shiiki
in
shiikifics
FIC: Five Days, Chapter 5
Title: Five Days
Author: shiiki
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Samm, Kira Walker, various others, Gen
Fandom: Partials
Summary: Alone in enemy territory with only five days to live, Samm makes an unexpected ally and reaches some stunning conclusions about the fate of their two species. Alternate PoV of Part II of Partials.
In this chapter
Chapter Title: Escape
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Samm, Kira Walker, multiple others
Word Count: 4,310
Chapter Summary: Kira returns with her compatriots to help Samm escape, firmly cementing his faith in her.
Day 4
There were four humans in the room with him. Samm recognised them as the jurors from his hearing four days ago: two men, two women. Only the old Dr. Skousen was missing.
'Skousen will be along in a bit,' said the older of the women. She was the hard-faced once who had questioned him before, Samm thought. 'He's with Mkele … tying up the other loose end.'
The younger man turned quickly to look at her. 'Good god, Delarosa,' he said, 'you don't mean …'
Delarosa glared at him. 'No time to get squeamish now, Hobb.'
Hobb shook his head. 'No, I know, it's just …'
'If we'd killed it from the start,' said the other man, jerking his head at Samm, 'we wouldn't have needed to sacrifice our own people.'
'You agreed to this plan, too, Weist,' said Delarosa. 'And it's going to work.'
'Given how it's played out so far, you'd better hope so,' said Weist darkly. 'It was a gamble to begin with and it still is. We're in a delicate situation: we're stuck with the Partial, and no martyr. The Senate is following our lead for now, but if we don't get it all together soon, it won't last.'
'We don't need much longer. We just need a good way to deal with the Partial.'
Samm wondered what she meant by that. There was something strange about the whole situation-how they hadn't killed him yet, the implication that his manner of execution made a difference, and the reference to sacrificing their own people, as though Samm's continued existence was somehow a trade-off.
There was a sinister plan at work here. What part was he meant to play in it?
What part did Kira play in all this? He thought uneasily of his last image of her, pleading for him from the ground as soldiers attacked him. Surely when they spoke of sacrificing one of their own, they didn't mean …
The door opened and two familiar faces marched in: Mkele and Dr. Skousen, both looking grim.
'It's done,' announced Mkele, with a half-glance at Skousen. 'Or will be, at any rate.'
'Within the hour, probably,' said Skousen heavily.
'And Walker?' demanded the last woman, speaking at last. 'We aren't going to be treated to any childish interruptions while we deal with this …' her eyes drifted over Samm, and she spat out her next words, 'Partial here, are we?'
'Her leg was severely injured in the blast,' said Skousen. 'She'll be bedridden for several days. There's no chance of her wandering up here.'
Relief washed over Samm. They had to be referring to Kira. It sounded bad, but not fatal. Although he would never see her again, the idea that he had at least saved her gave him a strange comfort.
In spite of the fact that he was once again bound, this time to a chair, with thick chains that weighted heavily on his aching body, he still didn't regret doing it.
'Well,' said Delarosa briskly, 'it's time to go public.'
'Are you mad?' said Mkele, 'We've already-accurately-been accused of hiding something. Confirming it will trigger the revolution we're attempting to control.'
'Too many people know too much already for us to get rid of it in secret,' said Weist. 'She's right. If we reveal the information, we can control how it's presented.'
Samm's head ached, trying to follow their convoluted discussion. He was certain they were plotting something, but there was too much he was missing to put it into context. He couldn't think why they had so much to debate. They'd wanted him dead since the first day. He almost wished they would just get to it, instead of arguing incessantly over how.
'We have the girl, injured in her line of duty.' said Delarosa. 'A sympathetic victim, contrasted with her attempted killer.'
'We'll have to speak for her,' interjected the younger woman. 'She's a loose cannon.'
'Naturally. She's in no condition anyway to-'
The door banged open. The six humans stopped speaking abruptly, their heads swivelling over in shock. Kira stood there in the doorway, clutching the arm of a soldier and gripping a thin stand in her other hand.
'You told us she was too injured to move,' said Hobb accusingly.
'Turns out he's not actually a very good doctor.' Samm watched Kira inch forward. She moved gingerly, one leg dragging behind her-the doctor had probably not exaggerated her injuries. It was her fierce determination that he had underestimated.
Samm marvelled at her strength.
The soldier with Kira stopped her advancing. 'I'm sorry, senators, I didn't realise,' he said. 'I'll take her back.'
'No,' said Delarosa. 'She made it up here, the least we can do is listen to whatever she has to day.'
'We know exactly what she'll say,' objected the other woman. Delarosa ignored her and simply dismissed the soldier.
Kira's eyes raked over Samm, catching his gaze. He nodded to her, having only the human method of expression to rely on, but he was certain it failed to convey his admiration at her courage or the strange, tender feeling rising in him as he looked at her. Every step she took was clearly effortful and causing her pain, but she made it to a chair and said only, 'Sorry I'm late.'
'This meeting does not concern you,' said Weist. 'Your project has been terminated.'
Kira, Samm was unsurprised to see, was not taking any of it lying down. She argued and pleaded, finally asserting, 'If Samm dies, we all die, not today but inevitably, and there will be nothing we can do to stop it!' Her voice was hoarse but her conviction gave it power. The importance she attributed him was exaggerated, but in essence, it was the conclusion he'd reached over the past four days-that they needed each other-and had attempted to share with her. It gave him a sense of pride to hear her proclaiming it loudly and sincerely.
He'd been right to believe in her.
Kira didn't disappoint. She argued fiercely to continue her study, full of determination to win back the time she'd been allocated. The frail state of her body seemed of no concern to her, as she disregarded it as an impedance to her carrying out more work. When the senators countered her with an obstacle, she suggested an alternative.
And then she completely floored Samm, too.
'Then let him go free.'
Of all the arguments he might have expected her to make, he had not imagined she would campaign for his release. He'd hoped before that she might be an ally, a party to his escape-subversive, but secretive. Not in his wildest dreams had he expected her to make such a bold declaration of support for him.
If the situation hadn't been so serious, the emotion Samm felt at the way she painted him would probably have overcome him. As it was, he already felt like crying in gratitude at her words.
Predictably, though, the human leaders were having none of it.
'Do you honestly think that will do any good?'
'Of course she does, she's an idealist,' said Mkele.
Another senator had a more contemptuous term for it: 'She's a plague baby. She's developed an attachment to this thing, but she has no idea what Partials are really like.'
'And you do?' Kira shot back. 'You fought them eleven years ago-eleven years. Is it impossible to consider that something may have changed?
Idealist she might be-Samm couldn't really argue the point-she was probably the best hope they had now for peace. He watched her, a little entranced. She was like a force of nature.
'He's a soldier, not a spy,' said Kira. Their eyes met again. 'Samm has faced captivity and torture by people who want to see his entire race destroyed, and he's done it without crying, without complaining, without begging, without anything but strength and determination.'
Samm blinked, touched by her fervent praise. It felt as though he ought to have something to say to her in return-there didn't seem to be adequate words to convey how brightly she was shining in his eyes now … all the same, he realised he needed to step in. Kira had given him an opening, and if there was ever any point that he had a chance to convince the humans to work with him, it was now. There was only so much Kira could do to speak for him; he had to support her argument, too.
He rose as much as the chains allowed. Throwing out his voice as confidently as he could, he said, 'I'm on a mission of peace. My squad was in Manhattan because we were coming here, to talk to you. We came to offer a truce.'
They would know this much already if they had been listening to his previous conversations with Kira. It was perhaps unsurprising that they didn't believe him, especially since he was fabricating this part. Nevertheless, he forged ahead, injecting as much sincerity as he could into his voice. He believed in and supported a truce now; that gave it some honesty.
'It's the truth. We need your help.'
Samm felt Kira's eyes burn into him, and staring back at her, he remembered her insistence on an explanation. He supposed he really had no reason to hide anything any more, given the circumstances. All his previous plans were already in tatters. And there was Kira, who'd just gone up against her own leaders and defended his morals and trustworthiness. Kira deserved to know.
He faced the room of humans and said, 'We're dying.'
There was dead silence in the room as seven pairs of eyes locked on him, their mouths round 'o's as he explained about their sterility and the impact of death on their species.
Dr. Skousen reacted first. 'You're dying?' he said uncertainly. 'All of you?'
'We discovered ParaGen designed us with an expiration date,' Samm explained. 'At twenty years, the process that halts our aging reverses, and we shrivel and die within weeks, sometimes days.' This part of the explanation was acutely uncomfortable. 'It's not accelerated aging. It's decay. We rot alive.'
'They're dying,' marvelled the younger female senator. She did the math rapidly, coming up with the last two years Samm had to live-or would have, if he managed to make it out of here. 'And then they'll be gone forever.'
'Everyone will be gone forever,' Samm said. The senators' responses were a mixed bag, with a stunning range of expressions evident in their faces. None of them seemed to have grasped the point. 'Both of our species are going extinct,' he elaborated. 'Every sapient life form on the planet is going to die.'
'Our shelf life is longer than yours,' said Delarosa, her lips curling up into a grin. 'I think we'll take our chances on our own.' She wasn't accepting his plea for interdependence.
'That's what I've been trying to tell you,' said Kira, backing Samm up. 'Without them there is no cure. We have to work together.'
Samm's gratitude linked out to her, though he knew she couldn't receive it. ''You can have babies, but they did of RM,' he told the senators. 'We're completely immune, but we can't reproduce. Don't you see? We need each other. Neither species can beat this alone.'
Hobb finally stopped gaping at Samm open-mouthed. His eyes were lighting up with excitement. 'Think what this will do for morale! Once the people hear this, they'll … they'll declare it a holiday-a new Rebuilding Day!'
'What is wrong with you people?' Kira's voice shook with tears. 'He thought you'd kill him when you heard his secret, but it's worse.'
'We were always going to destroy it-that was never in question.' In Mkele's matter-of-fact statement, Samm heard the finality of a decision.
It hadn't worked. He'd thrown everything on the line, but they hadn't accepted his suggestion that there was another way besides war for their peoples. Well, there was really nothing more I could do.
The senators were all in consensus now, reacting as Samm had imagined two days back. Rather than accept extinction as a threat common to both species, they latched on the easier solution of unifying their society against a less abstract enemy. Hobb was more animated than ever as he detailed the plan, not seeming to care that Kira and Samm were privy to it.
'Be careful, what are you telling her?' warned Delarosa.
'She can help,' said Hobb confidently, turning to Kira. 'You're an idealist, you want to save people-we want to give you that opportunity.'
Samm felt cold inside as Hobb sold their idea to Kira, bit by bit. It was one thing knowing that he was going to die. The possibility that they might convince Kira to be a party to it was excruciating. She was vehemently opposed to idea the moment Hobb laid it out, but they expanded it persuasively. Even Samm could see the logical necessity. Tactically, it was compelling.
Morally, emotionally … well, they'd never seen him as a fellow sentient being to begin with, had they? The old bitterness flared up, but Samm pushed it aside, concentrating on Kira. Would they sway her? He held his breath as Hobb proposed a role for her as the brave young face of their lies.
'This is evil,' said Kira, to Samm's relief. 'You're asking me to lie to everyone I know. You're asking me to be a part of his murder.'
'The wolves are hungry. We can kill ourselves fighting them, or we can throw them a body. The death of one Partial is the cheapest price for peace we could ever hope to pay.'
Something beneath the worthlessness that they viewed his life nudged at Samm's mind, but he couldn't think about it now. Kira was gazing at him with a burning intensity.
Thank you, he thought, though she couldn't possibly sense him. Thank you for valuing me.
'It's time for you to choose,' said Delarosa.
Kira finally tore her eyes away and turned to the senators. And at last, she accepted his fate. 'There's nothing I can do to stop you.'
'You'll do it?'
'No, I won't. I can't keep fighting you-look at me, I can barely stand up-but that doesn't mean I'm going to sell him out to help you and lie to my friends.' Her voice cracked on the last word. 'Do whatever you have to do and be done with it. I won't stop you.' She turned away. 'And get one of your goons out there to carry me back downstairs. I can barely move any more.'
Samm watched her leave, weak and resigned, the fight blown out of her. He didn't blame her. She'd made a valiant effort-a greater one than he'd expected-but in the end, neither of them could overcome the years of deep-seated hate.
It was over for him now. Guards wrestled Samm into a small, unlit room, tightening his chains so that even the limited range of motion he'd been afforded during the senators' discussion was curtailed. They left him in the dark to contemplate the remaining hours of his life.
How would they do it? Publicly, he knew, and probably with some fanfare. He comforted himself with the thought that most likely it would be quick. A bullet to the brain, not unlike on the battlefield. Though to sit knowing it was coming was a very different sensation from the distractions that fighting afforded him. When you were killed in action, you rarely had time to think about it first.
He wasn't sure how long he'd been there when beyond his door, he heard the unmistakable cracking sound of bullets firing, accompanied by muffled yells and pounding footsteps. The slit of light peeking through from the bottom of the door wavered as shadows passed over it. Curious, Samm listened hard. Voices shouting. The rumble of indistinct conversation. An enraged yell came through, loudly and clearly: 'I don't want to save us both! I want to save my child and murder every Partial on Earth!'
And then Samm's heart leapt as someone shouted in reply, 'Saving your child is why we're here!'
It sounded like Kira. He couldn't make out the rest of the conversation, but it did sound as though she was holding one side of it. He hardly dared hope.
The door rattled. The knob turned and bright light filled Samm's eyes, momentarily blinding him. His pupils adjusted to reveal Kira standing before him with a set of keys.
'You look like hell,' she said.
She was one to talk-she was bruised and battered-looking herself. The last he'd seen her, she had been at the point of collapse, fighting to stay upright. He wasn't sure what she'd done to be standing now, let alone having fought through his guards to get to him. What a pair they must make.
'I'm fine,' he told her, more concerned about her state. He had an advanced healing system that she didn't.
Kira flipped through her keys, trying them in the locks on his manacles.
'You didn't have to save me,' Samm said, still marvelling at how she had, against all odds, showed up for him again.
'You didn't have to save me,' she replied. The last chain fell away and she was close, so very close. He could feel her breath, quick and uneven, against his face. If she could link, they would have been drowned in each other's data.
'Thank you,' she whispered.
And then she was turning to the door. Samm followed her, the urgency of their situation settling in. Kira had released him, but the building couldn't be this unguarded. Her jailbreak wasn't done.
He assessed the long hall before him quickly. Bodies scattered the floor, the result of the fight he'd heard earlier. A man Samm vaguely recognised was forcing several guards into Samm's prison, one of them spitting in fury as he crossed the doorway. One of Kira's compatriots from the hearing? The military officer, he thought, the one that had been stripped of his rank.
There was another man kneeling on the ground several feet away, bandaging a fallen soldier. This one Samm hadn't seen before; however Kira acted as though both men were allies. She locked every incapacitated guard in Samm's prison.
Someone burst through the door at the far end of the hall; both Kira and her military friend spun round with their weapons, but lowered them immediately. Another ally, thought Samm, taking in the unfamiliar girl that entered. They were all young, only teenagers. Like Kira.
He didn't have time to consider this, though. 'We have to get out of here now,' said the new girl. 'The soldiers gave up on the decoy room and fell back to guard the maternity ward, so the mob's searching the whole building for this thing. It's only a matter of time before they make it up here.'
Samm allowed himself a brief moment of bitter satisfaction-seems the senators' plans didn't go quite so well-and then he focused on the situation at hand. They needed weapons. He needed one; Kira and her friend were already armed.
'Give me one of their guns,' said Samm, indicating the fallen guards.
'Do we trust him with a gun?'
'We're a long way past that,' said the girl. She passed him a rifle and Samm checked it quickly. Loaded, primed … good. The soldiers had left packs of ammo scattered on the floor. Samm retrieved as many as he could carry.
'How do we get out?'
'There's a back service stairwell in the north wing,' said the last man, the medic. 'It's locked on all floors, so no one will be in it, but we could shoot the lock.'
'And so could the mob,' said Samm, noticing the flaw in the plan immediately. He wasn't the only one. The military man voiced the exact same opinion at the same time. Samm glanced at him appreciatively. He knew this game.
'The elevator shaft, then,' said Kira. 'There's a ladder that runs down to the ground level.' Her eyes flickered to the medic. 'We used to play around in there when Marcus and I worked custodial during school. We can take that to the basement and look for the service door out the back.'
For all her courage and intelligence, Kira clearly lacked experience in battle and ambush situations. 'That could be dangerous,' said Samm. 'With a mob searching the building, the elevators will likely be running.'
Marcus made a noise of incredulity. 'Now I really want to visit Partialville,' he said. 'You guys have enough juice to run elevators?'
He stood corrected. Samm reminded himself that the humans would have a better working knowledge of this place. 'Unused elevator shaft it is, then.'
He let the others lead the way down the corridors and through the twist and turns of the floor until they arrived at the elevator shaft. They must be on a high floor; it was pitch black looking down. Kira hesitated, then lowered herself for the climb. Samm followed after, strongly reminded of recon missions on the continent. He reached out automatically with the link, years of training kicking in.
'Where do we get out?' asked the girl he didn't know.
'At the bottom,' said Kira. She described the layout of the basement, establishing a possible escape route. 'We're not likely to see anybody.'
A mere probability of being unseen wasn't the best plan. 'And if we do?' Samm asked.
No one replied him.
At the base of the shaft, it was dark, but the noise of angry mob-members travelled through the walls. Samm checked his rifle as Kira led them through the halls, carefully concealing the beam of her flashlight to the barest glow. Samm's link was silent, revealing no one close. They reached an intersection and he heard a movement close by-too close. He registered the humans' presence and realised his mistake a split second before Kira shone the full beam of light on six wide-eyed faces.
Samm didn't stop to think. He whirled into action, instinct taking over. The first man was easy-a blow to the temple took care of him, while his foot connected simultaneously with another's knee. Samm stuck to physical blows; it probably wouldn't help to shoot anyone, and anyway, no of the humans were any match for his skill and training. He had them unconscious on the ground within seconds.
'Holy …' The ex-officer stared as though seeing Samm for the first time. His rifle swung round to point at Samm's face. 'What did we let out?'
'None of them are dead,' said Samm. He glanced at his own rifle butt, dripping red in the glow of Kira's flashlight. 'The blood is from the third one's nose.' He eyed the fallen soldiers, their guns scattered around them. No sense in wasting weapons. Samm gathered them quickly and filled his pockets.
'What just happened?' said Kira, sounding a little lost.
None of them really know how to fight like us, thought Samm. He supposed that meant he was best-placed to take the lead, though he would have to remember to rely on his other senses. 'I'm not used to humans,' he explained. His mistake had been in falling back on the link, as he'd been trained to do. Still, he'd salvaged the situation. 'I think it worked out, though, since we didn't have to shoot anyone.'
'Well, thanks for not shooting anyone, I guess,' said Marcus, a little shakily. 'My contribution was to somehow refrain from peeing myself.' Samm looked at him oddly, not sure what to make of his flippant comment. 'You can thank me later.'
He decided to ignore it. There would be time enough to figure out his companions if they got out of here. Already he could hear more movement, getting closer. 'We need to go. There are at least two more groups down here, and maybe more that I can't hear.'
'Okay,' said Kira. 'Just don't do that to any civilians.'
'Yes, ma'am,' he said, and followed her along.
Kira led them safely out of the building without any more incidents. They emerged into the night, the first time in five days that Samm had been out in the open. The cool breeze tickled his face and he felt a renewed gratitude towards Kira and her friends. Twenty minutes ago, he'd been sure he'd be dead within the hour, and now …
Here he was, working together with a group of humans, part of the first inter-species alliance in decades.
It's possible. Kira made it possible.
'Move out,' said Kira.
Samm smiled and followed her into the night.
THE END
Author: shiiki
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Samm, Kira Walker, various others, Gen
Fandom: Partials
Summary: Alone in enemy territory with only five days to live, Samm makes an unexpected ally and reaches some stunning conclusions about the fate of their two species. Alternate PoV of Part II of Partials.
In this chapter
Chapter Title: Escape
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Samm, Kira Walker, multiple others
Word Count: 4,310
Chapter Summary: Kira returns with her compatriots to help Samm escape, firmly cementing his faith in her.
Day 4
There were four humans in the room with him. Samm recognised them as the jurors from his hearing four days ago: two men, two women. Only the old Dr. Skousen was missing.
'Skousen will be along in a bit,' said the older of the women. She was the hard-faced once who had questioned him before, Samm thought. 'He's with Mkele … tying up the other loose end.'
The younger man turned quickly to look at her. 'Good god, Delarosa,' he said, 'you don't mean …'
Delarosa glared at him. 'No time to get squeamish now, Hobb.'
Hobb shook his head. 'No, I know, it's just …'
'If we'd killed it from the start,' said the other man, jerking his head at Samm, 'we wouldn't have needed to sacrifice our own people.'
'You agreed to this plan, too, Weist,' said Delarosa. 'And it's going to work.'
'Given how it's played out so far, you'd better hope so,' said Weist darkly. 'It was a gamble to begin with and it still is. We're in a delicate situation: we're stuck with the Partial, and no martyr. The Senate is following our lead for now, but if we don't get it all together soon, it won't last.'
'We don't need much longer. We just need a good way to deal with the Partial.'
Samm wondered what she meant by that. There was something strange about the whole situation-how they hadn't killed him yet, the implication that his manner of execution made a difference, and the reference to sacrificing their own people, as though Samm's continued existence was somehow a trade-off.
There was a sinister plan at work here. What part was he meant to play in it?
What part did Kira play in all this? He thought uneasily of his last image of her, pleading for him from the ground as soldiers attacked him. Surely when they spoke of sacrificing one of their own, they didn't mean …
The door opened and two familiar faces marched in: Mkele and Dr. Skousen, both looking grim.
'It's done,' announced Mkele, with a half-glance at Skousen. 'Or will be, at any rate.'
'Within the hour, probably,' said Skousen heavily.
'And Walker?' demanded the last woman, speaking at last. 'We aren't going to be treated to any childish interruptions while we deal with this …' her eyes drifted over Samm, and she spat out her next words, 'Partial here, are we?'
'Her leg was severely injured in the blast,' said Skousen. 'She'll be bedridden for several days. There's no chance of her wandering up here.'
Relief washed over Samm. They had to be referring to Kira. It sounded bad, but not fatal. Although he would never see her again, the idea that he had at least saved her gave him a strange comfort.
In spite of the fact that he was once again bound, this time to a chair, with thick chains that weighted heavily on his aching body, he still didn't regret doing it.
'Well,' said Delarosa briskly, 'it's time to go public.'
'Are you mad?' said Mkele, 'We've already-accurately-been accused of hiding something. Confirming it will trigger the revolution we're attempting to control.'
'Too many people know too much already for us to get rid of it in secret,' said Weist. 'She's right. If we reveal the information, we can control how it's presented.'
Samm's head ached, trying to follow their convoluted discussion. He was certain they were plotting something, but there was too much he was missing to put it into context. He couldn't think why they had so much to debate. They'd wanted him dead since the first day. He almost wished they would just get to it, instead of arguing incessantly over how.
'We have the girl, injured in her line of duty.' said Delarosa. 'A sympathetic victim, contrasted with her attempted killer.'
'We'll have to speak for her,' interjected the younger woman. 'She's a loose cannon.'
'Naturally. She's in no condition anyway to-'
The door banged open. The six humans stopped speaking abruptly, their heads swivelling over in shock. Kira stood there in the doorway, clutching the arm of a soldier and gripping a thin stand in her other hand.
'You told us she was too injured to move,' said Hobb accusingly.
'Turns out he's not actually a very good doctor.' Samm watched Kira inch forward. She moved gingerly, one leg dragging behind her-the doctor had probably not exaggerated her injuries. It was her fierce determination that he had underestimated.
Samm marvelled at her strength.
The soldier with Kira stopped her advancing. 'I'm sorry, senators, I didn't realise,' he said. 'I'll take her back.'
'No,' said Delarosa. 'She made it up here, the least we can do is listen to whatever she has to day.'
'We know exactly what she'll say,' objected the other woman. Delarosa ignored her and simply dismissed the soldier.
Kira's eyes raked over Samm, catching his gaze. He nodded to her, having only the human method of expression to rely on, but he was certain it failed to convey his admiration at her courage or the strange, tender feeling rising in him as he looked at her. Every step she took was clearly effortful and causing her pain, but she made it to a chair and said only, 'Sorry I'm late.'
'This meeting does not concern you,' said Weist. 'Your project has been terminated.'
Kira, Samm was unsurprised to see, was not taking any of it lying down. She argued and pleaded, finally asserting, 'If Samm dies, we all die, not today but inevitably, and there will be nothing we can do to stop it!' Her voice was hoarse but her conviction gave it power. The importance she attributed him was exaggerated, but in essence, it was the conclusion he'd reached over the past four days-that they needed each other-and had attempted to share with her. It gave him a sense of pride to hear her proclaiming it loudly and sincerely.
He'd been right to believe in her.
Kira didn't disappoint. She argued fiercely to continue her study, full of determination to win back the time she'd been allocated. The frail state of her body seemed of no concern to her, as she disregarded it as an impedance to her carrying out more work. When the senators countered her with an obstacle, she suggested an alternative.
And then she completely floored Samm, too.
'Then let him go free.'
Of all the arguments he might have expected her to make, he had not imagined she would campaign for his release. He'd hoped before that she might be an ally, a party to his escape-subversive, but secretive. Not in his wildest dreams had he expected her to make such a bold declaration of support for him.
If the situation hadn't been so serious, the emotion Samm felt at the way she painted him would probably have overcome him. As it was, he already felt like crying in gratitude at her words.
Predictably, though, the human leaders were having none of it.
'Do you honestly think that will do any good?'
'Of course she does, she's an idealist,' said Mkele.
Another senator had a more contemptuous term for it: 'She's a plague baby. She's developed an attachment to this thing, but she has no idea what Partials are really like.'
'And you do?' Kira shot back. 'You fought them eleven years ago-eleven years. Is it impossible to consider that something may have changed?
Idealist she might be-Samm couldn't really argue the point-she was probably the best hope they had now for peace. He watched her, a little entranced. She was like a force of nature.
'He's a soldier, not a spy,' said Kira. Their eyes met again. 'Samm has faced captivity and torture by people who want to see his entire race destroyed, and he's done it without crying, without complaining, without begging, without anything but strength and determination.'
Samm blinked, touched by her fervent praise. It felt as though he ought to have something to say to her in return-there didn't seem to be adequate words to convey how brightly she was shining in his eyes now … all the same, he realised he needed to step in. Kira had given him an opening, and if there was ever any point that he had a chance to convince the humans to work with him, it was now. There was only so much Kira could do to speak for him; he had to support her argument, too.
He rose as much as the chains allowed. Throwing out his voice as confidently as he could, he said, 'I'm on a mission of peace. My squad was in Manhattan because we were coming here, to talk to you. We came to offer a truce.'
They would know this much already if they had been listening to his previous conversations with Kira. It was perhaps unsurprising that they didn't believe him, especially since he was fabricating this part. Nevertheless, he forged ahead, injecting as much sincerity as he could into his voice. He believed in and supported a truce now; that gave it some honesty.
'It's the truth. We need your help.'
Samm felt Kira's eyes burn into him, and staring back at her, he remembered her insistence on an explanation. He supposed he really had no reason to hide anything any more, given the circumstances. All his previous plans were already in tatters. And there was Kira, who'd just gone up against her own leaders and defended his morals and trustworthiness. Kira deserved to know.
He faced the room of humans and said, 'We're dying.'
There was dead silence in the room as seven pairs of eyes locked on him, their mouths round 'o's as he explained about their sterility and the impact of death on their species.
Dr. Skousen reacted first. 'You're dying?' he said uncertainly. 'All of you?'
'We discovered ParaGen designed us with an expiration date,' Samm explained. 'At twenty years, the process that halts our aging reverses, and we shrivel and die within weeks, sometimes days.' This part of the explanation was acutely uncomfortable. 'It's not accelerated aging. It's decay. We rot alive.'
'They're dying,' marvelled the younger female senator. She did the math rapidly, coming up with the last two years Samm had to live-or would have, if he managed to make it out of here. 'And then they'll be gone forever.'
'Everyone will be gone forever,' Samm said. The senators' responses were a mixed bag, with a stunning range of expressions evident in their faces. None of them seemed to have grasped the point. 'Both of our species are going extinct,' he elaborated. 'Every sapient life form on the planet is going to die.'
'Our shelf life is longer than yours,' said Delarosa, her lips curling up into a grin. 'I think we'll take our chances on our own.' She wasn't accepting his plea for interdependence.
'That's what I've been trying to tell you,' said Kira, backing Samm up. 'Without them there is no cure. We have to work together.'
Samm's gratitude linked out to her, though he knew she couldn't receive it. ''You can have babies, but they did of RM,' he told the senators. 'We're completely immune, but we can't reproduce. Don't you see? We need each other. Neither species can beat this alone.'
Hobb finally stopped gaping at Samm open-mouthed. His eyes were lighting up with excitement. 'Think what this will do for morale! Once the people hear this, they'll … they'll declare it a holiday-a new Rebuilding Day!'
'What is wrong with you people?' Kira's voice shook with tears. 'He thought you'd kill him when you heard his secret, but it's worse.'
'We were always going to destroy it-that was never in question.' In Mkele's matter-of-fact statement, Samm heard the finality of a decision.
It hadn't worked. He'd thrown everything on the line, but they hadn't accepted his suggestion that there was another way besides war for their peoples. Well, there was really nothing more I could do.
The senators were all in consensus now, reacting as Samm had imagined two days back. Rather than accept extinction as a threat common to both species, they latched on the easier solution of unifying their society against a less abstract enemy. Hobb was more animated than ever as he detailed the plan, not seeming to care that Kira and Samm were privy to it.
'Be careful, what are you telling her?' warned Delarosa.
'She can help,' said Hobb confidently, turning to Kira. 'You're an idealist, you want to save people-we want to give you that opportunity.'
Samm felt cold inside as Hobb sold their idea to Kira, bit by bit. It was one thing knowing that he was going to die. The possibility that they might convince Kira to be a party to it was excruciating. She was vehemently opposed to idea the moment Hobb laid it out, but they expanded it persuasively. Even Samm could see the logical necessity. Tactically, it was compelling.
Morally, emotionally … well, they'd never seen him as a fellow sentient being to begin with, had they? The old bitterness flared up, but Samm pushed it aside, concentrating on Kira. Would they sway her? He held his breath as Hobb proposed a role for her as the brave young face of their lies.
'This is evil,' said Kira, to Samm's relief. 'You're asking me to lie to everyone I know. You're asking me to be a part of his murder.'
'The wolves are hungry. We can kill ourselves fighting them, or we can throw them a body. The death of one Partial is the cheapest price for peace we could ever hope to pay.'
Something beneath the worthlessness that they viewed his life nudged at Samm's mind, but he couldn't think about it now. Kira was gazing at him with a burning intensity.
Thank you, he thought, though she couldn't possibly sense him. Thank you for valuing me.
'It's time for you to choose,' said Delarosa.
Kira finally tore her eyes away and turned to the senators. And at last, she accepted his fate. 'There's nothing I can do to stop you.'
'You'll do it?'
'No, I won't. I can't keep fighting you-look at me, I can barely stand up-but that doesn't mean I'm going to sell him out to help you and lie to my friends.' Her voice cracked on the last word. 'Do whatever you have to do and be done with it. I won't stop you.' She turned away. 'And get one of your goons out there to carry me back downstairs. I can barely move any more.'
Samm watched her leave, weak and resigned, the fight blown out of her. He didn't blame her. She'd made a valiant effort-a greater one than he'd expected-but in the end, neither of them could overcome the years of deep-seated hate.
It was over for him now. Guards wrestled Samm into a small, unlit room, tightening his chains so that even the limited range of motion he'd been afforded during the senators' discussion was curtailed. They left him in the dark to contemplate the remaining hours of his life.
How would they do it? Publicly, he knew, and probably with some fanfare. He comforted himself with the thought that most likely it would be quick. A bullet to the brain, not unlike on the battlefield. Though to sit knowing it was coming was a very different sensation from the distractions that fighting afforded him. When you were killed in action, you rarely had time to think about it first.
He wasn't sure how long he'd been there when beyond his door, he heard the unmistakable cracking sound of bullets firing, accompanied by muffled yells and pounding footsteps. The slit of light peeking through from the bottom of the door wavered as shadows passed over it. Curious, Samm listened hard. Voices shouting. The rumble of indistinct conversation. An enraged yell came through, loudly and clearly: 'I don't want to save us both! I want to save my child and murder every Partial on Earth!'
And then Samm's heart leapt as someone shouted in reply, 'Saving your child is why we're here!'
It sounded like Kira. He couldn't make out the rest of the conversation, but it did sound as though she was holding one side of it. He hardly dared hope.
The door rattled. The knob turned and bright light filled Samm's eyes, momentarily blinding him. His pupils adjusted to reveal Kira standing before him with a set of keys.
'You look like hell,' she said.
She was one to talk-she was bruised and battered-looking herself. The last he'd seen her, she had been at the point of collapse, fighting to stay upright. He wasn't sure what she'd done to be standing now, let alone having fought through his guards to get to him. What a pair they must make.
'I'm fine,' he told her, more concerned about her state. He had an advanced healing system that she didn't.
Kira flipped through her keys, trying them in the locks on his manacles.
'You didn't have to save me,' Samm said, still marvelling at how she had, against all odds, showed up for him again.
'You didn't have to save me,' she replied. The last chain fell away and she was close, so very close. He could feel her breath, quick and uneven, against his face. If she could link, they would have been drowned in each other's data.
'Thank you,' she whispered.
And then she was turning to the door. Samm followed her, the urgency of their situation settling in. Kira had released him, but the building couldn't be this unguarded. Her jailbreak wasn't done.
He assessed the long hall before him quickly. Bodies scattered the floor, the result of the fight he'd heard earlier. A man Samm vaguely recognised was forcing several guards into Samm's prison, one of them spitting in fury as he crossed the doorway. One of Kira's compatriots from the hearing? The military officer, he thought, the one that had been stripped of his rank.
There was another man kneeling on the ground several feet away, bandaging a fallen soldier. This one Samm hadn't seen before; however Kira acted as though both men were allies. She locked every incapacitated guard in Samm's prison.
Someone burst through the door at the far end of the hall; both Kira and her military friend spun round with their weapons, but lowered them immediately. Another ally, thought Samm, taking in the unfamiliar girl that entered. They were all young, only teenagers. Like Kira.
He didn't have time to consider this, though. 'We have to get out of here now,' said the new girl. 'The soldiers gave up on the decoy room and fell back to guard the maternity ward, so the mob's searching the whole building for this thing. It's only a matter of time before they make it up here.'
Samm allowed himself a brief moment of bitter satisfaction-seems the senators' plans didn't go quite so well-and then he focused on the situation at hand. They needed weapons. He needed one; Kira and her friend were already armed.
'Give me one of their guns,' said Samm, indicating the fallen guards.
'Do we trust him with a gun?'
'We're a long way past that,' said the girl. She passed him a rifle and Samm checked it quickly. Loaded, primed … good. The soldiers had left packs of ammo scattered on the floor. Samm retrieved as many as he could carry.
'How do we get out?'
'There's a back service stairwell in the north wing,' said the last man, the medic. 'It's locked on all floors, so no one will be in it, but we could shoot the lock.'
'And so could the mob,' said Samm, noticing the flaw in the plan immediately. He wasn't the only one. The military man voiced the exact same opinion at the same time. Samm glanced at him appreciatively. He knew this game.
'The elevator shaft, then,' said Kira. 'There's a ladder that runs down to the ground level.' Her eyes flickered to the medic. 'We used to play around in there when Marcus and I worked custodial during school. We can take that to the basement and look for the service door out the back.'
For all her courage and intelligence, Kira clearly lacked experience in battle and ambush situations. 'That could be dangerous,' said Samm. 'With a mob searching the building, the elevators will likely be running.'
Marcus made a noise of incredulity. 'Now I really want to visit Partialville,' he said. 'You guys have enough juice to run elevators?'
He stood corrected. Samm reminded himself that the humans would have a better working knowledge of this place. 'Unused elevator shaft it is, then.'
He let the others lead the way down the corridors and through the twist and turns of the floor until they arrived at the elevator shaft. They must be on a high floor; it was pitch black looking down. Kira hesitated, then lowered herself for the climb. Samm followed after, strongly reminded of recon missions on the continent. He reached out automatically with the link, years of training kicking in.
'Where do we get out?' asked the girl he didn't know.
'At the bottom,' said Kira. She described the layout of the basement, establishing a possible escape route. 'We're not likely to see anybody.'
A mere probability of being unseen wasn't the best plan. 'And if we do?' Samm asked.
No one replied him.
At the base of the shaft, it was dark, but the noise of angry mob-members travelled through the walls. Samm checked his rifle as Kira led them through the halls, carefully concealing the beam of her flashlight to the barest glow. Samm's link was silent, revealing no one close. They reached an intersection and he heard a movement close by-too close. He registered the humans' presence and realised his mistake a split second before Kira shone the full beam of light on six wide-eyed faces.
Samm didn't stop to think. He whirled into action, instinct taking over. The first man was easy-a blow to the temple took care of him, while his foot connected simultaneously with another's knee. Samm stuck to physical blows; it probably wouldn't help to shoot anyone, and anyway, no of the humans were any match for his skill and training. He had them unconscious on the ground within seconds.
'Holy …' The ex-officer stared as though seeing Samm for the first time. His rifle swung round to point at Samm's face. 'What did we let out?'
'None of them are dead,' said Samm. He glanced at his own rifle butt, dripping red in the glow of Kira's flashlight. 'The blood is from the third one's nose.' He eyed the fallen soldiers, their guns scattered around them. No sense in wasting weapons. Samm gathered them quickly and filled his pockets.
'What just happened?' said Kira, sounding a little lost.
None of them really know how to fight like us, thought Samm. He supposed that meant he was best-placed to take the lead, though he would have to remember to rely on his other senses. 'I'm not used to humans,' he explained. His mistake had been in falling back on the link, as he'd been trained to do. Still, he'd salvaged the situation. 'I think it worked out, though, since we didn't have to shoot anyone.'
'Well, thanks for not shooting anyone, I guess,' said Marcus, a little shakily. 'My contribution was to somehow refrain from peeing myself.' Samm looked at him oddly, not sure what to make of his flippant comment. 'You can thank me later.'
He decided to ignore it. There would be time enough to figure out his companions if they got out of here. Already he could hear more movement, getting closer. 'We need to go. There are at least two more groups down here, and maybe more that I can't hear.'
'Okay,' said Kira. 'Just don't do that to any civilians.'
'Yes, ma'am,' he said, and followed her along.
Kira led them safely out of the building without any more incidents. They emerged into the night, the first time in five days that Samm had been out in the open. The cool breeze tickled his face and he felt a renewed gratitude towards Kira and her friends. Twenty minutes ago, he'd been sure he'd be dead within the hour, and now …
Here he was, working together with a group of humans, part of the first inter-species alliance in decades.
It's possible. Kira made it possible.
'Move out,' said Kira.
Samm smiled and followed her into the night.
THE END