Fic: Malasada's H5Obigbang chapter 10
CHAPTER 10: Instinctive
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The thing about being held prisoner, something he had been happily inexperienced with until recently and had therefore never given it much personal thought, was that everything seemed to pass in moments. Some short, some long, most heavily laced with emotions that he’d rather not feel, but moments all the same.
What he had not been expecting were the moments of long, mind-numbing boredom. The fear, the abuse, having the very basic right of choice being ripped away from you, these things he had expected, but honest to god he was ready to climb the walls of his room if he could only get some kind of purchase! Seriously! He slammed his palm against the wall beside his bed and the sound echoed loudly. Smooth walls made of some kind of metal meant that there was nothing to grip, nothing to even dig his nails into. This box they shoved him into, when they didn’t need him for their tests or his skills or for some conversations, wasn’t really his ideal choice of living accommodation.
First of all the single bed-cot thing that was bolted along the one wall was worse for his back than his pull out couch, which meant he’d probably be in need of a chiropractor for the rest of his life when Steve finally made an appearance and got him the hell off this ship! Second, there were no windows. Apparently Marcel felt that guests that wished to be uninvited were best suited for the rooms without the tiny little porthole windows that he couldn’t even get a hand through let alone his whole body. Some light, even a few rays that did nothing more than blaze a circular brightness onto the opposite wall would be appreciated. Nope, not for Danny, he was stuck in darkness or artificial light whenever he was ‘put away.’ He hadn’t quite decided yet if Marcel intended for this to be an emotional or physical torment, but either way it sucked.
Danny figured he would probably stop complaining about the overabundance of sun in Hawai’i after this.
It also seriously messed up his sense of time. They’d taken his watch away before they’d even done their first exam of him and whenever he was allowed to leave the room (voluntarily or not) he was never quite sure if the sun shining was still the same day, or if an entire night had gone by while he’d attempted to rest and control his still unsettled stomach. If he never had to float on top of another wave he would die happy. Pathetic, but happy.
Danny lifted his still stinging palm from the cool wall and resisted the urge to smack his head against it next. He still had a headache from having his forehead smashed into it who knew how many days before and one headache was enough for now.
Seriously though, as much as he was thrilled to not have to be around a single person on this ship, he was going to go crazy if they didn’t give him something to do. He was not accustomed to inactivity, his brain or his body needed some kind of stimulation and since his body was getting more than enough from multiple angles it was his brain that needed feeding.
“Can I at least a get a book to read?” he directed his voice to the ever present mike above the door, absolutely not sounding like he was almost begging. “Or a Sudoku? I swear I will paint pictures with crayons if you would just give me the damn paper!” Or even just the crayons because he would gladly use the wall as his canvas. He’d wanted to practice his cartoon dolphins for Grace.
He hadn’t been expecting a response, so he was slightly delayed in jumping back to his preferred corner in the room when the thunk-click of the locks being turned on the door echoed around him. It swung outward and he immediately recognized Will standing in its frame, his tiny dark eyes staring at him in that constantly vexed way he favoured when he wasn’t around Marcel. Danny wasn’t surprised that he had his taser out and trained on his chest. He was a trigger happy bastard, Danny had discovered, and ever since Danny had knocked him out cold with that failed escape attempt in Japan he seemed to just be itching for a reason to be less than gentle. Danny also didn’t appreciate the way Will always tried to leave bruises every time he had to escort him somewhere on this boat.
“Mr. Marcel has requested your skills,” the tall man announced his voice heavy with the European accent that most of the people Danny had heard speak on this ship. They were all fairly similar.
“Are you kidding,” it was a rhetorical question which Will apparently understood as he continued to watch Danny like some sort of zoo attraction instead of answering. “He just had me heal that Greek woman yesterday! Is he trying to kill me? Because if this is how he treats all his products I’m surprised he’s been successful in business at all.”
“He will see you now,” Will gestured again and Johann, never far behind Will, deigned to glance around the door to see what was taking so long. He looked more impatient today than was usual for him, the question was whether it was Danny’s stubbornness irritating him or something else.
“Well you tell him I’m not interested in seeing him.”
Will stepped into the room and Johann took up a leaning position on the doorframe, all causal and easy going. Danny knew better than to trust that nonchalance, because the man was faster than his broad shoulders and slightly heavier bulk would advertise. Danny looked between Will, the taser, Johann, and kind of folded over on himself. What could he do? Fight his way past them and their battery operated guns and dive over the side of the ship?
“Fine,” Danny capitulated, pushing off from the wall that had been stabilizing him and carefully walked across the lurching ship floors. As expected Will reached out and wrapped his giant paw around Danny’s bicep, squeezing tighter than was necessary before propelling Danny forward and directing him down the corridor with Johann close behind. When they passed a long bank of windows, four stories high, he could see clear across to the ship’s bow. Giant mustard coloured cranes loomed over the long deck, only slightly obscuring the large metal crates stacked three high beyond them. Danny, his hand firmly wrapped around the solid metal handrail just under the window, watched with a sort of far away horror as the entire ship rode up and crested over a particularly massive wave before ebbing back down into the valley left behind. His stomach rolled in a way that he’d managed to control the last few days through sheer will and the drugs Smidt provided. He looked away, only to come to an abrupt stop as Will forced him to still when two men Danny had never seen before, barged through the stairwells door and into the corridor.
Will stepped in front of Danny and sharply twisted him away from the unexpected men, but not before Danny registered their surprised curiosity or their large weapons of the gun variety strapped to their sides.
“Dit gebied beperkt! Terug naar uw dek!” Johann snapped, his tone clearly angry and Danny heard the door to the stairwell slam back open and the heavy stamp of booted feet retreating. Will grumbled darkly under his breath and shifted to start dragging Danny along the corridor once more, bypassing the stairwell that the unexpected men had tromped through. He stumbled as the ship rose over another wave but managed to stay standing even as he thought about Will’s actions.
“You afraid they won’t work for you anymore if they know you’re snatching people off the streets?” He half-sneered half-asked and glanced to the side to see Will’s already squinty eyes narrow more in irritation.
“Normally they are more involved, but Marcel wishes for your identity to remain as secluded as possible.” It was Johann who answered from behind and Will’s iron grip tightened even more ruthlessly around Danny’s arm but he didn’t refute. “Do not mistake their lack of direct involvement for ignorance: they are aware you are here, just not entirely aware as to why. They will still shoot you if they catch you on the ship without escort,” Johann warned.
No, they wouldn’t, Danny thought darkly. He was pretty certain Marcel would have put out a blanket order that if any random man was found wandering around they were to be subdued, not killed. At least that was the impression he’d gotten when he’d nearly made it to the ship’s bridge (and radio) and been laid out by the tallest red-head he’d ever seen. The man hadn’t said a damn word either, just ripped into Danny until Danny stopped resisting and that had been that. Marcel wouldn’t risk losing his current prize stallion.
Danny didn’t say anything else for the rest of the trip, focusing instead on keeping his balance on the ever tilting deck and ignoring the fact that up close Will stank like cheese. His poor temper grew along their trip though, which wasn’t difficult to accomplish as it was always bubbling under the surface, along with his fear. When he was finally escorted into Marcel’s favoured meeting/lounge room it was easy to determine that he had had enough.
“Get offa me,” Danny shrugged away from Johann immediately and put a few extra feet between himself, his groupies, and their hands with a fierce scowl. They made no move towards him, as he was already where they wanted him. “I understand that your choice of career reflects the fact that you were never nurtured with love and affection as a child but your lack of hugs does not mean you need to manhandle me everywhere you decide I need to go!” His hand sliced through the air to help make his point before bracing on the wall for extra support. “I am perfectly capable of walking in the direction you point out to me. All it would take is a few simple words such as this way or down the hall or, if words are too much for you, a gesture would suffice.”
“Calm yourself, Mr. Williams,” Marcel requested softly from his cushy wing-backed chair, his close cropped curls shining in the sunlight from the massive floor to ceiling windows. He was playing with a small bronze sculpture, turning it over in his hand a moment longer before looking up, his gaze travelling over Danny in that creepy, possessive way he had. “You can not blame them for acting out in a way that is no doubt instinctive.”
“Instinctive?” Danny spluttered at the thought. “There is nothing instinctive about constantly touching a guy whom is your prisoner, whom you do not know, whom does not want to be touched in the first place!”
“Perhaps not normally, and my employees are generally more polite than that,” he gave a little look to Johann and Will, but it seemed more indulgent than irritated which just tightened Danny’s nerves even more. “But surely you can understand their draw to you? With a touch you can heal all manner of physical ailments, ease pain, chase away the aches. Once a man sees that happen before them it would be a natural response to want to touch in the hopes of being healed themselves. I doubt they are even aware of the increased physical contact.”
“Well I sure as hell am, and if it doesn’t ease up soon I’m gonna be getting the wrong ideas here and start wondering exactly what kind of ship it is that you’re running,” he stabbed a finger in the air to make his point. Will’s lips twitched and his eyes narrowed at Danny but he said nothing, which was par for the course in the Boss’s presence. Said Boss, however, had clearly lost interest in Danny’s plight and in response he held up his toy so Danny could inspect it.
“Hotei, the Japanese god of abundance and health,” he announced before leaning forward and placing it on the oval mahogany coffee table before him, the round laughing face and rounder belly facing Danny mockingly. “Bronze, from the Heian period. It’s worth a small fortune, but of course it is only a reasonable token of gratitude considering that we saved Jiang’s life.” On top of the four million Marcel had charged for Danny’s services of course.
“You sure they didn’t just pick it up from the local dollar store?” Danny sneered.
“I suppose I shouldn’t expect you to appreciate such history,” Marcel put his elbows on the armrests of the wingback and steepled his fingers before him. Clearly today he was in the mood to be condescending and Danny, well he could be honest with himself, he was pretty much always in the mood to be argumentative.
“Oh, you don’t think that I can appreciate a piece of art from one of Japan’s most historically peaceful periods which, in case you weren’t aware, was a time that also greatly promoted the spread of Buddhism. You’ve heard of that right? Maybe you’re familiar with its principal of equality? Because from where I am standing I think you missed a few important lectures.”
“You are a man of surprises, aren’t you? Though I wonder if you also speak this incessantly to your loved ones, or if you simply believe that aggravating me enough will eventually earn your freedom.” Danny shut up with a glare. Marcel had not been amused with his first (and only) real attempt to make an escape and as such his patience with Danny’s instinctive need to talk had worn thin. He nodded approvingly at Danny’s silence now. “Take a seat, Mr. Williams.”
“Detective Williams,” Danny crustily replied but took the indicated seat in the metal folding chair across from Marcel. He was tired, sore, and frankly didn’t see the purpose in stubbornly defying an order that would make him more comfortable. Still, he made sure he did so with great look of grudge.
“One day you will accept that that part of your life is over,” Marcel waved off and nodded in approval when the Doctor deposited a plastic cup of water and some pills before Danny.
“I’m not taking that,” he instantly remarked, getting ready to jump right back up.
“They are nothing more than vitamin supplements. Dr. Smidt is concerned for your ongoing health and as a preventative measure you will be taking said supplements twice daily.”
“Yeah right,” Danny eyed the horse pills with distrust and made no move to take them. Marcel let out a little impatient sigh and then Will and Johann had descended on him like a pack of hungry little wild dogs, one holding his arms down while another wrapped one fist in Danny’s hair, jerking his head back a bit, and the other hand dug into his jaws joint and forced his mouth open. The doctor moved forward to pick up the pills with a bored look and Danny growled.
“Aight, aright,” he capitulated and refused to acknowledge the tiny flare of shame every time he gave in. The hands were instantly gone and Danny took a moment to shake out his shoulders and work his jaw before snatching the vitamins from Smidt and throwing them back with a gulp of water. He resisted throwing the glass across the room, placing it politely back on the table only for it to slide right off with the next wave they swept over. It rolled away across the room. His stomach hadn’t decided if it was okay with the extra water yet and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Marcel, who had yet to stop watching him, seemed amused by his discomfort.
“The waves should settle this afternoon as we approach the port of Los Angeles. You will be able to rest this evening with no water motions bothering you.” Danny didn’t respond, but hope flared in his chest. American soil, and an American port, he was practically home! He just needed to be calm and wait for the right opportunity to make a move and he would be out of there. “In the mean time the good Doctor and I have been discussing what we have learned of your healing capabilities and we have come to an interesting question.” Marcel paused as Anook moved silently into the room and collected the bronze artifact from its precarious perch on the table before the waves swept it away as well. Marcel didn’t seem overly concerned as he kept staring at Danny. Danny noticed the little glare Anook sent his way and held back his bitter smile. Trust me girl, if I could divert all his attention to you I would, he thought darkly. Though he was thrilled somebody around here was as unhappy with his presence as he was.
“You do not seem concerned with our question,” Marcel announced after a moment and then looked to Anook, whom Danny had probably been looking at as his mind drifted. “Perhaps you feel you have more interesting things to think about,” the irritation in Marcel’s tone was unmistakable and drew Danny’s attention right back to him. Huh, spoiled little rich tyrant didn’t like being ignored by Danny.
“I always have more interesting things to think about,” Danny mimed a yawn and Marcel’s dark eyes glittered in anger, but he kept his calm like a cloak, his lips twitching at the challenge that wasn’t really intended as a challenge on Danny’s part.
“Then maybe you have already given thought to the idea that: if you are so capable of healing others with a simple touch, than perhaps you can heal yourself by drawing on the energies of others around you.” Danny felt the blood drain from his face as soon as he understood what Marcel was suggesting, a cold, icy ache bloomed in his chest and his hairline instantly broke out in a sweat at the thought. Marcel noticed, and looked pleased with himself.
“I haven’t given it much thought, actually, because it isn’t possible,” Danny was surprised his voice came out as steady as it did considering how he felt. The man sitting across from him narrowed his eyes in thought, clearly disbelieving, as he watched Danny.
“It is a simple concept. While we have not yet been able to determine how it is that your ability works it is obvious how it affects you on a physical level. Even yesterday you were almost too tired to walk to your room unaided. We have decided that there is something wrong here, the transference of energy should not be so one sided, so limited. Why would nature give you such power if it will only weaken you and, in the process, your ability to use this power.”
“You read too many comic books,” Danny decided.
“There have been studies that show peoples energy levels rising and decreasing while they are surrounded by others, so it stands to reason that if an average individual can give and take of the energy fields around them you should be more than capable of doing the same.”
“I can’t.” Danny didn’t leave any room to argue, but of course Marcel didn’t really care about what Danny had to say.
“Perhaps you just need some incentive. Anook,” Marcel looked over as she smoothly approached to stand by his side. “Would you do me the honour of participating in a little experiment,” he phrased it like a question but the order was apparent and, not surprisingly, she agreed with little hesitance. “Have a seat,” he gestured her to the cushy chair the Doctor dragged over for her, pacing her right beside Danny. Danny made to get up and move away but two hands pressed heavily into his shoulders, fingers trailing over the bundle of nerves in the hollow between his neck and collarbones and he froze at the warning.
“Look, maybe people can leach energy or whatever off others, but that’s not how I work. What you’ve seen is what you get,” he tried to explain.
“Then why do you appear so nervous, Mr. Williams?”
“Because I don’t like it when you have ideas that focus on me!” He snapped, eyeing Anook, who looked calm beside him, her sharp eyes watching him, assessing, just like they had that very first day he arrived here. The last thing he was gonna do here was get into the horror of virtually killing his father with this very act.
“Surely you are still feeling tired from yesterday’s session,” Marcel watched as the doctor set about pushing Danny’s button up shirt out of the way and applying the damn sensor things to his chest with his usual clinical touch before stepping back. Danny tested the grip strength on his shoulders and froze when they dug in warningly, his arms going a little tingly for a moment before the pressure eased up. “I would simply like you to borrow a little of Anook’s energy, do whatever it is that you can somehow do, and fix yourself.”
He said it like it was the easiest thing in the world, like Danny could just take what he needed and there would be no after affects. Danny knew better. He couldn’t help the fine tremble that began even as he shook his head and Marcel began to look impatient again. Then the man sighed.
“Perhaps you need more incentive then,” he decided and Danny was startled when a heavy strap was looped over his chest and arms and suddenly he was pinned to the chair with more than just hands on his shoulders.
“What the hell!” he struggled, peeling off one of the electrodes in the process and trying to jerk away when Smidt stepped close to reattach it. Johann moved beside him and wrapped his hands around Danny’s right forearm, pressing it into the cold metal armrest painfully and pinning him there. Danny swore viciously and tried to twist away without much progress. He kicked out and nearly upended the coffee table that separated him from Marcel and his creepy stare but froze the moment Will wrapped one giant hand over Danny’s and forced him still enough to get a small pair of garden shears around his index finger.
Danny froze as still as a damn statue as he stared at the green handled tool, its sharp silver blades wrapped snuggly enough around his finger that he could already see little beads of blood forming at the edges. Shit. Shit shit shit shit. That was his trigger finger. They were going to cut off his trigger finger. Oh Christ, he was going to be sick.
“No no no, don’t do this! You can’t just cut off a man’s finger!”
“You needed more incentive to show us that you can in fact heal yourself, this seems an appropriate threat,” Marcel watched the proceeding with avid interest where as Anook looked like she wasn’t looking forward to getting blood on her nice, pinstripe suit.
“When have you seen me grow somebodies limb back?! You haven’t, that’s when! I can not heal myself Marcel, and even if I could I sure as hell won’t be able to grow a new finger!” He could tell that his plea/argument wasn’t really having the desired effect. “Okay, then think of it this way: I need my hands to heal people. My whole hands. If I’m missing a digit then I might not be able to fix people the same way and then you won’t be able to whore me out to your clientele anymore, capise!”
“It certainly won’t be that drastic,” Marcel rolled out, but the sudden edge of concern was unmistakable. This ship rolled around them, Danny appreciated how well everything was stuck in place as his chair remained where it was. The sharp blades cut a little deeper, he could feel the stinging bite in his flesh and swore he could feel the trickle of warm blood as it began to gather. A moment later the shears disappeared, leaving nothing behind but two thin cuts slowly welling up blood. He breathed a sigh of relief, he could live with a few cuts. The relief disappeared almost instantly as his forearm was forced to rotate palm up and a knife appeared instead.
“Fuck!” he yelled in surprise, unable to help it as the blade bit into the fleshy part of his thumb and dragged downwards, leaving a gaping inch wide maw that instantly filled and began to drip red onto the floor. “Was that really necessary!” He demanded and couldn’t believe that he was on the verge of freaking tears as he glared at Marcel. His arm was released and Will stepped back, Johann grabbing a handheld camera from somewhere and focusing it in on Danny’s bleeding cut.
Danny took a few deep steadying breaths, unable to stop trembling he was so furious, and used the throbbing pain in his hand to ground himself until he had his emotions back under control. Marcel watched dispassionately.
“I’m going to kill you,” he decided and Marcel smiled.
“Anook, if you would please lend Mr. William’s your hand so he might borrow a little energy and heal himself,” Marcel requested and Danny felt her cool fingers sliding into his left hand. He jerked it as far out of reach as he could and she glared, grabbing firmly at his wrist instead.
“Forget me killing you. Steve is the one you’re going to need to watch out for,” Danny tried to lean his head back only to remember there was no headrest on this metal contraption.
“Ah yes, the Commander McGarrett you so willingly exposed your secret for,” Marcel leaned forward and picked up his drink from its’ indented cup holder on the table. “As far as I can tell he and his team are currently focused on new crimes being committed by your fellow Americans. And if he hasn’t given up hopes of finding you alive by this point I will gladly point out that discovering your true whereabouts is virtually impossible.” Danny remembered the gunshots that had no doubt killed the men who were responsible for introducing Danny to this hell. Their bodies most likely tossed in the pacific to be swallowed by the water and lost forever. “Now heal yourself,” the man ordered.
Danny sighed and bowed his head, made to look like he was trying, and sagged in his seat a moment later. His hand was still dripping crimson onto the floor. It wasn’t even a big cut, barely more than an inch, but it throbbed in time with his heart and stung worse than that time Steve had gotten him shot.
“I can’t,” he muttered a minute or so later, exhaling when Anook’s cold fingers let him go. He glared up at Marcel but didn’t say anything more. He could tell that Marcel wasn’t convinced, given the frown on his thin lips, but after a moment a hint of amusement twitched at his lips.
“You are a stubborn man Mr. Williams. I can admire that. Perhaps we will try this experiment again later, when you feel more willing to cooperate.”
“Not going to happen,” Danny rolled his shoulders as the strap binding him in place was released and he stood without permission. He could sense his guards tense but they made no move to restrain him again. Marcel stood swiftly as well and promptly left the room. Apparently Danny didn’t rate a goodbye, and watched impassively as Anook followed close behind, her heels click click clicking on the decking.
When Smidt had finished sewing six stitches into his flesh and taking the time to do a few more medical checks Danny was finally allowed to go back to his room, but this time he snagged a puzzle book and pen off the doctors desk. Will snatched the pen from him with a glare, and then pulled its casing off and handing just the ink stick with attached pen point back to Danny, now less likely to be effective as a weapon.
Danny had considered trying to strangle them with his shoelaces at one point, but apparently Marcel felt that slip on chinos were the dress code, removing even that violent option of resistance.
When they finally left him alone in his windowless room he settled on the bed and opened to a page of anagrams to try and distract himself, so of course they decided to turn out the lights. He sat in darkness and breathed deeply, resisting his urge to start kicking the wall and not stop, before placing his new book on the floor beside the bed and curling up on his side.
He didn’t know how the hell his team was going to find him, but they had better hurry the hell up before he went crazy. Come on Steve, it’s time to join the party.
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Chapter 11
Masterpost