Pain wracked Mutt's body. He groaned. Slowly, he opened his eyes only to be blinded by sunlight.
He blinked a few times and looked around, trying to figure out where he was. He was lying on the ground near some tan tents. "Oh, you're awake!" A voice said next to him. He turned his head to see Freyja. "Where are we?" He croaked. His throat was parched.
"Here." She grabbed a tin cup that was sitting next to her. She gently slipped her arm under his back and hauled him into a sitting position. His head spun and he closed his eyes. She waited until he reopened his eyes and then held the cup to his lips. He drank greedily despite his roiling stomach. Finally, she took the cup away and gently lowered him back down.
"We are at the Soviet campsite. You lost consciousness after a bit of walking. They told me to put you here and then took Professor Jones to that tent." She pointed to the biggest of the tents. Some soldiers passed jeering and pointing at them. Freyja spit and hit one of them in the face. This only made them laugh harder. Freyja only rolled her eyes and turned back to him.
He was beginning to see that she was a lot like his mother. Free spirited, wild in a way. But she wasn't reckless either. He chuckled at her gutsy move and instantly regretted it. "So why are we unguarded?" He asked when the pain subsided some. "Because they know I can't haul you out of here on my own." She said simply. He nodded weakly. He didn't understand why she didn't just dump them all and book it. He didn't think he knew anyone who would stick around and risk themselves for three complete strangers, and an old man she seemed to know. People certainly seemed to dump him and book it when he needed them. Everyone except his mother and now this Freyja.
He closed his eyes, wishing he wasn't in so much pain. He thought about what he could do to those soldiers, or how they could escape. He had to at least do something. He struggled to sit up. "Whoa there." Freyja said as she gently pushed him back down. "Do you want to bleed out and die? Because I must say, you are trying very hard to make that happen." she said with an eyebrow raised. "I just hate…laying around. There's got to be…something we can do." Freyja chuckled. "And you're going to save them like that?" "At least…I could do something…instead of laying…on my back…like an invalid, okay?" Freyja shrugged in her carefree way. "Not much I can do about that." She looked back at him, and her expression softened. "I'm sorry. I really am, but there isn't anything we can do." Her pity made him uncomfortable.
"How do you know Jones?" He asked more to pass the time and change the subject than anything else. He didn't care what the old man did. "He is one of the professors at Marshall College. I guess he saw the makings of a good Archaeologist in me and started teaching me outside of school as well. I've learned a lot from him."
She picked up a handful of dirt and let it sift through her hand. She looked up and into his eyes. "He's a good man." Mutt shook his head. "Why do you say that like it's an accusation?" "Because you don't seem to like him much." Mutt looked up at the sky, squinting because of the sun. "I don't know. Most people, you can look at 'em and know most things about them. With him you constantly see different sides." Freyja snorted at his description. "That's the Professor alright."
Mutt closed his eyes while Freyja continued to pick at the sand. "Mutt?" He opened his eyes and looked so haggard that she almost wished that she had just let him rest. "I just wanted to tell you some things about the situation." She said. She turned her attention from the sand and back to his face. "They aren't going to do anything to your mother or Oxley. What they are doing is waiting, and they are banking on using you as a pressure point to make your mother crack and in turn, that she will make the Professor do what they want. So, if I were you, I'd be saying my prayers, because I have no clue what they have in store." She said in frank honesty. He liked that.
"What makes them think that my mom will make the old man do anything?" He asked. Freyja grimaced. "Well, your mother and Dr. Jones had an…understanding at one point in their lives." She said slowly.
Before Mutt could ask what this "understanding" was, they heard a commotion in the big tent. They watched expectantly. Soon Indy was shoved out and herded by soldiers in their direction. Not like he needed any prompting.
"You guys okay?" he whispered before Spalko and the soldiers caught up. Freyja nodded quickly and Mutt snorted but then winced. Spalko sashayed up to Mutt and drew her sword, putting it to Mutt's chest. Freyja hid her surprise. Thing sure escalated fast. "So will you help us Jones?" Mutt looked up at her in pure disgust. "Don't give the pigs anything." He said glaring up at her. She turned and looked back at Jones. "You heard the kid." He shrugged.
"Hmm. It would appear that I have chosen the wrong pressure point." She barked something in Russian to some of the soldiers and they went into one of the tents. Mutt caught Freyja's eye and he jerked his head up. She leaned down and helped haul him up and put his left arm over her shoulder. They both knew that this had a less chance of getting dirty if Marion saw that they were trying to pretend that Mutt was fine. Because if they didn't, they would continue to cut into Mutt until Marion gave up.
Mutt turned paper white and sweat rolled down his face, but he didn't give them the satisfaction of seeing him in pain. They heard more commotion and turned to see Marion struggling fiercely with the soldiers. They let go of her and she turned and saw Indy. "Indiana Jones." He smiled at her and started to walk her way with his arms open when she sped past him. "Mutt!" she said as she hurried over.
She then saw what they were trying to do and slowed to a stop. She tried not to look concerned, but fear showed in her eyes. "Jones won't agree to help us with our quest, and so we are going to have to make some adjustments to your son's health." Spalko grinned maliciously. "Lay him back down there." Spalko flicked her fingers at Freyja. Freyja just continued to hold him up in defiance. Mutt's eyes were closed, and his head was bowed in pain. Spalko whipped her sword up to Mutt's neck. "Or he can die, your choice."
Freyja glared death at Spalko but carefully lowered Mutt back down. He still gripped his side, but his eyes were open now, taking in every detail. He looked defiantly up at Spalko. They knew Spalko wouldn't kill Mutt, so the idea was to outwait her. If it got too risky, they would leave off. Either way, they weren't in for a pleasant evening.
Spalko put her sword on Mutt's shoulder. "First, we 'fix' the shoulders." She smiled as she suddenly plunged the blade into Mutt's left shoulder. Mutt gave out a squeak and then groaned, writhing on the ground. Freyja quickly sat on the ground on the other side of him. She put one hand on his stomach and one on his thigh, trying to keep him from cutting himself more or opening his knife wound.
He straightened a little when he felt this, and Freyja looked at Spalko with completely unbound hatred. Her vision was red, and she had to do everything she could to stay still.
Spalko quickly stabbed the other shoulder. This time Mutt yelped, and both Marion and Freyja flinched. Marion started to silently cry. Tears rolled down her face as she watched her son suffer. Freyja did her best to keep Mutt from moving, but she could feel him tense and shudder.
"Enough!" Indy growled at Spalko. "I'll help you, just leave the kid alone." Spalko grinned at him and chuckled. "Oh no, Dr. Jones, we're not quite done yet. I will show you what happens when you disobey me, that way we won't have any disagreements in the future, hmm?"
She turned to the soldiers, giving them orders in Russian and then she turned to Freyja. "Bring him over to this pole." It was a tree that had been stripped of branches of leaves, apparently for this purpose. "And take off that jacket and shirt." She flicked her hand in Mutt's direction with a look of disgust. Freyja looked down sadly at Mutt.
She wrapped her arms under his armpits and dragged him to the pole while Mutt, with his eyes closed, whimpered. She got to the post and leaned him against it gently. She crouched next to him and carefully took off the jacket. After that she gently took off his shirt. The pain in his shoulders caused him to momentarily blackout. He slumped as soon as the shirt was off.
Marion gasped at Mutt's scars. Even Spalko seemed shocked for a second before she covered it up. Freyja was amazed. She had never guessed that he had that many scars. She didn't show her surprise, but silently wondered if he'd been the one to start or end the fights. Mutt didn't realize the scrutiny. He had his head bent, eyes closed, and he was just trying to breathe around the pain.
"Take that filthy green thing off, as well." Spalko said, painting at the 'bandage'. Freyja sighed and started pulling it off. She tried not to reopen the wound and when it finally came free, Mutt's knife wound was out in the open. Marion whimpered. Indy moved towards her, and she went to him and began weeping into his shoulder. He just stroked her back. His eyes never left Mutt.
The Russians came back with rope. Freyja knew what they were going to do. Her mouth pressed into a firm line. Mutt's eyes fluttered open then. "Mutt." He looked up at her. "You just have to make it through. No matter what they do. I'll patch you back up once it's said and done, and then we'll get you out of here." She whispered, hoping some of that fight would come back so he could better survive what they were going to do to him. It did, flaring deep in his eyes. He tightened his face against the pain and nodded at her.
He would make it through, he always had.