What?!
“Pam, don't say that,” Rene chastised.
“Why not? It's the truth,” Pam rebelled.
Mary completely broke down crying, slumping down to the ground. A much younger woman rushed to her side, trying to console her.
“Mary, please, calm down. We’ll find a way to get them back,” she tried to reassure the crying woman.
But how can anyone recover from such news? The innocent children were sentenced to death simply because someone perceived them as a burden.
Paige’s heart broke into a million pieces. This is so wrong that a new word should be invented for it.
AJ, Dave, and Paige looked at one another in disbelief. That moment was the first time they noticed that there were no children aside from Peter on this level.
Where are they? Paige wondered.
“And what’s even more horrible,” Andrew went on.
Paige was on the verge of breaking down because she couldn’t believe there was more—let alone that it could be worse. What could be more horrible than killing children?
“Is that the children of the Red’s and Blue’s won’t be touched! Can you believe it? Only our children will be floated! This is so disgusting! It’s ridiculous!” The man shook with anger.
Everything about this situation is disgusting.
“Excuse me. Why were their children allowed on the mothership?” Paige asked loudly, trying to make her voice heard through the fresh wave of crying and shouting.
“They paid for the tickets; that’s why!” a woman explained, almost spitting. She, too, shook from rage.
“The Blue Coats and Red Coats paid for the tickets. That’s why their kids are allowed.”
“The Blue and the Red,” Paige repeated, thinking fast. “What about Orange? Did they pay, too? Are the Orange kids being floated out?” she asked.
She tried to gather as much information as possible, which wasn’t that easy considering all the high emotions flying around.
Herself included.
“No, they aren’t. Only the Green kids,” a man said bitterly.
“That’s so fucked up! Why are you being punished like this?” AJ asked, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to another.
“Well, they did pay, but it was far less than the Reds and Blues,” the man answered. “It doesn’t really matter because they have been working here at the hospitals and other educated specialty areas. They’re useful little workers on this ship. That’s why they won’t touch the Orange children.”
It all started to make sense to Paige in a gruesome way. Not that it was all right or justifiable.
“The Greens are the stowaways,” Mary said bitterly, still sitting and crying on the floor. “So, they think they can float our children out! They think they can do whatever they want with us!”
“If money is the issue,” Dave told Paige, “I will cover it.,” He was so angry his face matched the uniform.
“Oh, this goes beyond money, dude,” AJ spat back, equally enraged.
“I agree,” Paige added.
It was unfair, and Paige promised herself they wouldn’t leave the situation like that. She looked at both guys and understood that they, too, didn’t want to let the people in charge carry out such a barbaric plan. It wasn’t right.
How could they kill innocent children?
Something had to be done about it.
Maybe Kwan was right, came a sudden thought. Maybe she was a troublemaker. If standing up for what was right made her such a thing, she would gladly embrace the title. Every time.
“What if you go and fight for your children?” AJ asked, mirroring Paige’s thoughts.
“Yeah,” Dave jumped in. “If all of you go stand against it, maybe they’ll come to their senses and—”
“They told us if we try to fight, they’ll put us in the cells and float us out, too. Right after our children,” a woman interjected, her voice hoarse from crying.
Of course, they did! Paige thought angrily. She knew that was clearly an empty threat. If they killed off all the Greens, they would lose their precious workforce, and how could they maintain such a large spaceship without it?
The answer was—they couldn’t.
“Maybe we should all just die out of spite,” Mary choked out, clearly having the same thoughts as Paige.
“Where are the kids being held? Where are they now? Do you have any idea?” AJ asked impatiently.
Paige could sense the strong determination in his voice, and she approved wholeheartedly.
Looking at him, she could see how his eyes burned with a bright fire in them while his nostrils flared. That made Paige grin. She felt that same fire and was itching for a good fight. Dave constantly flexed his fingers, making fists as if wanting to punch someone, so she knew he was right there with them.
“The children are somewhere on Ground Level. That’s where they have everyone take that test,” a man answered.
“When they led us into the test room, they took the children to a different room. We took the test without suspecting anything. Then, when we finished it and came out, they told us to come here to the Green Level. We came here like they told us to, and we waited for our kids.”
“But they didn’t return,” Mary added through her sobs. With a little help from a younger woman, Mary managed to stand on her feet.
Paige guessed that exchanged words about a fight gave her renewed strength, and she was glad.
The man nodded somberly. “They didn’t come to join us, and we were worried, so we went to find them.”
“Turns out, they planned to float our children without even telling us,” Mary said in a high-pitched voice, again on the verge of hysteria. Paige couldn’t blame her for that.
The crying and the noise resumed in the common room. Paige stared at them and couldn’t help but feel grateful that Willow wasn’t there. She was just a kid, too. She would just be another useless stowaway kid, like the other Greens. Peter was there, but he now had the ultimate protection of wearing a Red uniform.
Monsters! The people in charge are real monsters, and they’re the ones who deserve to be floated out instead!
If that was what they had planned for the stowaway kids, then Paige was more than happy that Willow never made it to the mothership. She was safer with Brooke, anyway.
“I think I know where they’re keeping the kids,” Dave blurted out. “I looked for Peter there...”
“But he was playing with Tilley,” Paige said. “That’s good news.” They needed at least one victory right then. She turned to the others. “And when are they planning to do this?” Paige asked loudly again.
The question sounded sick to her own ears, and she couldn’t help but cringe from hearing it spoken by her own voice. Still, the trio needed to know everything if they planned to help.
“Never!” Andrew bellowed as he pushed his way into the elevator. His crying wife tried to hold him back.
“Andrew, please! Don’t leave! They’ll float you out, too! Don’t leave me alone!”
She tried to cling onto his arm, tugging with all her might while the man tried to push her off. She struggled, but the man got into the elevator after managing to finally push his wife off him. She fell back on the floor.
“No!”
“Paige, we can’t let that happen. We need to act and quickly,” Dave said before stopping. He searched her eyes, pleading, but it wasn’t necessary.
He had the same determination that Paige and AJ did. They were all adamant about saving the children from such a terrible fate.
Paige nodded.
Those children will be floated over my dead body, Paige vowed, and with the Black Mass still coursing through her body, she was prepared to give them hell before that happened.
* * *
AJ was downright pissed off to unparalleled levels.
These bastards want to float children out? Children?
I know. Even we are not that ruthless, Francis agreed, matching his outrage.
>
AJ felt like burning the whole mother-fucking spaceship down with everyone on board. Those ‘people’ were no better than the aliens that invaded Earth.
Hey, that was a bit hurtful and full of prejudice against my people, Francis objected.
Francis, AJ snapped.
You are right. We should burn them all alive. I know how to make burning liquids no one can extinguish. I will help you, Francis told him.
Excellent, AJ replied, bloodthirsty.
Looking at Paige, he was happy she was of the same mindset, not that he ever doubted her.
“We must stop this,” Paige said, and they sprang to action.
A very small part of AJ wanted to stop him from doing anything.
Why should we even bother? AJ asked.
What kind of question is that suddenly? Francis inquired, but AJ ignored the ever-present voice inside his head.
His life recently was one shit storm after another. It was never-ending, and AJ was tired of it all.
So, why bother? When, and if they overcame this obstacle, a new one would grow right in its place. It would be even bloodier and more hopeless than the last one.
You bother because it's the right thing to do, Francis reminded him sternly. Besides, I never pegged you for a coward or a quitter. Maybe I should just pack up and leave, Francis criticized.
It worked. AJ wasn't some weak coward or a quitter. He would fight until the end of time if he had to.
Exactly! Francis said approvingly.
AJ immediately banished his crazy thoughts and told that part of himself to shut the fuck up.
Children were involved, and nobody would float them out, not on his watch. Not even if he had to make good on his threat to burn the whole place down!
Yes, that's what I'm talking about! Francis cheered.
“Come, Peter,” Dave gestured for his brother, and AJ frowned.
“You can't bring him,” AJ rebelled. “We don't know what's going to happen.”
Dave looked at him sternly. “If you think I’m letting my brother out of my sight for one second on this crazy ship, you are out of your mind,” he said in one breath.
When he puts it that way, Francis said, and AJ had to agree.
Besides, Peter wore Red, so they believed he should be safe. At least as far as other Reds were concerned. He wasn’t quite sure about the others, especially pissed off Greens, but they would worry about that once and only if they needed to.
“Yeah, you’re right,” AJ said out loud.
With that settled, they followed the others. Several men entered the elevator after Andrew. AJ, Paige, and Dave with Peter in tow pushed their way inside as well.
Looking at Paige, AJ felt slightly guilty they had to pause some of their plans to deal with this. Angela would have to wait. Saving the children was a more urgent matter at the moment, and AJ knew Paige understood that. Angela would as well.
That lady doesn't like us one bit, Francis said conversationally.
She doesn't like me because of you, AJ was quick to point out.
Are you sure? Francis countered.
Yes, AJ replied instantly.
He pretended it didn't hurt his feelings every time Mrs. Moon called him names, wanted to kill him, etcetera for Paige's sake, but in reality, it was tough. He had feelings no matter how awesome he really was.
So, it's all my fault? Francis insisted, outraged.
Yes, AJ confirmed, unrepentant.
I wouldn't bet on that. You are not as charming on your own as you think, Francis said.
That's beside the point.
And what is the point? Francis asked.
We need to get her out of that cell, plain and simple, no matter what.
Because she is Paige's mother, and we like Paige? Francis asked.
Yes.
It would be easier for you to court Paige with her out of the way, you know, Francis said matter-of-factly.
Francis! AJ snapped. That will never happen!
Okay, fine. Have it your way, Francis grumbled. You humans are so complicated. Kill this, save that—
And you’re so much better, right? Kill and conquer everything and be done with it, AJ challenged.
Of course. It's clean and easy.
Yeah, right. Maybe from your point of view. AJ quickly realized what he was doing. Why am I even having this argument with you now? he asked rhetorically.
He was there to help a bunch of grieving parents save their children, and he needed his wits about him. Still, there he was, arguing with an alien inside his head about unimportant things such as alien invasion, human nature, and mothers.
Okay, the issues raised were important in their own right, but inappropriate at this precise time, he allowed. So, please stop trying to derail me.
Whatever, AJ. I was just trying to help like always, Francis said eventually, a little hurt.
If you really want to help, stay quiet for a while. I really need to think about this mess we got ourselves into.
AJ was more than happy to help, but he needed to make sure they all survived to tell the tale.
Very well, Francis said with a sigh. If you wish, I won't say a word, but just know that two minds are better than one, he pointed out.
Thanks, Francis. It's duly noted.
Chapter Seventeen
We will deal with this crisis then resume with the plan of getting Mom out of that cell, Paige told herself, feeling a bit anxious.
This was a horrible situation, one that couldn't be solved easily. She just didn't want anyone to be hurt in the process.
Children have to come first.
Still, Paige really hoped they wouldn’t hurt Angela while saving the kids. Dave told her the superiors wanted her alive to interrogate her, and it comforted Paige that they had time.
The question was, how much?
Hopefully, enough to help the Greens and rescue her before anyone notices she's gone in the first place.
But if the people in charge decided to hurt her or even worse—float her out for the ruckus she caused in the pilot’s cabin—AJ, Dave, and Paige would be right there to stop them.
As the four of them squeezed into the elevator, she watched the doors slide shut after them, trapping them inside.
What are we going to do with them after we save them? There was no doubt in her mind they would win the battle, but she couldn’t say the same about the war. They had nowhere to run from the Reds and the rest of the bastards in charge.
We will think of something after we get them back, she told herself.
Paige glanced at the guys, and they looked determined. That made her admire them even more. She was proud to have them by her side and call them friends.
The elevator moved slowly, first going horizontally before resuming vertically. The collective impatience between them created the illusion that it moved even slower.
Closest to the door, Paige could see the enraged parents she talked to. They looked like they were ready to kill anyone who stood in their way, and Paige wholeheartedly approved.
Andrew balled his fists by his sides, and he bared his teeth. A look of anger covered his red face.
The elevator traveled to the Ground Level, the area Paige had first appeared in with AJ and Angela when they boarded the mothership from the Viper. She looked through the glass doors of the elevator as it stopped. She could see several Blue Coats had noticed them and were coming towards the elevator.
They know something is happening, Paige guessed.
The Blue Coats didn’t look too happy. On the other hand, neither were people in the elevator.
So, the Blue Coats also acted like some kind of police around here, Paige mused, stashing that knowledge for later.
Just as the elevator stopped and the doors slid open, the anger of those inside began to bubble over. The parents shouted, red-faced and shaking with anger as they demanded justice.
As they all burst from the elevator, all hell broke loose.
The parents of the
threatened children shouted and called out all sorts of threats, none of which Paige could pick out through the clamor of noise going on around her.
“Paige.” AJ nodded with his head at the crowd, and she understood his meaning immediately. Everything got out of hand quickly.
“We better hide.”
“What?” Paige exclaimed.
“I thought we came here to fight,” Dave argued back.
“Trust me,” AJ insisted, urging them with his eyes.
The gang made their way through the crowd quickly, weaving in and out of the angry mob and trying to stay out of the thick of it. Paige tried to see the logic in their action, and then it hit her.
They wanted to help, but it would be better if they weren’t caught up in the middle of a fight before even getting close to the children. They needed to be smart about this and not only cause a riot.
While quietly hidden, Paige and the rest of them could help more than being stuck with the others, arguing with the guards and succeeding at nothing.
It was an impasse that could easily turn into a riot.
“Go back to your level,” one rigid-faced Blue Coat called out to the angry crowd as he pushed several furious parents off him.
That was the wrong move. It was like adding fuel to the fire.
“We want our children back!” the Greens yelled in return.
Paige wasn’t that surprised to see that some of them even had makeshift weapons with them.
“You must leave this level immediately. If you don’t, you will face the consequences of your actions here!” another Blue Coat yelled over the ever-growing din of noise.
“I really can’t believe this shit,” AJ practically growled next to her.
“I know. It’s worse than on the Genesis,” Paige replied.
“What?” Dave was surprised to hear that.
Paige told him about their journey, but she may have omitted some details.
“Yes, it is,” Peter agreed, and Dave looked at his brother in shock as if stressing about his time away.
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