The Price of Freedom

You're a villain imprisoned in SWORD's (Swift Window Operations and Response Department) minimum security wing. You have a glimmer of hope this week however because you've been asked to be a part of a special squad being sent to investigate a murder that took place within the much higher security facility known as the Land of the Eternally Bound.

You don't know a lot about it when you first hear of it, but you're soon provided with both details of how that prison works and the small fact that the only way out is to successfully solve the murder and...endure the trials of said prison. The prize of course is meant to be worth it. If you prove yourself capable of solving the murder and leaving that prison alive, you're free to go, your record wiped clean.

Lore on the Land of the Eternally Bound

Spoiler

This is the highest security prison in existence. Its meant to house only the people that the very celestials themselves have deemed so evil as to be made purely of it. This is no ordinary building. This is an entire pocket dimension housing a world the size of a small moon. It has in fact almost no infrastructure, except for large, barren volcanic peeks and endless pits of acid and lava.

The way that it keeps its people trapped is enwreathed within the fabric of this place. For every single second that you spend there, your mind will be turned fully against you. You will constantly experience your worst memories, often with your mind making you believe that you deserved that. On top of that every bit of pain you've ever caused another living thing will constantly be cast upon you.

This is why it is a test to be able to escape it. Someone who is evil and only wishes pain on others will forever be trapped in a loop of infinite unable to even move. Its only if you forgive yourself and your intentions are pure you can stand up straight long enough to move through it.

Of course you'll have to do more than stand up straight. You will need to solve a murder and then run through the gauntlet that lets you leave and that is the final delightful part of this prison.

The one bit of infrastructure that does exist is a gauntlet,a bit of a maze that appears at first to be a simple door leading out. But the closer you get to it, it'll start conjuring rooms, each one custom tailored from your worst nightmares that you then have to physically defeat.

For example, lets say you were an arsonist. You will have to fight your way out of burning building full of fiery spirits while feeling the pain of every person that was injured or killed in that fire. Forgive yourself for setting that fire, the pain will lessen and that's the only way to combat your way out.

Now the best part of this gauntlet of course is that at the very end there's nothing but a blank wall that never opens. Its meant such that if anyone does ever fight their way through with sheer willpower they will only be met with despair. Its meant to trap you in a cycle of knowing you will never escape.

Now your characters will go through this, only the two team leads that will guide you through this world, the two agents, will open it for you, if you qualify of course.

1. Susan Danvers - @KateHardy
2. Brinley William - @WeepingWisteria
3. Bo Hartman - @Ley
4. Lyle Hemworth - @herbalhour
5. Jennifer Kumonkan - @Spearmint
6. Ananta Akshaya - @Zyria
7. Killian Jaegar - @JazzElectroBass

Kate looked out at the faces before her. So much promise. So much emotion. So much hurt. It was always painful to look upon the latest crop headed for the ol' trash dump. But this one was especially bad.

The door behind her beeped.

"We've reached cruising altitude Princess Hardy."

"Thank you Tachy. Hold her steady for me. Keep us just under the speed limit. I do not want another lecture from Krane."

"You have three incoming messages from Krane."

"Huh?"

"According to their contents, you have and I quote "Made a Living farce out of Terran Space Traffic Laws".

"Blame it on Vankous please."

"Of course Princess."

"Thank you Tachy."

She turned around, rolling her eyes. Give a crab a helmet and he decides to walk all over you. She couldn't smile about it for long though. She allowed herself a little breath. She didn't know how Vankous looked so casual. She'd made peace with the fact that it was one of the few things she'd never understand.

She focused on her first area of concern. Bo Hartman. Twelve years old. A blink of an eye in this vast multiverse. The impact he'd left on this world was so miniscule that there'd been pieces of dust more famous and yet here he was. Heading to a place reserved for the worst of the worst. How the system allowed this she still couldn't fathom. Well she could. She wrote it, but the fact she could do nothing about it never sat well with her.

He was...searching for mouthwash? She allowed herself a small smile. Better to be worried about bad breath than the horrors of a world designed to break you so completely that the very concept of happiness would be exorcised out of you.

Bo noticed Kate looking at him. He hesitated to open his mouth, "Um. Excuse me, miss?"

"Yeah sweetie?"

"I'm sorry to be a burden, but I left my superhero comic back in the VIP lounge. I've had it since I was a baby. Is there any way I can go back and get it? I-I understand if not, b-but..."

"Aww honey, its hardly a burden. That sounds like something you couldn't possibly leave behind. Do you remember where you were sitting honey?"

"In the corner, by the window," Bo responded, turning red as an apple, "T-thank you, miss."

:"You're quite welcome honey."

Bo hesitated again, "No... really, thank you. You're very kind," he flashed a quick smile. Kate smiled back. "Well you're very sweet."

Kate turned to Vankous. "Bunny Boy, keep us from crashing will you."

He grunted. "Can of who?"

"Stop ship from crashing."

"Are we crashing? Where? Who?"

"I swear one day I'm going to find a way to... you know what... never mind. Just like pay attention for three seconds."

"This is a ranked match."

Kate blinked.

"Fine. Fine. I'll stop the ship if it starts to crash. Jeez."

"I'm going to turn your controls upside down again. And this time I'll get Ray to lock it behind his firewall."

"You wouldn't."

Kate just looked at him.

"You... are a monster."

"I am the Darkness." She winked and jumped through the window. Taking a second to gather her bearings she spread her wings. Spaceport. Spaceport. That way.

Kate flew towards it, letting her breathing slowly shut down as she flew. It didn't take long as she accelerated, they'd only been flying for a couple of hours now. Soon the little green and blue outline of Earth swum into view nestled amongst the Milky Way. Darting towards it, she dodged past the moon as she entered the atmosphere.

"Terra Space Traffic, its Kate. Don't worry just extracting a high priority item from the spaceport. Not an emergency."

"Copy that Princess Hardy."

She swooped in, going through the first window she found. She raced through the port, headed for the VIP wing. A quick scan revealed a comic book left abandoned on a chair. She breathed a little sigh of relief. The lost and found hadn't got to it. She gingerly picked it up. She looked around for a bag to put it in. Oh dear.

She peered into the local security office. Aha. She nipped in.

"Officer...Shower Handel can you hand me a evidence bag please?"

He looked very confused, then glanced at his tag. He marched off swearing towards another officer. Kate blinked but didn't question it, reaching behind the counter and taking one of the little evidence bags. They wouldn't miss it.

She tucked the comic safely into it jumped through the nearest window again. Taking into the air, she glanced at her communicator, checking the GPS. The ship was about four light years away from where it had been. She flew after it, accelerating past Andromeda and Aikorina. It didn't take long for it to swim into view.

She dropped in through the window, landing carefully. She smiled and pulled out the book. Waking up to Bo, she offered the package to him.

"Is this the one sweetie?"

Bo's eyes lit up as he opened the evidence bag, "Yes! Thank you!" he smiled wide.

"You're welcome. Enjoy. It was a very interesting read."

"It is! I love the part where Batman slains his enemies with his batarangs," Bo held the comic to his chest, letting out a gentle sigh of relief.

"It was very cool." She hesitated for a moment before giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder, trying to hold in the love force to avoid overwhelming the poor thing.

Bo flinched at her touch, but soon relaxed. He brought his legs up on the seat and began to read.

Kate allowed herself a small smile and turned away for the moment. There were others she also needed to tend to. She sized up the smallest member of their little group. Kate had seen rotting corpses that looked more full of life.

She let out a soft sigh. Looking through her past, Kate couldn't help but flash back to a time long, long ago. Two weeks old and facing down her first opponent in the ring. She'd only just learnt that you had to hold a sword by the handle. Blades were sharp. She shook her head. There it was already. A few million light years to go and yet its energy was already affecting her.

"Honey?"

Brinley, as Kate learned her name was, didn't seem to hear her.

"Sweetie?" She tried a little louder.

Brinley still didn't respond.

"Darling?" She leaned a little closer.

Brinley flinched, looking to Kate. "Hmm? You talking to me?"

She nodded. "Just wanted to say hi. Do you need anything?"

"Oh. Hi." She chewed on her thumbnail. "Um. Maybe?"

"Ask away honey."

"That box. What does it do?"

"Its a snack machine sweetheart. Think of what you want and reach in, and you'll find it. If it's edible of course."

"So it can summon... anything edible?"

"Yup. We cater to all species, so pretty much anything really."

Brinley nodded. "Thanks."

"You can ask Susan over there if you need help. She knows how to use it. And you're welcome honey."

"Mhm."

Sensing the conversation was over Kate stepped back leaving the girl to her... questionable thoughts. She had a feeling she didn't need to be broken down much further.

She walked back to the front of the ship, turning to the other person with a nose buried in a book. Ananta Tritiya Akshaya. Now that was an enigma. The oldest among this particular group. Hardly a child against the cosmos, but filled with enough trauma to cover the lifetime of the average asteroid.

And yet so calm on the surface. Kate couldn't help but be a little impressed. To hold back quite so much, to appear so steadfast despite the fragile little bundle held inside of it all. It was a maturity she didn't see in most gods. And they'd usually had a few million more years to learn.

She cleared her throat. "Excuse me? Ananta?"

The nebulon glanced up. "Yes?"

"Are you holding up alright sweetie? Do you need anything?"

"No thank you, I am quite alright," dysis gave a well practiced smile.

"Alright honey. Do let me know if you do."

Ananta had already turned back to oriens book.

Kate backed off quietly. That would be a conversation for a different time. She let out a soft sigh as she returned to her little station. Three broken souls already.

"Status Report Tachy?"

"All readings are nominal Princess Hardy."

"T-Minus?"

"One hour and thirty minutes to destination Princess Hardy."

"Sounds good Tachy. Did Vankous behave?"

"He did in fact spend the time between you leaving the visible radius and the time until you reappeared in the visual radius actively monitoring the status. Although of course, he did pretend he was playing his game the entire time."

"Delightful news Tachy. Keep me updated then, and warn me once we're within thirty minutes would you?"

"Of course Princess Hardy."

Kate nodded and turned back to the little group. The sound of music caught her attention. Right near the corner, a little isolated from everyone. Well everyone was lost in their own world, but this one was also physically isolated from everyone. Killian Jaegar. A little spitfire. Kate allowed herself a small smile. At least there was one who wasn't a complete shell of their former self.

She walked up to her and cleared her throat a little louder than strictly necessary. "Honey?"

Killian turned her head to look at Kate. Her expression was unclear on what she was thinking about. "What?"

"Terribly sorry to disturb you but I just wanted to check in, see if there was anything you needed."

"My sentence shortened? Or nonexistent. How about a different life?"

"Well you are on your way towards acquiring all three of those things. Anything else honey?"

"A little bit of a better music choice?"

"Ohh what would you like sweetie?"

"You have any classic rock?"

"Yes indeed we do. Any specific artists or years you would like? And planets of course but I assume you're referring to Earth music here."

"Well, yes, Earth artists. Do you have the Eagles?"

"We sure do. Is there a specific album you would like or just a collection of their complete works?"

"A collection works."

"Lovely. That will be with you shortly. Is there anything else you would like?"

"Yes, what time are we arriving at our lovely destination of paradise?" She smiled, very much being sarcastic.

"Around one hours and twenty six more minutes now sweetie." Kate smiled back as genuinely as she could.

"Great." She muttered, and looked back out the window.

"Anything else you'd like?"

"A deaf dog?" She asked, doing her best to sound completely sarcastic to make sure they didn't actually conjure up a deaf dog.

"That's a bit of an odd request but I'm sure we can provide one for you. Do you have a preference on breed and age?"

Killian stopped for a second, not expecting that. But then again she was curious to see if that would actually go through. "I was joking on the deaf part, but if you could actually conjure up a German Shepard that would be nice."

"Well conjuring life is a little frowned upon but we could absolutely get a dog from the nearest shelter. Any preference on age or gender?"

"Well- not literally conjuring-" She leaned back. "A female would be preferable, and if it could be less than 3 years old, that'd be perfect."

"Of course. One collection of rock music and one German Shepard. Anything else?"

She hummed in thought. "Just those two things and I'll be happier than a frog."

"Wonderful." Kate tapped on her communicator bringing up a collection of music, typing in the required parameters. She cleared her throat before announcing.

"Tachy could you port over this collection I'm sending you to Killian's device here. Please and thank you."

The intercom rang out. "Of course Princess Hardy."

She turned back to Killian. "Alright then Killian, that should be arriving..." There was a small ding. "Right now. I'll be back with your dog."

"Great."

Kate dive out of the window for the second time now, swimming once again to Earth. It was the easiest place to pick up a dog. It didn't take long for her to fly her way back, this time going straight to the agency's shelter. She quickly stopped by the counter.

"Hi Jane, could I get like a German Shepard, female, a puppy if that's available."

"Should I ask?"

"I'll send in a report. In a tiny bit of a hurry Jane."

"Of course Kate."

She practically ran to the back of the store. She appeared less than ten minutes later with a small puppy. Kate scanned it. Female. 1 year and 210 days.

"That will do nicely Jane. Thank you very much. Does she have a name?"

"She does not."

"Alright that'll be all then."

"Of course Kate. See you at the Sunday office party?"

"I'll see you there." Kate smiled and nodded gingerly picking up the puppy.

Stepping out she yelled as loudly as she could. "Chudnofsky I need a portal to The Last Doughnut stat, carrying a puppy."

She giggled as the familiar swirling mass of blue energy appeared before her. Chudnofsky was actually maintaining his promise to not ask questions.

She quickly stepped through arriving on the ship in seconds. "Thank you Chud," she yelled into the portal as it closed behind her.

She walked carefully up to Killian and presented her with the puppy. "There you go. She does not have a name. So you can go ahead and name her."

Killian was actually speechless for once. She took the puppy and looked it over. "Thanks."

"You're most welcome sweetie. Sure you're alright for now then?"

Killian nodded, distracted by the puppy.

"Well give me a holler if there's anything else you need. I'll be right here till we land."

"Yeah, alright." The dog put her paws on Killian's legs, taking to Killian and started to lick her face. Killian spluttered, and fell out of her chair.

Kate allowed herself a little smile before she let herself drift around to face the one person who seemed to give off even the tiniest sense of happiness. Lyle Hemworth.

She approached him a little cautiously. She didn't want to startle a man with spiky objects in his hands.

"Hello there?"

"Hello! Just give me a moment to end off this thread."

"Of course sweetie."

Lyle grabbed a small pair of scissors from his bag and snippet the remaining thread off his needle. "What can i do for you?"

"Oh. Well funnily I was about to ask if there was anything I could do for you?"

"Not really... Ah! Could I have a glass of cranberry juice? No ice."

"Oh of course. Is there some sort of brand you want, artificial, or just actual cranberry juice straight from the source?"

"Hm... Tropicana."

"Oooh excellent choice. The owner owes me a favor so we actually have a little discount on that." Kate quickly walked over to the snack box and picked out a carton, walking over. She paused to quickly conjure a serving tray out of the air with a whispered command before placing it on there and offering it to Lyle.

"Thank you, Kate."

"You're most welcome Lyle." She vanished the tray and turned back to him. "So how are you holding up? Is your embroidery going well?"

"Quite well, thanks. It's turning out so well, I mean look!" Lyle flipped around his embroidery circle which revealed 'veni, vidi, vici" in pretty blue font.

"Oooh that's mighty fine work there. I might just ask you to make me something." She grinned. "You have a wonderful hand there Mr. Hemworth."

"Aww, stop you're making me blush!" Lyle teased, as he put his embroidery circle into his bag. "Where did Vankous go?"

"I'm simply stating facts honey." Kate giggled. "As for Vankous. I believe he is currently with the ship's AuI. Something about it shutting off his connection to the game servers because he yelled at her."

"Poor AI. Gah! Is that a dog?"

"That is in fact a dog. Assuming you are referring to the Terran species commonly kept as household pets and not the blood sucking demons from the Andorran galaxy."

"I'm allergic to dogs!"

"Oh dearie me. Well we would've taken precautions but that dog was a rather last minute addition. Could I perhaps interest you in some precautionary medicine for that? Or a spell?"

"Ah, no, i wouldn't want to be a nuisance."

"Nuu sweetie. Not at all. It'll hardly be a second. Don't you worry about that. Do you want it honey?"

"Well, sure. If it wouldn't be too much trouble."

"Absolutely not. It really wouldn't. So a spell or medicine? Pick your poison sir."

"A spell then, please."

Kate nodded and put a gentle hand on his forehead. "Zashchitite etogo nezhnogo cheloveka ot nepriyatnostey sobach'yey porody." The words burned bright in the air shimmering an iridescent blue before a warm blue glow sunk into Lyle. "There you go honey."

"Thank you. Really." Lyle smiled faintly then continued embroidering.

Kate nodded, "Your Welcome." She was about to turn away but well, she wasn't the goddess of love for nothing, so she couldn't resist. "Do you want to talk to Vankous?"

"I mean, sure? He's kind of in a bubble for a reason though, right?"

"Well. You'd be surprised at that reason and that's him to tell you. I will say though it is not a message to not talk to him. Its something else that's...necessary."

"I'm always up for some idle conversation."

"Well track him down then. Just umm...don't throw something at him the first three times you get the urge to. And you'll be good."

Lyle got up, and started walking away from Kate, still holding the embroidery circle.

Kate smiled to herself. She might be the patron goddess of lesbians but love was love. She ended up glancing at the snack table next. The smile fell. The one familiar face amongst all these strangers. Susie. Oh gosh had she grown up from the little naive angel Kate had first met. She'd been 17 then, actually seventeen, not just frozen in time by Death. But really she'd hardly been more than a baby, exposed to nothing but the happiest of things in her life. It had been a little worrying seeing her have to grow up so fast in the unforgiving world of time policing but she'd grown into it so well. Kate was truly proud of her when and had genuinely cried the day Susie and her sisters had been returned to their lives, knowing she'd miss her terribly. Seeing her come back after living her life had been one of Kate's happiest moment. Never did she think it would come to this.

Well, Kate wasn't surprised. It was hard to be surprised when the future lay bare before you, but she hadn't thought for a second Sue would chose this path. She should've known. Sue had always been a little impulsive and quick to jump to decision when loved ones were at stake.

She walked up to her quietly. She just stood there for a second, smiling quietly as Susan did what she always did with food, savoring it, and not really eating. Not that she could eat if she tried. The dead don't need sustenance after all.

Susan looked up after a little. "Kate."

"Susan."

"Are you.."

Kate couldn't help it. She scooped her into a tight hug. "Kate?"

"I'm sorry."

"Why are y.y.ou. I should be so.r"

"No. No. You were alone and helpless. You did the only thing you could think to do in that time."

"I should've be.."

"Don't get me started. I told you think already."

"But.."

"No buts Sue. You know it."

Susan just huffed and melted into her. Kate could tell she wasn't remotely convinced but Kate could sense the beginnings of something forming deep down there. That was good enough for the moment. She held the hug as long as she dared letting Susan soak it in before she pulled away.

"You should tend to everyone else."

Kate nodded after a moment. "I'm still proud of you little phantom."

Sue looked on the verge of tears now. "Th..thank y..you." The cheetos in her hand were suddenly the most interesting thing in the room. She quietly stepped away. There was one person she had yet to inquire after. One Jennifer Kumonkan. Who was currently the only one actively tearing up.

She walked over.

"Sweetie? Do you need another pack of gummies?"

Jen immediately wiped her eyes on her sleeve and smothered her sniffles. "No, I'm fine." She dropped the uneaten gummies on the table and brushed some wisps of blonde hair back from her face. Then she looked up suspiciously at Kate with dull gray eyes. "Does the snack box access our memories?"

"It doesn't honey."

"Then how did it get the brand exactly right?" Jen pointed almost accusingly at the colorful letters and shapes on the packaging. "Don't tell me you're going to experiment on us to test human reactions to various things that remind them of home. Or, wait, don't tell me it's entertainment on alien worlds to watch humans suffer. Because both of those are clearly more plausible explanations, than, what, a chance at redemption?"

Kate giggled. "No sweetie. If you ask it for an exact brand, its going to purchase said brand and transport it here. Nothing that complicated. Its a little snack machine after all."

Jen looked miffed at Kate's giggle. "Just a little snack machine. Very comforting, if just a little machine is so much more powerful than our most advanced technology on Earth." She sighed. "Why do you even need our help to solve a murder?"

"Oh honey, this is from Earth. 49th Century technology of course so there's a little ways to go. But well. We need it now and so we have it. And we don't. This is your chance to prove that you can be innocent. Well that's the official designation for the mission. I really don't care for it. You've earned your freedom. So let's call it the farce we all have to act out so that you guys can go free like you deserve to."

"Annnnd now there's time travel in play. Of course. As for this farce? Makes sense that whatever higher powers have access to time travel would also be bogged down by ridiculous requirements and procedures. For the first time, I feel at home," Jen said sarcastically. By now, the redness was fading from her eyes and she was crinkling the edge of the still-unopened pack of gummies.

"Well time travel is quite common sweetie. I'm sorry it hasn't taken hold in Earth 36 yet. But it'll get there. Eventually. And well, its the price you sometimes pay to have a little order in all the chaos. We just have to patch it up as best we can and keep going." Kate shrugged.

Jen snorted. "Yeah. Keep going." She turned away and stared at the gummies listlessly, as if reminded of whatever she'd been sobbing about. Finally, she curled her hand into a fist and stood up, leaving the gummies on the table. "Is there time to sleep before we reach our destination?"

"Alright. You do you. I'm sorry if I somehow offend you." Kate sighed softly. This was better than crying at least. They were right to hate her. "And you have about an hour at 14 minutes. If that's sufficient time for a nap."

Jen nodded and left wordlessly. Kate knew a dismissal when she saw one. Stepping away she returned to her post at the front. She sighed quietly to herself. That had been a good wake up call. So many of them too drenched in their sorrows or trying to hard to keep them at bay to call her out. She was a big part of what was going to be quite literally worse than hell for all of them. She knew all too well. After all, she had made the place.

She needed to keep her distance from them. Getting too attached wouldn't be wise. After all when they finally made it to the end and had to escape, weren't they all trying to get away from her, well her creation. She was the enemy here. The big bad of the story. She should probably remember. Not for the last time she wished she could disappear into another world as easily as Vankous. Or pretend like it didn't hurt her. She chuckled. What was the count. Three hundred and sixteen billion. You'd think she'd stop feeling hurt by now. She gave her head a shake and closed her ancillary eyelids. There shouldn't be enough water in the air around her for tears but just in case.

"One hour left Princess Hardy." Kate did her best to compose herself. That AuI did not need to be on her case right now. Honestly she created her. Why did Tachy have to act like her mother sometimes?

"Thank you Tachy. Keep me updated will you. You're doing great."

"Why thank you Princess Hardy. Its honestly been quite an uneventful journey. We've only had to dodge thirteen pirate raids."

"Oh that is quite low actually. Well good job regardless. The Last Doughnut isn't exactly as equipped as the Anti Quark or the Tachyon and yet our journey has been just as smooth."

"The threatening smiley face Vankous attached to the front is proving surprisingly effective."

"The oldest form of language." Kate allowed herself a small chuckle. "The bucket load of intimidation wards don't hurt either."

"They certainly don't."

"Well keep us steady Tachy. Let me know when you spot the first mists."

"Aye Princess Hardy. Oh I do have one more report."

"Go on Tachy."

"Vankous replied to the General's messages."

"Lemme guess we're barred from Terran space for the next two million years?"

"Actually no, Vankous turned General Krane into a rabbit so we're being charged with assault."

"Forward that to Ray please."

"Should I also send him that gift basket Princess Hardy."

"Two gift baskets. And maybe a sacrificial portrait of Vankous for him to shoot."

"I will send in the order Princess Hardy."

"And when Jason eventually calls me to yell, just like put him on voicemail."

"And when he eventually marches upto you personally?"

"Hopefully Jen gets the message by then and comes to defend me?"

"That will be arranged Princess Hardy."

"Thank you Tachy. You're the best as always."

"You flatter me Princess Hardy."

"I simply tell the truth."

"So you insist."

Kate smiled to herself. She let out a little fist pump. Scolding dodged.

"And I know you're on the verge of tears Princess Hardy so get inside this cockpit and close the door behind you." Kate spluttered uselessly. "I. Well I never." She gave into it, slipping inside. Maybe she could do with a small speech of reassurance. She could go back to crying after landing. She sighed as the door locked behind her.

Killian Jaegar

She had a dog.

Yeah, her sarcasm is what kept her sane. Yeah, after a few years, it makes your tounge razor sharp. Yeah, it can get people to leave you alone as they whine and lick their figurative wounds. And now, it somehow got her the dog she always wanted.

She loved her sarcasm. Sort of. She'd have to figure out what to do now. She'd been a prisoner since she was 15, and she had a long way ahead of her. Well, unless this plan worked. Or unless she died.

Did she deserve to die? Probably. But she clung to life like a child with separation anxiety. In full honestly, any outburst she's had was when she ended up physically injured by her siblings. They found out that worked better than just words. Words just existed for a second, and they had no meaning compared to actions. So they took action. And she ended up destroying a town both times. Killing innocent people who had no part in her pain. And then in an attempt to be free/be hated by her parents she melted the vault door shut.

It worked. She was given a trial and sentenced. She hasn't talked to her parents since. She didn't see a need to become self-pitying. She'd seen people doing it, and thought of it as ridiculous. In a way, weak. So she didn't do it. And she didn't push people away, she just liked being on her own and if someone can approach her and put up with her antics, well, she wouldn't care.

Back to the dog. She has a dog. Specifically the kind of dog she wanted. She liked german shephards for their loyalty and compassion. She just didn't expect the one she'd get to be so loving. She now sat on the floor, her back against the wall, silently playing tug-of-war. What to name her dog... hm... well, something interesting of course. Maybe Jesus. Or Dammit. Really, it would be funny to call the dog. Come here Dammit! She laughed softly, so quietly that it would be hard to hear. No, those were more for male dogs. She'd name the dog Kitty. And then for funsies tell everyone who asks that she named the dog Therapy, but call her Kitty.

Don't get her wrong, she's thankful about the dog. But if she's called sweetie one more time she might just commit violence she would not regret. She wasn't a sweetie anymore, not after 5 tough years in a prison, not after killing the people she did. Any sweet part of her was buried alive or was just dead. She'd deal with that later though. For now, she'd focus on her dog. That was weird. Her dog.

Yes, Jen had asked about sleeping. Yes, all sleepiness had left as soon as she stood up from the table. She breathed in deeply and rubbed her eyes, trying to erase any evidence that she'd been crying. Well. She had over an hour left. What to do?

Jen wandered down the long tube of the interior and spotted some seats. She also spotted some people in those seats, and she stubbornly avoided eye contact. As she took a seat, a seatbelt automatically wrapped around her, and she barely stopped herself from jolting up in surprise. "Great. Even the seatbelts attack you here," she muttered.

She sat with a frown creasing her forehead, then closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. Yes, Jen knew she was being extremely negative today, and perhaps Kate didn't deserve all those snipes, given that her actions so far had shown only good or neutral intentions. But in Jen's experience, it was always better to be wary than naive.

As Jen sighed, the wrinkles in her forehead relaxed. She ran a hand through her gray-streaked blonde hair. She started to wonder what her sister's children (Jasmine, Kaylee, Kevin, and Maria) were doing right now, but quickly diverted her thoughts in another direction. She didn't particularly feel like crying again today.

So. Time to plan. Jen figured it wouldn't be a good idea to tamper with this ship. Along with likely not having access to the engines or anything important on this ship, if it imploded, they would all be dead. It wasn't like sinking cruise ships and then taking a lifeboat to shore.

That left waiting until they arrived at their destination. Which was... the "Land of the Eternally Bound", apparently. Well, that was cheery. But even if Jen escaped, how would she get back home? She was only a human, without that fun 49th century tech either.

Wait. You know who did have that tech? This ship. Jen's brow creased as her mind flipped through various possibilities. No, Jen, that's crazy. You cannot hijack a ship that's centuries ahead of anything you know. But if I got someone to teach me how to use it... or just observed carefully... But no, I couldn't do that in an hour. Jen twisted her fingers together. Dang it, I should've been nicer to Kate. After social engineering my way into those corporate buildings, how could I mess up like this?

Jen huffed. It was probably obvious that she was not, in fact, asleep, but she didn't care. Well, Kate did say this was a farce. Does that mean she'll make it easier for us to solve the murder? After all, what can any of us do, really? Jen's greatest skill was probably baking chocolate chip cookies, or maybe cleaning up vomit. Kaylee had a lot of allergies. Yeah, great, I'll bake gluten-free cookies and bribe whatever powers locked us up here.

Then another thought occurred to Jen. Kate said we'd earned our freedom already. What did that mean? Eventually, sometime between trying to puzzle it out and trying to predict what the Land of the Eternally Bound would be like, Jen ended up drifting off. She dreamed of home.

In collaboration with: @WeepingWisteria

Bo had never met someone that cared enough to fly somewhere to retrieve something he loved. Back when he lived with his father, the man wouldn't lift a finger. His cheeks continued to redden in embarrassment as he glanced back out the window once he finished his chapter. People were talking around him, some weren't. But he didn't care. He stayed in the shadows of the flight, holding the comic book to his chest in attempt to feel better. Why did he agree to do this? Was it something he'd wanted to do for a while, or was it a decision based on impulse?

It's not like he had anyone to go back home to once this was all finished. No siblings, no family, no father. Once this was done, he would run away forever and never look back. Maybe, just maybe, he'd start a new life as a bus boy at a local cafe in some outlandish city that nobody knows about. Anything sounded better than going back to that hellhole of a house.

The woman, Kate, reminded him so much of his mother. Well, what Bo remembered of her. She died while giving birth to him, but her voice was just as soothing and made Bo feel safe. Bo hadn't felt safe, ever. Not one minute in his young life did he ever feel taken care of, heard, or understood. But here... around all these people, he actually started to feel normal.

He couldn't shake his curiosity when it came to the girl in the back of the spaceship. He tried not to look at her, but there was something about her that he couldn't let go. Was it the fact she literally blew up people in a building, or just the random young curiousity that she reminded him of a superhero from his comics?

He stretched his arms and stood, placing the comic book safely on the chair. He buckled it in, making sure that it wouldn't move. He wouldn't forget it this time.

He needed to use the bathroom, anyways. He filled up on apple juice and coke-a-cola before the flight, and knew that it would eventually catch up to him. It wasn't normal to be offered something like that back at the prison, and he didn't even know if he was going to make it out of this 'mission' alive. If he wasn't, he'd want as much apple juice and Coke as he could get.

He walked past the girl, taking in a closer look at her physical attributes. She was shorter than him, which wasn't rare because Bo was rather tall for his age, and her hair was almost white with burnt black tips. He hesitated, but stopped next to her aisle, blushing once again, "Um, hello," his voice came out as barely a squeak.

The girl looked slightly taken aback, like she didn't expect him to talk to her. "Um, hello?"

"I... I heard that you blew up a building," Bo said quietly, "how? Are you a superhero or something?"

The girl blinked before looking at the floor, scratching absently as her arm. "No. I'm... I'm not a superhero."

"Well, what are you then?" Bo asked, mildly confused. How could she not be a superhero if she could blow up buildings?

"A villain," she whispered. It sounded like she was about to cry.

"No... no, that's... I'm sorry," Bo turned even redder, his hands now sweating immensely, "I'm Bo."

"Brinley."

Bo hesitated, but sat next to her, "Can you just... how did you do it? Was it a mind thing like... Oh! Like Black Adam, or was it more like... Hulk? Where it was... like an experiment gone wrong?"

"I'm the experiment gone wrong." Brinley rubbed her face. "I... my hands. They... they turn things into bombs. I... I turned a man into a very powerful bomb."

Bo smiled, "That is so freaking cool! You are just like the heroes I read in my books. C-Can you show me one day? That would be so awesome!"

Brinley shook her head quickly. "No! It's dangerous and unpredictable and a lot of people could get hurt or die--"

"Not if we do it in an open field or something," Bo shrugged, "Pretty please?"

She finally looked at him. She had an eyepatch. That was cool! Like Nick Fury. "Maybe..."

Bo smiled wider, and stood back up, "That's gonna be so much fun. Like a comic book coming to life!" He tried to hold in excitement, "I gotta pee."

"You... you should go do that."

"I should," he crossed his legs, "but I wanna hear more about the bombs. I guess we could talk about that later, I guess!" he couldn't hold it anymore, and ran straight for the bathroom. The interior was more modern than he'd thought, and it was the nicest washroom he'd ever seen. As if it was made for a king.

Bo grinned wildly and did his business, but took his time coming out. He stared at himself in the mirror, fixing the shaggy brown hair that hadn't been cut or tapered up in years. In the prison, he resulted to using a paper dull razor that was provided through commissary to trim it, but after a while it just became absurd. To cut his hair, he'd spent almost 4 hours each time separating the strands into tiny little bundles. After a while he just decided to let it grow.

He wanted his spirit-friends right about now. He had a friend in the prison named Charlie who'd keep him company while he astro-projected. Bo spent most of his time exploring the prison from outside his body-- from the courtyard to the guards office. He played a couple pranks on some of the guards like tipping their coffees over or setting off the fire alarm to get them away from their desks. He'd then creep in and steal a donut or two-- savoring it before his body forced him to return back. If he was successful here, he'd never see Charlie again.

After taking a long, deep breath, he wiped a stray tear from under his chocolate brown eyes, and forced himself to get it together. He was not weak. If he was, he wouldn't even get accepted into something like this.

"I am strong," Bo whispered to himself, desperation overriding his voice, "I am okay. I am okay."

He closed his eyes for one last moment before disappearing out of the bathroom and into the cabin, nodding once more at Brinley. At least he made one friend here so far. Kate was nice, and was definitely more of a mother figure to him, but he needed someone around his age to connect with. Otherwise, he'd be cattle among wolves. And Bo didn't like cattle. They're weak, and get targeted frequently. A cattle is nothing without its herd.

The first thing he grabbed from his seat was the comic book, and then the almost-empty water bottle that he basically forced himself to finish. Bo made his way back to Brinley and nodded at the spare seat beside her, hesitating once again, "Can I sit with you?"

Brinley nodded, sort of distracted. "Sure."

Bo slid in the seat and leaned his head back, placing the comic book safely in his lap before drifting to sleep. He felt safe around Brinley, and right about now, that's all he craved. He craved stability, safety, and the life he always deserved to have: one that's free of abuse and manipulation. One where he was normal.

"Hey," he murmured, half asleep, "thank you for making me feel safe. You're a superhero in my eyes, no matter what you think."

There was no response for a while, but then Bo could make out what sounded like crying. He opened one of his eyes and glanced at Brinley to find her sobbing quietly to herself. He nudged her with his closest arm, extending his comic book to her, "When I'm sad, I read this. I don't need it right now. Take it."

Brinley stared at him, wide-eyed, before gingerly taking it. "T-Thank you."

He nodded tiredly and yawned, finally drifting into oblivion.

Brinley William

Brinley clutched Bo's comic book, trying hard not to leave any trace of her touching it. She breathed in and out, trying to suppress the sobs that currently marred her face. The burns across her face prickled unhappily. Her right eye burned, but no tears fell. Tears never fell from that side.

She didn't touch Bo. That was a dangerous idea. Bo could get hurt. She could hurt him. Once she was sure Bo was asleep, she put the comic book in front of him. She didn't want to ruin it. She always inevitably ruined everything she touched.

"Hello?"

Brinley let out some awful hybrid of a hiccup and a squeak. "H-He's sleeping."

"Huh? Oh? I meant you. Hello to you."

"I'll quiet down soon. I didn't mean to bother you."

"Huh?" The voice sounded very confused. "I just wanted to say hi."

"Oh." Brinley wiped her nose. "Hi."

"Hi!" A girl swam into view, floating slightly above Brinley.

"You... you need something?"

"Can I hug you?"

What? Didn't she just say that Bo was sleeping? Why would this lady then ask him for a hug? "He's sleeping, he can't hear you."

"You. I mean you."

"Me?" Was this woman crazy? Did she not know who she was?

"Yes, you."

"Do... do you know who I am?"

"Yes."

"Then you know that touching me is... a bad decision."

"I make a lot of bad decisions. This isn't one of them."

"I could kill you and everyone on this ship."

"You would not."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do."

"How? I don't even know that."

"You can't really touch me."

"Then how would you even hug me anyway?"

"I can still hug you."

"If you can hug me, I can touch you."

Bo stirred beside them, smacking his lips together and turning so that he now faced the aisle. He pulled the comic book closer to his chest and lifted his knees up to rest on the seat.

Brinley held completely still, watching him. She was not going to bother him.

"Trust me on this."

"I'm not going to be responsible for hurting everyone on board."

"You won't I promise."

Brinley just stared at her.

"Why is you touching me so bad anyway?"

"You would know that if you knew who I was."

"I have a decent idea."

"So what am I in for?"

"A hug?"

"I was not arrested over a hug."

"Well, it was kind of a hug."

"I was holding him by the neck."

"It was a specific kind of hug."

Brinley rolled her eyes. What was this woman getting at? Did she experience head trauma in prison?

"Your touch is clearly capable of something but that's it."

"Capable of blowing people up."

"Mmm Hmm. Can you control it?"

"Not. Not well."

"I understand that."

"So touching me is not a good idea."

"I can still manage."

Brinley huffed.

"What?"

"You're very stubborn."

Bo shifted in his seat again, but this time his eyes opened slowly. He seemed to pause when he laid eyes on the lady floating above them. He blushed and straightened himself quickly, hesitating before placing his comic book under his butt so it became hidden, "H-Hello."

"Hello there!"

Bo rubbed his eyes, "Who are you?" he blushed harder. Brinley could tell that he was trying his hardest to avoid eye contact but to no avail. It was like he couldn't look away.

"I'm Susan. And who are you?"

"Bo Hartman."

"You can hug him. If you want to hug someone."

Susan smiled. "Deflecting are we?"

'What does deflecting mean?" Bo scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Well, it's when you try to distract someone from doing something."

"And it can prevent people from doing something stupid."

"Oh," Bo murmured to himself.

"Bo tell her that hugs are okay."

"I wouldn't know," he murmured once again, looking away, "I haven't had a hug for as long as I remember. Father said hugs were not good, and they spread germs. And germs are yucky."

"So did my... um... father." Brinley had to clench her fists for a second at that. He was definitely not her father. But.. unfortunately, he was the closest thing.

"Twins!" Bo smiled, "That's weird. I thought he was crazy for that, but I guess more parents are like that than I originally thought."

"Well, I wouldn't spread germs!"

"I don't know about yours, but mine was definitely crazy." She pointedly ignored Susan's addition.

"My daddy locked me in my room for two days straight because I went to the park without his permission," Bo shrugged, "Another time, he beat me because I couldn't remember my ABCs. I think he was pretty crazy too."

"Yeah. My father never let me out of my room. Some days I couldn't even get out of bed."

"Yeah, that's a little crazy."

"Just a little."

"A teenie tiny bit." Bo hummed.

"Mmm Hmm."

No one spoke for what felt like an hour-long minute.

"So hug?"

"Hmm. Bo might want to try one."

"What about you?"

"I'm not going to hurt you or anyone else."

"So no hug?"

"I refuse to hurt anyone."

"Right."

Bo chirped in, "I-I'll take a hug. Maybe it'll be good for me to... open up a little. Screw what father said."

"Ooh certainly! We've already established your father was wrong anyway."

Bo grinned, his face even pinker than before. He stood, but hesitated, "H-How am I supposed to hug you? Won't you go right through me?"

"I'd have to concentrate a little, but that's all. I can be solid when I want to."

"Oh my gosh, that's so cool!" Bo shook with excitement and leaned in, embracing Susan with both of his arms.

"Why thank you!" She hugged him back.

When Bo returned to sit back in his seat, goosebumps became visible on his thin arms. He looked down at the floor awkwardly and dreamily kicked his feet, smiling to himself.

Susan smiled. "See. We already have a convert to the school of hugging. Now what's holding you back?"

"Bo doesn't make people explode."

"But I already said you couldn't make me explode."

"But you can make yourself solid. Solid means able to explode."

"Not really."

"How would you know?"

"My body isn't solid in the way you are solid."

"Who knows if that's how it works?"

"Then how does it work?"

"I don't know! It's just dangerous."

"Okay then, I guess there's no convincing you?"

Brinley crossed her arms and looked away.

"Sorry for bothering you then."

"Don't be."

"But I did?"

"No. You're just... reckless."

"Huh?"

"You want to do something dangerous."

"I think it will be safe."

"I disagree."

"Why are you so resistant to at least trying?"

"Because I could kill everyone on this ship! And... and why are you so insistent on trying? I don't deserve it."

"Because you need it. I can sense it."

"I don't deserve it."

"You do."

Brinley rubbed her temples. What was wrong with these people? "If... if I let you do it will you stop asking?"

"Yesss."

Brinley sighed. "Fine."

"Thank youu"

"So... what do I do?"

"Open your armss."

Brinley opened her arms. Susan hugged her gently. Brinley froze completely. She patted her back gently.

Brinley swallowed. "I... oh."

"Better?"

"I... I don't know..."

"You will soon."

Brinley nodded. "O-Okay."

She belonged down there. In the wretched place. But maybe she could at least make the ride there survivable.