Birds of a Feather

Posted on Fri May 10th, 2019 @ 8:31am by Commander Liselle Qwyyn & Captain Gary Taylor

Mission: Episode 1: Hell is a four letter word
Location: Cell aboard Romulan ship enroute to prison
Timeline: Late MD 5
1952 words - 3.9 OF Standard Post Measure

After being bound and gagged and in Gary's case also stripped naked, the pair left Mishka's company and were shuffled off to their cell. Gary tried to keep Liselle's spirits up by giving her a wink but he wasn't sure how successful he was. Liselle seemed to be taking her being bound and gagged hard. Of course speech was impossible all that came out was incomprehensible sounds. If there was one thing he was glad for it was that the Mishka didn't have Pig strip her naked. He knew how they operated and he could handle it. He didn't like it but he could handle it. Being bound and gagged was torture enough for Liselle.

He sighed and tested his bonds for the hundredth time and for the hundredth time met with failure. The bonds were on to stay and would only be removed when the Mishka or Pig saw fit. He glanced at Liselle and saw the drool, spilling over the gag and over her lips and landing on her chin and he knew without a doubt his face mirrored that. It was just another small torture they had to endure.

Alone now, Liselle finally gave herself permission to surrender to the hopelessness that had threatened to completely overwhelm her all along. As soon as she loosened the lid on her emotions, the despair poured through her and she began to cry. Bound as she was, she could not wipe at her eyes, she could not even turn her head. Instead, she allowed herself to back into the nearby bulkhead and she awkwardly slid down onto the floor.

Gary watched as Liselle slid to the floor and began to cry, He understood her frustration and helplessness. She couldn't wipe her eyes or even turn her head. However he couldn't let her sink into despair. He walked over and awkwardly got on his knees next to her "Lielle." He said or tried to. The gag made it next to impossible to form words but he had to try. "On't eye." He urged her. She had to remain strong to survive whatever the Romulans had in store for them.

She tried to shake her head, but even that simple gesture was futile. The words she tried to speak where unintelligible from beyond the gag -- Trillian dialect perhaps? Somewhere deep inside, in what little sense of calm she still possessed, she knew that Gary had to be wondering why she had given up so completely, why she refused to fight. But like all things, attempting to communicate how utterly defeated she felt was hopeless.

Gary stared at her hard. He could understand being mad, scared, angry but Liselle looked like she had given up and that he couldn't allow. The Romulans would cut her apart piece by tiny piece. He swung his body so he could nudge her. He had heard try to talk but couldn't make anything out. "On't eye." He said repeated firmly. "ee ong." He kept his eyes on her. She had to be strong. He knew the gag, collar and cuffs were all taking a toll on her but she couldn't give up!

It might have been minutes, or perhaps a full hour before she finally found that she was able to calm herself enough to think. The effort to find some sense of cogent thought was long fought. But she found her way there. Finally the shuddering of her shoulders stopped. Finally the tears ceased. Finally her breathing became less laboured, more natural in its rhythms. Strangely, it was only then that she fully released that Gary was there with her. And that he was naked. In shock she looked down at herself, almost surprised to see that she was, in fact, still clothed.

Gary was relieved to see Liselle calm down. Her tears stopped and her shoulders stopped shuddering and her breathing returned to normal. He saw Liselle's eyes go to his naked body then looked down at herself and saw she was still clothed. "Ucky eww." He managed through the gag even as he kept his eyes on her. He wished he could hold her, comfort her but with his hands bound behind his back it was impossible and it didn't help matters that Liselle was bound in exactly the same way as he was. They had to rely on each other to get through this.

With painful effort, Liselle was able to back herself up against the wall once more in order to siddle her way back up to her feet. She didn't expect that there was going to be any means of escaping the cell, but she knew she had to do something. If she just allowed herself to stay there and wait the despair would come again.

It didn't take long to walk the interior of the cell. She stopped at the forcefield guarding the exit. If it were another race holding them captive, perhaps she would consider testing the strength of the field. But she knew better than to play that game with the Romulans. It was entirely possible that it was dialed in high enough to kill them. She turned back to Gary, and tried her best to indicate to him that she was open to any plan he might have.

He straightened up and while not embarrassed by his nudity he was very much aware of it especially since he was in the same cell as Liselle and she was the one getting an up close and personal look and he was immensely grateful she didn't stare. He watched her approach the forcefield but stop short. *Smart girl* He thought *Don't go testing it. It could be fatal.* He walked over to her and turned his back to her so he could squeeze her bound hands and hopefully impart some strength that they were going to get out of this. He just had to figure out a way to do it.

With no hope of escape presenting itself, and no means to even effectively communicate, Liselle soon found herself sitting on the floor once more. The whole ordeal had been draining, her emotional outburst more so. She was physically and mentally spent, hovering at a point of near total exhaustion. The more her mind tried to devise a way out of this situation, the more she found herself succumbing to building fatigue. Before she realized what was happening she was swallowed up by her weariness, and she collapsed onto her side into troubled sleep.

Gary looked down at Liselle as she lay on her side and slept fitfully. The bastard Romulans hadn't even given them a cot. He resisted the temptation to test his bonds again, knowing full well he would meet with failure. He also knew that Pig and Mishka would keep them bound for as long as possible. It was devised to wear them down and break them and being unable to talk or use their hands was a good way to start. He glanced at Liselle again and was thankful she could get even a few minutes sleep. She would need all her strength and will power in the coming days he was sure of it. He also made himself two silent promises. The first to protect Liselle and the others. How he wasn't exactly sure yet but he would. The second to kill every Romulan he could starting with Pig. He would save Mishka for last.

Mishka now appeared at Gary's and Liselle's cell door, "Taylor, are you enjoying Romulan hospitality?" She noticed Liselle was asleep, "You pet seems to be unable to continue, we will enliven her shortly. I may have her join you in being naked, would you like that? I know Ildair would enjoy that, he is deviant enough to abuse anything". She looked Taylor up and down, "Are you normal for a Human? It looks small for a Romulan, but then it is cold in here". She turned and left laughing, she knew the Humans would die shortly and painfully.

Gary glared at the smug. arrogant Romulan Commander even as he gave a glance at the sleeping Liselle. He knew without a doubt that Mishka would have Liselle stripped naked just to further emphasis her helplessness and to dehumanize and break her. He resisted the urge to look down when she made her small comment he wouldn't give her the satisfaction. He walked to the edge of the cell and simply looked at her. His eyes boring into hers until she turned, laughing and left. Yes, he'd kill her last.

"Ildair!!!!!" Mishka shouted out, her thought of stripping the Trill had solidified in her mind. She turned about and re-appeared at the cell door, "Taylor! You will have the thrill of watching your pet being stripped, I hope you enjoy it. I will be watching you of course, I think you will not be able to help yourself". She stood waiting for Pig, a sadistic little grin on her lips.

Moments later Pig appeared, sadistic grin of anticipation on his face as he came to stand alongside Mishka. "Yes my Riov? How can I be a service to you?" He asked as he leered into the cell his eyes on Gary before drifting to Liselle.

"I have a task for you, one which you will enjoy. The Trh'ill is to be stripped naked, and you can do what you wish as you do it". She watched Gary as she spoke, "Get that thing stripped, make her wish she had not been born". Standing back slightly, she allowed Pig to enter the cell.

Gary growled softly but made no other mood. He didn't want to put Liselle in any greater danger. Yes being naked was embarrassing as Liselle would soon find out but it was hardly fatal.

Pig eyed Gary but with Mishka there he knew Gary wouldn't try anything. He moved to Liselle and kicked her with his foot. "Trh'ill wake up! I have a surprise for you." As he brandished the scissors he used to strip Gary and was about to use to preform the same task with Liselle.

Liselle lifted her chin at him. While the time she had spent unconscious had not been remotely restful, it had given her a moment to reset her mental state.

Pig grinned wickedly at Liselle as he pulled her to her feet. "So angry." He laughed at her and her defiance above her gag. "I will change that beginning now." He took the scissors and began to cut away her uniform. In a matter of a moments her uniform lay in tatters around her shackled feet and she was as awkwardly,gracelessly naked and helpless as Gary. He eyed her but made no move to touch her. "Much better Trh'ill. This state of dress suits you perfectly. Get use to it." He sneered at her.

Muffled as she was, Qwyyn could do nothing but hold her ground before her captor. And if doing that, if standing there and refusing to break was all that she had left to maintain her sense of self, then she would do exactly that. With all of her being.

Pig licked his lips in anticipation of breaking her and having Taylor watch. "So proud but what good does it do you? You have no clothes, you cannot talk or break your bonds. Give in to your situation. It will much easier and far less painful on you. Do not follow Taylor. If you do you will end up like him. I promise you that."

OFF

Commander Liselle Qwyyn
Chief Flight Control / Second Officer
USS Elysium

Commander Gary Taylor
Executive Officer
USS Elysium

Riov Mishka Valdran
Romulan Vessel Havraha