Megalodon City, Tundra, Standard year 404

  Jim and Samantha walked out of the Tundran Secret Service headquarters silently, each lost in their own thoughts and unwilling to speak in a somewhat public location. Unexpectedly, Jim walked to the drivers’ side door of the car, clearly intending to drive. The secret service member who was their driver gave a brief nod, sidling out immediately.

  “We’ll take the car.” Jim said. “Just follow along.”

  “Yes, Mr. President.” The other man confirmed.

  Samantha walked around, sliding into the passenger seat and looking over at her husband curiously. “Where are we going?” She asked.

  “Someplace we never go.” Jim responded.

  “Ah.” Sam nodded. Some of their communications had been intercepted and someone, perhaps her husband, perhaps another, had been compromised. And they definitely needed to talk. She sat silently, waiting to see what Jim would do next.

  At first, the path he drove was completely unfamiliar to her. She wasn’t quite sure when the faintest hint of the familiar came, but as he made one more turn and their destinations narrowed, Sam smiled. “Really Jim?”

  “It is a place we never go.” He said giving her an uncertain smile in return, and intensely relieved to see Samantha’s reaction. After all, at the moment, she had a nearly endless list of reasons to be absolutely furious with him.

  “Well played.” Sam admitted, not quite managing to stifle another smile. “And what will we do when we get there?”

  “Just follow my lead.”

  “I always do, Jim.”

  “You sometimes do, Sam.” Jim corrected somewhat sharply as he pulled into a cold and dark parking garage. Low ceilings made to lower the heating bills loomed overhead. They both got out, walking down the still familiar path, although it had been many decades since they had last seen it.

  “It’s not so different.” Samantha said into the cold silence. “It looks almost the same.”

  “We gave them money for heating and better food, but there wasn’t enough for major renovations to the orphanage. There never is.” Jim walked on until he reached the small security outpost where the bored security guard would theoretically ensure that the orphaned children on the other side of the security checkpoint did not go out roaming at night. In practice, if past experience was anything to go by, even the most token of bribes would get you out of the orphanage. And a slightly more than token bribe got you the entire security booth for the night. As he had shown Sam on a number of occasions, a very long time ago. “Good morning.” He said mildly, walking up to the lightly snoring guard.

  Samantha looked around. The booth was tiny, perhaps five by five feet across. The size helped save money on heating. One wall was covered with shelves on which a random array of clutter was laid out and forgotten. Miscellaneous items of old clothing took up most of the space. A handful of boxes were filled with items unknown. A dog leash lay next to a box of rat traps. In the back of the room sat the chair in which the security guard was currently sleeping, looking surprisingly comfortable. A dim wall light shone over the chair. It’s definitely the same lamp, Sam thought. She supposed that the chair must be different, but it looked exactly the same. Comfortable and big enough to sleep on, the ancient thing was covered in old and torn leather. Someone had brought a blanket and draped it over the bottom, where the cheap leather had likely worn off entirely. Exactly the same, Samantha thought.

  “I here wha I whaat?” The guard blinked sleepily, pulling his feet off the small heater he was using as a footrest and accidentally knocking it to the ground. Sam caught it just in time, placing it carefully to the side.

  “I… whaaa?” The guard repeated, staring up blankly at both of them.

  “We’ll take over for the night.” Jim offered.

  “I… you… Mr. President?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you real?”

  “I am.”

  “I… yes sir.” The guard nodded, gave a somewhat uncertain salute, grabbed a bag that presumably held his things, and tumbled hastily out of the small booth.

  “You’ll want your coat.” Sam called out.

  The guard froze.

  Sam handed him the coat silently.

  “Yes ma’am. Thank you ma’am. Er. Lady President Ma’am.”

  “You’re welcome. Good night.”

  The guard did not quite run for it, but he came close.

  “You want the chair or the heater?” Jim offered.

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  Samantha grinned. “That’s not how I remember this.”

  “Oh really.” Jim smiled back, taking the armchair and waiting for Sam to come into his arms.

  “That’s more how I remember it.” She said, leaning her head against his chest.

  “So you forgive me for the arrest?”

  “And for handcuffing me? And for leaving me with two assassins?”

  “That was Robert. And he said they were stunned. I truly am very sorry, Sam. I couldn’t risk you going off to Saraya and putting yourself in danger to help James. I just couldn’t do it. No more dangerous jobs. That was our deal.”

  “This is different.”

  “No. Not even this.”

  Samantha sighed.

  “Please forgive me?”

  “Well, you did prevent a nuclear apocalypse.”

  “That was one of my more impressive moments, I thought.”

  “And James?” Samantha asked, pulling away and looking into his eyes. “What about James?”

  “I’m trying Sam.”

  “Something is happening now?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is there anything you need…”

  “I wouldn’t be here if there was. If there was something I could do now to help, I would be doing it. You know that. All we can do right now is wait.”

  Samantha nodded, accepting his judgement as she lay her head back down against his chest, suddenly exhausted. She had known for some time now, that something was wrong. The fear was a twisted knot in her stomach that simply would not go away, no matter what she did. She would just have to accept it.

  “He picked an orphan.” Jim mused, his arm tightening around her waist. “Who would have predicted that? And with all the options he had.”

  “Was that what made you think of this place?”

  “Maybe. Who knows?”

  Sam shook her head, thinking of her son, who was now in the hands of the enemy. “James, of all people. What could he possibly have in common with an orphan?” She snorted quietly, thinking of a boy who was always given the best, and had returned the favor the only way he knew how, by always being the best.

  “Well there might be someone she reminded him of.” Jim said with a soft laugh.

  “Me? She’s not anything like me. Can you imagine me ever surrendering?”

  “No. No, I could never imagine that.” Jim sighed. “But then, you would have gotten yourself killed, Sam. And you would not have survived to get rescued by anyone.”

  “Without you there to keep me safe?”

  “Am I wrong?”

  “You’re all right to have around.” Samantha admitted generously.

  “I think she’s a little like you. James is like that too. There is a lot of both of us in him. But some things are… different.”

  Samantha shifted in his lap, suddenly uncomfortable. “Yes but he is our son. I know. I checked.”

  “So did I.”

  “Jim you ass, he was always going to be your son. It’s my contribution that was in question, given the damage I took.”

  “And yet he is your son.”

  “Well yes.”

  “You know why?”

  “We both know why.” Samantha said reluctantly.

  “Robert did something.”

  “Yes, he gave us our son.”

  “Out of the goodness of his heart, do you think?”

  “What are you saying?” Samantha asked, anger stirring in her voice. “That there’s something wrong with James? That maybe you don’t need to try so hard to save him? He is our son.”

  “Calm down Sam, calm down.” Jim repeated, blocking the punch she sent towards his chin. “We are going to rescue James, all right? I swear it.”

  “Because you have a plan?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “And is it a good plan?” Samantha asked suspiciously.

  Jim hesitated.

  “Jim?”

  “It’s an ok plan.”

  “What…”

  “It’s the best plan we have, Sam.”

  “All right, then where are you going with this Robert bullshit?”

  “I think Robert has a vested interest in our son’s future. I don’t exactly understand why, but for some reason, he does. If he can help, he will. And then there’s this.” Jim held out his wrist comm.

  Samantha read the text with a frown.

  Unknown: Will and James Hawk are being held together at Phoenix Penitentiary. There is a special section for political prisoners.

  “Unknown?”

  “Yes. I’m guessing it’s Robert’s contact on Saraya.”

  “The incompetent one that Robert refers to as a civilian?”

  “An incompetent alien civilian, Samantha. He may yet have some abilities that are useful.”

  “Do you think James might have some?” Samantha asked hesitantly.

  “Not that I’ve observed. But he’s no incompetent civilian. Guess who I’d rather have on my side?”

  “He may yet have abilities we don’t know…”

  “James is human, Sam. Completely human. I rather suspect anything else would have come up as less than a match on the paternity tests. And if he weren’t, I assure you we would have noticed.” He shook his head. “Did you see the look of surprise on Robert’s face when we weren’t shocked? What was he expecting? Of course we would know.”

  Samantha laughed. “And don’t forget the eight foot tall giant. I mean he’s eight feet tall!”

  “Sure to blend in.”

  “We’ll never notice!”

  “Just between us, we all know Robert is competent but their version of central command sounds like a bunch of goddamn morons.” Jim murmured.

  “Maybe.” Sam said shrugged. “Maybe. But it might be something else.”

  “What?”

  “We may not be the most desirable post for citizens of this great alien empire.”

  “You think we’re getting the bottom of the barrel?”

  “We’re getting the guy who’s eight feet tall, Jim. Now tell me about the plan. No, don’t wince. Just tell me. You’ll feel better once you get it out there.”

  “Alanna Summers is the plan.” Jim said with great reluctance.

  Samantha’s entire body stiffened. “You did not let her leave the planet.” She hissed.

  “Sam.”

  “Jim, you didn’t.”

  “I gave strict orders for her to remain on the ship.”

  “You gave orders? You gave orders!? To a girl whose main claim to fame is not following orders!”

  “The plan she came up with was the best plan I had. I took a risk.”

  “You took a risk when you sent James down to that goddamn hellhole of a planet!”

  “What’s done is done.”

  “If, god help you if he comes home alive, you will not send him on any more of these missions!”

  “Sam…”

  “No. You said it to me and now I’m saying it to you. No more. James has done enough. A nice, safe post.”

  “I will see what I can do.”

  Samantha tensed, her hand gripping his shoulder with painful force as another thought occurred to her. “The baby? Where’s the baby? Did you send my grandchild down to…”

  “No. The baby was transferred out before she left. At Alanna’s request.”

  Samantha relaxed, but only momentarily. “Call Robert.” She said.

  “Sam…”

  “The doctor said her chances were uncertain. It was a weak pregnancy to begin with and transferring out the embryo this early on is dangerous. Call Robert.”

  “I really don’t think…”

  “And if they both die and this is all we have left?”

  “I’m calling.”

  Jim put his arms tightly around her, holding her close as they waited.

  “How far away do you think he is?” Sam murmured a few minutes later.

  “I have no idea. This place is pretty out of the way.”

  “Then don’t take too long.” Sam said, her voice more decisive as her hands moved to take off his coat.