Phoenix City, Saraya, Standard Year 404

  James stumbled on through the jungle. The dizziness was growing worse. His heartbeat was unstable now, and waves of nausea left him worried he may not be able to keep down the water. In the heat, dehydration meant death. Nighttime did not bring true darkness, but the sun set lower in the sky and it was slightly cooler. For a brief moment, clarity of thought returned. This planet will kill me, James realized. It will kill me even if the Sarayans never find me again. He needed a better plan, while the cooler temperature of evening left him with some ability to function. Stopping in his tracks, he made himself pause, breathe, and let the nighttime breeze bathe his face. The sound of the dogs was still there, in the distance. Slowly, James turned around and headed straight for them. His only chance now was to ambush one of the Sarayans hunting him, switch uniforms, and hope no one noticed. It wasn’t a great plan. But it gave him a chance.

  The Sarayans were sloppy, wandering through the jungle seemingly at random, without bothering to pair off or watch each other’s backs. They were confident in their ability to run down their prey, and no one expected him to circle back. As the cooler breeze of evening settled in, James regained some of his focus, choosing his target carefully. He recalled Clara’s sharp comments about ill fitting uniforms during their last mission. By his estimate, there were over thirty people tracking him through the jungle. And the good news about that, was that it gave him plenty of options. James took his time, until he found a target whose uniform would fit him well, and an appearance that was close enough to his own that at a distance, the switch should be believable.

  The takedown was flawless, and laughably simple. He simply stalked his prey, waiting for a natural moment when the man separated from the others to take him down. He even left his own cooling equipment on the man’s unconscious body before joining the other Sarayan troops on their hunt.

  “All right, good news people. We’re sending in the next team.” Their Sarayan commander called out a while later. “As soon as they’re here, we can head back in.”

  Silently, James followed the others as they headed back. Presumably, somewhere at the end of their hike, there would be air conditioning and ice cold water. His heart steadied slightly, strengthened by the hope of an actual escape. Once he could think straight again, he would work to find Henry and Clara, wherever they may be. He stumbled slightly before steadying himself, eager to return to whatever the Sarayans were using as their base. As they approached the road, James put his head down, doing his best to ensure his features would not be clearly visible. So far, no one on the team seemed to have noticed the switch.

  “Hey is that… something about Sandy looks a bit…” The mission commander frowned, watching as the team returned.

  The old Sarayan cop who had been brought in to “consult” on the mission, suffered no such confusion. He rolled down his window and shot the stranger before the man so much as looked in his direction. His gun was set to stun, and Lorelai would get her prey alive, just like she wanted. “That there ain’t Sandy.” The cop said with a shake of his head. “That there, is the man who took down one of your teams single handed. Clever bastard. You have all of them now. You mind if I head home?” If he left immediately, he just might be in time to see the kids off to school. And take a long shower. He didn’t love the idea of handing people over to their illustrious president Lorelai Achly. He knew what happened afterward. But that was the job. “Someone should probably go back into the jungle and find Sandy.” He added as an afterthought. He didn’t know the man well, but the old cop never forgot a face.

  ---

  Henry fell. The dizziness was getting worse. He thought about drinking more water to prevent dehydration but his stomach lurched in protest. The nausea was getting worse. Dehydration meant death. Overheating meant death. He tried to force himself to get up but the world around him only spun faster. And the sound of the dogs, was coming closer. Henry passed out.

  ---

  The first thing Clara noticed was the cold. It was cold. And dark. The darkness that surrounded her was absolute. As any self respecting Tundran, her first thought was that she had somehow been left outside and was at deathly risk of dying of exposure. Only… it wasn’t that cold. And there was no wind. Clara clawed at the sheet that covered her face, limiting her air flow, and moved her hands along the icy metal walls that surrounded her on all sides. Silently, she reminded herself, forcing her brain to ignore the stunner headache. She lay still, and breathed in the frigid air as her memories returned. She had been shot. In the chest. Automatically, her hand reached out towards the location where she had been hit. And came away wet. Heart in her mouth, Clara pressed her fingers lightly against her wet chest. What she felt beneath her fingers seemed very much like blood. But she felt no pain.

  Did they pump her full of pain killers? Was she dying? She didn’t feel as if she were dying. The stunner headache was a bitch, but it felt like a perfectly ordinary stunner headache. And if she could feel the pain in her head, shouldn’t she be able to feel the pain in her chest? She pressed down again, still nothing. Topical pain killer? With great care, Clara moved her fingers under her clothes to feel the skin beneath. And breathed the biggest sigh of relief of her life when she felt nothing but smooth skin. But she was still trapped inside a metal box… and covered by a sheet. As her brain function continued to return, Clara lay still, listening very carefully to see if she heard any noise. Upon a few more minutes of silence, she pushed against the ceiling, unsurprised when the platform she lay on slid outwards. Clara slid out and took in the sight of a Sarayan morgue.

  On Tundra, the standard procedure would have been to remove the clothes and examine the corpse. Her clothes were still on. Someone hadn’t followed standard procedure. Someone… someone faked her death. “Thank you, Eric.” Clara whispered as she headed towards the door. Eric stepped into the room just as she reached for the handle.

  “Oh. You’re already up and about.” He said with some surprise. “Here.” He handed her a fresh shirt that was free of fake blood, waiting for Clara to remove her bloodied shirt and tossing it in the trash. The employee on call at the morgue that night would know what to do. “Follow me and don’t say a goddamn word.” Eric said softly. “We both know what they’ll do to us if we get caught.”

  “Where are the others?” Clara asked a few minutes later as she sat in the passenger seat of Eric’s car.

  “They’re gone Clara. Forget they ever existed.”

  “That’s not going to happen. Where are they?”

  “You know where they are.” Eric snapped. “Do you really want to talk about this? It’s done. Forget it or you’ll go insane.”

  “You only saved me.” Clara said quietly.

  “Of course I only saved you. And it’s a goddamn miracle I managed to do that much. Also, don’t be too hasty. You’re not saved yet, Clara. I’m on probation and I’ll be lucky to get my job back. Our illustrious president wanted you and your friends taken alive. And I hope to god your Sarayan resistance credentials check out, and someone pays up. Otherwise, you may end up just as dead as you’re supposed to be.”

  Clara nodded. She was unarmed and Eric had a gun. He was a man and larger and heavier than her. On average, that would make him stronger. Eric, was laboring under the misapprehension that he had the upper hand, sitting next to a female Sarayan civilian. Clara, was no civilian. But the role suited her well enough for now. “I’ll get you what you need.” She said. “But I need a way to get in contact with my people.”

  “I have an untraceable comm at home. I don’t have it on me.” Eric said tensely. “I just got out of an hours long interrogation by the mission commander. They weren’t happy to have missed one, I can tell you. I’m lucky I got out of there alive myself.”

  “And the other two were taken alive?” Clara asked, her heart skipping a beat.

  “Clara.” Eric looked away from the road momentarily. “Did you hear me? Lorelai was looking for you. They are gone. Forget they ever existed.” He repeated. It was what you did.

  “The resistance can do more than you think.” Clara said.

  “I know exactly what the resistance can do Clara, and no they bloody well can’t. I don’t know what mess you and your friends were in, to get the attention of Lorelai Achly herself, but there is no coming back from that. And a few days in, you wouldn’t want them back anyway.” He added harshly. Clara needed to move on, and there was no point in skirting around the reality.

  Clara turned away, looking out the window at the alien jungle that passed them by. She wanted them back. She wanted James and Henry back alive, no matter what shape they were in, and always would. She just had to think of something, and at the moment, there was only one thing she could think of. “I need to get in touch with the… with the Sarayan resistance.” Clara said. “The sooner the better. For all of us.”

  “Clara…” Eric hesitated. “About your uh… friend. I saw your IDs when you were on the moon station. The IDs said you were married. But he’s not your actual husband, right? We both know he can’t be. Because based on the night we spent together… that marriage had not been consummated. And in my book, that means it doesn’t count.”

  Clara looked away to hide the look of distaste on her face. At the time, she had hoped Eric didn’t notice her virginal status. In retrospect, it may have saved her life. Twice now. Clara wasn’t actually a virgin or anything close to it, she was just gay. And while Eric may have fond memories of their one night together, she just needed a really long shower. But it wasn’t the poor guy’s fault. And once again, he was trying to do the right thing by her. Clara winced. God damn but I hate this fucking mission, she thought. “I don’t want to talk about it.” She said out loud, with perfect honesty.

  ---

  Megalodon City, Tundra, Standard Year 404

  It was past midnight. Alanna was still sitting on the porch swing, her surroundings and the hushed voices of people talking fading into the background. She had done all she could for the moment. Looking down at her wrist comm for the thousandth time, she re-read her messages, but there was only one phrase that kept looping through her head. Lorelai has James. Lorelai has James. Lorelai has James. Alanna did her best to block it out, focusing on what she could control.

  Unknown number (Clara): hello my friend in the Sarayan resistance, it’s Clara. Your friend has been taken, but he’s alive. I don’t know how they found us and I don’t know why, but I’m told it was the manhunt of the decade and personally orchestrated by someone at the very top. Come to your own conclusions. I need to prove my Sarayan resistance bona fides. Can you help?

  Alanna: Jonno, I need help. Please. It’s for family. There is someone who will come claiming she’s a member of the Sarayan resistance. Can you back her up?

  She started as the reply finally came through, as she knew it would.

  Jonno: yes.

  Alanna: Clara, go to Jonno’s. He knows you are coming. And he will vouch for you.

  Lorelai has James, Alanna thought. Lorelai has James.

  Alanna: Jonno, there was a manhunt yesterday and they caught their targets. I’m told it was the manhunt of the decade. You probably already know. Can you find out where they were taken?

  “He’s on his way.” Tony said. He walked up until he was standing right in front of her, making sure Alanna’s eyes were focused. “Alanna, the president is on his way.”

  “Good.” Alanna said. “I’m going to be sick. I will be right back.” She got up and walked towards the bathroom. She walked out a few minutes later, wiping her mouth.

  “Here.” Ashley said, taking her by the arm unexpectedly. “Have a seat in the kitchen. I’ll make you a cup of tea. And Alanna, would you like us to leave? To give you some privacy? Just tell us what you need.”

  Alanna stared at Ashley’s beautiful and concerned face blankly. Lorelai has James, she thought. She drank the tea Ashley handed her a few minutes later. Lorelai has James, she thought. But her lips couldn’t quite form the words. The thought of saying them out loud brought on another wave of nausea.

  “When?” She asked instead, turning to Tony. “When is he coming? I want him here now.”

  “He’s coming when he’s coming, Alanna.” Tony said somewhat sharply. He didn’t like the look on Alanna face. Sometimes she could be a bit… unpredictable. “Look, maybe you can just tell me what’s going on. I’ll pass it on. Are you sure Jim coming here is such a great…”

  “I will tell him personally or I will tell no one.” Alanna said, green eyes flashing with rage.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  “You will tell whoever you need to tell to help James.” Tony said sharply.

  “Your president” Alanna spat out the word, because President Jim Hawk and her also had a complicated history “is the only one who can help. And he is the only one I will speak to.”

  “I’m not sure this is such a great idea.” Tony said quietly to Dev, stepping away as Alanna drank her tea.

  “Well that doesn’t really matter, does it? The question is whether the president thinks it’s a good idea. And he’s on his way.” Dev pointed out. “Anyway, we should go.” He added, his tone even quieter as he nodded in Danil’s direction. Dev and Ashley were civilians, and Danil had been Sarayan a few weeks ago. So was Alanna, but that was unavoidable. Danil did not need to be there for the discussion of a classified Tundran mission to Saraya.

  Tony nodded, looking more worried than ever. He knew Alanna better than most, and had seen her in action. And then it was too late, because they all heard the sound of the elevator doors opening, and President Jim Hawk walked into the small kitchen, sitting across the table from Alanna. Everyone else froze.

  “Mr. President.” Dev finally spoke into the silence. “We’ll head out.” He pulled Ashley by the hand, knowing Danil would follow without being asked.

  Alanna barely noticed. She looked up, into the face of the Tundran President, her face pale and drawn, her green eyes feverishly bright. She wasn’t sure what she expected, but for some reason it wasn’t this. The sight of him hit her like a ton of bricks. Because president Jim Hawk looked like James. James had his mother’s eyes, and perhaps even her nose. But the jawline, the shape of the face, there was so much there that was James, looking back at her. This was the man who sent Tony to hurt her. This was the man who hated her, the one she hated in return. And it may be the only piece of James she would ever have. Alanna shuddered. “Lorelai has James.” She said. And there it was, the words spoken out loud, the thought made real. Lorelai, had James.

  “Explain.” Jim Hawk said calmly. He was sitting across from her at the beat up old kitchen table, the window looking out towards the city directly behind him. The fire danced cheerfully in the fireplace at his side.

  “I received a text from Clara.” Alanna looked down at her wrist comm and began reading. “Hello my friend in the Sarayan resistance, it’s Clara. Your friend has been taken, but he’s alive. I don’t know how they found us and I don’t know why, but I’m told it was the manhunt of the decade and personally orchestrated by someone at the very top. Come to your own conclusions. I need to prove my Sarayan resistance bona fides. Can you help? The manhunt of the decade.” Alanna repeated.

  The words hung in the air between them, in the warmth of the cozy kitchen. Everyone in the room knew the meaning behind those words. Lorelai did not have James Townsend, a Sarayan unknown who may perhaps be under suspicion of involvement in the Sarayan resistance. There was nothing James Townsend could have done, to cause Lorelai to mount the manhunt of the decade to come his way. Even if they connected the James who was involved in the death of eight Sarayan marines on Saraya’s moon station to the James on Saraya, it would not be enough. The death of forty Sarayan marines would not have been enough. As far as Lorelai was concerned, the marines were there to die. The manhunt of the decade wasn’t coming after James Tonwsend. They were coming, after James Hawk.

  “You know what this means.” Alanna said into the silence. “You know.”

  “Yes.” Jim Hawk responded, his face frozen, his voice as calm and expressionless as ever. “I must call Robert. He needs to hear this as well.”

  Alanna cocked her head slightly. “Robert?” She repeated, momentarily distracted.

  “Yes. Robert is the head of the Tundran Secret Service, and he helped orchestrate this mission. Excuse me.” He pulled out his wrist comm, frowning slightly when Robert failed to respond. He sent a text before returning his attention to Alanna.

  “Is he coming here?” Alanna asked.

  “Yes.”

  Alanna frowned as a random fact she had learned in preparation for her asylum interview, which seemed like ages ago although it had only been a few weeks, returned to her. “Isn’t the head of the secret service next in line for the presidency?” She asked.

  “Yes. How is that relevant?”

  “It’s not.” Alanna shook her head. “You might want to rethink that. But right now, it’s not relevant at all, and I don’t care. I’m providing Clara with what she needs to appear as if she’s a member of the Sarayan resistance. It’s taken care of. And now it’s your turn, Mr. President.” Alanna breathed, trying to regain control over her rage. This man may have gotten James killed. His own father sent James to die. She dropped her right hand to her side, underneath the table, wincing slightly as she saw Tony stepping forward. Tony had noticed her hand hovering over the gun holster. Of course he did. Tony would. “Are you going to help him?” She asked through clenched teeth. “Will you get him back? Will you do whatever she asks? You have to do anything and everything Lorelai asks, to get him back. Will you do it?”

  Tony’s gun was out now. Clearly, Alanna’s hand hovering over her holster was making him nervous. But she didn’t care. It didn’t matter. None of it mattered. James was coming back. James was coming back alive. No matter what.

  “Stand down.” Jim Hawk said calmly. “Stand down Sicaro.” He repeated.

  “I am standing down, Sir.” Tony said flatly. “You can tell seeing as I haven’t shot her yet.”

  “Put. Your gun. Down.” Jim repeated. “That is an order.”

  With the greatest of reluctance, Tony lowered his gun, keeping it firmly in his hand and moving forward enough that he thought he could stop Alanna before she did anything too crazy.

  Jim Hawk turned back towards Alanna, his eyes meeting hers. “Alanna, James is my son. He is my only son. If it was within my power to get him back, I would. I do not need you to convince me. Just as you do not need me to tell you, that it may not be within my power to get him back. I will do my best. I swear to you that I will do my best. We all will.”

  “You sent him in. You sent him in!” Alanna screamed. “You knew it was too dangerous. You knew! Was it to make him pay for disobeying you? To make him pay for choosing me? Do you know what she will do to him? Do you know? Are you happy now?” Lorelai has James, she thought. Lorelai has James. It went on loop in her head, over and over. Lorelai has James.

  “Oh hell.” Tony muttered. “Alanna, listen to me.” He moved within her field of vision, kneeling at the table, hands out to show he was no threat. “That’s not what this is. You know me. I’ve known the Hawks my whole life. I swear to you that’s not what this is. Jim loves his son. He will do whatever he can to get him back. Do you understand me? He will do his best. I swear to you. We all will.”

  Alanna shook her head. She wanted to shoot someone. The soft buzz of her wrist comm interrupted the tense silence. She looked down at her comm. And then, suddenly, she could breathe again. Because the message was the one thing she had been desperately hoping for.

  Jonno: they’re at Phoenix Penn.

  “Good news?” Jim Hawk asked, studying Alanna closely.

  Alanna gave the slightest of nods, took a careful sip of her tea, and sat up straighter in her chair. And then she prepared for the most important negotiation of her life. She had not started off on the right foot. And that had been a mistake. But mistakes once made could not be repaired. It was done. All she could do was move on. And succeed. “Mr. President, I apologize for my behavior. It was a momentary aberration.”

  Jim Hawk nodded, unmasked surprise on his face. The change in Alanna’s attitude, had been stark. “What was the message you received just now?” He asked politely.

  “James is at Phoenix Penn.” Alanna took a breath. “And with your help, I can get him out.”

  “What do you need?” Jim Hawk responded immediately. And some of the weight pressing down on her chest lifted. Tony had told the truth. If Jim Hawk could help, if there was a way… he’s listening, Alanna thought. The president of the planet was in her kitchen, and he was listening. And then the plan was there in her mind. And it could work. It could work. “I need to send one more text.” Alanna said.

  Alanna: keep him alive. I’m coming home. I’m coming for both of them. And we’re going to have some help. We can do this, you and I. Are you in? Are you in?

  “He’s at Phoenix Penn.” Alanna said the words out loud. Beautiful, life saving words.

  “The most secure prison on the planet.” Jim Hawk noted. “I’m not seeing the upside but obviously you are. Alanna, I am listening.”

  “What was James doing on Saraya?” Alanna asked carefully. The plan was there, but perhaps she could make it even better. For everyone.

  “That is classified.”

  “Don’t worry. I know it was just short of blowing up the planet. And yet we haven’t heard anything yet. His second big mission and no news of the victories. But they did something. Something that will change the course of the war. Something that Clara couldn’t handle. I can handle it. And no matter what they did, it won’t change my loyalty to James. Nothing could. Tell me what they did. Because I think it can help.”

  Still, Jim Hawk hesitated.

  “Trust me.” Alanna leaned forward. There was no hesitation now, no doubt. She was all in on this mission, and she was damn good at this. And in a strange way, it was glorious. If she played her cards right, if she did this right, she would get to do something she truly believed in. The opportunity to make it all better. “Trust me.” Alanna repeated. “And I will get him back for you. I will bring him back alive.”

  Jim cocked his head, trying to understand. But he did not understand, and Alanna was a stranger he had no reason to trust.

  “Let me guess. I will guess, and you will tell me if I’m right. Deal, Mr. President?”

  “Deal.”

  “They’re mining the planet with nuclear warheads. Soft military targets. The ones you could never reach if you had to get past our ships.”

  “You are correct.” Jim Hawk said carefully, politely ignoring Alanna’s slip as she used the words ‘our ships’ when talking about Sarayan ships.

  “And James doesn’t know where they are. He left the nuclear warheads somewhere in the jungle and walked away, so that even if he is questioned, he will not be able to give away the locations. Because he’s James. He will have thought of that.”

  “You are correct.” Jim repeated. “That was his plan.” He was leaning forward now, his attention as focused on Alanna as hers was on him. Everyone else in the small kitchen faded into the background, disappeared. There was only the two of them. And there was the plan.

  “You don’t know where the nukes are either. But you can set them off.”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Good. Because we’ll need a distraction.”

  “You want me to use a nuclear attack as a distraction from my son’s prison break?”

  “Yes.” Alanna nodded

  Jim rubbed his chin thoughtfully. And then he smiled. “I like it.” He said.

  “Good.” Alanna leaned forward, dizzy with relief. “But there’s one more thing. Give the Sarayans a chance to evacuate.”

  Jim Hawk opened his mouth, clearly ready to protest.

  “Hear me out. Please. If you simply attack, everyone on that planet will go after James. At least some people will have enough information to know what he did, and they may well release it to the public if he escapes. The prison guards at Phoenix Penn are only human. They have families just like everyone else. They have friends. Disclose the targets and some of those guards will walk off to help their families. Hit the targets and revenge will be their only goal.”

  “And the rest of it?” Jim Hawk said carefully. “I assume there is more. Alone, this is not enough. We don’t even know where inside the prison he is.”

  “Oh yes.” Alanna smiled. “There is more. But I can’t do it alone. We’ll need help. We’ll need Jonno.”

  “That would be the exceptionally good looking young man who claims to be your brother and has been trash talking you and James nonstop all over the Sarayan airwaves?”

  “You know why he’s doing that.” Alanna said sharply.

  “To save his own skin?” Jim Hawk said mildly.

  “No. Not just that.” Alanna shook her head. “He’s doing it to protect Yasmin. He’s doing it to protect my sister.”

  “Your sister.” Jim Hawk said thoughtfully. “And your sister is in…”

  “Phoenix Penn.” Alanna finished for him, with great satisfaction. “Offer her asylum and Jonno will help us. You don’t have the contacts to get into that prison. No one on Tundra does. But Jonno does. He’s done everything to protect Yasmin during her incarceration. He visits her every week. He knows that prison like the back of his hand. He has the contacts. Jonno and I can do this.”

  “Not enough.” Jim Hawk said firmly. “This plan needs more.”

  “Oh there is more.” Alanna said with satisfaction. “We need to get the warden’s access credentials. And then” she smiled happily “and then we will release all the prisoners. Phoenix Penn is housed inside one of the largest dead trees in the area, surrounded by a three hundred foot flat concrete platform with motion detector activated lasers and encircled by a secondary wall of barbed wire with manned turret guns on twelve towers surrounding the area. We’re not getting out of there if we walk out by ourselves. We’ll need everyone inside that prison to serve as a distraction while we get one of the guard vans to make our own escape.”

  Jim Hawk leaned back and considered. “Everything here depends on” he was interrupted by another buzz from Alanna’s wrist comm. Alanna looked down and her smile got just a touch more smug. Jonno’s one word response had arrived.

  Jonno: In.

  “Everything depends on Jonno.” Alanna finished. “And he’s in.”

  “It’s not just his motivation that I question. It is also his abilities.”

  “You know who Jonno is?”

  “I do.”

  “He can do this.”

  “Other than asylum for your sister, what do you need from me?”

  Alanna hesitated.

  “You need people, Alanna.” Tony spoke up. “You need special forces to bring James in. And he may not be able to walk.” He added. It was unlikely that James would be dead. Lorelai would want to keep him alive a great deal longer than a few days. But it was safe to assume his physical condition would be less than pristine.

  “I agree.” Jim Hawk nodded. “But it is her mission. Do you need people, lieutenant commander?”

  Alanna swallowed. People meant responsibility. The mission would succeed. Probably. Most likely. She was more than willing to risk her own life to try. Risking the lives of others wasn’t something she wanted to do. But Tony was right. “I need to ask Jonno if we can get them in.” She said slowly.

  “Give us your ideal number.” Jim Hawk said immediately. “We will begin assembling the team while we wait. Time is of the essence.”

  Alanna watched, unsurprised when Jim Hawk started sending texts as he talked. The operation was under way. And that was that. A few words, a conversation by the fire, and it was all happening. That’s what it meant to be a Hawk. “Three male, three female.” She said slowly. They weren’t getting any more in than that. And she didn’t want any greater responsibility.

  “That’s who you can get in. Do you need more people to guard your escape route?” Jim Hawk asked immediately. “Do you need more people to serve as a distraction?”

  “No.” Alanna said firmly. “We will have enough distractions. And more people will attract more attention. We still need to get them all onto Saraya. Six special forces soldiers plus Jonno and I, that’s already a crowd.”

  “Not you.” Jim Hawk and Tony said nearly in unison.

  Alanna looked from one to the other blankly. “What?” She asked in complete confusion.

  “Not you.” Jim Hawk repeated, his tone hard as iron. “It is your mission, Alanna. It can be your command. But you will not set foot on Saraya.”

  “But… there is no mission without me.”

  “I agree. And it’s your mission. But you will not set foot on Saraya. James would tell you the same. You know that.”

  “But you’re not James. You hate me. At the moment, that’s a huge advantage. Look on the bright side Mr. President, I could easily die. Problem solved.”

  “You are not to set foot on Saraya.”

  Alanna opened her mouth to protest when Jim Hawk’s wrist comm buzzed in a specific, pre-programmed pattern.

  “Robert.” He said.

  “I’m downstairs.” Robert’s voice came through clearly.

  “I’ll let you up.” Jim said, getting up from the chair. He walked to the doorway of the kitchen and paused, turning around to look at Tony and Alanna. “James will need someone he recognizes on the team.” He said, looking at Tony.

  “I’m here Jim.” Tony said without hesitation. “Just say the word.”

  “Good.” Jim nodded. “You’ve done well, both of you. And you make a good team. This mission, this plan, it stays between us and the six soldiers I will provide for you. It goes no further.”

  “Yes, Mr. President.” Tony said.

  “Yes, Mr. President.” Alanna repeated, uttering those words for the first time in her life, tasting the strangeness of it.

  “I’m going down to Saraya or your best friend is dead.” She hissed to Tony the minute Jim Hawk stepped out of the kitchen.

  “Dammit Alanna…”

  “Don’t even, it’s a done deal and you know it.”

  “You’re pregnant.” Tony whispered back.

  “Probably not.” Alanna waved a hand dismissively. “Results are inconclusive. Could be anything.”

  “You threw up less than an hour ago.”

  “It’s the stress. I have a weak stomach.”

  “No you fucking don’t.”