Megalodon City Penitentiary, Tundra, Standard Year 404 after founding

  James pulled her close, letting her head rest against his shoulder. “Politics are complicated.” He said.

  Alanna sighed, curling up against his side and enjoying the soothing warmth of his arm against her head and neck. It felt right. “I hate politics.”

  “Everything in life is politics. You have to learn to play this game.”

  “My head hurts.” Alanna said sulkily.

  James smiled, putting his head carefully on top of hers. “I know. But I need you to do better.”

  “Is he a real friend?”

  “Isn’t that why my father sent him?”

  Alanna thought about it, trying to ignore the ache in her head. “Mission objective: devalue Alanna Summers until James loses interest. Rape alone may not be enough. The man said his orders didn’t include mutilation or brain damage. So, no mutilation, no brain damage, just rape by someone who’s a friend.”

  “It only works if he’s a good enough friend to matter.” James said.

  “That’s awful.”

  “That’s politics. And it’s achieving the mission objective with minimal harm – to you. It doesn’t matter that he’s a friend, not to you. It only matters to me.”

  “An elegant solution.” Alanna said bitterly.

  “In its way.”

  “What do I do now?”

  “What’s your mission objective?”

  “You want me to use your friend?”

  “You use what you have, everything you have. Always.”

  “Even people?”

  “Everything.”

  “What about Dev? And Phil, and Simon, and the dog?”

  “What’s your mission objective?”

  “No! They matter too.”

  “Secondary mission objective.”

  “I don’t think I can do this.”

  “You have your orders.” James shifted as someone shone a bright light over their head. “I have to go.”

  “I don’t want you to.”

  “I have to go. I need to do my rounds.” Alanna shivered as the sound of his voice came out wrong.

  “I need to do my rounds. I’m going to give her a slow release shot of antibiotic before I go, to prevent infection.”

  Doctor Fiona Wolton’s voice pierced her dream, sounding sharp and alert. With great reluctance, Alanna opened her eyes just in time to see the needle headed for her shoulder. Someone had switched the cuffs to her left wrist and perhaps fortunately, Fiona’s shot was aimed at her immobilized left shoulder. Alanna forced her muscles to relax as the needle went it. The liquid burned at the point of injection, but not unbearably so. She still had a headache but it felt more like a bad headache than excruciating torture.

  “Thanks for your help, Fi.” The cold, unfamiliar voice said from the other side of the room. “As always.”

  Doctor Fiona Wolton stood up, rubbing her face somewhat tiredly as she packed up her bag. “Any time, commander.”

  “Well.” Tony rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Now’s as good a time as any to tell all you kids to run along. I need to speak with the lieutenant. Alone.”

  Everyone in the room looked to Dev, who swallowed nervously. He was in so far over his head, he couldn’t even see the surface anymore.

  “It’s all right.” Alanna said quietly at his side. “I can talk to him.”

  “Your word you won’t hurt her?” Dev said, not sure if it would mean anything but feeling like he had to say or do something.

  “You have it.”

  “Alanna, are you sure?” Dev asked. “It’s your call.”

  “I’m sure.” Alanna said. Her voice sounded better. Whatever had been in those shots the doctor provided was having a nearly miraculous effect.

  With a resigned sigh, Dev got up and turned to leave.

  “Wait.” Tony held up a hand. “Dev, did you get orders from James?”

  “Yes.”

  “What were your orders?”

  “Protect Alanna.” Dev said shortly.

  Tony nodded, not looking particularly happy with the information. “Fine. Go.” He waved Dev out of the room.

  And then they were alone. To Alanna’s surprise, rather than turning to her, he got up and walked out of the room. There were two doors and while everyone had exited to the one on the left, Tony headed to the door on her right. He returned in a few minutes with a steaming cup of coffee, some sort of packaged food and a tray, ignoring the way she shrank back when he placed it over her lap. “Here.” He said. “May as well eat your breakfast.” He paused mid step on his way back to the gurney he was using as a bench, turned back around, and removed the packaging. “You can’t get it with one hand.” He nodded at her cuffed wrist.

  Alanna looked over at her left hand. Someone had set her thumb. She couldn’t recall when it happened. Maybe they had done it while she was unconscious. Everything hurt. Tony Sicaro was free, healthy, and from what she could see of his holster, now apparently armed. She was still chained to the bed. She picked up the unidentified food on her tray. “Is this… ice cream?”

  “Yes. It’s gonna help with the…” he gestured in the general direction of her throat. “Just eat it.”

  “I didn’t think Tundra would have ice cream.” She tasted it dubiously. It tasted like ice cream.

  “Or showers, apparently.”

  “What do you want?”

  “To fix this mess. If I can. It’s my mess, now. The president will be pissed because I failed to complete my mission. James will be pissed because… well for obvious reasons. At my current rate of progress, I’m nearly as screwed as you are.” He said grimly.

  Alanna took a bite of her ice cream. “Cheer up friend Tony, maybe it’s not too late to give it another shot.”

  “It is too late, actually. Because of my fuck up, you’re too damaged to… the point is, it is too late. Where the hell’d you learn to slip a pair of cuffs like a pro? That Sarayan standard training now?”

  “No.” Alanna said shortly. She did not elaborate.

  “Quite the storied past you’ve got there, lieutenant.”

  “That’s me.”

  Tony sighed. “Listen up.” He said in his best commander voice. “I know your head hurts but you need to get it together. The two of us need to figure out a way out of this mess before more people get hurt.”

  “I don’t have a way out of this mess.” Alanna said bitterly. “I think… I think your president is going to get bored with this little game and have me executed sometime tomorrow. And no one here will be able to stop that.”

  “I can.”

  “Doubt it.” She took another bite of the ice cream cone. It was vanilla. Apparently, even after two centuries apart, everyone ate the same ice cream. It was a nice thought.

  “You’d have to run. It would be easier without the head injury. But if we need to risk it, we will.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  Tony frowned. “What do you actually want to happen here?”

  “No one cares what I want.”

  “Did James?”

  Alanna looked down at her partially eaten ice cream cone. “Yes. James cared.”

  “I texted him.” Tony noted that she finally looked up at that, green eyes fully focused on him rather than avoiding his gaze. For the first time, he had her complete attention. He nodded in acknowledgement. “He didn’t respond. I’m sorry.”

  “Is that… I don’t know what that means. Is that normal?”

  Tony shrugged. “It depends on the mission. Most don’t include a blackout on comms but some do. Jim didn’t seem worried last night.” He studied her closely. “If James dies, all your problems go away. You get asylum. No one would begrudge you that.”

  “Right.” Alanna nodded, staring down at her melting ice cream. It was unexpectedly warm in the infirmary.

  “Finish your food.”

  Automatically, Alanna went back to eating. She didn’t have much to say.

  Tony waited for her to finish before speaking again. “Tell me about James.” He said.

  “What about him?”

  “You asked for a gun. You never asked for James.”

  “Because he so conveniently comes with that accessory? And a knife, too. I missed out on a two for one special. Must be the brain damage.”

  Tony laughed, but it never seemed to quite reach his eyes, which were studying her with that flat, dark intensity. “And yet, you didn’t ask.”

  Alanna thought about shrugging and decided not to. So far, moving had been a bad idea. “James is far away and doesn’t share. I’d rather have a gun.”

  “And then what? What’s the end game here?”

  Alanna closed her eyes. She was so tired. Maybe even too tired to be scared. They had switched the cuffs to her left wrist, leaving her right hand free. Almost subconsciously, she shifted her left hand against the cuff, recognizing the familiar ache at the base of her thumb. “The end game is stay alive, get asylum. Those were my instructions. My end game was simpler, but no one bloody listened.”

  “Who gave you your instructions?”

  “James did.”

  “And what was your end game?”

  Alanna sighed. “I brought my own gun. I was going to use it on myself once the civilians were evacuated. A damn drone took me out with a stunner round before I had the chance.”

  “So, his plan was better.”

  “Depends on your perspective.” Alanna said shortly.

  Tony’s eyes narrowed. “Is that why you want a gun? To finish the job?”

  “It’d be nice to have the choice.” Alanna said. “I don’t want Dev and Phil’s careers to be ruined because of me. I don’t want James to blame himself because I got killed. And I think I may get the dog killed with my bullshit. It wasn’t his fault.”

  “He bit a guard.”

  “You had it coming.”

  Tony frowned “You’re suicidal.”

  “I am not! Why does everyone keep saying that?”

  “There’s a mystery.”

  “I fed the dog.” Alanna said guiltily. “Dev told me not to, and I still did. I thought it was funny. I trained civilians to fight, too. James sent them home but that was just mad luck, no one else would have done it. If they got captured…” She swallowed, her throat aching. God she was tired. “I don’t want to be responsible for anyone anymore.”

  “Command is hard. If you do it right.”

  “If you tell me how to protect them and it’s within my power to do it, I will. I swear I will. I don’t know how!”

  “Alanna.” Tony leaned forward, trying to get through to her. “I didn’t like my orders. And I don’t think the president liked giving them. I can talk to Jim. You just need to help me find the right things to say. But they can’t be lies. Do you understand?”

  “Will he listen?”

  “He always listens. He may not agree, but he will listen.”

  Alanna looked up, trying to focus. Focusing was hard. “The best possible version of the truth.” She said.

  “Yes.”

  “It’s not that serious. It never was. That’s all I have. And if being with me somehow hurt Tundra, James wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t do it. I took an oath to do no harm to Tundra. Not that it matters from Alanna the traitor but it mattered to me. Whatever your president thinks is going to happen – it won’t. No one will take my word for it but at least trust James.”

  “Meaning, this will all blow over and James will lose interest soon enough?”

  “Of course."

  Tony considered her thoughtfully, sitting against a stack of pillows on a narrow gurney, face pale from pain and exhaustion, the back of her head still caked with blood. And still trying to protect her people. “I take it you don’t think you’re star crossed lovers destined to be together.”

  “We’ve known each other for less than a week and I’m not twelve. So, no.”

  “And that’s the truth?”

  “Of course.” Alanna repeated, without hesitation.

  “And you?”

  “What about me?”

  “Are you losing interest?”

  “I don’t…” Alanna blinked, staring blankly down at the military issue blanket wrapped around her legs. “I have no idea.” She looked up at him, bitter bemusement in her eyes. “None of this is going to help, is it?”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” Tony rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I may be getting the tail end of an idea.”

  “How long do we have?”

  “Some time yet.”

  “When were you supposed to report in?”

  “This morning, about an hour ago.”

  “They’ll come and make you report in?”

  “Wouldn’t yours do the same?”

  Alanna laughed, leaning her head back against the pillow. “I don’t have much experience reporting in to the Sarayan president. I’d guess she likes you to be prompt.”

  “Here. I’ll get you more coffee.” He walked over and picked up her cup before heading over to the breakroom and returned a few minutes later. “You want another shot for the pain?”

  She accepted the second cup gratefully. “Thank you, no. It makes my head fuzzy.” In spite of the residual pain, she was starting to feel a bit better, her thinking growing clearer as the light from the weak Tundran sun came streaming in more strongly through the window. It was good to have a window.

  “So does pain.”

  “I’ll risk it.” Alanna said. “How did you meet?” She asked curiously, taking a sip of the fresh cup of coffee. “You and James?”

  “We were scouts in the same troop. Used to go camping together, in the summers.” A happier, more genuine smile crossed his face briefly. “Scared off a whole pack of penguin chicks when they got too close to the younger scouts. We both brought speakers on the camping trip, spoiled rich kids that we were. When the penguin chicks got too close, we blasted out the worst music we could find, full volume. Worked like a charm.” The smile left his face as he looked back over at Alanna, sitting in that sweater and looking pale as death.

  “How old were you?” Alanna asked.

  “Nine, maybe ten.”

  Alanna’s eyes widened. “You’ve been friends that long?”

  “Yes. I quit medical school and joined the military to serve with him.”

  “Oh.” Alanna formed the word silently with her mouth. Of course. It only works if he’s a good enough friend to matter. She shivered. “Did you know why… why the president gave you the orders he did?”

  “No.”

  Alanna nodded. Dev seemed to think so as well. He had been downright gleeful, telling Tony about her connection to James. Dev thought it would make a difference.

  “James is gonna be pissed.” Tony said into the silence. “And I mean really, really pissed. The kind of pissed few people ever get to see.”

  “You followed your orders.”

  “James won’t put a lot of stock in that.” Tony replied grimly.

  “I know it sounds like I’m saying this out of self-interest but I honestly think if you raped me, or a guard did, James would stay with me longer, out of sheer spite. I doubt he’d go so far as to make it serious but this entire approach seems counter-productive. Why not just let it be, until it’s not?

  Tony nodded. “I think you believe that. The thing you need to remember is this: you’ve known James for a week. Jim’s known his son his entire life. And the man’s no fool. He has his reasons.”

  “Do you think it would have worked?”

  Tony studied her glumly from across the tiny infirmary. She was looking slightly better now, with the food and the coffee. There had been blood loss, as well. Everyone had forgotten about it with all of her other injuries but given that she was half starved to begin with, the blood loss would do her no favors. The food seemed to be helping. “No.” He said shortly. “No, I don’t think it would have worked. I think…” he hesitated, because he knew it wasn’t his place to say. Certainly not to a Sarayan officer whose loyalties were not yet clear. “Never mind.”

  “You think he made the wrong call? Never mind.” Alanna held up her hand. “Not my place to ask, or yours to say.”

  “How did James get you to make that video?” Tony asked, changing the subject abruptly. “You don’t seem thrilled with the result.”

  “The Alanna the traitor video?” She shrugged. “He threatened to torture my people until I agreed.”

  Tony raised an eyebrow. “So, you do see the family resemblance.”

  “It’s better when they’re on your side.” Alanna said with a wince.

  “I know.” Tony said pointedly. “We all know. And you? You said you wanted asylum, but you couldn’t stand to hear those words. That’s all they were, really. Your formal request for asylum.”

  “I- does this matter? Shouldn’t we stay on topic? What is your idea?”

  Tony leaned forward, his gaze intensifying. “Yes, it matters. It’s everything.”

  “If we’re trying to make sure James loses interest with all this convoluted bullshit, rather than just asking him to drop it like mature adults, I really don’t see how this is helping at all. Or relevant, for that matter.” Alanna said sharply.

  “When you’re up against a wall you can’t climb, what do you do?”

  “You find a way around.” Alanna answered automatically.

  “President Hawk’s plan won’t work. Your plan won’t work, either. You both need to find a way around.”

  Alanna frowned. “Is there a way around?”

  “Depends on your answer.”

  “I- I want asylum. Yes, I know that means those words…” she swallowed. “those words have meaning.”

  “Would you say them again? Now?”

  “Oh you are not asking me to make another video. That is just…”

  “I don’t care about the video. You made it and still no one believes you. I care about the truth. Are you in, Alanna? Not for James, but for Tundra? Because we are the only ones who might let you live.”

  “I want to serve Tundra. I want to be loyal. But to join up again, to kill again? I don’t know if I can. James thought there might be another way. Another way for me to serve.”

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “You killed our own?”

  Alanna wanted to avoid his gaze but she couldn’t. She didn’t even deserve to. “Yes.” She said shortly. “And your president knows. It’s in my file.” She flinched. “Titan.”

  The look on Tony’s face said it all.

  “This can’t be fixed, can it?” Alanna leaned forward, ignoring the pain in her head. “Get me a gun. I swear I’ll do no harm. If an order of execution comes, James will blame himself. This way is better.”

  “James will blame himself either way.”

  “Whatever idea you had, it won’t work. This can’t be fixed.”

  Tony drummed his fingers against the side of the gurney. “Titan is a problem. Titan… the president’s plan makes more sense in light of that.” He looked at the girl sitting across from him, her small form nearly drowning in that oversized black sweater, that sweater. James had made his wishes clear. Protect Alanna.

  “All right, lieutenant. Listen up. Here’s your pep talk.” He nodded with approval, noting the subconscious way she straightened her spine in response. She was going to listen. “Go around the wall. Stop pretending you’re not serious about James. Stop pretending you have no value. Commit to Tundra. Prove you’re good enough. Prove that with all your disadvantages, you’re still worth the risk. Prove it.”

  Alanna looked distinctly dubious. “But commander,” she said sarcastically. “with all these opportunities before me, however will I choose?”

  “Use your initiative.”

  Alanna laughed, ignoring the unavoidable pain as the laughter jarred her head. “There’s one I haven’t heard before. So far into my military career, the consistent theme has been to never, not under any circumstances, ever use my initiative. And I’ve heard that a lot. Hell, I’ve heard it from James.”

  “You surrendered.”

  “So?”

  “James ever see you fight?”

  Alanna shrugged. “I suppose not.”

  “I have. You scared me, Alanna.”

  “I didn’t even beat you. And it was four on one.”

  “First of all” Tony held up a finger, “it was five on one. I’m counting the damn dog. But they were your five. Every one of them. So, I’ll say it again. Use your initiative. Find a way.”

  “And if I can’t?”

  “Then we run and hide until James gets back and fixes this mess himself. Because if that order of execution comes in… well, I have my orders.”

  “That’s… I’m fairly certain that’s illegal. And you have no such orders.”

  “Dev’s orders plus that damn sweater.” Tony clarified. “That’s the plan. I’m going to let Dev back in before he shoots someone. That boy’s a bit jumpy for my tastes.”

  “I wonder why.” Alanna called out after him.

  A few seconds later, the entire crew crowded back into the infirmary, settling themselves on various gurneys and chairs. Phil went into the breakroom to get coffee.

  “Are you all right?” Dev asked, looking at her with concern.

  “I’m fine.” Alanna said firmly, forcing herself to sit up slightly straighter on the gurney. “Tony says he’s going to help.” She hesitated. “He says we need to go around the wall.”

  “How’s that?” Dev asked doubtfully.

  Alanna sighed. “Instead of trying to prove I’m not valuable enough to bother with, I apparently have to prove that I am valuable enough to overcome the inherent handicaps that come with being Alanna Summers, Sarayan traitor.”

  “And Titan.” Tony said firmly.

  The room grew quiet, as everyone stared at Alanna. They were not entirely friendly stares.

  “No hiding from it.” Tony said. “No relying on classified files. Let it come out and prove your worth to Tundra.”

  “That- that would take a lot.” Dev said.

  “James thought she could do it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered.” Tony responded.

  “Maybe James wasn’t thinking that clearly...” Dev said.

  “Or with his head.” Simon added, just in case the implications hadn’t been clear.

  Lainey the nurse snickered under her breath but otherwise remained quiet.

  “Great input kids, really good stuff. Anyone else have a better plan?” Tony asked curtly.

  There was a general shaking of heads from side to side, without much enthusiasm.

  “Great. Then that’s the plan we’re going with. I’m going to talk to our illustrious president. Whether it’ll be enough…” Tony shrugged. “Probably not. But that’s our mission objective. Are there any questions? No? Great, then let’s all finish breakfast.”

  The rest of the morning passed relatively uneventfully. Dev told the warden he was still recovering from the stunner and wouldn’t be able to do his shift, and remained in the infirmary. Lainey sat down to write her reports while trying to contain her yawns. Phil pulled out a tablet and was reading quietly in the chair by the window. Alanna dozed off intermittently. While awake, she enjoyed the view out the window. The sun had fully risen now and the lavender tinted grey clouds in the sky were rolling by at incredible speeds. An odd flash of green lightning could be seen high up amongst the clouds, but by the lack of rumbling thunder rolling through the walls, Alanna assumed this wasn’t a real storm. Not yet. With a shiver she pulled her blanket higher over her body. She recognized that it was warmer in the infirmary than it was in her cell but she still felt chilled.

  “There’s soup in the break room.” Lainey announced. “I’m going to get some for the patient. It’ll be easier for her to eat than ration bars.”

  She came back out a few minutes later, placing the tray back over Alanna’s lap and bringing out a cup of hot liquid with… Alanna looked down doubtfully. There appeared to be both liquid and food in the open cup. “What’s in soup?” She asked, looking down when she saw others in the room noticeably wince at her question. So, she wasn’t the perfect expert on Tundran food.

  “Different things can go in soup.” Dev explained. “The one Lainey brought you has chicken and noodles.”

  Alanna had just started eating when Dev’s wrist comm went off. Everyone looked over in his direction.

  “Yes, Warden?” Dev answered, letting others in the room overhear the conversation.

  “Dev, where the hell is commander Tony Sicaro?”

  “Uh.” Dev hesitated. “Let me look into that for you, sir. I’ll get back to you in just a minute.” He cut the comm.

  “Well?” He said, looking at Tony.

  “Well, no rush.” Tony said with a stretch. “Let’s wait for them to call again.”

  “And then?”

  “And then you can go ahead and tell them.” He nodded to the room at large, unwrapping a second ration bar and taking a small bite.

  Dev’s wrist comm buzzed again, almost immediately.

  “Impatient, aren’t they?” Tony said mildly.

  Waiting a bit longer, Dev finally picked up. “Sir?” He said.

  “We’re coming down to that infirmary and you had all better be there.” The warden’s voice came in sharply over audio. “Dev, I’m holding you personally responsible.”

  “Yes, sir.” Dev said automatically, before realizing that the warden had already disconnected.

  “Incoming.” He said, stating the obvious. He noted that Tony’s hand drifted into the general vicinity of his gun.

  “Any idea who’s ‘we’?” Tony asked quietly.

  “No idea. Usually, the warden just handles things himself.”

  A few minutes later, everyone looked up as two men entered the infirmary. The warden was followed by a smaller, nondescript man in civilian clothing, who offered no introduction.

  “Commander Tony Sicaro.” The warden said sharply.

  “Yes, sir?”

  “I was told that you’re wanted. And you’re late.”

  “Sorry about that, sir.” Tony said easily, taking another small bite of his ration bar.

  “Any time now, Commander.” The warden snapped.

  “I would sir, but see there’s a problem.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Lunch, sir.”

  “What about lunch?”

  “It’s the most important meal of the day.” Tony explained diligently, taking another very small bite of the ration bar.

  “I thought that was breakfast.” The nondescript man noted from his position slightly behind the warden.

  “Today, it’s lunch.”

  “So, you’ll be going as soon as you’re done with your, err, lunch. Is that right, commander?” The warden asked in exasperation.

  “Sounds reasonable.” Tony agreed.

  “Sir.” The nondescript man spoke up, nodding to the warden respectfully. “I need to step out for a moment. I will return momentarily.”

  The warden nodded, looking about as sour as Dev had ever seen him look. “You know who that was?” He snapped to the room at large as soon as the man walked out of the room.

  “We can all venture a guess.” Phil said, looking up from his tablet.

  “Except for Alanna.” Dev added.

  “We’ve clearly been remiss in educating our prisoners on the topic of the Tundran Secret Service.” The warden noted, sounding no less annoyed than before.

  Whatever else would have been said was interrupted by the return of the secret service agent, his gun drawn but pointed casually downwards. “Commander.” He said in his soft, unassuming voice. “I’m authorized to bring you in. It would be easier for all involved if you were to cooperate.”

  “And if I don’t?” Tony asked with an easy smile. “I don’t know if you realize just how much I hate having my lunch interrupted.”

  “I have the utmost respect for the importance you place on this meal.” The man responded politely. “However, I do have my orders.”

  “Stunning me would only cause further delay.” Tony said cheerfully.

  “Good point, sir. I’ll just have to take it off stun and aim for the leg.” The unnamed agent of the Tundran Secret Service said gently.

  There was a general pause as everyone in the room digested that statement and looked back to Tony. Tony merely raised an eyebrow before standing up, taking one last bite of his ration bar and shaking stray crumbs off his pants. “Well, if you put it that way, we’re all very fortunate that I’m done with lunch. Stay sharp, kids.” He nodded in Dev’s general direction before limping slowly and deliberately out the door.

  The warden looked at the ragged group encircling the prisoner. “Simon.” He said after a lengthy pause. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Uh. Just spending some time with friends, sir. Saying my goodbyes.”

  “I see.” The warden said flatly. “Dev.”

  “Yes sir?”

  “Do I want to know what the hell is going on here?”

  “No, sir.” Dev said firmly.

  The warden sighed. It had not escaped his attention that everyone exposed to whatever the hell was going on ended up making moves that were not exactly career enhancing. “Very well.” He said quietly. “If you change your mind and need my support, let me know. I’m here.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Dev said, genuinely grateful.

  “About the dog.” The warden began.

  “He didn’t bite the commander.” Alanna spoke up.

  “Excuse me?” The warden asked, eyebrows climbing.

  “It wasn’t Benji.” Alanna repeated.

  “I… see. And do you by chance have any insight, lieutenant Summers, into how commander Sicaro ended up with a dog bite on his leg?”

  Alanna winced. “It was another dog.” She said.

  “Another dog.” The warden repeated flatly.

  “Yes. Another dog bit him before he came on duty yesterday.”

  “I… see.” The warden drawled out. “And you know this how, exactly?”

  “He mentioned it, sir.”

  “Did he now?”

  “Yes sir. Since we were all spending so much time together recovering in the infirmary, sir. I’m sure he’d tell you all about it as soon as he gets back. It was one hell of a coincidence, sir.”

  “It would have to be.” The warden muttered under his breath.

  “Yes, sir.” Alanna nodded, looking at Dev hopefully.

  “Uh. Yes sir.” Dev spoke up finally, working hard to adjust the mask of horror on his face. “Commander Sicaro may have, er, mentioned something like that.”

  “About the other dog?” The warden repeated.

  “Something like that.” Dev repeated dutifully.

  “I heard him too.” Phil spoke up from his spot by the window. “Really was a hell of a coincidence. Must have started bleeding right after he came on shift. Maybe it explains why he was uh, acting so oddly. You never know, with dog bites.”

  “Commander Sicaro should really get that checked out.” The warden responded, deadpan.

  Everyone in the room nodded enthusiastically, except for Alanna, who diligently kept her head quite still. But those clear green eyes were looking right at him. The warden considered the group, along with the visitor logs he had provided earlier. A truly striking young lady, if you looked beyond the current physical damage. One never knew. After all, he didn’t get to where he was in his career by making unnecessary enemies. “As you say, lieutenant.” He said finally, his eyes meeting hers directly. “One hell of a coincidence. Let’s hope it doesn’t happen again.” With a nod to Dev, he turned and walked out of the infirmary.

  Dev collapsed into a chair and breathed a deep sigh of relief. “Well done, Alanna.”

  “You were right about not feeding the dog.”

  “I’m always right.” Dev said pointedly. “Now finish your soup. Lunch is the most important meal of the day.”

  Office of the President, Megalodon City, Tundra, Standard Year 404 after founding

  Tony waited calmly in the reception room to the presidential suite, enjoying the comfort of one of the overstuffed leather chairs. In the end, there was no need to rush. The president’s schedule was too full to squeeze him in at random. He stretched out his foot, trying to ignore the new ache. A few minutes later, the secretary came by, wordlessly handing him a cup of coffee and two painkillers. The secret service agent had left, presumably trusting him to stay and make his report once he’d been brought in. And the man was right, at that. By Tony’s estimate, there was a fine balance to be achieved here, between being so cooperative that the president would not take his concerns seriously and being so non cooperative that Jim was too damn pissed to listen. He hoped he got it right. There wouldn’t be much room for mistakes.

  “Would you like anything else?” The secretary asked.

  “No. I’m good.” Tony nodded in the other man’s general direction and went back to nursing his cup of coffee. The president had great coffee.

  The sun was long gone by the time he was invited back into the presidential suite, his boots echoing across the polished, gleaming dark floors of Tundran wood, the sound of his limp more pronounced as his leg stiffened up. Without much ceremony, Tony collapsed into one of the chairs across from the president, stretching out his leg to get more comfortable. “Sir.” He said shortly, rubbing the bandage covering the bloody scab at the side of his neck with some annoyance.

  Jim Hawk’s eyebrows climbed up in surprise. “Are you all right?” He asked.

  “Nothing that won’t heal, sir.” Tony said shortly.

  “You took damage.” Jim Hawk observed. That had been unexpected.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “One of the guards?”

  “No, sir. A broken bottle and a fork, as it turned out, sir.”

  “I see.” Jim Hawk said flatly. “Lieutenant Summers, I take it?”

  “One and only.”

  “So, the lieutenant that’s so very famous for surrendering… chose to fight.”

  “Oh yeah. She chose to fight. She sends her regards, by the way.” Tony said with a slight smile.

  “Does she now?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Through you?”

  “Just the messenger, sir.”

  “An unexpectedly cooperative one.”

  “I run hot and cold, sir.”

  “Especially so today.”

  “Right you are, sir.”

  “What the hell happened, Tony?”

  “Got shot in the back. Also stabbed in the neck, near my eye, and bitten by a dog. Hell of a mission, sir.”

  “And the outcome?”

  “Failure across the board, sir.” Tony said flatly.

  “I see.” Jim Hawk leaned back in his chair, observing the other man carefully. Tony Sicaro was the best of the best. In hand-to-hand combat, some would say Tony was better than his son. In strategy… he sighed. “Who shot you in the back, Tony?” He asked.

  “Hard to say, sir. Didn’t see.”

  “You were warned about Dev.”

  “Took him out, sir.” Tony said firmly.

  “I… see.”

  “Also took out another guard on my way in.”

  “You took out two guards.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Did you let the lieutenant get her hands on a gun?”

  The corners of Tony’s lips lifted upwards in a surprisingly wide grin. “No, sir. On account of my not being a complete and utter moron, sir.”

  “A third guard.” Jim Hawk said flatly. “Intel was that only one guard would interfere.”

  “That intel was shit, sir.”

  “Are you quite finished?”

  “No sir. Barely getting started, sir.”

  “And do you think that’s wise?” Jim Hawk asked softly.

  “Wisdom’s already flown out the window here, hasn’t it, sir?”

  Jim’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Is there something you need to get off your chest, commander?”

  “Bad intel makes for failed missions, sir.” Tony said pointedly.

  “So do bad soldiers.”

  Tony straightened out from his slumped position in the chair, his yes meeting those of the president directly. “Then send someone better.” He said.

  “And if I choose to send you?”

  “Again? I wouldn’t do that if I were you, sir.”

  “No?”

  “No.” Tony said flatly.

  “And why not?” Jim Hawk pressed.

  Tony stared across the polished wood desk at the president of their planet, and the man he had known most of his life. A few decades back, when Samantha Hawk was away traveling, Jim Hawk made Tony and James grilled cheese sandwiches when they got home from school. And today, the man could have him killed with a word. Probably could have done it back then too, for that matter. Tony would have dearly loved to avoid this conversation. But Jim Hawk wasn’t going to let him. He was going to force him to make the choice. “She was wearing Sam’s sweater.” He said instead.

  Jim Hawk’s eyes registered the briefest moment of confusion before darkening into pure rage. “I see.” He said, ice dripping from every syllable.

  “My blood’s on it now. All over the sleeve. Good thing it’s black or that stain might not come out.” Tony doubled down, ignoring the rage. Changing Jim Hawk’s mind wasn’t going to be easy. No surprises here.

  President Jim Hawk responded with silence, staring at Tony as if he were weighing the value of his life and not yet sure of the result. “You choose to honor my son’s wishes over my orders?” He said finally, the threat ringing crystal clear in every word.

  Tony sighed. “No, sir. I choose to follow my own judgment.”

  “Over mine?”

  Tony scratched the bandage on the side of his neck, just a few inches to the left of his jugular. And decided to back down. “Well sir, you have to consider the extenuating circumstances.”

  “Do I?”

  “It’s been a traumatizing couple of days for me, sir. Stabbed, stunned, bitten. I nearly lost an eye, sir.” He touched the scratch on his left temple for emphasis. “It can take years to regenerate an eye. And then you have to consider the, er, emotional trauma.” Tony nodded, ignoring the increasingly incredulous look on Jim Hawk’s face. “I’m just concerned I might have, er, performance issues. And like it or not” Tony added pointedly “her wearing Samantha’s sweater ain’t gonna help with that.”

  “And if my orders are to rise above it?”

  “I have some leave time saved up, sir. Thinking now’s as good a time as any to take it. What with my…delicate medical and mental health, sir.”

  “And how do you plan to spend your leave?”

  “With friends, sir.”

  Jim Hawk drummed his fingers against the wood table between them, considering the full grown man sitting across from him. He knew Tony as well as he knew his own son. And he knew when he was pushing too hard. He could either back down now or lose one of his best people. There were other ways to achieve his goal, but they would not be through Tony Sicaro. And lieutenant Summers had somehow, miraculously, won another ally. “All right.” He said finally. “I’m listening. You do this not based on my son’s orders but on the basis of your own judgment. Very well. Explain it to me.”

  “She protects her people, sir. And she’s damn good at it.”

  “And are we her people?”

  “We will be.” Tony said firmly. “And it could be worse, couldn’t it, sir? It could be Thea.”

  “Thea is a decorated Captain of the Tundran military.” Jim Hawk said sharply.

  “Thea’s a damn bitch, sir.”

  “So you are sitting here, looking me in the face and telling me, that a known traitor, a Sarayan officer who served on Titan, killed our own on Titan, is better than Captain Thea Emerson?”

  “It’s not even close, sir.”

  “You are dismissed.” President Jim Hawk said shortly.

  Tony opened his mouth to say more, then shut it. He had done what he could. The rest Jim Hawk would need to figure out for himself. “Yes, sir.” He said before getting up and limping slowly back out of the presidential suite. At least he was still alive.

  Megalodon City Penitentiary, Tundra, Standard Year 404 after founding

  Tony, Dev, and Alanna were staring at each other across two food trays pulled together to create a very makeshift poker table. Simon, Lainey and Phil had already dropped out of the game. Tony’s pile of ration bars was the highest, spilling over beyond the small, makeshift table. “I raise five.” Tony said smugly, adding five more ration bars to the pile.

  “I call your five and raise five more.” Alanna said, adding a good portion of her remaining ration bars.

  “I’m out.” Dev said with a sigh.

  Phil looked away from the game at the sound of his comm going off. “The warden’s asking me to take someone in. I’ll be back. You’ll get ‘em next time, Dev.”

  Dev nodded in Phil’s general direction, distracted. “Come on, Alanna. The commander is too smug for his own good.”

  Alanna smiled, feeling rather good. Her headache was finally fading and she had gotten real food again for dinner, in the form of soup and ice cream. It was warm in the infirmary. “I’m going to win this.” She said with a grin, her eyes daring Tony to raise again. “And with one hand tied.” At least it was still her left hand, leaving her right hand free to hold the cards.

  “Be glad it’s not behind your back.” Tony said with a frown as he looked from the pile of ration bars on the table into Alanna’s smug green eyes.

  “Should we worry about whoever Phil is getting?” Alanna asked, momentarily distracted from her inevitable victory.

  “Too soon.” Tony said dismissively, his eyes focused on his cards.

  “He might move faster than you expect.” Alanna said.

  Tony paused. “Dev.” He said shortly.

  “Yeah?”

  “Just in case something unfortunate happens, here’s what I need you to do. Make sure your gun is set to stun and accidentally drop it in the lieutenant’s general vicinity. Alanna, I suggest you pick it up. Simon.” He paused, looking over at Simon. “Hand me your gun. Two accidental fumbles is one too many.”

  Alanna winced, not looking forward to what she would need to do to get out of the cuffs. Again.

  “Commander, we can help.” Dev said. “We don’t need the plausible deniability here. Other things are more important.”

  “No need.” Tony said shortly. “I’m going to handle this and the rest of you are going to follow orders. Clear?”

  Dev didn’t respond.

  “I’m going to drop my gun.” Simon said firmly, moving closer to Alanna’s side.

  Tony sighed again, ignoring them both. “Alanna?”

  “Yes, sir?”

  “If this is an attack, fire at will.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I’m going to head home.” Lainey said quietly. “It’s quite a bit past the end of my shift.”

  “Thank you for your help.” Alanna said.

  Tony just nodded.

  ---

  Doctor Fiona Wolton followed Phil back into the infirmary of Megalodon City penitentiary, her antigrav medical trunk close behind. “Do I sense some tension?” She asked mildly, looking around the room.

  “Fi.” Tony said, relief clear in his voice. “It’s good to see you. Is everything all right? Do you think there’s somethingwrong with Alanna?”

  “Some of that might be beyond my skill.” Fiona said with a tired grin. “But as it happens, I’m here following orders.”

  “Whose?” Tony asked in surprise.

  “Classified. But I’ll tell you this.” Fiona said as she set down her trunk and began removing supplies. “They’re from high up.”

  “What are you doing?” Alanna asked, shifting as far away from Fiona as her cuffed hand would allow. “I’m actually fine as is.”

  Fiona raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t come here to harm a patient, if that is what you are implying. I’m a doctor.”

  Alanna looked around the room, uncertainty clear on her face. “Ok but I’m still fine. There’s no need for any additional treatment.”

  “What kind of treatment are you giving her?” Tony asked calmly.

  “Alanna.” Fiona turned towards her. “The treatments I gave you last night were to speed up the natural healing process. The supply of these treatments is limited. I took a risk sharing what I had. I have to answer for losing my supplies. I am now authorized to provide you with everything you need. Do you in fact want to get better? If so, I am here to aid that process. If you refuse the treatments, I certainly will not force you.”

  Alanna looked to Tony, on some level realizing just how much she had grown to trust him in a very short time. That could, of course, be a mistake. He was a damn good poker player. But she didn’t have much else to go on. “Do you think that’s true?” She asked him.

  “Fiona won’t lie.” Tony said without hesitation.

  “Is it… is it good news?” Alanna asked. “Do you think it means the – do you think it means he changed his mind? And decided to leave me alone?”

  “No, I don’t think it’s good news.” Tony said with a sigh. “If the president’s plan was to leave you alone, he wouldn’t waste these treatments on you. You’re stable. If left alone, in time you’ll heal. For whatever reason, Jim’s decided he doesn’t want to wait.”

  “Well, he doesn’t need me healthy for an order of execution either, does he?”

  “No.” Tony agreed thoughtfully. “No, he does not.”

  “Do you want the treatment or not?” Fiona asked. “It’s been a long day. Preceded by an even longer night.”

  “It’s up to you.” Tony said, looking towards Alanna.

  “If this will help me heal faster, I want it.” Alanna said without hesitation.

  Fiona nodded and stepped forward, syringe in hand. “Please lean forward. I’ll start with the back of your head.” She said shortly.

  Last time, Fiona had skipped her thumb. Alanna noted that this time, even her thumb was treated.

  “I would like to run one more scan to verify you’re healing properly.” Fina said when she finished.

  Alanna nodded. This time she sat up straight on her own, waiting patiently until the scan was complete.

  “She’s healing well.” Fiona said. “Alanna, is there anything else that’s bothering you?”

  “No.” Alanna said quietly, trying to ignore the nervous lurch of her stomach. Jim Hawk decided he needed her healthy for… something. “Thank you for your help.” She remembered to add politely.

  Fiona nodded. “Is there anything else before I head home for a long shower?”

  “No.” Alanna repeated.

  “Good. I would prescribe a shower for the patient, as well. The back of her head is still caked with blood, gentlemen.” Fiona said pointedly, before taking her bag and leaving the room.

  “I’ll walk her out.” Phil said quietly, following Fiona out of the room.

  “Just show me the damn cards already.” Tony said impatiently.

  Alanna laid down her cards. “Three queens.” She said with a grin, trying to ignore the sense of impending doom. “And I want more ice cream.”

  “Dammit.” Tony said with genuine annoyance.

  “Can I see what you had?”

  “No, you bloody well can’t. You’re not even a good poker player. You just count cards.”

  “You’re not a good player. You’re just good at bluffing.”

  “That’s the game!”

  “No, getting a winning hand is the game.”

  “Are you two quite finished?” Dev asked.

  “Yes.” Tony said shortly. He returned a minute later with an unwrapped ice cream cone and tossed it in Alanna’s general direction. “It’s the last one. All ration bars from here.”

  Alanna caught the ice cream cone easily. Her headache was entirely gone now. “About that shower.” She said hopefully.

  Tony eyed her doubtfully. It would mean removing the cuffs. And outside of an all out attack, he was still hesitant to do so.

  “You’ll cooperate?” He asked. “No bullshit?”

  “Yes.”

  “Your word?”

  Alanna sighed with some reluctance. “Yes.” She repeated.

  “I can get her clean clothes.” Dev said, sitting up. “We should do this now. They’re going to wait until the treatments take full effect, right? Nothing is likely to happen tonight.”

  Tony hesitated. There were no guarantees but it wasn’t likely. The medication Fiona provided was limited in supply. Jim Hawk wouldn’t waste it. He nodded in agreement and went to empty out the break room shower. He didn’t want anything even vaguely resembling a weapon anywhere near Alanna. For so many reasons.

  Fifteen minutes later, Alanna stood gloriously alone in an entirely empty shower stall. Tundran showers bore no resemblance whatsoever to Sarayan showers. Sarayan showers were a single soft trickle of water, intended to minimize the risk of stray water splashing into one’s mouth or eyes. A Tundran shower was a full on blast of water from at least a dozen streams. The powerful water pressure felt like needles against her skin. Much like the rest of the planet, it was all too big and too much. Too much water, too much pressure, and for once, too much heat. Alanna breathed in the steam filled air and turned the water temperature slightly colder. It was, without a doubt, the best shower of her life.

  She watched as the blood tinged water ran off her head and down the drain, washing off the remnants of the last several days with them. Ignoring the twinge of pain from where needles had pierced her skull and the larger bruise that was still tender along the back of her head, she finally washed her hair. Long after she finished bathing, she stood under the stream, feeling the seemingly endless water against her skin. Just one giant ball of drinkable water, she reminded herself. And there was a chance, just the very slightest edge of a chance, that all of this could be hers. This shower, every night. She tried to imagine the bathtub James had described. The one in his apartment. If this was a break room shower, what would his bathtub be like?

  “Alanna, you alive in there?” Dev’s voice called out.

  Alanna sighed. At least they had gotten Dev to do it. Given that both Simon and Tony had tried to rape her, that was a nice touch. “I’m coming out.” She said with some reluctance, turning off the shower. She walked out a few minutes later, wearing her second and now only pair of jeans, a thin black shirt and a cream sweater. The clean clothes felt amazing. She had done her best to carefully wash what was apparently the black hawk sweater, working hard to get the dried blood out of the sleeve. It was fortunate that the color was black.

  “You can put the cuffs back on or go back to the cell.” Tony said, getting straight to the point.

  “I can go back to my cell?” Alanna asked, surprised by how hopeful her voice sounded.

  Tony looked bemused. “Is that a good thing?”

  Alanna thought about the things James had brought for her, and how the weight of his sleeping bag felt draped over her as she went to sleep. “I want to go back.” She said before she quite realized what she was saying. “That is, if it’s all right with everyone. I know it’s warmer here.”

  “We can go back.” Dev said without hesitation. “It’s more defensible anyway.”

  So that evening they all went back to the fourteenth floor, including Tony. Alanna just barely managed to put away two more forks hidden in the folds of the sleeping bag and wash off a few drips of blood that had fallen onto the fabric, before collapsing in complete exhaustion.

  ---

  “Hiding won’t work.” James said. They were sitting across from each other, each on their own concrete bench, against opposite cell walls. His gray eyes were ice cold once again. “You’ll still get noticed. It just makes you less valuable. You want to be valuable. Don’t you, Alanna?”

  “Why don’t you answer your texts?” She asked, ignoring his question. “You’ve been gone a long time. Why is this mission taking so long? Why can’t you answer a simple text?” She repeated, fear and anger intermingled and inseparable in her voice.

  “I have my reasons.”

  “What are they?”

  “I must be very far away.”

  “Saraya.” Alanna whispered. “You’re on Saraya. Or you’re dead.”

  “I’m not dead. If I’m dead, you get asylum. No more games.”

  “No more politics.”

  “No.”

  “I can be a cave diver.”

  “Until you die.”

  “Yes.”

  Alanna sat up in her makeshift bed, the sudden movement causing only a twinge of pain in her head. Whatever treatment Fiona had given her was miraculous. Her body felt amazing, other than the dread in the pit of her stomach. Jim Hawk was still coming for her. He would not fail a third time. And she had no idea, none at all, what his next attack would be. Gathering the sleeping bag more tightly around her body, she rolled over and went back to sleep. This time, James was on the bed next to her, pulling her close until the warmth of his body chased away the chill of the Tundran winter storm.