Tom wakes with a start. He was dreaming about Sloan. He’d been sleeping with Sloan. Then he remembers and looks at Adamsen groaning in his sleep. He’s dreaming pleasant dreams, too. Even though he is in a lot of pain, Tom feels the desire in his dreams. He reaches over and gently shakes him. "Adamsen, wake-up."

He wakes up and groans. "What do you want?"

"You need to turn over. You’ll be stiff in the morning."

Adamsen looks at his watch. "Too late. It’s already morning. 5 AM." He rolls over and looks at Tom. "Do you want to get up or go back to sleep?"

"Go back to sleep. What were you dreaming about?"

He feels it fear, embarrassment, shame.

"Nothing, just a dream. Go back to sleep Tom." Adamsen closes his eyes.

Tom looks at him carefully, wondering what could have brought upon such a reaction to a simple question. The dream was full of desire, that much was certain, but desire about what? He could understand the embarrassment and shame. It frequently was the byproduct of sexual thoughts by humans, but what about fear. Whatever it was it was important to Adamsen, important enough to lie to Tom. He’d never lied about anything else.

Tom lies down and closes his eyes but instead of sleeping he listens to Adamsen’s breathing and waits for him to sleep again. When he is sure he is asleep he feels Adamsen’s emotional state. He goes beneath the pain. In his sleep there is no fear. He is starting to dream again. He can feel little tendrils of desire wrap around every thing else in his mind even over whelming the pain. Whoever it is it, must be someone special.

They both awaken a few hours later. "Oh man, Tom I don’t even want to move."

Tom slid out of his sleeping bag and held out his hand to him. "Tom you’ve got to be kidding. I’m far too sore to get up."

"I’ll give you a choice; fast or slow."

"Fast or slow what?"

"You can take my hand and I’ll help you up slow and easy or I get you up my way, fast."

Adamsen looks at Tom, no expression on his face. "Why do I have the feeling I don’t want to get up fast?"

Tom shakes his head, "Choose."

Adamsen puts his hands in Toms. "I’ll take slow and easy."

Tom braces him to help him rise. Adamsen is shaking when he finally stands.

"Tomorrow you won’t be in quite so much pain. Did they give you any medication?"

"Yeah, but I can’t have it in here. I figure I’ll have to do without. I might as well get used to it. I won’t be able to have any while we’re in confinement. Tom what do you want? Shower or I’ll get food.’

"Lets shower today. Do you know when we’ll be moving?"

"No, my CO only said some time today. I’m betting the afternoon. They will probably reinforce the door and lock and put in cameras. I hope they listened to my request for no cameras in the bathroom, but there probably will be microphones. I don’t know what they think we will talk about; secret plans to take over the world?"

"I think they want any hint of a willingness to obey."

"Tom, you have been cooperating as far as I can see. What more do they want?"

"I think they want me so broken down that I would do anything for them. I think that’s why they told me Sloan was dead. I think that’s why they want us together for a week. I suspect they will try to foster our friendship even closer." Tom says quietly in Adamsen’s ear.

In the dark Tom finds the toilet and sits Adamsen on it and goes and turns on the lights.

"Tom, you shouldn’t do that. They might not like it."

"Only for today. After this I’ll leave it up to you. Come on out of your clothes, we’ll shower together, and then I’ll fix you up so you can go for food. I assume you brought some clothes."

"Sure, I left them on the cart. How long are you going to do this?"

"Until you can manage for yourself"

After preparations for the shower he discovers he is in just as bad shape today as yesterday. He is very glad the shower is a wide spray so they both can shower comfortably. While Tom cleans himself Adamsen talks, "Tom I’ve got to apologize to you. My grandpa taught me ‘you have to do what is right’. You can’t rely on anyone to tell you. I knew it was wrong for you to be in that cage and I didn’t do anything about it. I’m so sorry, Tom." Adamsen is sobbing now. Tom feels his guilt and shame. He knows the pain of his injury caused this outburst and lets him cry himself out.

"Feel better now?"

"Yeah, I can wash myself you know."

"If you try you’ll fall down. You’re barely able to stand without those bandages. You can hardly breathe. Let me wash you today. We’ll see how you feel tomorrow."

As he washes him he knows he has to take this opportunity to tell him about his sensing ability. "Adamsen, I’ve got something to tell you. Listen carefully. Dominants can sense emotions in humans. Love, hate, fear, and even pain. That’s how I knew something was wrong with you. I may not know the reason for a feeling but I know it is there. Sometimes I can’t identify the emotion but I know it’s there. That’s why I decided to trust you. You haven’t lied to me. I would know."

"Thanks, Tom."

After the shower and bandaging, they return to the area near the cage. Adamsen complains "Tom, I will never get used to going without clothes. Why doesn’t it bother you?" as he puts on the sweat pants.

"I don’t know. Clothes seemed always to be a piece of a part I was playing. I never needed to wear clothes, but convention dictated it. Left to myself, I don’t know if I would wear clothes or not, if they were not needed."

"In other words, you see clothes as mostly for protection rather than a necessity, like a three-year old."

Tom looks puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I had a neighbor with a three-year old little girl. In the summer if you left her alone for more than a minute or two, off came all her clothes. Her mother said she didn’t think she needed them, they were just in the way."

Tom mulled over the meaning in his statement. "I suppose so, something like that."

Adamsen goes for their breakfast, after locking Tom in the cage. Neither is happy with that, but the rules must be followed. When he returns he releases Tom and they eat breakfast. The shower area is neatened and trays are put away.

"Tom what do you want to do until we leave? I’ve got to return the trays but other than that all we can do is wait. Not that we have a lot of other options."

"Why don’t you lock me up and return the trays. I suspect you didn’t sleep well last night. If you wish we’ll let you sleep."

"That sounds like a plan."

When Adamsen returns, they both return to the sleeping bags to rest. "Adamsen, you sleep. I’ll wake you if anyone comes."

"Tom, can they here us over here.

"We’re at the edge of the range for the cameras. I don’t know. I don’t think they planned for you to act the way you are. When we return doubtless there will be microphones everywhere."

"Thanks, Tom you’ve given me something to think about." He slowly drifts off to sleep.

Tom watches the young man. Even in the half-light the dark bruises stand out against his pale skin. He knows that part of the reason Adamsen’s helping him is his shame. Tom doesn’t know if that will be enough if the going gets rough. He still senses determination when talking about their situation, he hopes it will be enough.

A few hours later he shakes Adamsen awake. "It looks like it’s time to move."

Adamsen rolls out of the sleeping bag and gets to his feet with Tom’s help. They are both standing when the guards get to them. Adamsen notes with satisfaction that he nailed the one that was with the group that attacked him. He wondered how he explained the black eye.

The guards throw leg irons and handcuffs at his feet. Adamsen reaches down and picks them up. He looks at Tom. "No go. We’re going to be in close confinement, either we both go in chains or neither of us goes in chains."

One of the older guards says, "Son, we don’t know what he’ll do. He’s dangerous."

"No more dangerous than some of your own men. Ask him how he got the shiner. If he can give a good explanation I’ll put on the chains if not we’ll go on a promise." He reached his hand behind him and grasps Tom’s hand. "Tom, will you promise to do no harm to anyone on our trip to our new quarters while you hold my hand?"

Tom immediately grasps the implication of the promise. "Yes."

"You have the promise. Can you get an explanation?" He looks over at the man with the shiner.

"I’ve already heard the explanation, it wouldn’t hold water then, it won’t hold water now. Do you trust him that much?"

"Yes."

He sighs heavily. "Very well, son. It’ll be on your head."

Tom feels Adamsen’s surprise at winning so easily. The guards start to file out of the room three in front and three behind them. When they get in the hall Tom keeps an eye on the guard with the black eye, directly behind Adamsen. He feels it before he sees it. He pulls Adamsen aside and puts himself between him and the guard. The guard pushes forward, with nothing there he stumbles and falls, cursing.

"I see what you mean about my men. Consider yourself on report, and confined to quarters. Now go!"

With no further incident they make it to a door down the hallway. One that can’t be more than 100 feet from the doorway to Toms cell, on the opposite side of the hallway.

The door was reinforced from the out side. This door swung out instead of in. As they enter Adamsen flips on the light. The room is about 10 by 12; there are 2 mattresses on the floor along with bedding. They even have pillows. The lap of luxury compared with what Tom had before. On the right hand wall there are 2 doors. On opposite corners of the room there are cameras, giving the watchers a clear view of the whole room. The guards shut the door and lock it. They are alone.

Adamsen looks around. "Tom, do you want to check the bathroom for bugs and cameras? I think you will have a better chance of finding ones that are concealed."

Tom nods and goes to the closest door. "This ones not a bathroom. Whirlpool tub and shower." He goes to the other door. "Basic ½bath. There is a large linen closet in here." Tom examines the room thoroughly, even taking all the towels and clothing out of the closet and examining it closely. There are two glasses and toothbrushes beside the sink, under the sink he finds a stash of toilet paper, it is thoroughly equipped. In his examination he finds two microphones but no trace of a camera. He goes to the room with the whirlpool. There is a door on the other side. He examines it and discovers that it has been blocked off. He checks it closely and finds no cameras, to his surprise he finds no microphones either, although with the shower or the whirlpool running it would be doubtful to hear anything. It gives them a little privacy.

He returns to the room to find Adamsen sitting down leaned against the opposite wall, resting. He looks at him. "There are two microphones in the bathroom. Nothing in the other room, shower with a whirlpool. Still think this was a good idea?"

Adamsen looks at the empty room and then at Tom, "I figure that by the end of the week we’ll either be best friends or I’ll be dead, depending upon your restraint"

"That was the point wasn’t it?"

Adamsen shakes his head. "Ya know, I hate this place. You can't smoke. You can't drink. You can't fuck. Tom, how come you didn’t go stark raving nuts sitting there with nothing to do for weeks at a time?

"How long was it?"

"Almost 5 weeks."

"I didn’t know. Sometimes I thought it was only a couple of weeks, sometimes I thought it was 6 months or more. There at the end my time sense was so bad that minutes seemed like hours and hours seemed like minutes. The only thing that kept me alive was the fact that I had to return to Sloan. She expects me back. She wants me back. I can’t explain it. I know that if she is alive she is doing everything possible to get me back."

Adamsen digests what Tom has said. "Tom would she try to negotiate with the Dragon Queen?"

Tom felt a wrench in the pit of his stomach. If Sloan were to negotiate she would be taken; he had no doubt of that. He thought carefully about what Adamsen has asked. "I don’t think so. Sloan calls her the Ice Queen. She doesn’t trust her. I doubt she would trust her to negotiate fairly, if at all." Tom leans against the wall with one foot up in a seeming casual stance. After all the time in the cage sitting, he is enjoying being able to stand.

"OK, lets make some assumptions. One; assume she is alive. We won’t even think about the alternative. Two; she is in hiding, either voluntary or involuntary. Let’s take worst case first. If she were in hiding, involuntary, who would have her?

"I don’t know, perhaps a faction of the Dominants or a part of your government. In either case she would be unable to do anything for me."

"OK, let’s assume she is in hiding, voluntary, what would she be doing?"

"Looking for me."

"New assumption, three, she either knows who has you or she doesn’t. Worst case she doesn’t. How does she find you? Did she see you taken? Is there any way she could trace the people who took you?

He saw her haunted look as they threw him in the van. He must have seen that look a hundred times in his mind. He fervently hoped that would not be the last thought of her he had. He shook his head and answered Adamsen. "She saw me taken. The way she looked still haunts my nightmares. I guess she could try to trace license plates but it probably wouldn’t do any good."

"Ok, the next most likely thing is that she is in hiding, knows who has you and is looking? Correct?"

"Yes."

"Now, she's a scientist, correct? And that means she knows how to look for things, correct? Especially things that don't want to be found or don't expect to be found, after all, she found the new species, correct?"

"Everything you have said makes sense but what does it mean?"

"It means that if it is possible to find you, if SHE slipped up somewhere, and everybody does, she will find you. All she needs is time, and if she needs time, we have to make it for her. That's our job."

Adamsen made sense. Tom had never strung it together before. If it was possible to find him, she would. Adamsen said 'our job'. He included himself with Tom. He made a statement that put him against the watchers. He wondered how that was going to play itself out.

Tom was looking at Adamsen when he looked at Tom and then looked at the bathroom door. It took him a minute to comprehend what he was trying to say. When he went to the bathroom he realized that he had almost asked for permission to go. He recognized the conditioning was starting to take effect. Tom splashed water on his face and dried himself. It was a shock that he had to come to terms with, instead of being broken he was being changed. Adamsen was going to help him combat it.

The door opens and two trays are delivered with two containers of bottled water. Adamsen gets up to accept the trays, he passes one to Tom and takes one himself. He braces himself against the wall and slides down to get to the floor to eat.

"Adamsen, next time hand it to me so you can sit down. I'm going to have to teach you some mental exercises in order for you to dampen down your pain. How is it?"

Tom knew he was still in considerable pain, but the more he stayed still the less it was.

"I'll be OK. Let's hope they give us real food not the schlock they used to give you."

The food they got could have been given to any of the guards while on duty. A complete meal including dessert. Including plastic utensils. It looks as if they took it to heart when he asked to have Tom live something close to normalcy.

As Adamsen watched Tom eat he knew this was going to be the longest week of his life. When he had set this up he didn't realize what his reaction to Tom was going to be, but last nights dream had made that plain. He hadn't dreamt about another man in almost a decade. Tom was having a profound effect upon him. The more he tried to ignore it, the worse it was. A whole week sleeping next to someone you were having wet dreams about but couldn't touch.

The pain was upsetting his stomach and he ate little. Now that he knew Tom could sense what he was feeling he hoped the pain masked his feelings. He didn't want Tom to feel uncomfortable around him. If Tom knew how he felt, he didn't know how Tom would react to it. It cut him up to think Tom might be disgusted by him. He knew enough to keep his hands to himself. God, don't think about hands again. Tom's hands and the warm water and the slipperiness of the soap as Tom had washed him. He was never going to get any control back. He pushed his tray away and groaned, not from pain but from passion. "I can't eat any more, Tom. Maybe I'll be able to eat tomorrow, I just don't feel up to it today."

"Are you going to be all right?" Tom could feel that Adamsen was in considerable pain, however what was most consuming him right now was desire, a raw, hot desire, cutting through him. Tom wasn't sure what was causing it, but Adamsen was refusing to acknowledge it, or perhaps refusing to admit it. He placed his hand on Adamsen's forehead. "You're not feverish. Here, drink some water and rest. We'll go to sleep as soon as they take the trays away." He could see the temperature shift in his body even taking into account his bruising. Definite arousal, but Tom could not fathom the reason for such a reaction.

Adamsen nodded, even though sleep was the farthest thing from his mind. He passionately hoped Tom thought his injuries were causing his reactions. He also hoped he did not talk in his sleep.

He solidly wished his injuries would curb his ardor, but they seem to make it worse. If Tom could teach him some mental exercises maybe he could use them to resist his feelings or at least disregard them. The problem would be to be around Tom while he was teaching them to him. He silently watches as they take away the dinner trays.

"You sit still. It will only take me a few minutes to make up the beds and I don't want you to aggravate the pain your ribs are causing you." Adamsen was going to object until he saw the look in Tom's eyes, better to keep quiet. He watches as Tom prepares the beds for the night. He worked swiftly, even making hospital corners on the mattresses.

"You look as if you've done this before."

"Training. You had to learn to be independent and fit in with human society. Household chores where another thing to learn. I'm even a pretty good cook, if I have to be."

He's neat, he can cook and he's good looking. What else could you want? Adamsen drew his legs up and placed his forehead on his knees. The less he looked at Tom the better off he would be.

He groaned as he rose from the floor. Tom moved over to help him up, Adamsen didn't want to but accepted his help. "Tom, I can walk. I'll use the bathroom and then bed. Maybe I'll sleep better tonight." He looked at the mattresses placed in the middle of the room less than an arms length apart. He should suggest they be separated farther but couldn't figure how to without raising Tom's suspicions. "Tom, let's leave the bathroom light on tonight, because when we turn out the light in here it's going to be dark as a tomb. In my quarters I have a lamp I can reach from my bed but we don't have that luxury here."

When he returned, he levered himself down to the mattress, covered himself and settled down to sleep. He left the light on and the door almost shut. Tom turned out the lights and only a thin sliver of light entered the room from the bathroom. Adamsen lay there quietly and thought. He had come to the conclusion that the only safe topic of conversation was Sloan, but that only hurt Tom. Maybe he should try to keep quiet for the next week. That couldn't be any harder than what he was supposed to be doing. Adamsen slowly drifted off to sleep, hoping he could keep it together.