Donovan looked cool, collected, and altogether completely unphased by the hostility emanating from the two families as they glared at him through the bars. If anything, he seemed almost amused by their attempt at bravery: A small smile played across his features, although his fathomless brown eyes remained inscrutable. ”Tut tut,” he said, shaking his head lightly in mock disappointment as he eyed the girl with the braids. ”It appears manners don’t run in the family.” It wasn’t his intention to harm the families, if it wasn’t necessary, but if they should refuse to cooperate, there were plenty of other…methods, both conventional and unconventional, that could be used to persuade them otherwise.
”Why not begin by explaining what the meaning of all this is.”
The doctor turned a somewhat rueful smile on the woman, despite the fact that she refused to meet his gaze. ”I’m afraid that information is of…a sensitive nature, my dear,” he replied, his mellow tone even. ”I can assure you though, that I do not intend to harm either you or your kin.” He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. ”Given that you conduct yourselves compliantly.”
He turned, beginning to walk in a circular path around the enclosure, his gaze seemingly fixed on the ground before his feet, hands deep in the pockets of his denim jeans. ”Of course, if you refuse to act obligingly, I’m afraid I may have to resort to…less savory means of convincing you to cooperate.” He stopped in his pacing, looking up at the captives once more, his brooding eyes now piercing. ”I personally prefer the former of the two options, as it would be to my regret, if I were to have to hurt someone in the process.” He clasped his hands in front of him, watching the families intently. ”Naturally, the choice is yours.”
---
”So…how’s the desk job treating you?” Zion knew who it was before she turned to look: She could tell just by the tone of the young woman’s voice and the subtle tease which could faintly be heard beneath the seemingly imperturbable calm. Her gaze fell upon her comrade, one of the leaders of the movement opposing Sianna and her lackeys (which included the Doctor himself) who also happened to be the daughter of one of her closest friends. ”Never thought that you’d be stuck with such a mundane assignment, now did you?” There was a small, amused smile on Mystique’s lips as she regarded Zion, although to anyone watching, they could easily have been mistaken for simply discussing business matters that were related to the current scheme. Both women now had their eyes fixed on the panel of screens before them, watching the feeds, although their attention appeared to be riveted mostly on the one displaying the room where the captives were currently being detained and “welcomed” by Donovan.
”I beg to differ,” Zion murmured in reply, although her eyes never left the task at hand. ”The fun has only just begun,” she commented dryly, although her gaze was grim. For the next few minutes, there was only silence between the two women. If each had their own opinion on the current ongoings which they were watching first-hand, they kept them to themselves, knowing that the whole building was probably (no, most definitely) bugged. Their faces were such perfect replicas of impassiveness though, that one could easily have passed the two of them for twins. They watched as the doctor paced the room in a circular motion around his victims, and although they could not hear exactly what he was saying, it wasn’t difficult to guess what he was talking about. When he finally came to a standstill on-screen, Zion nudged Myst with an elbow. ”I think that’s your cue,” she said, although she knew her companion didn’t need the reminder. Even she couldn’t read the look on Myst’s face at this given moment, but the cream-clad woman simply nodded, and wordlessly padded off towards an unspoken destination.
The door to the cell holding both the wolf and the siren swung open, admitting the raven-haired woman as she walked in, the door closing once more with the distinct clash of metal-on-metal. Myst had walked in just in time to witness the siren shamelessly inflicting more discomfort upon her cell-mate, and she stopped just inside of the portal, hand on a hip as she raised a brow at the offending action. ”Now, now, ladies…let’s play nice.” There was no mockery in her voice, only the matter-of-fact tone which she had so well mastered. ”Save your malevolence for later.” Unfortunately, there would most likely be a “later”, if only to sate their bloodlust. The doctor had, after all, promised them carnage. The young woman was both disgusted by and at the same time, pitied the two abnormal creatures, seeing them not as mere animals being exploited for the doctor’s convenience, but not quite as being human either.
”Ladies, you know the drill,” Myst said, eyeing her charges. ”The doctor would like you on your best behavior tonight. You know what will happen if you displease him.” She waited for an affirmation before walking over to release Saya from her bonds and to lead the pair to the currently-occupied interrogation chamber. Sometimes, a little show of force or déjà vu could go a long way, when it came to information extraction.