If Joe was unsure before, he's fairly convinced now that Basco's self-imposed isolation had done a number on his psyche. He'd always known Basco to be clever. Brilliant, really, too smart maybe for his own good or for the profession he'd chosen for himself. Coupled with his incredible temper and obvious shaky control over his baser instincts, he had been an incredibly dangerous foe. But now, with no prey to chase, Joe thinks he might have made himself mad in chasing his own tail.

Joe stumbles, dragging his sore leg along after him, passing Basco without a thought and coming up alongside Marvelous. He takes a moment to examine his Captain, to meet his eyes and try to impart some small measure of strength and reassurance. His fingers tremble where they touch the raw marks around the gag holding Marvelous' tongue in check, and he raises his hand to push Marvelous' hair back from his face, leaning close to press his cheek against the Captain's. "I'm trying." He hisses into the Captain's ear, sure he'll understand the meaning, then turns to face Basco properly, giving him the same searching look as he'd given Marvelous.

"Basco." He says again, carefully, and then slips into an unsteady crouch at Marvelous' feet, his eyes on their captor. "What happened?" He asks again. He has to know. He wets his lips and swallows once. "What happened to Sally?"