When Kirchoff was screaming at Dr. Nigel, Valen felt like time had frozen. He had seen him put through so much pain over the last few days that any amount of pain Kirchoff felt was cause for concern, but the sheer anger and hurt Kirchoff felt was utterly brutal. When Kirchoff collapsed, he curled around Kirchoff protectively in an instant to shield him from the sound the idiotic Dr. Nigel speaking over the microphone. It had been a long time since he had last heard her voice, but it was not pleasant to hear it again, especially under the circumstances.

Dr. Nigel… The thought of her now made his blood boil. She openly admitted to standing by and letting Kirchoff get tortured, which had very nearly killed him. That was unforgivable. Valen didn't sleep at all while Kirchoff was passed out in his arms. He remained curled around him and hissed whenever he thought he heard Dr. Nigel trying to use the intercom.

Eventually, Kirchoff began to stir in his arms. Valen tried his best not to cry out in relief and quickly made contact with his mind. Kirchoff! Kirchoff, can you hear me?

His mind was a blur of half formed thoughts and emotions. His outburst yesterday had really taken its toll on him. He did his best to comfort Kirchoff, speaking softly to him and nuzzling his head. Eventually, his roiling consciousness began to stabilize into coherent thoughts. Kirchoff tried to say something, but voice was incredibly ragged and hoarse and he couldn't make anything out.

Valen. Even his mental voice sounded weak and raspy. Can you write?

Write? Valen had no idea what he meant. What do you mean? I know what the letters are.

Can you write a sentence?

Perhaps? I'm not sure, I've never done it before.

Can you write a word? he asked. It's important.

I'll try. He was very doubtful of ability to write, but if Kirchoff thought it important then he had to try. What do you want me to write?

Dr. Nigel was sitting in a chair directly in front of the monitor. She didn't dare take her eyes off of the screen. Kirchoff's reaction and outburst had revealed just how badly he had been hurt, and it was all her fault.

Of course she had tried to hide behind the excuse that it wasn't her fault, that Dr. Gavin made her do it, that Julianne had been the one to torture him, but in the end, she knew it was her own inaction that had caused him so much pain. And the worst part was that she still didn't feel guilty. She did what had to be done to save him, and now she had to live with the fallout.

She also wanted to get him out of that chamber and have a doctor examine him, but there would be no way of safely extracting him while Valen was there. For now, all she could do was wait.

It took a long time, but eventually she saw Valen unfurl himself and walked to the wall near the center of the room. She watched him as intently, wondering what he was going to do. He paced back and forth along the wall, staring at it. Then he slashed repeatedly at it with his claws leaving a rough, yet distinct series of lines on the wall. When he was done, he backed off to admire his handiwork. She peered at the marking closely. It looked like a load of gibberish to her, but she kept watching as Valen tilted his head in Kirchoff's direction, then went back to work clawing away at the wall.

Over the next little while, she watched him carve multiple lines and squiggles into the side of the wall under Kirchoff's direction. It took some time, since whatever he was writing on the wall looked very deliberate, and Valen didn't have any experience writing. Dr. Nigel leaned forwards until her face was only a few inches from the monitor. She looked hard at the gouges on the wall, trying to look for any letters or words she could recognize. At first, they made absolutely no sense. That looked like… a D. A very rough, yet distinct capital D.

From there she worked away at it, making out more words as she stared at the letters on the wall, trying to make out which one was which.

"KE… Y… BOA… R… D," she muttered. What? Why would he ask for a keyboard… oh! That clever son of a bitch. Why didn't I think of that?

Slapping herself on the head, Dr. Nigel rushed out of her lab and back to her office. She shifted the papers on her desk until she uncovered an intercom, one she knew was used for conversations better left off official audio records.

"Stephenson, I want you to bring me a set of 2-way communication monitors from the hospital," she told the intercom. "The ones used for non-verbal patients."

"Um, yes ma'am," Stephenson, her new secretary said. "May I ask why?"

"No you may not," she replied. "Now go get me those tablets. And if anyone asks why you're getting them, say that they're defective and being scrapped."

"Yes ma'am." Stephenson hung up the phone, and Dr. Nigel turned her attention back to the monitors.

Valen watched silently as the fake wall slid back up into position. He would have dearly loved to hide behind the door and rip the woman's throat out when she appeared, but Kirchoff told him to wait with him. Besides, there was no way she would come into the room without Valen being securely held on the other side of the thick divider.

Dr. Nigel had briefly talked over the speakers in a muted voice to explain her, which Kirchoff and Valen agreed to with quiet nods. Valen glanced down at Kirchoff who was standing shakily with both his hands up against his shiny black hide. Although he had been recovering remarkably fast, he was still very weak and sensitive. Any sort of loud noise caused his extreme discomfort and he had to squint in order to look around the room.

He was also still naked, except for a loose garment covering up his private area. Kirchoff explained that it itched like crazy whenever his clothes rubbed against his skin and Valen could see the rash all over his body that he had gotten from his clothing. Although it made Kirchoff feel better, it was hard for Valen to ignore the rather noticeable bulge in Kirchoff's undergarments. He caught himself catching glances down at his crotch before looking away hurriedly. Now was not the time or place. Valen told himself this repeatedly, that it was not appropriate right now, but it didn't make it any easier to resist staring.

His attention was drawn away from Kirchoff when a door opened up on their side of the room. It was only raised about 3 inches, so there was no opportunity for escape there. A thin black pad was shoved through the crack and the door swiftly slammed shut again.

Can you get that? Kirchoff asked.

Fine, but sit down first. You'll fall over.

I'll be fine.

Valen snorted. I'm not moving until you sit down and get comfortable.

Alright. Kirchoff obediently sat down with his legs crossed.

I said comfortable, Valen said. Kirchoff laid down on the floor and waved his arms back and forth like he was making a snow angel.

Happy now?

I said get comfortable, not have a fit.

Kirchoff sat back up and looked at Valen irritated. Just get the tablet.

Chagrined, Valen walked over to the small black monitor on the floor and slid it over to Kirchoff. He picked it up and held it close to his face. It was an unremarkable thing, about eight inches long on both sides with a thin body and a flat touch screen. It was modeled after the ancient cell phone technology developed on earth over a century ago. Nevertheless it was effective at what it did. It was used to communicate with hospital patients who couldn't or were forbidden to speak. He fumbled around with the sides of the tablet until his fingers stumbled on the power button. He pressed it and was blinded by the sudden brightness of the screen. He tilted it away and waited until the glow projected on his hands dimmed before tilting it towards his face again. The light still hurt, but it was bearable now. On the bottom half of the screen was a keyboard complete with symbols and numbers. The top half was left blank for text.

Kirchoff fiddled around with the brightness settings for a bit until it was on the minimum setting, then typed out a message on the pad.

SYS: Communication Opened.

K: You can come in now. We're ready.

The door behind the transparent wall slid open and Dr. Nigel came through, dragging a chair on wheels behind her with one hand and a black tablet identical to Kirchoff's in the other. She walked right up to the wall, sat herself down on her chair and began to type rapidly.

N: How are you? Are you okay?

Are you okay? Valen snorted. What kind of a question is that?

Kirchoff just shook his head and typed.

K: Turn down the lights. It's too bright in here.

N: Yes. Give me a second.

She pulled a black remote out of her pocket and pressed a button several times. The lights in the room dimmed until it was almost in complete darkness, save for the glow of the screens.

N: Is that better?

K: Much better. I can open my eyes all the way now.

N: What's wrong with your eyes? I can barely see anything.

Kirchoff looked at Valen who had plopped himself down beside Kirchoff and was busy cleaning himself.

What? He asked.

Stop that, it's distracting.

Oh, I'm distracting, am I?

Yes, please stop it.

No. You're distracting me from my cleaning.

Kirchoff groaned aloud. Can we not do this now please.

No, I'm filthy and you sweat in your sleep.

That's not my fault! He retorted. Need I remind you I almost died. Could you cut me some slack?

Fine, but only if you clean me instead.

What? No, I'm not cleaning you!

Well I've got to get clean, and someone has to do it.

N: Are you quite done there?

Kirchoff looked over at Dr. Nigel who was looking at them with a bemused expression. Their mental argument must not have been as discreet as he thought, even in the near darkness.

N: I can see you two are still getting used to living with each other. How's the conversation?

Right. She knew about that. Yesterday's conversation crept back to the forefront of his thoughts and a scowl made its way across his face.

K: Fine. But just in case you forgot, I was recently tortured. So conversation hasn't exactly been my number one priority.

He looked over at Dr. Nigel, trying to gauge her reaction. She looked up and he saw the sorrow and regret in her eyes.

N: Kirchoff, I truly am sorry for what happened to you. The only reason I didn't stop it was because it was the only way I thought I could keep us all alive. I'm sorry this had to happen to you. Is there any way I can make it up to you?

Is there any way I can make it up to you… Can you think of a way she can make it up to you, because I'm totally at a loss. Valen said sarcastically.

K: Let me think.

Dr. Nigel spun her chair around in a circle. Kirchoff and Valen had been talking for the past ten minutes. Even though she couldn't hear them speaking, she knew they would undoubtedly be chatting up a storm. She had deliberately given them a very generous offer and they were going to take full advantage of it. She knew that she was probably going to regret it sometime in the future, but it still helped ease her conscience.

A quiet ding from the tablet in her hand indicated Kirchoff's reply.

K: I've made up my mind. We want to be moved to a better place to live, with guaranteed protection. And we want to be able to make requests for supplies whenever we feel like it.

She may have made a generous offer, but that was pushing it just a bit.

N: I can't just move you two Kirchoff, the sheer amount of paperwork required to move you here was astronomical. I might be the new interim Director of Research, but I'm not all powerful. Not to mention I need the approval of at least a dozen officials, and not all of them can be bought off easily.

K: I don't give a shit about how hard it is. These are my demands, and you're not in any position to deny me what I want.

N: Really? And why is that?

K: Because I'm so frail at the moment I'd probably die if you so much as sneezed on me. Need I remind you that if I kick the bucket, your little experiment will be lost and you'll lose any further opportunity to study Valen. And the way you make it sound, you definitely still need Valen if you want to save your job and your skin. If something unfortunate were to happen to me…

She felt the blood drain from her face as she read the text. His message trailed off, but the implications of it were crystal clear. And he was right too. As much as she wanted to deny it, her project, her career, and very probably her life rested on Kirchoff and Valen. She had just turned in Dr. Gavin to the Ethics Board to save him, and now she had to keep them alive, or this would all be for nothing.

If she wanted their cooperation, she would have to give them what they wanted. Kirchoff was clearly in no mood to bargain, and anything she could do to reason with them wouldn't accomplish anything at this point. Not right now. Besides, did she really want to deny Kirchoff's request? It wasn't like she could keep them here forever anyways.

N: Let me think about this for a minute.

Valen, you're brilliant, Kirchoff thought.

I thought that was obvious, he replied. But thank you anyways.

I mean it! he gushed. That was awesome. I couldn't have worded it better myself.

I've been told I drive a hard bargain, Valen bragged.

I never said that.

No, but you've thought it.

I can never have any real privacy with you can I?

No, not really.

Kirchoff looked back over at Dr. Nigel. She was still sitting with the same expression of shock on her face when she first read Valen's message. Of course he didn't tell her it was from Valen, but that made it all the more effective. She clearly thought of herself as an exceptionally clever person, but she had never had an argument with anyone the same caliber as Valen. Or with anyone who could read her mind.

K: So, what are your thoughts?

It was a long time before she responded. Kirchoff leaned back up against Valen who was curled up behind him. When she finally responded, she chose her words carefully.

N: This is my proposal. In exchange for your and Valen's guaranteed safety and comfort, you have to keep participating in my little project. None of the tests you will undergo will be designed to harm or torture information or reactions out of you in any way. In addition, Kirchoff, you must have weekly checkups with my personal physician to monitor your condition. I don't want you to keel over and die on us.

Well, what do you think? he asked Valen.

It seems a reasonable agreement, he sniffed. We could use some better living quarters though if the two of us are going to end up living together.

Who says we'll be living together?

I do, he let out a low growl. And if you argue, I'm going to wrap you up and carry you around like a sack of potatoes..

Do you even know what potatoes are?

Yes, and I know potatoes fix exceptionally well into sacks. I'm not letting you out of my sight, not after this.

K: We agree, on one condition. Valen and I will share the same living quarters at all times. And not just an empty white room either, something comfortable and roomy. Xeno's aren't big fans of being cooped up for long periods of time.

N: Deal. Any other requests.

K: Can I get some food and water? I'm starving and my throat hurts. And maybe a bucket too. I'd rather not do my business on the carpet.

N: I'll have something sent down.

K: Thanks.

SYS: End communication.

Kirchoff turned off the tablet and slumped against Valen's body. He looked exhausted. It was no wonder why though. Kirchoff was still incredibly weak after his ordeal and even typing a conversation was tiring.

Are you okay?

Yes Valen, I'm fine. You can stop asking that, he said. I'm just tired.

And everything hurts, Valen added.

That too.

And you're not sure if you'll ever recover.

Yes, that too.

And you'll never be able to live your childhood dream of becoming a professional ballerina…

No! Kirchoff exclaimed. You promised to never bring that up again!

Just trying to cheer you up.

Yeah, you're doing a bang up job.

Was that sarcasm I heard?

Shut up.

I think it was!

The door on their side of the room opened up again. A bowl and a bottle of water were pushed through the crack.

Do you mind? he asked Valen.

Valen let out a small hiss in annoyance, but he brought the bowl and the bottle over to Kirchoff. Are you sure you want to eat this, it looks like a bowl of ground up rocks.

Blech, sounds like oatmeal.

Valen sniffed the contents of the bowl. If that's what you eat, then I'm glad I'm not a human.

Let me at it. It should be enough to blot out the taste of my morning breath. Kirchoff grabbed the spoon sticking out of the bowl and gave it a yank. It didn't budge. He tried twisting it, but it sprang back to its original position. The food at the Bernard Research Station was relatively good, except for the oatmeal. It was infamous for being impossible to scoop into a spoon, let alone eat. There was even a tradition where new hires had to eat an entire bowl of the stuff as a sort of hazing.

Having trouble there? Valen asked, swishing his tail back and forth in an amused fashion.

Um, can you help me? he asked. Valen stopped swishing his tail and burst out in his weird hissing laugh. He tried to stop, but whenever he looked over at Kirchoff struggling with his spoon it made him laugh even harder.

I'm being serious here, Kirchoff said indignantly.

Valen pulled himself together long enough to yank the spoon out of the oatmeal with one swift jerk of his claws, but he fell into hysterics again when he saw Kirchoff trying to eat it. He had stabbed the stuff with his spoon and ripped out a chunk and was trying to chew it.

It tastes like rocks. He told Valen. That only made him laugh harder. He was literally laying on the floor trying to catch his breath. Do you have to be so loud? That hurts my ears.

Stop being so entertaining then, he could barely get the words across. Kirchoff could feel his amusement, which made him smile. You look ridiculous when you're laughing.

Says the human trying who can't get his spoon out of his oatmeal.

At least I have an excuse. You just look silly. He took another bite of the oatmeal and gagged. I can't eat this crap, it tastes awful.

Have you ever tried eating raw octopus?

No.

You shouldn't. It's slimy and disgusting.

Did they feed you raw octopus before?

Yes, and it was slimy and disgusting.

Kirchoff chuckled and pushed the bowl away. He had Valen open the bottle of water by stabbing it into the top of the lid and sucking it down as fast as he could manage. When he was done, he thought, I'm going to sleep.

Valen crept up behind him and pulled him into a hug. You know, for being an intelligent, ruthless killing machine, you sure are cuddly. Valen purred in response and curled himself around his body protectively. Kirchoff pressed himself up against Valen's protruding ribs and sighed. It wasn't the most comfortable spot to be in, but it made him feel safe.

Good night Valen.

Good night Kirchoff.