TITLE: "IN ENEMY HANDS"

AUTHOR: Alison M. DOBELL

FANDOM: "Farscape"

PAIRING: JOHN/CRAIS

RATING: NC-17. M/M. *SLASH*

STATUS: New.

ARCHIVE: Yes. Just let me know where.

FEEDBACK: Welcomed

SERIES/SEQUEL: SEQUEL to "THE PRICE OF FAME"

The usual disclaimers apply. No infringement of copyright is intended.

"IN ENEMY HANDS"
A "Farscape" slash story
Written by Alison M. DOBELL
* * * * *

Scorpius took the situation in at once. Surprised. Intrigued. Essentially though, it changed nothing. Crais had sprung to his feet. Muscles taut, back straight. Peace Keeper mode. It was automatic. Reflexive. He drew a finger down the side of Crais's face and leaned in towards him, his sour breath like the sulphour of a dragon's breath burning his cheek. It took all Crais's willpower not to flinch away from him but he would not give him that satisfaction. Realising that Crichton would hear anything he said to Crais, Scorpius contented himself with the look on his face and stepped back. All business once again.

"You have been...most efficient in retrieving my property, Captain. A dedication to duty that I am sure will be rewarded."

Crichton frowned but said nothing. Wondered why Crais was silent. Crais deliberately avoided looking at him, his thoughts closed off and looking for all the world as if he was standing to attention. <Oh God, Crais. Please don't say you've set me up? Not to Scorpius>

Scorpius waved a hand at a couple of his men. "Take him!"

Crais tried not to watch. His eyes on Scorpius, expression carved in stone. Crichton tried to struggle but he was too weak. Blue fired on the first Peace Keeper and got kicked against the wall of the leviathan for his trouble, sparks flying as he hit the wall, case cracking as the energy faltered and the light was extinguished. Fury and pain and sorrow and hate sang out of Crichton's eyes in a misery that was all consuming. He looked at Crais. His *friend*. His *lover*. There was no reaction. He could not even begin to think of what Scorpius had offered him to turn him in. Just thinking about it turned his stomach. He let the soldiers drag him away, biting back the tears and wishing he had been left blind. At least then he would not have seen the satisfaction on Scorpius's face.

Once they had gone, Scorpius considered Crais. "I am surprised. You were enemies, now you are...what exactly *are* you to each other, Crais? Friends? Lovers?"

He watched Crais struggle to control strong emotions. "I am what I am. A man has needs, Scorpius. Not that I would expect you to understand."

Scorpius had taken to walking slowly around him, a tactic that seemed to help him think while tending to upset the subject of his musings. "You were using him."

He got no reply. Scorpius stopped in front of him again. "Interesting." He paused. "You were wise to stop fighting me, Crais. I would have destroyed you. Then I would have taken Talyn from you."

Again silence. This Crais already knew. Knowing the moment Scorpius set foot on the leviathan that he had lost. Drawing his weapon had been as instinctive as much as it was foolish. He was playing to mitigate that loss and they both knew it. Having witnessed the closeness between
Crichton and Crais, Scorpius was thinking of ways he could use that information to his own
advantage. Maybe now was not the time to kill Crais. If he did have feelings for this human, just taking him from Crais would destroy him more. A slow agony of loss. Scorpius smiled. Yes. He liked the idea of that. Revenge should always be savoured not hurried.

"I will leave you now, Crais. I have what I want. But understand this." He paused a microt to be sure that Crais was listening. "If I see you again I will not be so...lenient."

"What will happen to Crichton?"

Scorpius smiled slowly, deadly. A fell light in his half-Scarran eyes. Something that slithered in dark places and hated the light lurked in those foul depths. "Forget Crichton, he is *mine*."

Crais longed to lung at him and rip his throat out with his bare hands but he had to constrain himself. If he did that he would be killed or taken prisoner and Talyn would be in Peace Keeper hands. A collar fitted and enslaved to this vile abomination.

Impotently he stood on the deck of Talyn's command and watched them leave. Feeling the filth soil the leviathan's decks with their presence however temporary. He knew Scorpius already had Crichton aboard his command carrier but it still hurt. Not just that he had let them take him but also the knowledge that Crichton thought he had been betrayed. Tears ran unheeded and silent down his face. He did not hear the Builder until Tahanay spoke. "You were right to save the leviathan."

Crais spun round, the anger he had held back now released at the Builder. "Where were you, Tahanay? Cowering in the cargo hold? Hiding in your precious spawning grounds? You could have saved him."

"I have what I want."

"You sound like Scorpius." He sneered in disgust.

"You are angry because you did nothing."

More tears brightened eyes that held too much sorrow and pain to see clearly. "Get out of my sight!"

"My work here is nearly finished." Said Tahanay mildly.

Crais looked at him blankly. Puzzled by the serene smile on the Builder's face. Not understanding why he was still here.

* * * * *

Moya entered starburst suddenly, the crew only just having enough time to find something to grab on to. There was an urgency about the leviathan that they felt as keenly as if it were a phyiscal thing. When they came out of starburst Pilot's voice shook them all from their reverie. "Moya has
picked up a distress call from Talyn."

Aeryn leaned over the console. "Is he hurt?"

Pilot shook his head. "No."

"What about Crichton? Crais?"

"I....do not....know. Moya is talking to him, trying to calm him down. Tell him about the plan."

"Plan?" Said D'Argo. "What plan?"

"Yes, Pilot. What the yotz are you talking about?" Grumbled Rygel.

Just then all heads turned as another presence joined them. The misty white figure exuding a calm none of them felt. Zhaan bowed her head in reverence to Kahaynu. Pilot's mouth dropped open, his arms stopped moving as he just looked at the Builder. Chiana tilted her head first one way
then the other. "This is the Builder? The one who created Moya?"

The Builder smiled at her. "I am Kahaynu. We do not create life, we mould it little one."

Jothee looked at him in alarm, tried to back up but there was no place to go. Kahaynu was blocking the only exit. The Builder ignored him. He might be serene but he was not smiling.

"What are you doing here?" Pressed Chiana.

"Chiana!" Warned D'Argo. Afraid that her curiosity would anger the Builder.

"Moya spoke to me. Called me here."

They exchanged looks. "Moya?" Said Rygel. "What kind of Yllirian trat is that?"

"Yllirian?" Queried D'Argo with a scowl.

"It's a Hynerian religious clerical order, D'Argo." Explained Zhaan.

"That's what I said," Grumbled Rygel. "Well?"

Kahaynu said nothing. They felt a sense of agitation in the air but were unable to account for it until Pilot spoke. "We will be with Talyn in less than an arn."

Aeryn was confused. How did they get here so fast? She shot a suspicious look at the Builder but he was not looking at any of them. His attention fixed only on the viewscreen and their destination. Aeryn looked at Pilot. "Can you raise John?"

Pilot shook his head slowly.

"Crais?"

Pilot looked up, his expression troubled. "I cannot raise anyone on the leviathan. They appear to have their communications blocked."

"Is Talyn still talking to Moya, Pilot?"

He nodded slowly at Aeryn. She was non-plussed. In silence they waited as the microts passed, the tension building, the sense of catastrophe being only a microdench away was growing. It made Aeryn's skin crawl. Jothee looked around, wanting a way out in case things got really bad. His mind racing with possibilities that were shrinking even as he came up with them. He felt a sense of doom. Coming here had been a big mistake but he had not had any say in it. That feeling of helplessness was not something he cherished. It reminded him too much of captivity.

Then they saw him. Talyn was just hanging there with the backdrop of the leviathan spawning grounds behind him. The vibrant sparkling colours of the living cloud catching them all by surprise. Aeryn leaned forward, straining her eyes anxiously trying to see if he was hurt. Kahaynu spoke. "We will need to dock."

Pilot immediately ensured that Moya was ready but found she had anticipated the Builder's wishes. Chiana had a bad feeling about this. "What's the plan?"

Kahaynu ignored her.

"I said..."

Zhaan put a hand on Chiana's shoulder. "Child, Kahaynu heard you."

"Then why doesn't he answer? Can't he see we're worried? Not just about Talyn but Crichton."

Zhaan nodded. "He knows." She said softly.

They docked, Kahaynu going with them to board Talyn. D'Argo ready with his qualta blade just in case. In silence they entered the young leviathan, surprised to find Crais waiting for them, his face oddly expressionless. A strange bleakness in his dark eyes. "You came too late."

Aeryn felt her heart miss a beat. "Where's John."

He looked at her, holding his emotions within an iron grip. "Scorpius took him."

D'Argo was ready to blast him with his qualta blade, now in rifle mode. "What happened?"

Just then another figure coalesced upon the command deck and everyone fell silent. The tempature seemed to drop. Kahaynu looked at Tahanay. "What you have done was wrong, Tahanay."

Tahanay was smug, unrepentent. "I did what we have always done."

"You were wrong then," Said Kahaynu mildly. "And you are wrong now."

Crais drew Aeryn aside. Aeryn frowned at him, so full of anger she was not quite sure how to react to him. "What happened? How did Scorpius get John? I don't understand."

He sighed. Despite how well he hid it, Aeryn realised that he was upset. "He was cloaked, used a dampening net. We didn't stand a chance."

"And I suppose you didn't find the surgeon either?" She said dully.

"Oh, that." Said Crais softly, his voice almost dismissive. "John can see, Aeryn. That much we have managed to do for him."

She frowned at the bitterness in his voice. "We?"

"Yes. Tahanay restored John's sight."

Her eyebrows rose, about to ask who Tahanay was when she realised it must be the other Builder. The one squaring up right now to Kahaynu. "I don't understand what's going on, Crais."

"Tahanay is Talyn's Builder, Aeryn."

Her mouth formed a perfect circle. He did not smile. It was as if all the humour had been wrested out of him. She wondered at that. Her thoughts were rudely scattered as Tahanay made a move to destablise Kahaynu, the energy whipping around them like a vortex that would suck them in and
use them as fuel in their own private war.

"Get down!" Yelled Crais at everyone. He pulled Aeryn to the floor. "Flatten yourself down, Aeryn!"

She wanted to ask him why, what he thought was going to happen but it became all too clear as the two titans began to fight. Using energy and the manipulation of matter to try to get the upper hand. Talyn wailed to them to stop, the stress on his bulkheads more than he could contain. Moya
added her own voice and as suddenly as it had started the fighting ended. They blinked in surprise. Both Builders had gone. Outside flashes of bright energy played across the coloured debris that vibrated with the promise of new life. Crais got quickly to his feet. "Hurry, we must get out of here."

No one argued with him. Moya powered up and withdrew from the area. Talyn tucked in close beside her. She could not go to starburst yet even if Talyn could, so they contented themselves with going as fast as they dared. When they were several thousand metras distance, the first of the energy explosions ripped through the bright magnetic field of the spawning grounds. The concussion wave rocking both ships.

"We have to get away from here!" Yelled D'Argo.

Aeryn nodded. "Pilot? When can Moya go to starburst?"

"Not for another arn, Aeryn."

She looked at Crais.

"Keep backing away, when the next wave hits us it should propel us to a safe distance."

"And if it doesn't?" She asked.

He paused only a microt. "Then it won't matter, Aeryn. Nothing will because we will end up in complete disolution."

She frowned. Disolution? What the hezmana did he mean by that? He pre-empted her question.

"The forces you are witnessing, Aeryn, are the forces that have moulded every species in this universe. They are beyond our comprehension, their power limitless."

"I don't believe that. Everyone has an archid heel."

"A what?"

"Achilles Heel," Corrected Zhaan. "It is one of John's earth sayings, it means a weakness though I do not understand why a heel should make you weak."

A sad soft smile graced Crais's lips, for just a microt. Was that pain she could see in his eyes? It was gone so quickly Aeryn could not be sure. Just then the second concussion wave hit, propelling them out of the danger zone. It was as if the whole cloud had been set alight. "We are still too close," Murmured Crais, almost to himself.

Aeryn looked at him, wondered how he knew. "Pilot, can Moya starburst yet?"

"Yes."

"What about Talyn?"

Crais nodded. "Talyn is ready."

She nodded. "Pilot, ask Moya to tell Talyn we need to starburst now. We want him to starburst with us."

Microts later the spawning grounds were gone. As they came out of starburst they began assessing what had happened and what the yotz they should do next.

* * * * *

Plans formed in microts are always the riskiest ones. The two DRDs acted on the biomechanoid equivalent of instinct. Urged on by Blue's stories, his assertion that it was somehow the right thing to do. They were not sure what he meant but had been impressed by him. Impressed by his level of self sacrifice. It was something all droids shared. So Blue did his part. Now it was up to them to do theirs.

* * * * *

Crichton lay in the cold Peace Keeper cell and just stared up at the grey ceiling. His heart was dead. His hope crucified by faithless friends and uncaring lovers. What did it matter what Scorpius did to him now? What could he possibly do that could hurt him more?

He did not move when they unlocked his door. A kick to his ribcage forced him to comply with the order to get to his feet. He got up unsteadily then was dragged out his cell and marched off to Scorpius. He thought about how far he had come, how much he had experienced. The long catalogue of adventures and near misses that had punctuated his time in the Uncharted
Territories. In a way it was kind of funny. His one constant in this whole nightmare was Scorpius. The one creature whose face never changed. <How about that, Dad?> At least Scorpius told him up front what he wanted from him, what he expected, and left him in no doubt as to how far he was willing to go to get it. He supposed he should have been flattered but it was hard to appreciate the finer points of torture when you were shit scared.

The Aurora Chair loomed larger than life before him. He felt the last vestiges of his courage leak out of the pores of his skin. Perspiration gathering like a crowd of curious onlookers at a hanging. Not cruel in and of themselves but prepared to dine on the spite of others and think their hands still clean. He winced as he was manhandled into the chair, his body tensed and stressed out. They strapped him in, settled the crown of thorns on his head. All that remained was for Pontius Pilate to pronouce sentence on him. Oh yeah, he had forgotten. Been there, done that, now it's time to die. Only Scorpius was not as compassionate as Pilate. He would not let him die. He wanted to kill him a piece at a time. Scorpius dismissed everyone and looked at Crichton. Tasted the fear radiating off him and savoured it. Enjoyed the way that fear heightened as he slowly stepped up to him, the human already starting to hyperventilate just at his proximity. Delicious. His fear was so intoxicating. A drug that pleased him and made him pulse with the elixer of power. He leaned close so he could capture Crichton's eyes, lock on to him and show him just how damned he was. "I *will* get what I want, Crichton."

"Yeah, Happy Christmas Scorpy. Glad Macy's had something in your size."

Scorpius ignored the human's words. He seldom made sense anyway. He thought about what he had interrupted between Crichton and Crais and an evil smile formed on his face. He drew a finger down Crichton's face, watching him closely, enjoying his reaction. Imagining what was going through the human's tiny brain. "Crais was your enemy, John..." The finger now ran down
the side of his throat.

Crichton swallowed. His fear building with horror and dread, imagining all sorts of sick perverted things that Scorpius could do to him while he was tied down in the damn chair. "Just take the wormhole technology out of my head and get this over with, Scorpy."

"Why the rush?" Said the sly voice. The finger now traced up the other side of his face. Crichton tried closing his eyes but when he did Scorpius started to run his other hand down his chest owards his crotch. His eyes flew open in panic.

"Don't, don't do that..."

Scorpius was amused by his reaction. "You didn't resist when Crais touched you."

<Oh God, Oh God, don't let him rape me...>

"Nothing to say?"

"Just get your frelling hands off me!"

The half-Scarran was enjoying himself. Seeing the panic on the human's face was an added bonus. Pain he was used to, pain he expected, but this change in tactics absolutely terrified him. Scorpius grinned and started to undo the buttons on his leathers. Crichton thrashed against the
restraints, no attempt now to hide the fear, the loathing, the utter panic that swamped him with terror. At least he did not try to kiss him. He had the vest open now, the buckle on his pants took a microt only. He could see the bulge in his crotch, took his time releasing his cock. Amusement written all over his face at the sight of his straining erection, milky white cum leaking slowly from the head. Crichton was thrashing harder now, his face red with anger and frustration, his eyes wide with fear. "Don't do this, don't touch me!"

Scorpius spoke in a slow amused voice, his words an obscene caress to Crichton's ears. He drew a finger up the side of his erection then took a step back in surprise as he came in a sudden rush, the ejaculate only missing him because of his quick reactions. He looked at Crichton's tormented face. Saw that he was slick with perspiration, his breathing irregular. Curious, he lightly drew his finger back up the erection, careful to avoid the head. Another spasm wracked his body and he ejaculated again. Harder this time. A groan of agony squeezing up out of Crichton's throat like a traitor. He closed his eyes, tears running down his face. Curious. Were all humans so lacking in self control? He touched him again, again he came, pained wimpers now leaking out of the human's throat as his hips gently rocked.

"Is this," Mused Scorpius. "Normal for your species?"

Crichton tried to grit his teeth. "No."

"Surely I do not excite you?"

"Not even in your dreams," the human spat back.

Scorpius grinned and touched him again making him cry out. After a quarter arn, the half-Scarran got bored. He called for a crew to clean him up. Nothing was said when they came but the looks on their silent faces spoke volumes. They gave Scorpius an even wider berth than usual when they left.

"Now." Said Scorpius as if nothing had happened. "Where were we?"

* * * * *
end