Megalodon City, Tundra, Standard year 404

  Tony and Alanna were nearing the spaceport when the somewhat tense silence was interrupted by the buzz of Alanne’s wrist comm. She looked down. And then the tension in the car went up several very noticeable notches.

  “What?” Tony asked, seeing the look on her face.

  Alanna opened her mouth, closed it.

  “What?”

  “Um.” Another long pause followed. “I think we should stop by the hospital.” Alanna blurted out.

  “Why?”

  “I think… I think the baby needs to stay on Tundra for this one.” She admitted reluctantly. “Just you know, in case there is a baby. I think we should check. And if there is, that baby needs to stay here.” This early on in the first trimester was not the best time to transfer an embryo to an artificial womb, but successful transfers were made all the time, Alanna reassured herself. All things considered, this seemed like the more prudent option. She shot a surreptitious glance down at her wrist comm, and the text her brother had just sent her way.

  “What did the text say?”

  “Not important.”

  “If we get back from this mission alive, there is a really good chance I will personally kill you.” Tony said through gritted teeth.

  “Hospital.”

  “All right. I’ll call Fiona and make sure they’re ready for you.”

  “Yes.” Alanna agreed. Timing… timing was everything. Every minute they delayed was another minute James would be within the control of Lorelai Achly. She swallowed. Lorelai has James, her mind screamed at her. Lorelai has James. Lorelai has James!

  They pulled into the hospital parking lot with a squeal of tires.

  Alanna moved to open the door, frowning when the handle failed to unlock the door. “What the hell?” She said, turning to Tony.

  “You need to listen.” Tony’s ice cold voice cut across her panic.

  “There isn’t time we have to…”

  “No. You need to listen.” Tony repeated. “We’ll go when you’ve heard what I have to say and not before. Do you understand me?”

  Alanna considered shooting him but reluctantly dismissed the idea. First, because she suspected Tony would outdraw her. Second, because if by some wild chance she succeeded, an unconscious Tony would further delay the mission. “Fine.” She hissed in exasperation.

  “You need to hear this. You need to consider the possibility that James is lost. Not all problems can be fixed, Alanna. Before you rush to fix this one, you have to think about whether what you’re doing will fix anything at all. It might make things worse. This plan… whatever this plan is, I have a bad feeling about it.”

  “The plan will work.” Alanna said insistently, her hand on the door handle.

  “James wouldn’t want you to go.” Tony said bluntly. “James wouldn’t want you on Saraya. What they’re going to do to him… we both know what they’re going to do to him. And I’m sorry. But you need to know that there’s nothing they can do that will be worse than you getting captured on Saraya. Don’t go down there just to make yourself feel better. Don’t do that to James.”

  “The plan will work. Didn’t my plan work last time? I made it work, Tony.”

  “I don’t know Alanna.” Tony said with real trepidation. “If Bernard is to be believed, the ghost monsters of Titan made your plan work. And if they hadn’t interfered, Bernard would have blown everyone up, starting with us.”

  “Well then maybe the ghost monsters will help this time too.” Alanna said insistently. “Now let me out of the damn car.”

  “That’s your plan?” Tony yelled in exasperation. “The ghost monsters will help is not a plan, Alanna!”

  “That’s not the plan! We have a plan and it will work.” Alanna said firmly. “Ghost monsters or not. It’s just… there may be a few parts you won’t like. But it will work.”

  “James wouldn’t want you to go.” Tony repeated insistently.

  “James doesn’t always get what he wants, Tony. I’m not leaving him there. There is no chance, do you understand me? There is literally zero chance of me leaving him there. If I have to shoot you and the goddamn president to get this done than I will.”

  “There is the slightest chance you’re not being entirely rational here.”

  Alanna took a breath. “Fine. Yes, you’re right. Maybe there is. But it’s not just my plan. It’s my brother’s plan. And he thinks it will work too.”

  “This the ridiculously pretty non-biological brother who’s been shit talking you to every Sarayan news org that will listen?”

  “He has to do that! If he didn’t, they would throw him in jail for ever associating with me.”

  “Uhuh. You ever think maybe luring you back to Saraya is part of the deal he’s made to stay out of jail?”

  “No.”

  “What no?”

  “No, I never think that. He’s my brother.”

  “And if it’s part of the deal he’s made to get his other dear ‘sister’ out of jail?” Tony asked cynically.

  “No.” Alanna repeated, her voice calmer now, more certain. “Some lines you don’t cross. You don’t understand. It’s a Sarayan thing. But we understand. Jonno won’t betray me.”

  “Sarayans betray each other all the time, Alanna. That’s how Lorelai stays in power. You all let her.”

  “Not all of us. And she won’t stay in power forever. In fact, I’m guessing she won’t survive the next few weeks. We are all coming for her, Tony. And frankly, I would prefer to be where I am right now, over being in Madame President Lorelai Achly’s shoes. We are all coming for her. And I don’t think she’ll survive it.”

  “James wouldn’t want you to go.” Tony tried one last time.

  “Tough.” Alanna said, her voice now icy calm. “James is getting rescued whether he likes it or not. Now unlock the damn door.”

  ---

  Phoenix Penitentiary, Phoenix City, Saraya, Standard year 404

  “Pain is a choice.” The soft voice cut through the somewhat familiar pain of a stunner headache combined with the clamminess and pounding pulse that came with the uppers intended to compensate for the effects of a stunner. James’s arms were tied to the ceiling and his legs were chained to the floor, leaving an uncomfortable amount of weight hanging off his wrists. It wasn’t excruciatingly painful yet, but at some point in the near future, it would be. “Pain is a choice.” The voice repeated, followed by something unintelligible ending in a soft hiss. As far as sentiments went, that one struck him as rather odd. James kept his eyes closed and continued to listen.

  “Is it?” A softly melodious voice asked from very nearby, and in spite of himself, James tensed. He recognized the voice. And the terror it brought was several magnitudes worse than anything he ever experienced. Standing a few feet away from him, was Madame President Lorelai Achly. And that could mean only one thing. They knew. They knew who he was. The Sarayans knew they had James Hawk. Soon, they would make sure Alanna and his parents knew as well. Along with his entire planet. Lorelai Achly, loved an audience.

  “Is it a choice, William?” Lorelai continued. “Why don’t you… demonstrate for us. Oh and I did notice you were awake, James. Please do not bother pretending. It’s insulting to everyone.”

  James listened to the soft click of high heeled shoes on a wooden floor as Lorelai took several steps towards him. “Do you want to insult me, James?” She asked quietly.

  James opened his eyes. More because he wanted to take in the scene than out of any concerns about insulting Lorelai. Lorelai would do what she would do. It was imperative to understand and remember that. The room appeared to be somewhere deep inside a giant, hollowed out Sarayan tree. The wooden walls carried signs of centuries of decay. Strange knots and holes gnawed out by insects and other Sarayan wildlife covered every inch of the varied surface. An actual roach, their fellow brethren from old earth, crawled slowly along one misshapen wall. And in the middle of it all stood Lorelai Achly, her red hair and reddish brown eyes glowing like a flame in the harsh light. She moved with the light grace of a snake, every gesture imbued with meaning, as if just waiting for the cameras to focus in on her. Perhaps it was natural. Or perhaps the cameras were already there, and the stage set. James closed his eyes briefly, sincerely wishing his mind had not supplied him with the obvious thought. But it was there, inescapable. Fearing it would accomplish nothing. The pain and humiliation were not a choice. But at the moment, they were not relevant. Only escape was relevant. Everything else was bad data, unrelated to the mission objective.

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  “That’s better.” Lorelai smiled, flashing perfectly even white teeth in her perfectly symmetrical, heart shaped face. She was walking perfection, every move accentuating her beauty. “Now then, if you would.” She nodded politely to one of the two other men in the room, their faces expressionless and blank as they waited for their next order. “Remind William that pain” she lowered her voice, leaning closer to Will “is not a choice. It is a reality. And make sure he screams.” Lorelai added.

  It was a while later, and James considered closing his eyes again. After all, he got the idea. There wasn’t really any additional valuable information coming in as far as he could foresee. But that was the thing about information sometimes. You never knew when the most valuable data would come in. Blink and you missed it. James blinked. Will still hadn’t screamed.

  “Admirable.” Lorelai whispered, leaning into Will’s ear. Her voice was so low that James might have missed it if he wasn’t observing the scene. “And your bruises Will, they look so perfectly realistic. Tell me, does that take effort? I imagine it must. It really is an… admirable degree of self control.”

  “Pain is a choice.” Will repeated.

  “Is it?” Lorelai smiled. “And you, James?” She turned towards James. “Do you believe pain is a choice?”

  “Clearly it is for him.” James said. Whatever mantra his fellow prisoner wanted to tell himself, James had no intention of weakening the other man’s resolve. And a part of him had enjoyed watching the obviously completely insane Will Atwater stand up to Lorelai. Sometimes, insanity has its advantages, he thought somewhat wistfully. Insanity would have been nice right about now. Unfortunately, he was feeling perfectly lucid and aware of what was coming.

  “Will you scream for James, Will?” Lorelai whispered. It was a much louder whisper this time, heard clearly throughout the oddly shaped wood room. “Let’s find out. Proceed, and stop when our dear friend William here, screams.”

  One of the blank faced men turned towards James and began his work. William screamed immediately. James shook his head silently. Lorelai appeared surprised, which struck him as funny. He was not surprised at all. Will screaming to prevent further harm to James was not a weakness. It was the perfectly rational response for anyone who wasn’t a complete psychopath. He could see how it would leave Lorelai confused. But then, once again, he had underestimated Lorelai.

  “How interesting.” Lorelai said, walking back towards William as the sharp heels of her shoes pierced the wood floor beneath their feet. “Tell me William, is empathy a choice?”

  “Empathy is a choice.” William said. “Pain is a choice, Lorelai. Pain is a choice.”

  “The prisoner doth protest too much, methinks.” Lorelai murmured.

  “I’m not protesting.” Will said. And then he stood up straighter.

  That was when James noticed that there were at least twice as many restraints on Will as on him. While James had cuffs around his ankles and wrists, Will had far heavier manacles around his wrists, ankles, as well as his waist and his neck. For whatever reason, Lorelai saw the clearly insane Will Atwater as the greater threat.

  “I’m not protesting.” Will repeated, his voice getting louder. “I’m telling you, Lorelai. Pain, is a choice.”

  “And how is that information of any relevance to me?” Lorelai asked, clearly bemused.

  “Because you are making your choice.” Will said, his yellowish green eyes nearly glowing as they focused on Lorelai. “You know what you’ve done. And you’ve made your choice. Hope you die soon, Lorelai. Because if you live to pay for your choice, you will pay with pain. For years. For decades. For centuries. I’m not talking about me, Lorelai. I’m not that selfish. I’m talking about you.”

  They are coming, James thought. He frowned. Where had that thought come from? His brain was functioning somewhat sluggishly. But something about the words William had used reminded him… what was it? That strange video Alanna had shown him, what seemed like an eternity ago. The woman whose name may or may not be Jane Thomson had said those exact words. What was it she had said? ‘One mistake and they can take more than you can begin to imagine. And it can go on, and on and on. For years. For decades. For centuries.’ James shook his head. But that made no sense. Humans didn’t live that long… He looked over at Lorelai, who had thrown her head back and laughed, the waterfall of her flame red hair streaming behind her. And he thought, I wonder if Lorelai is making a mistake.

  “You thought you were untouchable, didn’t you William?” Lorelai said softly. “You thought you were all untouchable, and your victory assured. You’re just here playing your little games. Observing.” She walked over until her perfectly manicured hands gripped Will by the chin, bringing his face towards hers. “Do you feel untouchable now, William?” She whispered. “And if you’re wrong about this, how can you not wonder, what else are you wrong about? Are you so sure that you are coming for us? From where I’m standing, it looks like we…. are coming for you. And help is so very far away, isn’t it?”

  James hung perfectly still in the silence. He was observing and so far, he saw nothing that would benefit an escape plan. As irrelevant as everything else seemed just then, he was very much aware that there was a whole universe of subtext to this conversation that he was missing.

  “I will leave you both to think about that.” Lorelai said.

  She walked past James nearly as if he were an afterthought. For the entire time that they had been there, her focus had been nearly exclusively on Will. There was an odd energy between the two of them that James in his current condition couldn’t even begin to decipher.

  “Gentlemen.” Lorelai nodded to the blank faced men who remained silently in the room. “Please do go on with your work. I will return later.”

  “Pain is a choice.” Will said somewhat weakly, a long while later. They were alone now, in the suffocatingly hot room of twisted and damaged wood.

  “That’s a nice thought.” James agreed.

  “James Hawk?” Will asked suddenly, turning his head slightly.

  “And Will Atwater, I presume.” James gave a weak nod in return. “Congratulations on your campaign. You have my vote.”

  Will threw his head back and laughed and just for the hell of it, James laughed with him.

  “Same to you, for your inevitably upcoming campaign.” Will replied.

  “Inevitable.” James nodded weakly, his eyes focusing on the oversized roach making its way up one of the walls. “Yeah, sure.”

  “Can I ask you something?” Will said suddenly.

  “Sure Will, I’ve got nothing but time.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “Me?” James said with some disbelief. “Why am I here? I changed my face before I came. I still have no idea how the hell they found out who I am. Why are you here?”

  Will made a very stiff attempt at a shrug. “I… there was a plan. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

  “That’d have to be one hell of a plan.” James muttered. Openly challenging Lorelai for the presidency struck him as a clear symptom of insanity.

  “You’re the one who came to Saraya.” Will said somewhat defensively. “I know Tundra is a sparsely populated planet but really, you couldn’t find someone other than the only son of the president for this mission?”

  They hung in silence for a long while, each thinking their own thoughts.

  “What the hell were we thinking?” James said into the overheated and painful silence.

  “That… that is an excellent question.” Will agreed reluctantly.

  ---

  Megalodon City, Tundra, Standard year 404

  Tony’s friend Dr Fiona Wolton was waiting for them at the hospital by the time they arrived. Time was of the essence and the Tundrans once again reminded Alanna that they could move with terrifying efficiency when the situation called for it. Dr Fiona escorted her through the hospital waiting room directly into one of the surgery prep rooms deep within the interior. She stared blankly at the cotton gown waiting for her. There was no time to wait, or plan, or even think. This was happening. And there was a chance the baby would be lost before she ever set foot onto the ship that would take her back to Saraya.

  “We need to complete a blood test.” An unexpected voice said behind her. Alanna started, turning around. She had expected that she would be alone in the room until she had the chance to put on the hospital gown and this stranger came in without knocking.

  “All right, I guess.” She said automatically, holding out her arm. The cold, elderly woman moved with ruthless efficiency, the needle unerringly going into the vein of her inner arm. Alanna watched blankly as the glass vial the woman held filled up with her blood.

  “Thank you.” The woman nodded briskly before walking back out.

  With a shake of her head, Alanna moved to put on the hospital gown. There wasn’t time for anything else. There wasn’t time to think. And Lorelai had James. Every minute Alanna delayed was one more minute James remained in Lorelai’s power. “I’m ready.” She called out a moment later.

  ---

  Tony looked over at Alanna, who was sitting pale and silent in the front seat of his car. “You’ll need to talk to the troops.” He reminded her. He wished he could leave her alone but none of them had the luxury. They would be at the spaceport within minutes.

  “Anything I need to know?” Alanna asked, her voice reassuring strong and calm in spite of her pale face.

  “They’ll think we’re all doomed and that this is a suicide mission to make the president feel better about his son’s inevitable slow and painful death.” Tony said. It wasn’t a nice thing to say but the mission commander needed to hear it.

  Lorelai has James, Alanna mind whispered. She nodded. “Understood. I’ll talk to them.”

  “What did your brother say? What did he say that scared you so badly you took the risk of transferring out the baby?”

  “I…”

  “Tell me what he said or I’m not going on this mission.” Tony interrupted.

  “What about orders?” Alanna asked. Because sometimes hypocrisy was the only way to go.

  “If I’m following orders Alanna, then you’re staying on the Gray Serpent and never, ever setting foot on Saraya again. Those were my orders. From the president. So tell me, am I following orders?”

  Alanna shrugged. Her default position had always been to view orders more like firmly worded recommendations. At most, they might possibly be guidelines. She really wasn’t well suited for military service. “We need the warden’s cooperation.” She said reluctantly.

  “I thought we needed the warden’s access codes.”

  “It’s not enough to get his password, Tony. It’s a top security prison. We need his full cooperation.”

  “There’s no way to get that.” Tony said immediately. “We’re wasting our time.”

  “Actually there is.”

  “You’re going to get the warden’s cooperation in letting all the prisoners out? You can’t be serious.”

  “We are.” Alanna said grimly.

  “To get that out of him you’d need…” Tony paused, the look on his face darkening. “You can’t be serious.” He said.

  “It’s multi million credit reward. And the honor of giving Lorelai Achly exactly what she wants. He’ll frame someone else for the prisoner escape but realistically, we need his full cooperation to make it happen.”

  “You’re talking about the reward for handing Alanna Summers to the Sarayan President.” Tony said quietly.

  “Yes.”

  “This is insane.”

  “We’ll get a tracker, Tony. All right? It can be your tracker. I’ll still be in the prison with everyone else. You can get me back.”

  “And if they know the tracker is there, one EMP pulse and it’s gone forever.” Tony responded immediately.

  “They won’t. They won’t know.”

  “This is insane.”

  “You don’t get big rewards without taking the big risks.”