Present day
Tigh helped her take a drink as he spoke to Doc.
"Time passed Doc. A week, two, it was hard to tell. They left us alone for a while. Turned off the lights and just left. It seemed days passed. Then all of a sudden they'd come back, start with the positions all over again, only this time we both got trussed up."
He noted Starbuck was unable to meet his gaze as she spoke.
"They went back on their deal. Told me I'd broken my word when I'd…collapsed….that I hadn't done everything they'd asked. Told me the Colonel was fair game now. Beat me unconscious when I protested."
Another layer of guilt weighed Tigh down. Looking at her now he knew it was going to be much harder to talk about all of this while she was awake. He stuttered on the next sentence, watching her recoil as the memory came back.
"They uh, they took to putting the hoods back on as well." He had never known she was claustrophobic until this whole damned experience. He tightened his grip on her hand, unable to get her to look at him. "Damn things Doc, made it all a hundred times worse, you couldn't get your bearings you know. Could only really hear your own breathing. And you couldn't see when they came at you either."
Doc noticed everything, the hesitation from Saul, the naked fear in Kara's downcast eyes. He wanted to kill something, or someone. His oath to protect, to do no harm pushed way down inside as he took in the wrecks of the two soldiers in front of him.
"Things changed though when they stepped it up. Until then they'd been toying with us Doc. I guess they wanted some hands on experience."
1.5 months earlier
In what was getting to be annoyingly familiar, Saul woke up wondering where the hell he was and who exactly had run him over. This time the pain wasn't just in his head, his entire body ached, his right shoulder shouting loudest. Once again he extended his senses trying to figure out what was going on. He was unsurprised to feel the cool metal underneath him and behind him, once again he was slumped in a corner of their cell. He did however snap his eyes open pretty damn quick when his hearing kicked in and he could hear the sounds of a ferocious struggle. His vision unimpeded by any hood, he thanked the Gods for that small mercy.
His heart skipped a beat when he took in the scene. He immediately pushed down his joy to see the old fight back in Starbuck, for clearly she'd given up her passive ways as she launched another parried right hook at the Leobon model. Evidently they were toying with her though as Boomer once more grabbed onto her flailing right arm and wrenched it up her back to join her left arm. Starbuck still struggled to get away even as he could see her arms forced up to the point of dislocation.
He took in her appearance in a glance, noting the bleeding gash above her eye, the blackening eye and the split lip. None of them had been there before. Her eyes were furious, sparks of anger shooting towards the cylon in front of her. He rejoiced in the fact the fear was gone, her fight was back, all was once again right with the world. Apart from the whole 'held captive by mad toasters' issue.
He started to raise himself up, determined to help her.
"Get your hands off her you damned son of a bitch. Pick on someone your own size". He charged at Leobon, knocking him into the wall and to the ground. He concentrated on raining blows down on the perennially smirking cylon, feeling a certain sense of euphoria as he got in a few good shots, enough to draw blood, before he was caught by an explosive uppercut. As he lay dazed on his back he heard Starbuck shouting.
"Leave him alone, damnit let go of me" he saw her once more struggling to break Boomer's grip, alas she didn't stand a chance. Leobon landed a vicious fist to her solar plexus, immediately her breath was gone and but for the grip on her she would have been face down on the ground. Instead as she gasped for air Leobon punched her once more in the stomach. This time Boomer let her go.
Saul took pleasure in hearing the cylon gasp for breath as he spoke. "OK you two, enough. We've gone easy on you so far…"
Saul caught Kara's gaze, could see a flicker of a raised eyebrow as if to say 'This has been easy'.
"…But it seems your little resistance friends are gonna force our hand. Seems they've been trying to find you, sniffing around in places they don't belong. The problem is they're actually quite smart, for humans, and we'd like to know more about them. And I guess you two would have a pretty good idea whose running the show back there. So here's the deal, you give us names, we let you go."
"You're kidding right?"
"Not a hope in hell"
Saul and Kara both voicing their disagreement simultaneously. This was something they had spoken about in the cold, dark times. Both agreed that giving up anyone else was out of the question, whatever happened. Saul had hoped his resolve wouldn't be tested.
That smirk just grew wider, "I was so hoping you'd say that. Boomer, the chair please."
Two sets of eyes met, questions in both as to 'what the hell now?'. Both turned to the door to see Boomer appear with a high-backed metal chair, ominously complete with restraints on the arms. As she set it down against the far wall she addressed Saul.
"Colonel, on your feet please."
"What are you gonna do to him, Leobon, leave him alone." Kara was kneeling up now, her arm curled protectively over her abused midsection.
The cylon chuckled. "Don't worry Starbuck, we're not gonna hurt him if he does what we say." He turned to the still seated Tigh but aimed his words at Kara. "But we will hurt you if he doesn't".
Tigh saw her blanch at his words, then saw the tough soldier front erected once more. He rose, determined not to give them cause, "OK, I'm up, don't you touch her. You hear me toaster boy?".
As Boomer forced him into the chair and started strapping down his arms at wrist and elbow Leobon advanced on Kara.
"Oh Colonel, I'm gonna do far more than touch her. But you get a say in how much its gonna hurt when I do. Now, give me names."
Tigh tried to move but found he was effectively immobilised and watched as both cylons advanced on Kara, and cringed when he saw her backing away until her back hit the wall. Her voice was murderous. "Get away from me you frakking…"
Leobon grabbed her wrist away from her midsection, used it to twist her body round and slam her face first against the wall bringing her arms up behind her and once more cuffing her wrists together. "Language Starbuck, I don't like you cursing like that, not very becoming you know." He knocked her face into the wall as she started to curse him again. "Infact, lets not give you temptation anymore." With that Boomer gagged her.
As they spun her back around Saul could see the fury on her face.
"Come on Colonel, names if you please."
He watched as she shook her head, her eyes threatening him harm if he spoke. He'd had no intention of doing so, but knowing she was putting herself on the line for this absolved him of some of the guilt.
"I don't know what you're talking about". He held eye contact with Leobon above Kara's head, watched as the cylon seemed pleased with his answer.
"Very well Colonel, don't say we didn't warn you."
They went to town on her. While Boomer held her from behind, Leobon took great pleasure in raining blow after blow on her torso and face. Pained whimpers escaped from around the gag though Saul could clearly see her trying to hold them in, he was fairly sure for his benefit. From out of pockets they produced tazer stun guns. Boomer fired one into her kidneys first, her entire body writhed in the shock, dropping to the floor when the current stopped. Again and again Boomer pushed the weapon into her, burning her skin on contact, from collarbone to ankle. By now Starbuck was barely conscious, tears openly streaming down her face, blood flowing from numerous cuts and scrapes.
Leobon hauled her to her feet, his cruel grip around her throat the only thing keeping her upright. His gaze landed on Saul who tore his own gaze from the battered woman in front of him. "Names Colonel. That's all we want." He shook Kara eliciting more muffled yelps. "This is nothing, nothing compared to what is coming her way. Do you understand Colonel?"
Saul seethed, caught between naming his friends, or trying to help the sacrificial lamb. He was seriously contemplating giving false names, anything to buy them time, but he feared that would only make it worse. However, when he glanced at her again she had managed to fix her eyes on his, and through the tears, and the pain, he saw a small flicker of defiance. At that moment he knew he could only make one decision, though his heart would never forgive him, he knew he couldn't betray anyone else.
"I don't know any names. I can't give you what you want. Let her go. Take me instead, come on, I'll give you a much better fight. Please, just leave her be." He couldn't face her gaze, pinning his eyes on Leobon.
"See Starbuck, you really are worthless, even the Colonel thinks so." He was nuzzling her bloodied neck. "But you know what Colonel, there's one thing you can't possibly give me that she can." He took a knife from his pocket, held it to her throat, smiling as she tried to pull back, whimpering. "Shh, don't move Starbuck, you wouldn't want me to slip now." And he proceeded to slip the knife under the collar of her shirt, drawing it straight down the front, slicing the material as he went. Kara closed her eyes, held herself rigid though all she wanted to do was fight and Saul was sure he made out a pained "no" from around the gag.
"Don't do this Leobon, don't do this to her."
The cylon ignored him, finishing the slicing with a flourish, pulling the knife outwards at the bottom, watching as the two halves fell open to reveal her skin underneath. He peeled them back to completely expose her battered torso, only her sports bra covering her modesty. Saul glanced at her face, her eyes tight shut, her cheeks burning with humiliation. The cylons voice bringing his gaze back to the knife which now rested at the top of the bra, dipping into her bloody cleavage.
"What do you think Colonel, she look a little overdressed to you?" And with that he flicked the knife down, totally exposing Kara to everyone on the room. Saul raised his gaze, kept them on the cylons face, refusing to play along. He was acutely aware of the tears once again leaking from Kara's screwed shut eyes, could feel the shame falling off her in waves. He didn't know what to say to make this right, so he went with rage.
"You frakking bastard. What the hell is this supposed to prove. Frakking pervert now as well as a murderer? You've proved your point now frakking let us go."
He could see his words were not getting through to Leobon who was now using his free hand to run across Kara's exposed chest, pawing at her like he'd never seen a woman before.
"Get your frakking hands off of her". By now Saul was incensed and trying to break free of his restraints, shouting and hurling threats at the oblivious cylon.
"Boomer, shut him up, I need a little quiet here". And with that Saul was knocked out.
Present day
Doc watched as Starbuck had progressively shut herself off from them, withdrawing her hand from Tigh's, closing her eyes even as the tears fell as Saul continued his account. Twice he'd stopped, refusing to go on until she'd calmed down and made him continue, wanting to get this out and done with much as it destroyed her.
Saul wiped the tears from his eyes, watching as she tried so desperately to distance herself from events so she could tell what had happened next.
"Why don't I give you two a little time, we can continue this in a little while ok."
"No." Her voice stronger than he could have imagined in the circumstances. "Lets get this over with Doc. Just….just be patient ok."
"That's my line"
His attempt at humour fell flat. He decided to face the ugly, obvious question head on instead.
"OK, so, they knocked Saul out. Did he rape you then Kara?"
The silence was so long he didn't think she was going to answer. But, finally, she fixed her stare on his, the hurt killing him as she eventually responded, anger forcing her words. "No Doc. At least not then. They wanted the Colonel to be awake for that. Wanted to completely humiliate me you know."
The tears continued though she seemed to ignore them now, fixed on Doc instead, her rage giving her strength, Doc's heart broke for her as she started her side of things.
"Have you ever been stripped naked against your will Doc?"