Chapter Text
Gosis
As the two men were hauled off for Temec to examine, Gosis stared after them thoughtfully.
He was thinking about the manner of the larger man, the “Captain”, how he kept glancing over at the smaller man. How he kept speaking for the both of them, deflecting attention. Did the other man not have a voice?
And his reaction when Pell seized the smaller man’s jaw to show them the blood, the way his body had tensed, ready to intervene.
He wondered if he could use this to his advantage.
“Doctor Temec tells me your deformities are not the work of a surgeon. He found no obvious incisions or scar tissue. You're even more abnormal on the inside.”
Temec had also told him other things.
“What about their bones, Doctor?”
“Oh, they break.” Temec looked at Gosis significantly. “Same as ours.”
“Answer me!”
When the two men remained silent, Gosis nodded. The guards stepped forward and restrained the Captain, holding him firm against the chair. The man gazed back at him coolly, apparently unafraid.
Gosis nodded at the other guard.
The guard moved behind the smaller man, took his left arm and wrenched it behind his back. The man gasped in surprise and leant forward in an effort to relieve the pressure.
The Captain was looking concerned now. Gone was his controlled façade.
Pell stepped forward then. He seized the smaller man’s free arm and went to work on his hand. When the man realised what Pell was doing, he tried to resist, clenching his fist tightly, but Pell prised his fist open and took hold of the fifth finger.
“I want answers,” Gosis said again, looking at the Captain significantly. “And you will give them to me.”
Pell started twisting the finger backwards and the man moaned through gritted teeth.
“Who do you work for?”
The Captain’s gaze kept switching between Gosis and the smaller man. “There’s no need for this - “
Pell was keeping up the pressure. The smaller man’s eyes were screwed tight against the pain, stuttering, unsteady gasps, his feet scrabbling over the floor, and then -
Crack
They all heard it. Like a wet stick snapping.
The man choked off a cry, doubling over with a groan, “oh f - “
“Fascinating,” said Temec breathlessly, “look at his colouring.“
“That’s enough,” the Captain snapped, and Gosis could see his desperation. “I’ll tell you everything you need to know. Just stop this.”
He held out his hands. “Then oblige us. Who sent you?”
The Captain was still looking at the other man, who was trying unsuccessfully to gain control of his breathing.
“The Alliance,” the Captain said heavily. “We’re Alliance spies.”
Gosis scrutinised him for a moment and then scoffed. “I doubt that. The Alliance may be monsters but they look nothing like the two of you.” He nodded at Pell again. The smaller man struggled but Pell easily grabbed his hand, and he let out a strangled cry.
“We’ve been surgically altered,” The Captain said quickly - “genetically enhanced to - stop!” For it was clear from the way the smaller man’s body was contorting, his agonised gasps, that Pell was applying the pressure again. “I’m telling you, we’re prototypes - “
The second finger snapped.
The man screamed this time, screamed and then slumped over, panting out his pain.
“What kind of people are you?” the Captain shouted furiously, straining against the guards who held him, and Gosis shrugged.
“I’m asking you the same question. What kind of people are you?”
And yet, for all their supposed surgical alterations, these men still had four fingers and a thumb on each hand, the same as everyone else.
Pell broke all of them.
When they finally released the smaller man, he slid forward out of the chair and landed on his side, curled up around his mangled hand, his shoulders heaving.
Gosis turned away from him with disinterest.
“Do you believe them?” he said to Temec.
“It’s a plausible explanation,” Temec replied, eyeing the heap on the floor with pleasure.
“The Alliance could have thousands of soldiers with these mutations,” Pell said, straightening his uniform.
Gosis looked back over at the Captain who was glaring murderously at them, straining against the guards.
“We need to verify what they've told us.”
“I ran every imaginable test,” Temec said distractedly. “If I were to extract the organs, I could study them in more detail."
Gosis considered this for a moment. “Very well.” To Pell - “Take them back to their cell. And ready the gallows. You’ll be in charge of the execution.”
He didn’t watch as they dragged the prisoners away. He was only relieved that it was over. He always found interrogations of this sort distasteful; too much noise and mess for his liking. He was grateful for the orderly silence that reigned once more.
Archer
Back in the cell, the guards dropped Malcolm onto his knees and locked the door behind them. Archer caught hold of his shoulders before he fell.
“Malcolm…”
The younger man’s face was bowed and hidden as he leaned toward Archer, and Archer could hear each soughing breath, a sob at each crest.
“Let’s get you up.” He hoisted him under his arms and somehow Malcolm managed to get his legs under him and Archer heaved him onto the bed.
He gave him a minute to compose himself. Malcolm sat hunched over, cradling his mutilated hand, his whole body trembling, his face clammy and sickly-green with pain, and Archer felt utterly helpless.
“Can I see?” he said, because he had to do something.
Very slowly Malcolm unfurled his hand from his chest and held it out, and Archer swallowed down the rising bile. The fingers were twisted back on themselves, the skin wrinkled and rolled in unnatural folds, and dear God, was that bone? It took everything he had not to turn away, despite his queasiness.
Phlox will fix it, he wanted to tell him. It’ll be good as new, you’ll see.
But that was a lie. They were never going to see Phlox again.
“I could try and set them,” he said instead.
Malcolm shook his head a fraction, grimacing, withdrawing his hand and cradling it once more.
“Respectfully, I’d rather you didn’t.” His voice was choked with pain, and it shook with effort. “It won’t matter soon anyway.”
The words went through him like a knife. He’s right. He’s going to die like this and I can’t stop it.
He licked his dry lips. Oh, for some water.
“Try and get some rest.”