Where on Earth, Spies Ch. 9

"Nastalo vremya dlya pereryva." Carmen stretched a bit, standing. She looked back at the little Gecko. He was in horrible shape, laying on the table she had set up. Carmen hated to get her hands dirty, but she was a spy. She wasn't some nice girl pretending to be a spy, and she wasn't there for eye candy. She knew her stuff.

"Your tail will grow back. Your lower back, on the other hand, will be in some pain for a good deal of time. Or would be. Can you even feel it? I know you can't feel your feet, at least. Don't worry too much, though. You have a good department. If you make it out of here, they'll be kind enough to put you in a wheelchair. See? I'm nice. I didn't make your legs hurt for too long, and you'll most likely live for another few days in case they find you here." Carmen smirked.

Martin didn't answer. He was in too much pain, feeling the memory pains of when the bones in his legs were broken, and still fairly certain he could feel around the break in his spine. He thought before that he had heard horrifying things. He'd heard people talking about vicious murders they had committed, horrifying crimes, injured women and children screaming, all sorts of horrifying things. He never thought, though, that the most horrifying thing he would ever hear would be the sound of his spine slowly cracking apart. Something like crushing a water bottle, while someone else slowly snapped celery in half. Coincidentally, that was also sort of like how it felt.

Martin had to admit to himself that he underestimated Carmen. He never thought she was capable of something like that. She'd never harmed anyone other than people who got in her way when she was stealing something, or people who attempted to arrest her. In the future, maybe he would feel honoured that she thought he was worth paralysing. More likely, though, he would just curse her and her descendants under his breath.

It was a few minutes after Carmen left that Alik wheeled in with a plate of fruit and some medical supplies. He started treating Martin's injured tail. He couldn't do anything for the spine (he tried not to think about it, really) but at least he could try to make sure the tail would re-grow properly.
"I brought some fruit. You don't have to eat it now, but I figured it would be a good idea. Bugs might be better for your health, but I didn't think it would be very respectful." Alik stated, though he felt like he was talking to a stuffed animal, for all the conversation he expected.

Martin predictably remained silent. Not just because of his pride, though. It was very difficult to speak when in a lot of pain, especially when he wanted to appear strong. He just didn't move and tried to force himself to feel less like he just swallowed a cactus in bacon grease.

"Your scales look terrible, I'm afraid." Alik tried again, though he still didn't expect a response. He didn't bandage the tail, since it would likely come back. He just tried to sterilize the injury carefully, fearing there wasn't much else for him to do. After that, he started to wheel back around toward the door.
"I'll just go, I wouldn't want to disturb you."

"I-I'm a vegetarian."

"What?" Alik looked up, surprised the gecko spoke.

"I'm a vegetarian now. I can't stand the idea of eating bugs, and geckos aren't built to eat the same things people do, so I'm a vegetarian. As for the scales, it's no big deal. G-geckos have very delicate scales, they rip off and scar easily, as do the tails. ...Thanks for the food." He didn't move or attempt to get up, though. Martin would've liked to eat, but the idea of moving was horrifying to him. He couldn't move his legs, and the idea of his lower back staying in place while the rest of him tried to move sent a shiver down what was left of his spine. If he never had to move again, it would be fine with him. He managed to keep his voice surprisingly calm and even, despite the occasional stutter. Who could blame him? He was in pain, surrounded by a hostile environment, and would likely be in pain again.

He never told Carmen anything, but she shockingly never asked. He suspected she would want to know something about Acme, or the Spies, or about some new target for her, but she only asked about how much Waldo was actually interested in her. Martin didn't answer, but he suspected he didn't actually have to. The torture was a lesson about how one should never cross Carmen. It was a lesson Martin learned well, and would likely never forget.

Alik looked over at the Gecko and wheeled back over, shifting the plate of food within very easy reach of the gecko, so he wouldn't have to even sit up to get to it. After that, he turned back around toward the door. "She's not usually like this. I know it doesn't help you, but it's true. A wheelchair isn't that bad, though. Really, it's not." Alik didn't sound quite as convinced as he thought he should've been.

"I'm not afraid of a chair. I'm afraid of the look I'm going to see on Erin's face. She's like a daughter to me, how do you think she's going to see me now?"

"As slightly shorter, and maybe a little more ornery." Alik offered with a tone of encouragement before leaving the gecko to dwell on that.

Martin picked up a piece of fruit and just curled up a little, ignoring the world as best he could. He hoped someone would show up soon. Anyone who could make him stop hearing the sound of crunching bone and slowly snapping celery.