Chapter 9 Plan A
Heavy treads warned her of the return of her captors. Starbuck stood and leaned her shoulder on the wall with one bare foot crossed to present a posed stance of bored relaxation. A Centurion tramped through the door first, closely followed by a Six. This one wore a full body suit of black denim and black boots, and her expression was thunderous as she strode up to Kara and backhanded her, the force of the blow sending her sprawling.
Shaking her head to clear it, Starbuck looked up as the Cylon loomed over her, rage tautening the classic beauty's face into a caricature. One of the black boots swiftly shot out, catching Kara along her right side and she felt the crack of several ribs as pain lanced through her. A second kick buried itself in her gut and she tried to curl up, protecting her vulnerable mid-section as she fought for air.
Cold appendages dragged her upright and she was suspended again from the hook. This time the Centurion shortened the chain between her cuffs by threading the hook through several links instead of just the one in the center. As a result, she now swayed some inches from the floor, her entire body weight supported by only her arms and wrists.
It was a damned sight more painful than before.
As the Centurion stepped away and the Six moved in again, Starbuck tried swinging her right leg up in a roundhouse kick at the tall blonde, only to have a forearm hammer her knee aside. Silently cursing herself for the ill-advised move, Starbuck ground her teeth together to keep the moan from slipping out as agony raced outwards from her weakened joint.
"You really think you can fight me, little girl?" the Cylon woman spoke for the first time since entering the cell in her new incarnation. She drove a fist into Kara's exposed belly, then quickly followed with two additional blows to the ribcage, causing the strung-up prisoner to swing back from the force.
Trying to drag air into her abused chest, Starbuck finally managed breath enough and spit at her enemy, knowing too well she was just storing up more punishment for herself. The skin-job recoiled in disgust, surprise suffusing her face as she reached up with the back of her hand and wiped away the spittle.
"Leoben told me you were stubborn. He forgot to say you've a death wish as well," said Six when she found her voice again. "If you didn't have one before, Starbuck, you certainly will before I'm through with you." Another backhand spun Kara's head to the side, and the fist coming on a reciprocal course jarred her back the other way.
Blinking to focus, she could feel blood dripping from her cut lip and forced her aching jaw and mouth into a mocking smile. "You hit like a frakkin' girl. My mom had more steel to her than you. What are you, like, Cylon-lite or something?" she taunted the skin-job as she licked the coppery moisture from her swollen lip.
A straight jab to the nose rocked her head back this time and, as she tilted forward again, blood streamed from both nostrils down onto her chest and sports bra and her eyes watered. Pulling forth her ever-ready smirk, she carefully enunciated through her bloody mouth, "Second rate knockoff," and earned a clout alongside the temple. Her head lulled onto her chest while she fought the ringing in her ears. When she looked up again, it was to find that the Six had taken a step back and was regarding her with a frown.
"You think you're controlling this encounter, Starbuck? Goading me on. Is that it?" The anger drained from the sultry voice, instead, she sounded vaguely amused. The tall blonde narrowed her eyes and said, "You actually want me to beat you senseless. Hard to answer questions with a broken jaw, huh, Captain?"
Frak. Almost worked, too, Starbuck thought to herself as she ran her tongue along the inside of her cheek where it had been mashed against her teeth.
Ok, time for plan B…
Wish I had a frakkin' plan B.
She hadn't given much thought to other options, having been sure she could get the Toaster enraged enough to keep conversation to a minimum. Pissing people off was a Starbuck specialty, after all. Giving a mental grimace, she cast her eyes around the room, looking for inspiration, but looked back as the Six stepped forward again.
"Now that we've dispensed with the small talk, Captain. Let's just get down to the Q&A part of this little interrogation, shall we?" The Cylon woman's good humor seemed to have come out at thwarting Kara's attempt at evasion. "Let's start with a simple one. Where's the fleet?"
"Right, like I'd know," scoffed Starbuck.
"Ok, I'll give you that one," Six said as she crossed her arms and reconsidered her line of questioning. "So you don't know where the fleet's currently hiding, but you can tell me about the contingency plans Admiral Adama had in place in the event of the our arrival."
"Can. Won't. So, frak-off," Starbuck said, going for a bored look as she rolled her eyes. On second thought, she wondered if she should have tried playing up the dumb Viper jock angle instead?
"Oh, I think you will," the Six contradicted. Her expression turned malicious as she continued, "When I'm not trying to 'beat someone senseless', I know a few techniques to induce pain while keeping permanent damage to a minimum."
And over the next hour, the Six proceeded to demonstrate those techniques.
She'd started out simple; open-handed slaps that were startling painful on bare skin, especially when they struck the already purpling areas along Kara's right side.
When that failed to elicit anything beyond winces and a taunting yawn from Starbuck, the Cylon switched to nailing pressure points. By jamming and pinching nerve bundles at strategic junctures, she had Kara jerking and struggling to twist away from the torment.
Yet, even those techniques drew forth only grunts as Kara kept her teeth clamped on her lower lip, causing more blood to dribble down her chin and splatter as scarlet droplets on the concrete below her dangling feet.
As the Cylon woman again took a step back, frustration thinning her lips, Kara let her eyes fall shut, head lulling forward in exhaustion and thankful for the temporary reprieve. Her arms were cramping and everything ached from the abuse. She opened her eyes and blinked away the sweat as she fought to keep herself focused. Trouble was, it was getting more and more difficult.
Taking shallow breaths to avoid straining her damaged ribs, Kara considered her options, to stay silent or starting lying now. As best as she was able, she was already compartmentalizing the pain, sliding panes into place to separate herself from the worst of it, a useful trick she'd learned as a child.
The only offensive weapon she now had in this contest was her ability to turn fear into anger. That was the other gift her mom had given her. Maybe Socrates Thrace had seen this day coming after all. Well, Kara had paid in blood for her coping skills; it was time to employ them to the fullest.
To hell with plan B.
"What? Tired already," she taunted the Cylon woman, lifting her chin from her chest and winking at the glowering blonde. "Got no staying power… Maybe need a new battery, huh?" Another knowing wink, "Bet you could get a jump from one of your Centurion friends." She saw the flush stain the pale female's complexion and smothered a satisfied grin.
Oh, yeah. I'm really good at pissing people off. Even the manufactured variety.
"Leoben—hell, even Simon's—scarier than you." Seeing the Cylon's nostrils flare, Starbuck continued to push. "I bested you in the Delphi museum; smacked you good in the Farm. Hell, even strung up, I owned you, bitch."
Yup, that did it.
Six obviously forgot about her earlier resolution as her face filled with wrath and swiftly she closed on Starbuck, striking out to wipe her smirk away. The knuckles smacked high on Kara's cheekbone, but the crack and flaring pain just added tinder to her anger and she laughed—laughed—in the skin-job's face.
The Six lost all control then. Blows pummeled Kara's helpless torso and head. until darkness finally shuttered her world closed.
[ I I I I I ]
Consciousness came back slowly.
Abused muscles and flesh flickered their messages of pain to her sluggish brain. Blinking her eyes, Kara's concussed mind took awhile to process that the grey surface in front of her nose was the concrete floor of her cell. A shiver goosebumped her arms and she clamped teeth together to prevent them from chattering. The chill of the floor had transfused to her skin except where bruised and reddened flesh throbbed with heat.
Sliding a heavy arm forward, she pushed onto her side, her wavering gaze searching the cell for enemies. She was alone. She closed her eyes as the movement woke her to the damage all along her right side. Carefully taking shallow breaths, she felt the pain stir her stomach with bile. The thought of what vomiting would do to her side gave Kara enough motivation to fight the nausea back down. Once sure she had the urge under control, she opened her eyes again and tried to concentrate.
There was something she needed…
Turning her head slightly, she spotted a bundle by the wall. Her tanks. Only then did she realize that she was still topless except for the sports bra.
Cold…right…do something bout that.
Cautiously shifting, using her arms rather than stomach muscles, Kara levered herself over onto hands and knees, the pressure on her right knee reminding her of the new damage on that front. Debating between crawling the short distance or struggling to her feet, crawling won out, not trusting that she'd be able to stay upright. Sliding forward, keeping as much weight off her re-injured knee as possible, she crossed to the garments. Kara pulled the grey tank over her head and maneuvered her aching arms into the proper holes, feeling a few degrees warmer even as the cotton material chaffed her tender skin. She slid the couple of feet to the corner spigot and, after wetting the darker shirt, worked at the dried blood on her face and wrists. She cupped a few mouthfuls of water to quench her thirst before rewetting the shirt. With a moan, she settled back and leaned her head to rest against the wall as she held the damp material to her swollen cheek and lip.
Plan A sucked. It worked…but it still sucked.
Sitting alone in the stark cell, she was resigned that the next hours were going to be just as crappily painful as she'd thought. Nothing to do but nurse her bruises and wait for the next visit.
And she was sure that there'd be a next.
Then another after that…and so on.
What she wasn't sure of now, was her ability to drive the Cylon into another rage. She'd barely succeeded this time. No. If they sent the same Six again, she'd best have a Plan B ready this time.
Plan B, C, D. Frak…what came after D.
"Right E," she mumbled, then giggled and instantly regretted it. Putting a hand to her batter ribs, Kara realized that it was the concussion making her loopy.
Nothing for to do it. Nothing to do—frak, she cursed silently as her thoughts refused to focus.
Kara shifted, trying to ease her side a little, but then her knee protested, drawing her attention to yet another concern. If she'd torn it up a third time… Shying away from finishing the thought, she instead carefully hitched up her pant leg to expose the offending joint. Definitely swelling. Some good news, though. It didn't look or feel as bad as it had that time on the moon. Wrapping the still damp tank tightly around the knee, she hoped the compression and cold would bring down the swelling. It was really all she could do for the present.
The pounding in her head and weariness of her body were sapping the last of her strength and she sagged back against the concrete surface and let her chin sink to her chest, eyes drooping closed.
Suppose to stay awake…
Too much effort, though, she decided as she drifted away again.
[ I I I I I ]
Waking again some hours later, Kara started to stretch and clamped her teeth shut as the incautious move stoked the embers of pain in her right side. Forcing herself to unclench her jaw, she took shallow breaths and waited for the flaring agony to subside again.
The call of nature forced her to struggle to unsteady feet and make use of the fine indoor plumbing the Cylons had provided her in the form of the bucket in the corner. Least I'm not peeing blood, she thankfully thought, hoping that meant there wasn't any internal damage from the Six using her as a personal stress reliever.
Slumping back down by the spigot, she slowly drank her fill, then settled back to take inventory. Her cheek and jaw had that deep ache she'd learned to identify with a fracture. Guess she could be thankful the bitch hadn't actually broken the jaw, though it felt like she'd come close. Both arms were incredibly stiff, and the muscles along her shoulders kept trying to cramp. It was damned near impossible to rub at one without the other knotting up. But even that was merely uncomfortable compared to the radiating pain of her battered torso. Three, maybe four ribs this time, Kara decided. Nothing she hadn't dealt with before. But, it was gonna be frakkin' painful breathing for the next week or so.
She had put off checking her knee until last. Her stiff fingers fumbled at the nearly dry tank top as she unwrapped it to reveal the bruised joint. Carefully probing, she was relieved that the knee was tender, but not too bad. Most of the swelling had even subsided.
Pushing to her feet again, she slowly worked the black tank over her head, figuring it was dry enough to wear over the grey one. As her stomach rumbled a reminder that it had been at least a day since she'd last eaten, Kara decided to try some stretching exercise to loosen her restricted muscles and take her mind off her empty belly.
Cautiously swinging her outstretched arms in circles, Kara remembered one particular morning on Galactica back before her trip to Caprica. She had been the first to wake for a change and had gone to drag Lee from his rack for their morning run, only to find him decidedly unreceptive to the idea. As she'd tugged the privacy curtain aside, he'd moaned, rolling over to blink bloodshot eyes at her.
"Frak, Lee, you go out drinking last night without me?" she'd mocked, but had been secretly worried at his appearance.
"My back," he mumbled, not fully awake yet, grunting again as he shifted. "Must a wrenched it yesterday."
"Turn over," she said. Then, nudging his hip, "Come on, move it, Apollo," she ordered. As he cautiously rolled onto his stomach, Kara had settled onto the narrow bunk beside him.
For the first minute, Kara had just let herself enjoy the illicit feel of Lee's skin as she gently ran her hands up and down his warm back. Then she had started kneading at the tense muscles, feeling them slowly ease beneath her probing fingertips as she worked her way down his spine. He'd groaned, half in pain, half from pleasure at her ministrations. Finding a knot, she had leaned her weight into it and circled her thumbs until the reluctant muscle had finally unclenched. Her hands had traveled lower then, and again Kara had admired the well-sculpted physique until Lee had turned his head and their eyes met. The intensity of their connection had scared her, and Kara had abruptly stood, flashing him a discordant grin and told him to haul his ass out of the rack or he'd be late for their morning briefing.
Remembering how she'd fled from his confused look that long ago day, Kara now let her aching arms fall to her side and dropped her chin to her chest. Lords, she was so weak. Letting him see her desire at that moment had caused a subtle change in their relationship. From that point on, each touch, no matter how innocent, charged the air between them and Kara had found herself wanting more. She'd known then that there couldn't be—couldn't allowed to be—anything between them, but that hadn't stopped her from wanting it.
Shaking her arms, she tried to shake away the memory of his skin, too. Forcing herself to move, she limped slowly around the small cell, again doing cautiously arm circles, first forward then reversing, until she halted with a curse as a charlie-horse rode up the muscles along her right shoulder. She leaned against the wall and attempted to stretch out the rebellious knot. What she wouldn't give right now to be back on Galactica with Lee returning the favor.
Angry tears stung her eyes and Kara blinked them back. Where the frak was Galactica anyways? Going on two months now and nothing. Swallowing back her fears, refusing to believe that she had been abandoned, she restarted her slow circuit of the cell.
They were coming back. It was her job to hold out. And she was going to do her frakkin' job.