13 Novella 4

Job

You wake with what you could pretend is Earth sunlight pouring though the windows, but is actually the harsh lights of the ship coming to life.

Clothes are laid at the end of your bed, a grey jumpsuit, holey socks and standard brown boots.

You let your hair fall loose about your shoulders, having nothing to tie it with. You door opens at what you imagine to be early morning, and this time a grey centaur meets you. He looks disgusted by his job at your collection. The feeling is mutual.

He leads you wordlessly for a good twenty minutes, sensing slight descension. Arriving in another basic room with four white walls and two chairs, you are indicated to sit, so you do.

"Prisoner subject J67, first trial of cognitive ability
against subject C11. Proceed with trial" he says clearly, not taking his eyes off you as another prisoner in a grey tracksuit is dragged in and thrown into the chair. You decide there is something masculine about their violet holographic skin and the way they hold themselves.

"Subject J67" silence. Then you realise that is your name now.

"Er, yes?" You say quietly.

"You will find the source of C11's talents, including any and all additional information. This man is a traitor. You will not hold back." You swallow and nod, avoiding the sad eyes of the man opposite you.

"Be gentle, hey love?" He whispers and you try to nod but your muscles feel frozen.

You realise you are going to have to touch him, and feel your heart rate pick up at just the thought. But this was who you were now. You had made a deal, and it was all that kept your friends safe, wherever they were.

Tentatively you reach out a hand and place it on his, then flood his mind with the question. He tries not to think of it, but you can see. See his family, beautiful wife and two children walking in a deep crimson forest beneath a rising sun. He looks so happy and healthy, not at all the broken man in front of you. He begins to sing, and all the birds stop to listen. That's where it ends.

You blink back tears and let go.

"He um, the birds listen. There's a red forest where the birds all listen" you say and the centaur nods his approval.

"Anything else? Did he have an accomplice?" He presses. The man looks up pleadingly, and your heart breaks a little. You had no right to do this. You had no idea what he had done to earn the title of traitor, but living as a prisoner where his abilities were now going to exploited was punishment enough.

"No, no he was alone."

* * *

"You're useful, I'll give you that"

You sigh. It's not worth answering. You've only been here a week and it already feels like forever. You just hoped that wherever your Tardis family were, they were safe.

"Husos wants you praised, you know" he says with an eye roll. You've learned their names. Husos is the chestnut leader, Alioc the palomino who first negotiated with you, and this is Rubol, your least favourite. Sarcastic and short tempered, he had a nasty habit of tying your hands together and shoving you over so you couldn't catch yourself.

He clearly doesn't agree that you should be praised. To him, your services were your only use.

You keep quiet. You had just finished interrogating your eighteenth victim and were feeling very drained.

"He suggests you would like some additional freedom..."

Now you were listening.

"What say you? For an hour or two a week?" He says calmly and you stop in the corridor, twisting your shackled hands.

"R-really?" You gasp and he looks down in disgust.

"I don't approve." He says and you droop.

"Lucky for you, that happy power does not belong to me. You have an hour. If by the end of the hour you have not returned... well, we'll see won't we?" He says nastily, sending a chill down your spine.

You look pointedly at your hands and he shrugs before trotting off. Of course, he had to have the last laugh. It didn't matter, you knew exactly where you were going.

Main prisoner cells were two floors below you, so you hurry down four flights of stairs, landing unsteadily and searching through the looking slots.

You curse at the sheer amount, finding luck only after a good twenty minutes. The violet man snaps his head up and you smile a little.

"Hello" he says politely and you nod.

"Hi, sorry, I just wanted to apologise, I didn't want to-" you start but he shakes his head.

"You owe no apology, you kept my family safe" he says. "For that, I am grateful."

You smile shyly and he frowns.

"I appreciate your visit, but you really shouldn't be seen down here."

"I'm allowed, an hour a week I think" you respond and he nods.

"It's an hour more then the rest of us, I say you enjoy it" he says with a smile and you shrug.

"Well actually I am, I thought maybe I could talk to some of the prisoners."

"Well, that's very gracious of you. If you're going to talk to any of them, please talk to the lady at the end. She's driving me crazy with her shouting at every guard who walks past."

You snort. That sounded familiar, bless her.

"Add that to the constant arguing with the others in her cell, you'd think she was dying the way she hollers" he chuckles and you shrug absently.

"I just hope for her sake that this (Y/n) is worth all the fuss!"

He stops laughing as he spots your expression of calculating disbelief. But it couldn't be. They had left, that was the deal.

"Are you alright?" He asks in halting concern and you nod hazily.

No way... then again. Why wouldn't they lie? They certainly weren't above it.

With that you wave goodbye to the man who sang to the birds, and walk slowly to the end. What a beautiful gift. It made you feel ashamed again of your intrusion.

The cells here are bigger, clearly built for more than one person, so it shouldn't be so much of a surprise when you turn a corner and find yourself looking though the bars at four very familiar women.