Too many people...

His augments were working on overdrive.

The truth was they were well guarded, so much for the ragtag group of settlers, Red had assumed that lived here. He was rusty. Rusty in a way that he should not be. Rusty in a way that was going to get them killed. 

It shouldn't have mattered that they were imprisoned, he was out now. He needed to move, figure out their next course.

The fact that they had taken Ember and placed in her some sort of jail, he wasn't sure where just yet didn't leave much room in him for sympathy.

"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting." The quote came from a manual he'd read while studying in his younger years before going on to captain his own ship. He chuckled ironically even as he glanced around. They were surrounded by "guards." Each had a gun. Subduing them without a fight might be a bit tricky. But the fact was, he could subdue them. Without Ember here, he had already thought of ten ways to take them down. All that was left to decide was how messy was he going to be.

Andrea had left them with Eoghan and a handful of men he had no names for. They had put handcuffs on both him and Dag. Perhaps it made them feel better. Red said nothing. Dag could rip the cuffs off in seconds if need be. And maybe he would need to do it. Red waited.

But he hated the waiting.

The seconds ticked by and he wanted to explode out of the tent.

Ember hadn't gotten herself almost killed to get them out just to get murdered by the first band of desperate people they ran into.

--------------------------

They jostled her as they towed her to a gigantic hole in the ground and roughly shoved her inside. She hit the ground hard and bit back the pain even as her body took over the immediate healing process.

This was a situation she hadn't been prepared for. Her speech to Red about "Not taking it with you" seemed superfluous now when she couldn't follow her own advice. And Red had waited to see how she would react. She'd frozen, mostly in shock that there were still people here and this was what they'd been reduced to. This was her fault, this was the result of that mission years ago... 

She'd stood on the surface as it rained ashes down. 

She stared up at the sides of the pit, there were many faces, sunburned, tanned faces, eyeing her warily. Some with unmasked hatred, a few with curiosity. 

It didn't matter.

She deserved to be here, right? Ember thought of the boys back on the ship. Red could get them to New Elysium without her. She made it easier but she had no doubts in her mind that they could rig it up to fly. 

She felt The Ember resting where they'd left it. The temptation to call it to her vessel was overwhelming. But while she could have taken quite a few people on, she wasn't faster than a speeding bullet and this ship was a commercial ship created for a retired Vesper to work on. Not a weapon.

Realization hit her. She was stupid. They both were. She closed her eyes and reached out to him the same way she'd done before, flicking through channels before simply broadcasting on them all. 

Red, where are you now? 

Still in the tent, how--?

I patched to a satellite, did you think I couldn't reach you? Relief flooded her. They were going to be fine. 

You know a little bit of self-preservation wouldn't hurt.

I know, I'm sorry.

Dag can't hear us. I can't tell him anything right now. There are six guards with us.

The governor is on her way back. Only six? The way I've heard it, you took out more than that when we escaped.

Don't listen to Dag, he exaggerates.

No, he doesn't. She paused. They have a right to take me you know.

Red didn't reply right away. When he did, his tone was awkward. Yeah well, so, do I.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Red dropped his hand down from his temple. Well, that was interesting. He glanced at Dag who was frowning. Red tapped his temple and nodded towards the door. It wouldn't make any sense to Dag. Red wondered if they could outfit Dag with some sort of receiver when they reached New Elysium. 

Andrea entered the tent again and the guards stepped back. Her expression was troubled.

"Sorry to keep you." Her blue eyes pierced them both. In another life, Red realized she'd probably wielded a great amount of authority. A governorship was a political seat anyone could aspire to. It was still lower caste, but it meant control over whatever settlement you were in. Neo-Tokyo still controlled everything else. 

Red sat next to Dag his senses still on high alert.

"I'm going to tell you a bit about myself before I decide your friend's fate."

Red tensed and sensed Dag do the same.

"I believed in the system," she started. "The elites were in place because they were the best mankind had to offer. I believed in their judgment, and though I could never aspire to be a member, I could better myself."

"So, you became governor of New Caledonia." Dag couldn't help but keep the scorn from his voice. He sat on the ground with his knees drawn up and his arms crossed over his knees. It was a non-threatening position but Red knew from experience that Dag could spring up from that position and kill a man before they could blink.

"I did." She gave him a sad smile. "When whispers of discontent came through, I never put much stock in them. Who could go against our way of life? We had prevailed. We were spreading out amongst the stars."

She looked up at the ceiling and Red finally understood how much the job had aged her. She had fine lines, her hair was pure white, something he'd only looked past before. She was tired.

"But the issue was always control. Control of everything, and we were the furthest settlement. That kind of expansion doesn't necessarily mean that control is safe."

"So, you weren't hit to send a message?" Red couldn't help the curiosity that seeped into his voice.

"Yes, and no," Andrea stared at the floor for a moment. "I believed in what we were taught, what we grew up reciting. I sent my reports in faithfully. New Caledonia was loyal. Any insurrection would be dealt with harshly. I meant them, we had no big riots. Nothing for them to complain about. The biggest problem was on Ios."

"I remember," Dag turned to Red. "Ios was where that Elite kid was murdered. Where they first introduced the scandroids."

Red nodded, his throat tight. He didn't want to let them know just how much Ember was connected to all of that.

"And yet as loyal as we were they still destroyed New Caledonia. You see spreading out too far from Neo-Tokyo was becoming a problem itself. Too far, and the less control you have. They had to send a message... So, they invented a problem."

Red froze. His mind working, invented the problem? "Are you saying the virus used to control some of the advanced augs came from Neo-Tokyo?"

"I'm saying it came from a faction in Neo-Tokyo. It's splintering up there. Has been for years. We are just now seeing the cracks because they've become so visible."

"Where does this concern Ember?"

The frown that formed on Andrea's face made Red feel uneasy. "She's the face of an invisible enemy. Someone they can fight against. I hate to say it but they need something to lash out against. She fits the bill."

"No." Red's voice was a whisper. Ember, if you can still hear me. You need to escape. Now.

Kind of hard to do with such a large audience.

His expression must have given him away. "You're communicating with her, aren't you?" It wasn't a question. Red only nodded, his hands forming fists.

"I'm sorry." And she was. Red knew she was being as honest as she could be.

"No," Red responded. "She goes alive, or no one goes."

Andrea's face turned hard, her eyes could kill the words before you spoke them. "And what do you plan to do, you are outmatched here. Please don't make this harder on any of us than it has to be."

"Ember is one of us." He pointed out. "Imprisoned, she let herself be tortured so we could escape. I promised her I'd get her out."

"And you did. But now that she's out, she has to face the consequences of her actions. Red felt his skin heat up. He was suddenly glad Ember wasn't here to hear any of this. "I'm sorry for your friend." Andrea nodded and stood.

"No," Red replied looking up at her. He heard Dag snap his cuffs, his own sensors were up and running, plotting. His eyes reflected a sadness he genuinely felt for the first time in years. "I'm sorry."