Varen Hodgins, warden of Megalodon City Penitentiary, stretched tiredly before stepping away from his computer and turning to look out the window of his office. The fading light of the dim Tundran sun glinted in the distance, sending a shower of silver and lavender sparks across the pristine snow. It was time to go home. And yet… He thought about the odd tension he had sensed from his distant nephew, Dev. It wouldn’t hurt to check up on things one last time, before heading out. Pulling out his pass, he headed towards the elevator, on his way up to the fourteenth floor that housed Sarayan POWs.

  The warden saw Simon’s crumpled form as soon as he walked off the elevator. Taking out his weapon, he moved cautiously further down the hall, noting Dev’s crumpled form further down. A single cell door stood swinging open. Slowly, his steps silent on the concrete floors, the warden approached the open door, gun out. And found himself staring down at the inert form of commander Tony Sicaro, renown war hero and one of the top officers in the Tundran special forces. With a deep sigh, the warden leaned down and pulled the pants back up. Dev and Simon were both out of commission but Sicaro was in far worse shape. Blood dripped down his leg and the side of his neck and an odd scratch appeared alongside his temple. Activating his communicator, he reached out to Phil, getting straight to the point. “Phil, is there anything you need to tell me?”

  There was a long pause. “Uh, there was an altercation, sir.” Phil said awkwardly.

  “Where’s the prisoner?”

  “In the infirmary.”

  “Is she stable?”

  Phil paused again. “Mostly stable, sir.”

  “Is she secured?”

  “Yessir.”

  “Is everything else under control?”

  “Yes sir. Absolutely, sir.” Phil responded emphatically, and closed his eyes to send a heartfelt prayer that the warden would believe him.

  The warden sighed again. This was what happened when you hired over-qualified personnel. There was always a reason. But then, with Tony Sicaro’s recommendations, there really was no way to decline the ‘generous offer’ of assistance.

  “Are you and Lainey capable of getting the rest of these gentlemen to the infirmary and providing them with first aid as they recover?”

  “Yes sir. Absolutely, sir.” Phil repeated, trying to inject just the right note of confidence into his tone.

  “Starting with our new hire, Phil. Whatever happened here, the man is a war hero and should be treated accordingly. Are we clear?”

  “Yes sir. Absolutely, sir.”

  I live fifteen minutes away, Phil. If anything happens that requires my attention, you will contact me. Immediately. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, sir.” Phil paused. “Absolutely crystal clear, sir.”

  “Very good.” The warden took one last look around the floor. The new dog was finally coming to say hello. He noted, without surprise, the blood covering his muzzle. They were going to have to rethink the dog. He activated his communicator and sent an additional guard to the fourteenth floor before turning around and walking out.

  ---

  Alanna woke up to the worst headache of her life. The pain was excruciating and with every beat of her heart the intensity increased sharply, over and over. Biting her lip until she drew blood, she tried desperately not to make any noise. She was on her back with her head elevated and her right hand cuffed to the bed. She heard an odd rustling sound as something that felt like paper shifted under her head and noted vaguely that her left hand was still free. Someone had splinted and reset her thumb. She wasn’t wearing any pants but felt no noticeable discomfort below her waist. The oversized sweater she had fortunately chosen to wear that morning covered her up to her knees.

  “She’s awake.” She heard an unfamiliar voice say. The sound came with lightning flashes of additional pain. Giving up, Alanna allowed herself to whimper. Her throat hurt, too. Everything hurt.

  “Alanna.”

  Another unfamiliar voice spoke right next to her ear, startling her. The involuntary twitch she made in response to that voice sent waves of agony across her skull.

  “I’m going to give you a pain killer. It will be one quick shot. I need you to cooperate, all right?”

  “Mhmm.” Alanna said, very softly. At this point, she was perfectly willing to cooperate. It could hardly get much worse. In her current condition, worse meant dead.

  “Alanna.” She heard Dev’s familiar voice. “She really is going to give you a pain killer. For god’s sake, lay still.”

  “Mhmm.” Alanna repeated. She felt intense relief at the sound of Dev’s voice but it did not in any way diminish the excruciating pain in her head.

  “Do I get a pain killer?” The unfamiliar voice spoke again.

  No response appeared to be forthcoming. Alanna felt a small prick in her right arm and lay perfectly still, hoping the painkiller was fast acting. Fortunately, everyone remained silent as the pain slowly receded. With some reluctance, she forced herself to open her eyes. Stifling another moan, she considered straightening up.

  “Don’t move.” A multitude of voices in the room said at once.

  “Owwwww.” Alanna said, her voice hoarse. The muscles she had tensed in preparation for raising herself up relaxed. She hadn’t gotten very far. At least the pain continued to recede as the pain killer took full effect.

  “You have a concussion and internal bleeding, most likely an epidural hematoma.” The voice of the unknown woman spoke next to her ear, softly. “I drilled a small hole in your skull to relieve the pressure.”

  Alanna prudently did not nod. That explained the odd, paper textured fabric she felt under her skull. She was laying on a bandage intended to capture the blood as she bled out of her skull. “The day gets worse and worse. Is everyone all right?” She asked, hating the raw, raspy sound of her voice. Her throat felt on fire.

  “Well one of us is bleeding out of her head.” Dev said, continuing to keep his voice low. “So in the aggregate, we’ve been better.”

  “Everyone else?” Alanna rasped.

  “Simon and I got hit with stun rounds. We’re all fine.”

  “And the puppy?” Alanna asked, trying to stop herself from frowning with worry. She just knew any movement in the vicinity of her head was going to be a huge mistake.

  Dev stifled a short laugh. “He’s fine.”

  Eyes now wide open, Alanna tried to take in the room from her reclining position. Her head was propped on pillows and she was covered up to her waist with what felt like some sort of standard issue hospital blanket. Her bed was a narrow gurney positioned in a corner of the room, with the woman who was probably a nurse sitting in a chair by her side. On her other side were two more gurneys, with Dev sitting up on the first and Simon on the second. Beyond Simon was a window, a real window overlooking the city in the distance. Thousands of tiny lights twinkled in the night. Phil sat up in a chair directly underneath the window. And across from her, at a distance from everyone else in the room and closest to the door, was the owner of the unknown voice, his flat dark eyes looking straight into hers. Alanna noted that like her, he was also handcuffed to his gurney. Unlike her, he was wearing two sets of cuffs, one around each wrist. She swallowed, which as it turned out was also quite painful. “President Hawk sends his regards, I presume.” She said softly, staring at the man across from her.

  “I would like to be uncuffed.” He said, ignoring her.

  The nurse raised an eyebrow from her chair. “I believe you’re unwell, commander. It happens to people sometimes, when they get back from the war. We’re all here to help. But it might be good for you to take a break, just for a little while. Until you’re feeling more… yourself.”

  Tony raised an eyebrow at the room in general. “Is that what you all told the nice nurse?”

  “Would you like to provide an alternative explanation?” Dev asked mildly. “We’re all ears.”

  Tony hesitated. “Fine.” He said finally. “I am now feeling better. Please uncuff me.”

  “These episodes can last a surprisingly long time.” Phil spoke up from his seat in the corner, his gun cradled gently in his hand and pointed, without much subtlety, directly at Tony. “Having seen you earlier commander, and with the greatest respect, I would suggest you take some time.”

  Tony’s hands tightened, straining against the metal cuffs as they dug into his wrists. Someone had been very enthusiastic in tightening the restraints. He looked around the room. No friendly faces here. “Tough crowd.” He said easily, letting his voice relax and leaning back against the pillows propping him up. He would need to find his opportunity but clearly, this was not the time.

  “I know you.” Dev said suddenly, into the silence. “Tony Sicaro, special forces commander.”

  “One and only.” Tony nodded agreeably. He left it at that. Based on the intel he was provided, Dev Hodgins was not going to be on his side, no matter how stellar his war record. The Sarayan prisoner apparently succeeded in wrapping him around her little finger, which didn’t speak well for this particular Hodgins. But there was no point in denying his own identity.

  “You’re James Hawk’s friend.” Dev continued. “You served together.”

  Tony blinked, surprised at the unexpected change of subject. “So?”

  “Ah.” Dev nodded with a grin. “Well, well, well.” Loyal citizen of Tundra though he was, just for a few seconds, Dev sat back and savored the moment. So far, his day had been filled with pain, humiliation and failure. But things were looking up. Because he, Dev Hodgins, was about to blow President Jim Hawk’s brilliant plan sky high. “You just got back from the front, didn’t you commander? Barely had a chance to catch your breath before you got sent out on this new mission. That about right?”

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  Tony frowned. “What’s this all got to do with James?”

  “Funny you should ask…” Dev’s smile broadened. “Want in on the joke, commander? Try looking up Alanna Summers, Sarayan traitor.”

  “Seriously?” Alanna rasped from the other corner of the room. “Those are my search terms? Sarayan traitor? If I had parents they would be so proud…”

  “Shut up, Alanna.” Dev said sharply. “We all want the commander here to connect the dots sooner rather than later.” In the spirit of good faith cooperation, Dev got up and personally uncuffed Tony Sicaro before sitting back down, a smug grin still on his face.

  Eyes narrowed, Tony typed in the recommended search term and waited. The video came up first. He pressed play and the tense voice of the girl in the other corner of the room began speaking “I, Lieutenant Alanna Summers...”

  “Turn that off or my brain really will explode.” Alanna said sharply, not bothering to lower her voice and accepting the cost of piercing pain lancing through her head. “Turn it off.” She repeated.

  He ignored her, continuing on to the end of the video.

  “So?” He asked the room at large. “I can just hear the sincerity, both then and now.”

  “Keep reading.” Dev said patiently.

  “She surrendered to the Black Hawk.” Phil noted. “Voluntary surrender.”

  Tony kept reading. “I see. And Henry Hodgins brought her in. Maybe he’s got a thing for her too. So?” He repeated.

  “Henry’s married.” Dev said sharply.

  “And when has that stopped anyone?”

  “Sure Tony, the three of us here are putting our necks on the line to cover up for my philandering uncle.”

  Simon stirred on his cot. “Stop messing with the commander.” He said softly. “’s got nothing to do with Henry, commander.” He turned to Tony, his voice respectful. “James Hawk has been stopping by to see her. Every night. All night. That’s what all it has to do with James Hawk.”

  Tony frowned. It wasn’t entirely outside the realm of possibility, he supposed. The girl wasn’t bad looking. She surrendered to the Black Hawk. “Lives were saved” he said out loud “when she surrendered to the Black Hawk.”

  “I’m still right here.” Alanna noted. “Not dead yet.”

  “Fine.” Tony nodded in her direction. “Lives were saved when you surrendered to the Black Hawk. James, being James, was thoroughly charmed, I’m sure. And I ask again, so?”

  “You see.” Alanna said to the room at large. “That’s what I said. But does anyone listen? No, they do not. Certain people” she gritted her teeth against the pain “Did. Not. Listen.” Her words were drowned out entirely as everyone else responded at once. Alanna sighed and with some effort raised her free left hand, trying to be heard over the others. “Let me try.” She rasped, her voice coming out hoarse from the damage to her throat. She waited until everyone grew quiet before speaking. “So here’s the question, Tony: why did President Hawk send you to rape me? And what were the rest of your orders? I hadn’t considered brain damage… that’s a good one.” Alanna blinked, trying to get her mind to refocus. “Why is it, friend Tony, that President Hawk bothered to give you these orders at all?” Exhausted, she stopped speaking, leaving the room in silence.

  “Well shit.” Tony said quietly. “Every night?” He asked again, looking back at Simon.

  “Yes.” Simon nodded.

  “And he stayed the night?”

  “Yes.”

  Tony frowned. “There’s no shower.” He pointed out.

  “He washed in the sink.” Alanna offered into the silence.

  “In the sink?” Tony said incredulously.

  “I thought it was a Tundran thing.”

  “How is that a Tundran thing? It’s bloody freezing and there’s no shower.”

  “I don’t know!” Alanna said in exasperation, accepting the pain that came with her raised voice. “You’re all nuts anyway, I can’t tell what’s normal here.”

  “We got it now, Alanna.” Dev said firmly. “No more talking for you.”

  “Sit up and turn around.” Tony said suddenly.

  “No.” Everyone else in the room chorused.

  “Do not move!” Lainey said emphatically. “And what the hell is wrong with you?” She turned to Tony. “Are you still trying to kill her?”

  “No I…” Tony blinked. His orders suddenly seemed very distant. “Is she in that bad of shape?”

  “How hard did you hit her? Was it with full force?” Lainey asked sharply.

  Tony raised an eyebrow. “I went up against a decorated officer from an opposing military force. If I had been a fraction of a second slower, she would have sliced my jugular with that bottle. She nearly took out my eye with the fork. No, I did not hold back.”

  “I very nearly won that.” Alanna said into the silence. She was starting to feel just a little bit lightheaded. “Very close.”

  “So you hit her with full force.” Lainey repeated.

  “The angle was awkward but yes, I hit her with full force.”

  “Were those your orders?” Dev asked quietly. “To cause brain damage?”

  “No. Those were not my orders.” Tony responded curtly.

  “Sarayans have fragile bones.” Lainey said into the silence. “It’s the lower gravity. More fragile skulls, too.”

  Tony frowned, studying Alanna across the room. “Is she at serious risk of brain injury or death?”

  Lainey looked at Alanna out of the corner of her eye before responding. “Yes.”

  “I have to make a call.” Tony said to the room. “I need you not to stop me.”

  “Feeling the need to report in?” Dev snorted.

  “No.” He nodded at Lainey. “You’re a nurse, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “She needs a doctor. She’s still bleeding. Look, I haven’t decided what I’m going to do about this but I swear to you my orders weren’t to kill her or cause brain damage. Either take her to a hospital now or let me help.”

  “No.” Alanna said firmly.

  “I agree.” Dev said. “No hospitals. We can’t take the risk. She stays here.”

  Lainey frowned, real concern on her face. “Dev, the commander is correct. If he slammed her head against a concrete wall with full force, this damage is likely beyond my expertise. She needs a doctor.”

  “I can get a doctor here.” Tony said. “Can any of you?”

  “I don’t trust…” Dev began.

  “Why did you want me to sit up and turn around?” Alanna interrupted, struggling to get her voice heard over the chorus of voices in the room.

  “I need to see what’s on the sleeve of your sweater.” Tony responded, his flat dark eyes turning back on her.

  “Other than your blood?” Alanna asked.

  “Lainey, can you tell me what’s on her sleeve?” Tony asked.

  “Other than your blood?” Lainey echoed somewhat drily. She leaned over to study the sleeve of Alanna’s sweater. Her eyes widened suddenly and she sat back, her gaze meeting Tony’s. “Let him make the call.” She said.

  “What’s on the sleeve?” Dev asked, puzzled.

  “A Black Hawk.”

  Alanna blinked. The room was growing fuzzy around the edges and beginning to tilt slightly. “There’s just blood.” She said happily.

  Lainey shook her head. “Dev it’s in the knitting pattern of the sweater. There’s a black hawk.”

  “Samantha Hawk made him that sweater.” Tony said shortly. “Dev, let me make the call.”

  “Do it.” Dev nodded.

  ---

  Less than thirty minutes later, Doctor Fiona Wolton walked into the room, accompanied by Phil. She was carrying a large, rectangular antigrav trunk that looked like it weighed several times more than she did. Her eyes narrowed as she observed Alanna laying against the pillows on the gurney, a pool of blood around her head.

  “Prisoner?” She asked shortly, noting the handcuffs on Alanna’s right wrist.

  “Yes.” Tony nodded. “A high value prisoner.”

  “Will she cooperate?”

  “Yes.” Dev said.

  Fiona raised an eyebrow. “Can I get that from the patient?”

  “Yes.” Alanna repeated. “I will cooperate.”

  Fiona nodded. “I assume the head injury is the top cause for concern. How did the injury occur?”

  “I hit her.” Tony said.

  Fiona looked over at him. “Can you show me exactly how?” She asked without missing a beat.

  Tony gritted his teeth. Him and President Hawk were going to have a real fun conversation in the near future. “The prisoner was under me. I grabbed her by the throat and raised her up. Her head tilted forward and the wall hit the back of her skull, just above the neck.”

  “With all your strength?” Fiona asked.

  “Yes.” Tony said shortly.

  Fiona nodded in the direction of his face. “She went for your eye?”

  “Yes.”

  “She’s Sarayan.” Lainey the nurse spoke up.

  Fiona failed to entirely mask the concern that crossed her face. “I see. Thank you for mentioning this. So the injury was somewhere along the back of her head, above the neck. And it was a concrete wall?”

  “Yes.” Tony repeated.

  Fiona nodded and walked over to Alanna, removing a handheld medical scanner from her bag. She moved the machine carefully around Alanna’s head. “Tony, I need you to move the patient for me.”

  Alanna flinched, trying to pull back against the pillows. “No.”

  “No.” Dev echoed. “We can’t allow that. Doctor, is there someone else who could assist you?”

  “Tony has medical training and steady hands. We’ve worked together before. If you want the best treatment for this patient, I suggest you use him.” Dr. Fiona Wolton looked around the room, waiting for a response. “And I wouldn’t wait too long to decide.” She added pointedly.

  “Alanna, it’s up to you.” Dev said.

  Trying to swallow her terror, Alanna looked into the flat dark eyes of the man coming towards her.

  “Alanna, James is a friend. We served together.” He spread his hands. “He made his wishes clear. I would not have done it if I had known.”

  Alanna turned her eyes towards the doctor, trying hard to keep her head still. “He really has medical training?”

  “He does.” Dev spoke up. “It’s part of his military record.” He shrugged. “Tony Sicaro is a war hero. We all know his record.”

  Alanna closed her eyes. “Do it.” She said shortly.

  “Even with the pain killers, this is going to hurt.” Fiona said. “Tony, I need you to remove the pillows and hold up the patient by supporting her back. I need unobstructed access to the back of her head. Alanna, I need you to hold your head up on your own. We don’t have the right equipment here to do anything else.”

  Alanna tried to blink her eyes to signal agreement. This was going to hurt. But that was all right. She was feeling so lightheaded by then, she wasn’t sure she would notice. She thought about striking out at his dark flat eyes again but they seemed to be moving around, which made it harder to aim. The pillows supporting her back were removed and it did indeed hurt.

  In the end, Alanna wasn’t able to support her own head. Tony caught her just in time, avoiding any sudden movements. He held her head up with three fingers supporting the base of her neck and stepped back as far as he could, giving Fiona space to operate the scanner. Fiona nodded. “This will have to do.” She said, looking down at the images on her screen. “The cranium is heavily bruised but intact. The patient has a severe epidural hematoma. The nurse” she nodded in Lainey’s direction “created a drain which has, without a doubt, saved the patient’s life. However, she’s bleeding faster than the blood is draining and the pressure is continuing to build. We need to drain the blood now.” She went back to her bag and took out a needle.

  By then, Alanna was too disoriented to see the size of the needle, but Dev paled noticeably.

  The thick needle came with a large reservoir. Everyone in the room watched as the reservoir filled with blood.

  “Again.” Fiona said shortly. Lainey had stepped in without being asked, handing her a new syringe. “Again.” Fiona repeated a few minutes later. This time it took longer as the pressure decreased but a third nearly full vial was removed. “All right.” Fiona said finally. “Let’s bring back the pillows.”

  Lainey moved the pillows back into place and Alanna was placed back down.

  “Lieutenant, what year is it?” Fiona asked.

  “Four hundred and three…” Alanna paused. “Wait no, James said happy new year.”

  “Say something Alanna Summers would say.” Dev said, stifling a yawn.

  “I want a gun.” Alanna said immediately.

  “Yeah, that’s her.” Dev confirmed. Everyone around the room nodded.

  “Good.” Fiona nodded. “Without additional equipment, that’s all I can do. Hopefully, it’s enough.”

  “What do we now?” Dev asked out loud, not sure anyone would answer.

  “We wait.” Tony said.

  “We stall.” Alanna said, her voice unexpectedly clear.

  “There, you see? Brain damaged girl agrees with me.” Tony Sicaro said with a sigh.

  “Are you on our side?” Dev pressed.

  “Unlike others in the room, I try to stop short of mutiny but yes, as far as I’m able, I’m on your side.”

  “When will he expect a report?” Dev asked.

  Tony shifted in his chair. If he lied to President Hawk and called the mission complete, they could stall longer. But he wasn’t quite ready to cross that line just yet. “Good chance it will wait until morning.” He said noncommittally.

  “When can I get some sleep?” Alanna asked. “Maybe this is a good time for us all to get some sleep.”

  Fiona got up and ran another scan, once again relying on Tony to hold up the patient’s head and provide her with access. “The bleeding has either slowed down significantly or stopped entirely.” She said with relief, reviewing the images from her scans. “Lieutenant, when was the last time you slept?”

  Alanna blinked. “I can’t… I don’t remember. I haven’t been sleeping much.”

  Fiona nodded, returning to her bag and looking through her supplies. “Under the circumstances, I’m going to give her our state of the art treatments. Alanna, these next several shots are intended to give your body energy and nutrients to heal. Fortunately, these nutrients are not harmful to brain tissue. Fiona selected a much slimmer needle than the previous ones she had used and got to work. “I’m going to get the neck as well.” She said. “Almost there. Now Lainey, a fresh bandage please. The bleeding should be minimal, but we can still expect some as the blood continues to drain. Let’s keep her head elevated. Good.” Fiona sat back, not even bothering to hide her sigh of relief. “The patient is stable. I’m going to continue to monitor but I believe at this time, sleep will benefit her more than remaining under full observation. That stands for the rest of you, as well. I’ll take first watch and wake you if needed. Get some rest.”