"I hate that frelling bastard," he was whispering, "something about the way he stares at me..."

Suddenly the pain diminished and the Chair slowed, finally spinning to a stop right in front of Scorpius, the 'frelling bastard' in question. Vaguely Crichton realized Scorpius had given the signal to stop the chair, and was now studying him closely.

"What?" Crichton asked, trying to blink away the tears that were still uncontrollably streaming from his bloodshot eyes. "You know, somewhere there's a sideshow desperately searching for one of their freaks," he spat as the close scrutiny made him increasingly uncomfortable.

"I think that's enough for today," Scorpius said to his aide as he continued to study Crichton. A cruel smile spread across his face, then, and he licked his papery lips before adding, "Have him brought to my office." He savoured the fear that flashed across Crichton's features then; inhaled its scent and reveled in what he sensed it was doing to Crichton. Something about the human's terror was quite appealing...

Before Crichton could say anything more, Scorpius turned and walked away, and two Peacekeeper guards unstrapped him. Desperation sparked by some unknown fear propelled him to his feet -- he actually made it two steps before his knees buckled and unceremoniously dumped him face-first on the hard floor.

The guards took an arm each and hauled him upright. Looking at each other over his bowed head, they shrugged and dragged him along between them when it became obvious he couldn't make himself walk.

At a signal from Scorpius, the guards dumped Crichton roughly into a chair, then saluted and hurried from the room without another word. Scraping together what remained of his strength, Crichton raised his head and looked at Scorpius, instantly wishing he hadn't. He wasn't sure how, but the alien seemed to have an uncanny ability to read him -- from the first instant Scorpius had seen him and known that he was an imposter. Now he couldn't even make himself look away, those inhuman eyes piercing his soul.

There was only one way to deal with this situation... "You lookin' at me?"

"Bravado will get you absolutely nothing, Crichton," Scorpius said, his tone so smug it made Crichton wish for the energy to punch his face in. "You Humans are a most interesting species," Scorpius continued, walking closer to the chair Crichton sat in.

Desperate to seem stronger than he currently felt, Crichton pulled himself upright and tried to control the shivers and twitching that prolonged exposure to the Chair seemed to cause. "You keep saying that," he said nonchalantly, praying Scorpius couldn't sense the hairs on the back of his neck rise as the alien walked behind him; "but I'm not really sure why...We're obviously pretty much like Sebaceans--"

He started badly as Scorpius' voice came from directly behind him, "On the outside, yes, you are similar -- but there are great differences that I look forward to exploring."

I don't like the sound of that... Crichton thought, refusing to turn to look at Scorpius and therefore give him even more of the advantage.

"You needn't hide it," Scorpius purred, close enough now that Crichton felt the heat of his body on his back, "You're afraid of me -- you don't know what I'm after." The alien walked around the chair now, and leaned down so that he was nose to nose with Crichton. "I'm going to discover every one of your secrets, not only those in your mind..."

I got a bad feeling about this... Crichton thought, looking not for the first time at Scorpius' black lizard-leather outfit and repressing a shudder. Creepy guys in leather fetish outfits I can do without! He pulled his head back as far as he could, trying to put some space between them, and said, "Well, it's no secret -- I don't have a paraphoral nerve, and I handle heat much better than a Sebacean. Can I go now?" He put his hands on the arms of the chair and made a move to push himself to his feet, only to be stopped by a strong hand on his chest, pressing him back into the chair.

"Yes, those are some of the differences," Scorpius agreed, "but I intend to discover them all..." Straightening so that he stood over Crichton now, the alien smiled and began to run his hand over Crichton's chest, feeling the muscles through his t-shirt; feeling the heat through the thin fabric and his gloves; feeling Crichton's heart pounding in his chest as his fear increased. He could see Crichton trying to hide the horror in his expression and his smile grew darker as the human nearly succeeded -- except for the widening of his eyes and the flare of his energy signature. "Yes," he murmured, intrigued, "most interesting..."

"Let me go," Crichton demanded, his voice nowhere near as steady or firm as he had wanted it to sound. A shiver ran through him as Scorpius continued to touch him, the hairs on his arms standing up as goosebumps rose on his skin. His fear had triggered the fight-or-flight reaction, but Scorpius was strong enough to hold him in place with just that one hand.

On his chest.

Feeling a nipple.

Oh shit!

"Whoa! Okay, now, that's enough of that," he said quickly, trying to pull away and knowing that the chair he sat in would not allow him to back through it. "It may just be because you're an alien, but on Earth people just don't do that without asking..."

Scorpius smiled down at him, and he could feel his heart leap into his throat as the alien answered, "I can do anything that I wish to do to you..." The hand moved away for a moment, then Scorpius grabbed his shirt collar with both hands and ripped his shirt open.

"Okay, that's it!" Crichton yelled, somehow finding the strength to jump up and push Scorpius back enough for him to get out of the chair. Momentum and adrenaline propelled him forward, roaring and shouldering into the alien, the two of them crashing into Scorpius' desk. Before he even realized it, his hands were around the alien's throat, squeezing with every ounce of strength he had left, sheer anger keeping him on his feet.

To his horror, despite an attack that would have given most humanoid life forms pause, Scorpius brought his hands up and grabbed Crichton's wrists, then pulled his hands away from his throat with frightening ease. Once free, the alien straightened, pushing Crichton back and squeezing his wrists so hard he could feel the bones grinding against each other; smiling as Crichton's legs buckled and a whimper escaped him. "I'm glad you decided to fight. A Sebacean would..." He could see Crichton still trying to fight him, despite the fact that he fell to his knees with a grunt of pain. "Your will impresses me, Human," Scorpius purred, "The fire of your spirit is quite...stimulating."

"Oh god..." Crichton groaned, sickened, knowing he was defeated; still fighting because his pride would not allow him to stop. Suddenly, Scorpius shoved him to the side, sending him sprawling on the cold, hard floor. All he could do was lie there, gasping for breath and wishing desperately for the strength to even crawl away.

Scorpius walked to where he lay and stood over him, looking down at Crichton with an expression of anticipation that terrified him. Powerless to stop the alien, Crichton squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable. The next thing he knew, Scorpius was straddling his hips and returning to his earlier explorations, this time using both gloved hands to stroke and probe. "Oh god...no..." Crichton whispered, turning his head to one side and opening his eyes to stare off into the middle distance. "Please, no..."

"Where is your fire, now, Crichton?" Scorpius asked, intrigued by the physical changes he could see and feel in the human.

"You know damned well where it is," Crichton answered angrily. "You try fighting someone after that many sessions in your frelling chair!" He looked back up at Scorpius and instantly wished he hadn't, the alien's expression an obscene mixture of lust and scientific curiosity. He tried to unseat Scorpius, trying to roll to one side and buck him off, only to feel the strong legs tightening around him. "Let me go!"

"Well," Scorpius murmured, continuing to stroke his chest, pausing to pluck at tightening nipples, "You certainly lack the physical discipline of a Sebacean -- your body is responding to me despite your hatred of me." He shifted his position so that he sat directly over Crichton's crotch and smiled darkly. "On the other hand, you seem to be more physically...gifted."

"Stop it!" Crichton gasped, "Get. Off. Me!" With one last burst of adrenaline, he tried to buck Scorpius off again, nearly succeeding before the alien swung a fist into the side of his head and stars exploded behind his eyes...

...Awareness slowly returned; small parts of reality filtering through at a time. He realized he was lying on what seemed to be a barely padded ship bunk, cold breeze from a ventilation duct blowing on his skin. Waitaminute -- where are my clothes?! He tried to sit up, stopped by both the pain exploding in his head and the restraints that encircled his wrists. Oh shit! Memory flooded back then, fear like a dagger of ice stabbing through his heart; he looked around frantically for a way to free himself before his jailor returned from wherever he was.

"You cannot escape," a female voice came from the shadows.

"Oh great...If it isn't Peacekeeper Barbie..." He looked around, trying to locate her in the dim lighting; jumped when he saw her yellow eyes glowing from the shadows. "Niem, is it?" he asked, knowing she wouldn't answer him anyway, "Tell me, is this kind of thing authorized by whoever's in charge? 'Cause there are some folks back home from Amnesty International who'd love to have words with ol' Scorpy..."

Instead of answering, Niem strode from the room. Before the door slid shut, he heard her telling Scorpius he was awake. I am so screwed! he thought, returning his attention to the restraints in a futile attempt to unlock them. A moment later, the door slid open again, and Scorpius entered, turning the lights on and locking the door behind him. Crichton squeezed his eyes shut as the sudden light sent a twinge of pain through his head; gradually opened his eyes again as the pain faded and his eyes became accustomed to the light.

"I'm glad I didn't hit you too hard -- I would have been disappointed if I had...permanently damaged you," Scorpius said, looking down at him.

"Lucky me," Crichton muttered, glowering up at his captor, who in turn smiled and stroked a gloved hand casually up Crichton's side, watching muscles tense as he traveled over sensitive areas. Then he trailed his fingers over one of Crichton's collarbones and up his throat, the human's eyes widening as the gloved hand closed on his throat.

"I could snap your neck right now if I wanted to, Crichton; do not try my patience," Scorpius warned, the flare of panic he could sense from the human sending a thrill through him. A moment later, he let go and gently stroked Crichton's cheek. "That's much better...Now, I believe I was discussing the difference in -- size -- between you and Sebaceans," he said, turning his attention to Crichton's crotch. He grasped Crichton's cock in one gloved hand and his balls in the other, then asked, "Are you a good indication of the standard for your species? It is...most impressive."

"Oh -- jeez, go easy there!" Crichton gasped as Scorpius pulled on him, "You know, they are attached!" He swallowed hard, uncomfortably aware that it was becoming harder and harder to ignore where this was going. Deciding it would be a good idea to answer the question, he said, "I'm not really sure if I'm a good indication of the standard -- my people...we -- we're kind of weird about the whole thing, you know? I mean we look, but we don't look, and -- ouch!" He broke off, gasping, as Scorpius squeezed his balls cruelly and pulled on them. "Okay, okay -- my buddy DK always said he envied me, so no, I'm a bit bigger than average, I think. Why? I kinda figured from the way they acted that all Sebaceans were hung like horses... And this isn't translating well, is it..." he trailed off as Scorpius frowned. "Hung like horses -- well hung -- big," he elaborated, wondering why he was bothering. "Let me guess -- it's that heat problem again, isn't it. We kind of have a little problem with --ah-- shrinkage when we're somewhere really cold."

Instead of answering, Scorpius returned his attention to Crichton's cock and balls, releasing them and probing more gently now, feeling the separate organs within the lightly furred sac; the way the foreskin moved back to expose the glans. Crichton gasped as he stroked over the sensitive skin with a gloved finger, swallowed hard as his body started to respond to the attention. "Again, a response -- very undisciplined," Scorpius murmured, intensifying his attention. The human was terrified, embarrassed, ashamed -- and rapidly becoming aroused. It sent a thrill through him -- as it always did -- to exert such power over someone. Soon, he would have this human begging.

Scorpius closed his hand around Crichton's cock and began to pump, and Crichton winced as the glove moved across sensitive skin. "Um...the skin there's pretty sensitive, you know -- we usually use some kind of lubricant to keep from irritating it..."

"What makes you think any of this is for your benefit, Crichton?" Scorpius purred, rubbing his gloved thumb over the head of Crichton's cock, closing his eyes and sighing as the human gasped.

Crichton bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to remain silent as his body barraged him with conflicting impulses. Should have done something about all of this tension before it caused problems, he thought, pulling against the restraints in a vain attempt to free himself. Oh god -- this is going to happen and I can't do a fucking thing to stop him... he suddenly realized, a shiver running through him that had as much to do with terror as it did arousal.

"So," Scorpius said, continuing to pump Crichton's cock with one hand and stroking teasingly between his legs with the other, "which orifice do your people use when two males couple? The tight one back here?" As he slid a finger between Crichton's buttcheeks and touched the puckered opening, he could feel Crichton clench every muscle of his body; feel the human's terror thundering through him. "I can imagine how it would feel for you to sheath yourself inside a Sebacean..." he purred, "so tight and hot..."

"No!" Crichton gasped, trying to pull away from the finger teasing at his anus. "Stop -- leave me alone!" Fear chased away all attempts at bravado, this next level of Scorpius' torture suddenly all too inevitable...

And then suddenly Scorpius pulled his hand back and smiled down at him. "Do not worry, Crichton, I have no desire to permanently damage you -- you'll have your lubrication..." He peeled off his gloves -- instantly Crichton wished he hadn't; stared in horror at the long bony fingers with long, thick, sharp nails... Then Scorpius dipped his fingers into a container of blue gel and grasped his cock again with one hand, slid the other back between his legs. The skin of his cock began to tingle almost immediately as Scorpius began to pump, and then he felt a finger probing at his anus...

"NO!" he yelled, pulling desperately at the restraints, oblivious to the pain of the cuffs cutting into his wrists as Scorpius worked the tip of his finger in. Again, the skin began tingling almost instantly -- a disturbing sensation that was neither painful nor numbing, but instead seemed to intensify every stroke. "Oh god -- what is-- no!" he gasped as Scorpius kept pressing, forcing his finger deeper inside. Crichton squeezed his eyes shut again, praying it would be over quickly; praying that Scorpius didn't damage him with his nails, that his body would stop reacting to the finger deep inside, pressing now in just the right place to send pleasure through him whether he wanted it or not...

He groaned as Scorpius pressed again, oblivious to how his legs had spread; to the fact that he was now thrusting up into the hand that pumped him...With his eyes shut he could pretend he was somewhere safe, with someone he wanted to be with; pretend that this nightmare wasn't really happening... "Oh god..." he moaned, realizing that at least one more finger had joined the first one, the sensation of being stretched and filled far more arousing than he had expected it to be.

"God -- no -- I can't--" he panted, helpless in the onslaught of pleasure; trapped between the plundering fingers and the pumping hand, and totally out of control. He moaned incoherently, writhing and arching into the strokes now, trying to work the fingers inside him deeper as his body ached for release.

Scorpius licked his lips hungrily, bared his sharp teeth in a cruel grin. The human was desperately aroused now, open and eagerly pressing back to drive the fingers deeper, his hunger powerful enough to make Scorpius' head spin with his own lust. The restraint needed to keep from seriously damaging his captive was difficult to maintain with his own body clamoring for release, and the fear Crichton had shown when he had removed his gloves was something he wanted to taste again. Somehow, the human had managed to make himself forget where he was and what was happening -- this would not do. If nothing else, Scorpius decided, the human could be treated by the Sebacean doctors if something went wrong -- he had to feel Crichton's terror as the human realized who he was submitting to.

Crichton whimpered as the cruel hand released his cock, gasped, "No!" before he realized what he was saying. Next, the fingers slid from his ass, leaving him feeling empty and unsatisfied. Before he could do more than whimper, though, someone climbed onto the bunk beside him and roughly lifted one of his legs to get a better angle. His eyes shot open as he realized the texture he felt against his leg was lizard-like leather. The moment the horror and understanding flared, Scorpius shoved his fingers back inside him in one brutally savage stroke, not stopping until Crichton's body opened to accept the entire hand.

"OhgodnoooOOOO!" Crichton roared as his body betrayed him completely, blinding orgasm tearing through him as Scorpius jabbed cruelly at his prostate. In the throes of passion, he never registered Scorpius' teeth fastening on his shoulder and biting; never heard the alien's own growl of pleasure...

Reality -- and an ugly one at that -- gradually reasserted itself. Crichton looked around the room, realizing he still lay in bed completely naked, but that his hands had been released and the wounds on his wrists treated. An ache deep within his body reminded him what had happened, although there was no sign of the sharp pain he had expected after Scorpius' last act...

Scorpius stepped into his view and explained, "I had the medics take a look at you -- I want you to live a nice, long time, Crichton."

"Thanksev'r so much," Crichton answered, alarmed by the effort it took to speak. "C'n I go back to my cell now?" He tried to sit up, found himself unable to do much more than lift his head. "You drugged me!" he accused indignantly, "D'you do this to all your pris'ners? D'you rape them, too?"

"The drug is a simple sedative to keep you relaxed while you heal," Scorpius explained, looking down at him and lazily trailing a finger along a jagged red line on Crichton's shoulder. Crichton strained to see what he was doing, was relieved to see that he had put his gloves back on. Then he saw the bite mark Scorpius was toying with...

"It would make me so happy if you burst into flame in the sunlight," Crichton said, carefully pronouncing each word and sounding very much like someone trying to sound sober when they were anything but. He swallowed hard as Scorpius stared down at him, then asked, "Does Crais know what you do to your prisoners?"

"The way I treat my prisoners is no business of Captain Crais'," Scorpius purred. "At least not until he becomes one of them, himself..."

"You gonna rape him, too?" Crichton asked, fighting back the beginnings of nausea as thoughts of his rape intruded on him. Never even got further than a couple of hand-jobs with any guys, he thought, Now I get fisted by some freak-show reject! God...I'll kill myself if I can't get out of here...

"Why do you care so much about Captain Crais?" Scorpius asked suddenly, watching his reaction carefully.

"Wha?" Crichton asked, surprised by the question for a moment -- until something in Scorpius' tone filtered through the fog in his mind. "No, waitaminit -- it's not like that! Frell -- he's been tryin' to kill me!"

"Of course," Scorpius said, his tone indicating that he didn't believe Crichton for a minute. "I think it's time for me to have a talk with Captain Crais...You will stay here and rest for the time being."

And then he was gone, leaving Crichton alone in the dark with his thoughts...