Under My Skin

Under My Skin - Part 71

For two days Watch Two was at peak speed refilling and organizing the information gained after the last mission. Though the Luvor mission was a fiasco the world still turned and other matters took precedence. Cetz went through the proper channels to inform the FBI of Kore's weapons depot and to transfer Kore's men to the military police. Hopefully Kore would be taken care of in a few days. He informed the military lab Palmer had worked for that the virus, both parts of it, were secure and would be sent to them by the end of the week. The jurisdiction concerning Palmer was still being argued between Watch Mission Control and the MPD. After he hung up with the base leader he cursed him out.

Requisitions needed to be filled out, statements needed to be read, and the rest of Watch Two found things to do.

Louis had been told about the stipulation of having to stay at base, so he had changes of clothes brought from home and did paperwork while Will and Massaru recovered. Reese was quiet, and Beni avoided him by working continuously in the garage. Olivia was back at her post and Grant was checking over the Base Security systems for a third time, determined to not let a breach happen again. Meanwhile Cetz and Rachel were gathering all the files they needed to hand over to Watch One.

The third morning was unusually calm. The work done, the papers filed, that data banks updated. Cetz was restless, flipping through the official, finished file of the Luvor debacle.

Rachel beeped over his intercom.

"Cetz, he's ready."

"Put him in room two," he replied.

Finally, he'd get a chance to crack that son of a bitch.

***

Louis sidestepped into Will's room with a small speck of brightness in his demeanor and his mug of coffee in hand. He found Will sitting up in bed, filling out a small stack of papers on a lap desk.

"Dude, what are you doing?" asked Louis.

"Paperwork for discharging my gun during a mission. It has to be done sooner or later. Why?"

"Ditch it and get your robe on. Cetz is about to grill Zachs."

Will brightened and quietly set the desk on the side table so as not to disturb the still sleeping Massaru. "Get my wheelchair and the IV rack."

Louis folded out the seat for the chair and set the brake. "How much longer are you going to be on that tube?"

"Few more days," groaned Will as he took Louis' hand to stand up and tie his robe. He walked the few steps to the wheelchair as if he was carrying broken glass in his belly. "Rachel wants me on bland liquids tomorrow to keep the integrity of my gut."

"I protest if your gut has integrity at all; I've seen it first hand."

Will sat with a sigh, clipping the IV bag to the rack on the chair. Louis handed him his coffee to hold for the trip and Will smiled. It was the same mug he had given Louis almost a week ago. Louis pushed him out the door and past the nurses, claiming he was taking the patient out for prescribed fresh air.

Entering the observation room of Interrogation Two, they found others eager to see Zachs squirm. Reese, Rachel, and even Beni were there acting as recording technicians. When Will waved to her she looked away. He expected she was still trying to deal with the situation. He missed talking with her; she hadn't even visited him while he lay abed.

"Fun hasn't started yet," said Reese over his shoulder, adjusting the microphone feeds. Usually someone from Surveillance Tech would be handling the recording, but to keep the situation with Louis privy to as few people as possible, Beni and Reese were brought in for double duty.

Rachel frowned at Will's presence. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"Getting some moral uplifting," said Will. "Call this a positive reinforcement of schadenfreude."

Through the one way glass Zachs sat in a wheelchair before a table, composed, and still. Will knew the former Head of Watch One Security couldn't see him, but Zachs sent a chill down his back. As if the mask of cool control could slip at any moment to reveal the feral, desperate man underneath.

"How long has he been in there?" asked Will.

"Almost an hour," said Rachel. "Cetz is letting him stew."

"What do you think the disciplinary committee will do to him once he's found guilty?" asked Will.

"Who knows," said Rachel. "That's in the hands of the disciplinary committee."

"In a perfect world," started Louis. "They'd let us choose the punishment."

"I vote we stick him in Bella's cage for target practice," said Rachel, dripping with venom. "He raped my poor BTs of their data with his damn scanning wands."

"He should run a marathon in stilettos," said Beni, speaking up for once.

"Feed him a rotten chicken salad sandwich," said Reese. "And then give him just one bucket to use for both ends."

"Put non-dairy creamer on his crotch and light it on fire," said Will.

"Oh," crooned Louis. "I like that idea."

They snapped quiet when the door to the interrogation room opened and Cetz stepped in, shut the door, set down his folder, and sat.