed from between his parted lips. Evans was watching Razor's reaction with a smile on his lips.

"You feel responsible, don't you?" Evans purred. "Salen was young, particularly for a Vulcan. So what was Starfleet thinking when they sent him on a mission like this?"

"Come closer and I'll tell you." Razor hissed murderously.

"So you admit that you are Starfleet?"

"I admit that I want you to come close enough to give me a chance to kill you."

Evans shook his head sadly and sighed. He looked to one of the men behind Razor and gave him a slight nod. Razor had been thinking about how best to fight back against the three men holding him when there was a breath taking explosion of pain at the back of his knee. One of the guards had kicked him hard enough to do considerable damage to the sturdy joint. Unable to stay on his feet Razor dropped down to his knees and shifted his weight to the unaffected side.

"What was your name again?" Evans asked in a conversational tone.

"Razor."

"I can't imagine that you were born with that name. Why do they call you 'Razor'?"

"Because of my wit." Razor flashed Evans a sickenly sweet smile.

"If you have any wits at all you'll tell me how Starfleet tracked me here, and even if I don't let you live at least I'll grant you a quick death."

"Well, I can't speak for Starfleet, but I found you the same way I'd find any rat...just follow the stink."

"Funny."

"Actually I don't think it was one of my better insults, but I'm a little off my game right now."

"Clearly."

Trying to ignore the painful throbbing in his knee Razor tugged once again at the ion restraints. He cursed himself once again for trying to talk his and Salen's way out of this rather than just throwing himself at Evans' throat the instant he recognized Salen. He doubted that he or Salen would have survived such a move, but at least there would have been a chance of taking down Evans and Salen wouldn't have been forced to commit suicide.

"Are you still paying attention, Razor?" Evans asked. "You look a little lost in thought."

"I was just fantasizing about slowly killing you with my bare hands."

"That little Vulcan orphan meant a lot to you, didn't he?"

"No."

"I don't believe you. How about I give you something to remember him by?"

Razor did not like the sound of that particular threat. Evans still had the blade that he'd used to defend himself against Salen. He stepped up to Razor and rested the cold metal tip of the knife on his neck. Razor remained motionless as Evans lazily drew the knife up his throat to his ear. Evans hadn't broken the skin, but now that he had the blade up where Razor's ear was attached he dug the blade into the flesh. Still unflinching Razor passively allowed the blood to trickle down his jaw.

"Tell me how Starfleet found me or you are going to have pointed ears just like your dead friend."

"Starfleet didn't find you, I..."

Razor was cut off as Evans lashed out and grabbed his ear. With one quick motion Evans carved a large piece of Razor's ear away. The sickening pain caused bile to leap to the back of Razor's throat, but he managed to not cry out. A hot wash of poured down the side of his neck from the injury. Evans had sheered out a semicircular piece from Razor's ear, giving it a distinct point.

"You expect me to believe that you don't have Starfleet training? You didn't even whimper." Evans snarled. "I want you name, rank, and Commanding Officer. That's a standard list that any captured fleetman is allowed to give."

"Razor, I have no rank, and my mother was the only who could ever give me orders."

"Fine. You let me know when your ready to answer, until then I'm going to give you a taste of your friend's past. It will help you understand why he took his own life. First let's get that other ear to match this one."

When Evans went to cut into his other ear Razor did his best to press his ear to his shoulder to fight the inevitable. Evans had one of his men grab Razor's hair to force his head up. Grinding his teeth together Razor weld his eyes shut in preparation for another painful mutilation. Just as the blood slicked metal touched his skin there was a piercing cry of pain.

Everyone in the room froze as the noise repeated itself. From beyond the door came the sounds of panic and phaser blasts. Evans backed away from Razor as the chaos outside drew closer. Razor had mixed emotions about the rescue. He wasn't interested in dying at Evans' hand, but if Beckett had come just a few minutes earlier Salen could have survived as well.

"Evans, if you want to live to see a trial put the weapon down and tell you men to do the same."

"No!" Evans roared. "They could not have passed through the shield!"

"Shield?"

Razor suddenly remembered seeing a blue flickering when they had approached the property in the vehicle. Force shield were not something that even the Dogs could willfully penetrate without making considerable noise and destruction. Beckett would have had to bombarded the complex from above, risking spilling the Stargazer into the soil. Razor ignored that fact, Beckett must have found a way because there was a war going on beyond the door.

"What the hell is going on out there?!"

"Evans, it's over..."

Screwing his face up in fury Evans launched himself at Razor with the knife held high. Further injuring his disabled knee Razor forced himself to his feet and slammed into the men behind him. In fray Razor was able to crack the back of his head against one of the men's faces causing them to stumble back in pain. Pivoting on his good leg Razor brought his other foot up in a high arc and kicked Evans in the chest.

The knife dropped with a clatter as Evans was forced back. With his wrists still bound behind his back Razor couldn't secure the weapon. It only took a few seconds for the other men to regroup. Razor was dropped once more to the floor by a powerful blow between his shoulder blades. Forced forward Razor had to twist around to avoid falling flat on his face. Landing on his back instead he stuck his head against the unyielding floor hard enough to break bone.

When Razor's vision began to darken from the blow he was convinced he wasn't going to survive. Dizzy from the hard landing Razor battled to focus. He felt Evans straddling him and managed to focus his eyes just in time to see the crazed drug lord raise the knife over his head. Razor's mind cried out for his body to do something, but he didn't have time.

Welding his eyes shut Razor held what he feared was going to be his last breath. An animal cry of rage suddenly tore through the room. The knife fell from Evans' hands and bounced harmlessly off Razor's chest. Evans himself had been knocked off his victim with surprising force.

With his head starting to clear Razor was startled by a scream of agony mixed with panic. Still on his back he turned his head and found himself staring directly into a set of dead glazed over eyes. The guard had a light purple froth dripping from his parted lips. When the animal wail repeated itself Razor turned to look the other way.

"Sa...Salen?" Razor asked in confusion.

Forcing himself to sit up Razor had to close his eye for a moment against the splitting headache that radiated from the back of his head. The men out in the factory had finally organized themselves enough to set off alarms which only served to add to the confusion and commotion.

Opening his eyes again Razor looked over at where Salen had Evans pinned to the wall. At first all Razor could do was stare. Salen was covered in blood that was clearly not his own since it was bright red. With his hands weaved into Evans' hair he had his forehead pressed against Evans'. With every muscle in his body tensed Razor could suddenly see what made the Vulcan so powerful.

However it wasn't physical power that was causing Evans to scream and howl as Salen pressed against him harder. It didn't take long for blood to begin dripping from Evans nose as his eyes rolled back. When Evans began to shake violently Salen followed him to the floor as Evans legs gave out on him. When they reached the floor Salen took one hand out of Evans' hair and grabbed his jaw. Salen effortlessly broke Evans' neck with a sickening crunch as Evans began drooling a purplish froth.

Despite the shouts of alarm outside and the clanging of the alert siren for a moment everything seemed still and quiet in the room. Salen slowly rose off his victim and got back to his feet. When he turned around Razor gasped sharply. Bright emerald blood trickled down his face from his heavily bleeding nose. Just like Evans Salen's eyes were rolled back to white. He stood motionless for a moment taking deep even breaths.

"Salen?" Razor asked carefully. "You okay?"

Salen jerked at the sound of his name. His eyes suddenly returned to their usual deep hazel, although it didn't look like they had much focus. Salen stared vacantly at Razor for a moment before reaching up and scratching behind his ear. Licking his purple stained lips Salen took a step towards Razor who had only made it as far as getting to his knees.

"Woah, okay, scary..." Razor forced an uneasy smile. "Hey there, Salen, um...please don't kill me."

Salen knit his slanted brow together in a look of confusion that didn't make Razor feel any safer. Razor's knee was throbbing in pain, but he forced himself to his feet anyway. As Salen approached he started to back away, nearly tripping over the three dead bodies of Evans' men. When he was pressed up against the wall he forced another smile at Salen.

"Salen, it's me, it's Razor...actually my name is Sam, but no one calls me that anymore." Razor tried to keep his tone light and friendly. "Salen, you should sit down, you don't look so goo..."

Razor was cut off as Salen lashed out and grabbed his shirt. Before he had a chance to fight back Razor found himself suddenly facing the wall rather than having his back against it. In the process Salen ripped out the chunk of shirt he'd grabbed a hold of. Razor was just about to push himself off the wall to hit Salen the same way he'd knocked into the guards when his wrists were released from the ion cuffs.

"Thank you, Salen." Razor rubbed at his wrists as he turned around. "Salen?"

For a moment Razor thought Salen was gone, however the violent retching sound directed his attention down. Salen had fallen to his hands and knees and was puking purple onto the blood soaked floor. Razor crouched down to Salen's level and reached out to put his hand on his shoulder. Salen scrambled back in horror before Razor could make contact.

"Do not touch me!" Salen roared.

"Okay," Razor put his hands up in surrender "no touching, I'm not going to hurt you."

Salen gave Razor a confused looked, but his thoughts were interrupted when several phaser bolts struck the heavy metal door. Razor was shocked by the speed with which Salen got back to his feet. With an enraged cry Salen threw himself at and then out the door. The phaser fire was quickly replaced by panicked cries.

"Salen! Wait!" Razor shouted after his partner. "Don't kill any of the natives!"

Hobbling to his feet Razor tried to catch up with the blood thirsty Vulcan. Razor hadn't realized that Salen had it in him to go so berserk. Remembering the Stargazer that had been poured down Salen's throat Razor wondered if the ecstasy drug sent Vulcans into a murderous rage instead.

Razor limped past several more corpses. Some of them had clearly died from external injuries, however just as many had no real external signs of a struggle on them. They were just dead and sprawled across the floor. Razor rounded the corner in time to see Salen rushing towards a group of Evans' men who were down on their knees with their hands held up in terror.

"Salen, stop!" Razor barked. "That's an order! These men have surrendered!"

Salen paused and turned to look at Razor. The men were too terrified to take advantage of Salen's diverted attention. Razor approached with his hands held up as well to make sure not to trigger Salen's rage once more. Salen took a step back from Razor and then wrapped his arms over his stomach as he retched again.

"It's going to be okay, Salen, it's over. Just relax."

"Do...do not touch me..." Salen stuttered as he backed away. "Stay back, do not touch me."

"I'm not going to touch you, I just want to help you."

"What have I done?" Salen asked mournfully as he looked at the blood on his hands. "I...I do not remember... Where are..."

Salen didn't finish his question. He gasped as though he suddenly remember the answer. Razor could only watch as Salen turned away from him and sprinted away from him. Closing his eyes for a moment Razor pinched the bridge of his nose. He glanced at the group of Evans' men and decided that they were no longer a threat. With their boss dead they were more interested in keeping their own lives. The slaves that ran the factory had taken to hiding.

Deciding to go after Salen Razor limped along. Salen was easy to track, there was a trail of red and green blood that spattered the floor behind him. When the trail ended at the elevator Razor had a theory as to where Salen had gone.

Razor carefully approached the office where they had first met with Evans. Salen was sitting on the floor against the wall staring at the two crystals that he was holding. The third crystal had been smashed against the floor next to him, leaving a small green stain. Razor guessed that the destroyed one had once held Salen's blood. Salen looked over at Razor with tears silently streaking down his face.

"Do not touch me." Salen repeated.

"I promise to keep my hands to myself."

"I can fell them in here." Salen said sadly as he turned his attention back to the crystals. "I can tell that this one belonged to my mother, this one to my father."

Razor was unsure of what to say, so he said nothing. He quietly allowed Salen to grieve as he stared down at the crystals. Suddenly struggling for breath Salen turned to the side and began to dry heave violently. The retching wracked Salen's body and for a moment Razor feared that he was going to go into a seizure.

"Salen, are you dying?" Razor asked seriously.

"No." Salen whispered.

"You drank a lot of that Stargazer stuff. How can you not be dead?"

"It is exceedingly difficult to poison a Vulcan. Stargazer is not lethal to Vulcans, it is simply making me very ill."

"It certainly looked lethal."

"My initial reaction was my body going into shock." Salen explained quietly. "As the seizure threatened to claim my life my body shut down almost completely to protect me from further injury."

Silence fell over the pair again. Razor reached up and gingerly touched his newly pointed ear and winced in pain. Salen continued to stare at the emerald crystals, lost in thoughts of the past and the future that could have been. Grinding his teeth together Salen tried to control another fit of dry heaves. When Salen had himself under control again Razor shifted his weight, causing his knee to flare in pain angrily.

"Salen..." Razor hesitated "did you know that Stargazer wasn't lethal to Vulcans when you made the deal?"

"Yes." Salen nodded. "I would never leave you behind like that."

"I am sorry that I called you a coward."

"You had no way of knowing, and your reaction made the ruse more believable."

"Just doing my part." Razor chuckled. He offered Salen his hand. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"Do not touch me." Salen said as he shied away from Razor's offer.

"Salen," Razor sighed in frustration "I am not going to hurt you."

"You do not understand. I am poisonous."

"What?"

"The Stargazer, my body is attempting to rid me of it. I am sweating the drug. To touch my skin is to over dose. I can not be touched by any humans for the next three days."

"Oh, okay. That makes sense...I guess."

"What happened to your ear?" Salen asked.

"Nothing." Razor shrugged. "We should still get back to the ship, we can have you beamed directly to isolation."

"I do not know what to do with these." Salen whispered as he stared at the shards of Vulcan blood.

"I think I have an idea..."

Back on the Black Diamond Salen had spent two days in isolation as he worked the Stargazer out of his system. During that time Razor had asked Beckett for permission to travel to the Vulcan black hole, which had taken an addition three days. Salen was currently standing by one of the large viewing windows staring at the inky hole in space that was once his home. The crystal shards had been sent to join the rest of Vulcan in the gravity well.

Razor was watching his partner from across the room, giving him the space he needed. Salen had been extremely quiet during his time in isolation, and wasn't getting any more talkative now that he was free again. The rest of the crew wanted to hear about the blood bath on the planet, all of them duly impressed, however Salen insisted that he remembered very little. Salen had just started looking like he felt at ease among the Dogs, now he just wanted to be alone.

Beckett stepped up to Razor and put his hand on his shoulder. Razor understood the silent request to talk somewhere private. They traveled in silence to Beckett's quarters. Beckett offered Razor a glass of Romulan Ale, which he took gratefully. Beckett looked at Razor's cut ear critically.

"Doc said that he knows a plastic surgeon that can fix that." Beckett offered.

"No." Razor shook his head. "It doesn't bother me."

"Something's bothering you. I've never seen you so reserved."

"I'm worried about Salen."

"How so?"

"He really lost control down there."

"He was full of Stargazer." Beckett shrugged.

"It seemed like more than that. He seemed to be...enjoying it. Now that it's over he so filled with remorse that barely speaks to anyone."

"I'm sure he has a lot on his mind. I feel like an idiot for not thinking about the fact that Evans might know him. That is the last undercover mission I'm sending either one of you on. Although you both did amazing, you guys don't have the right training for it."

"No, I prefer to stick to the shadows. However, I'm not sure Salen is ever going to be ready for another mission. He is lost in his own thoughts, and none of them are good."

"I have an idea." Beckett went over to the intercom. "Flash, how far are we from the USS Intrepid?"

"About two days, Sir."

"Good, take us there, make sure we're cloaked."

"Aye, Sir."

"The Intrepid?" Razor questioned. "What's on the Intrepid?"

"Not what...who."