Fuck.
Just.
Fuck.
"Come on, Kes. Clear the hallways for me. We don't want a panic." Mal held the sub's head, the white-white hair wet with sweat, eyes rolled back into the kid's head. The kid was breathing, but that was it.
The Top who'd been working with the kid was pacing, eyes wringing. "Mal? What happened? What's wrong with him? Check the security tapes, I didn't hurt him. I swear."
"Relax. You didn't raise any alarms, Garret. It wasn't you. We'll get him to the Doc." Fuck.
Fuck.
"All clear, Mal. Herc's on his way to speak to the Top, smooth things there. Where do you need me? There or at the Doc's?"
"Come here." He stood, the kid weighing nothing in his arms. He headed out, hurrying to the freight lift, speaking into his earpiece. "Doc, I'll be there in three. You'd better be ready for me."
"The place is cleared out, Mal and I've pulled his file. There isn't anything unusual here." Doc was new, just with them three months, and hadn't done the initial intake meeting with the boy, Ghost.
"Well, there's something unusual here. He's non-responsive, still. He's breathing, but that's it." The lift door opened. "Somebody open the door."
Doc himself opened the door for him, ushering him over to a bed. Immediately, Doc was examining Ghost, checking his eyes, his pulse. "What happened in the scene, Mal? What went wrong?"
Mal clicked the control room number. "Pipe the last hour's worth of vid to Meds. Now."
He looked over at the Doc. "I'm not sure. It was pretty standard--the sub was bound, gagged, safeword button in reach. The top was using a paddle--no blood was drawn, his ass was pretty red, but no serious bruises. No blows to the head. No breath play. No blood play." Damn it all to the seventh layer of hell.
"Have you had problems with this boy before?" Doc's long fingers stroked the sub's face.
"No. Not ever. I did a few sessions with him--he's extremely quiet, never safe worded." He pulled up Ghost's file. "He's got a reputation for being distant, being unemotional. He's extremely obedient. Handles pain well."
Doc listened to Ghost's lungs and heart, examined his mouth. "There's barely even any marks from where he was gagged and look at his wrists--again, just barest marks. Nothing was too tight. Help me turn him over."
"Of course." They flipped the boy easily, his ass red, but not unreasonably so. The pale hair slid to one side, a dark birthmark on the boy's nape marring the white skin.
Doc looked closely at the paddled ass. Shaking his head. "The skin's not even broken."
The birthmark was examined along with the spine. Doc even looked at the sub's feet and hands, checking the nails carefully.
"Well I can't find anything. I'll pull blood and run tests. Run an ECG. The next step is to get a machine that'll track his brainwaves. That's going to take a day at least to get here and it's going to be expensive. You want me to order it now? Or wait?"
"Get it in here. We take care of our boys, Doc. If he's sick? You make him better. I'm taking him off the active roster. He's yours now, until further notice." He didn't need subs turning into vegetables on the tables. Shit. Herc was going to have his ass in a sling.
Doc nodded. "I'll order anything I think I need then, send the paperwork to you." A gentle hand patted Mal's arm. "He'll get the best care possible and if he can be brought out of this, he will be, I promise you that."
Mal nodded. "Keep me informed. If you need anything, I'll arrange it. I'm going to go do some damage control upstairs. Good luck."
He didn't even wait for Doc to answer, just headed out. Maybe he'd get a job tending bar somewhere.
Somewhere quiet.
Somewhere quiet and smoky and leatherless.
Well, maybe not leatherless...
)
