Mark led Mouse through the dark, stopping in front of an elevator. As it flew up to the surface, Mouse couldn't help but let the tears free. She wished she hadn't seen it.
"I'm sorry. When I saw what was going on, I knew I had to show you. I would have offered it if you hadn't asked." Mark gestured to the memory stick in her hand. "I don't know what you plan to do with that, but be careful. Plan it out. Don't do anything rash and get yourself killed."
Mouse wiped away the tears, tucking the memory chip in her pocket. "Thank you." Her first thought was to run. Reclaim her ship, her crew and leave. They could plan their next move when safely off world.
The elevator reached the surface. She held out a hand for Mark to shake and he held his arms out instead. She braced herself for the sensation before accepting the hug.
When he was safely on his way back down, she stepped out of the building and into the blinding sunlight. She saw the government complex of Autumn in the distance and began a long walk.
The closer she came to the outer wall, the more she wanted to turn and run. A soldier on the wall called down to her. "Don't move or I'll shoot."
She raised her hand and replied, "My name is Rhey Thakur. I live here. My father Is Dr. Aarav Thakur."
The wait was agony, but the door finally opened. Her father rushed out to meet her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. "Pretend you haven't seen me. Mark told me. I'm sorry. I didn't know."
Mouse nodded, the tears streaming down her face. "I need to get to my ship.," she said. "We have to leave."
"Hush, don't worry. General Baker needs to debrief you, then you're good to go."
"He's part of the problem." She said, following him back into the city. The gates closed behind and she felt trapped, like Daniel in the lion's den.
They walked up the stone steps and into the government complex. Men and women maneuvered around them, each in a hurry to get where they needed to be.
General Baker's office was much like the man, himself: bland and lacking imagination. He didn't even have a picture on his perfectly organized desk.
Argus and Roadrunner stood outside the doorway. The moment Mouse met their eyes she turned away. She reached to open the door and Argus held a hand out to block her.
Mouse looked up and Argus stared her down as if to drive the words into mouses mind. "Don't avert your eyes. What happened wasn't your fault."
Mouse nodded and spoke through clenched teeth, "You're goddamn right it wasn't."
She threw open the door and stepped inside, as did Argus and Roadrunner. General Baker sat in a metal chair. His officers uniform was impeccable, even with the way he sat, it remained unwrinkled by sheer force of will.
Miranda Thrace sat in a chair on the opposite end of the office. Beside her sat two of Safeharbor's elders, Elder Kines, and a woman Mouse recognized as Elder Kiernan.
"Welcome back," General Baker said. He glanced at Mouse's missing arm and shook his head. "You've been through a lot, obviously. I won't take much of your time."
"You've already taken more than I'd like." Mouse replied.
Miranda stifled a laugh and shook her head, an act that attracted the disapproval of her peers.
General baker continued. "Miss Thakur, it is with regret and shame that I deliver this news. Your status as a wayfarer means that should you be rendered disabled in any way, the government will step in and provide you with free housing, board, and well anything really. We're going to take care of you. We can promise that."
"I'm confused." Mouse replied.
"Can you give us a detailed chronology of what happened down there?" Elder Kines added.
Mouse listed every detail, save for the Garden, and the dangerous information she had stowed away in her pocket. Her story was met with gasps of concern, praise for her bravery, and promises of compensation. She didn't care. She didn't believe a word of it.
General Baker nodded and gave a sigh. "Thank you, Miss Thakur. Now, I have some bad news. I'm sure you already know." Mouse didn't respond, prompting Baker to continue, "I'm afraid to say you're grounded. The Calstine is to be decommissioned or reassigned."
"I'm sorry, what?" Mouse replied, the anger building.
"According to your medical records, you don't qualify for a prosthetic. If it wasn't for that, we'd at least let you keep and use the vessel."
"I know my own medical records. That's not true. I qualified from the get go."
"Well, medical experts say otherwise."
"Not this one." Mouse said, raising her hand and pointing at herself. "This one says you're lying."
"Excuse me?"
"I don't think I will excuse you, actually." Mouse felt her voice rising, she was losing control.
"This is the way it is, Miss Thakur. Even if you had a prosthetic, you wouldn't be fit for duty as a wayfarer. Effective immediately, you're no longer part of the wayfarer Initiative." He paused, turning to Argus and Roadrunner. "You two should find reassignment, or suffer the same fate for less honorable reasons."
Argus scoffed with a smirk and crossed her arms. "You really want this to be the last nail in your coffin?"
Elder Kiernan shouted, "Miss Bors, control yourself. I'll ensure the ambassador hears of your insubordination."
Argus forced a smile. "Oh, good. Be a dear, and see to it you do. I suspect she'd be proud." She turned on her heels and walked out of the room. Mouse saw her expression and didn't see anger. She saw a mind at work, one lost in deliberate calculation. Roadrunner followed behind, picking up on the same thing.
Mouse felt lost, stripped of the one thing she couldn't stand to lose. She knew it was coming but she wasn't prepared for just how bad it would be. She scowled at the general and shook her head. She turned to the elders. "Why are you even here?"
Elder Kines nodded. "We had concerns. You spent weeks among the enemy. We wanted to make sure you hadn't been tainted. We'd hate to have a spy in our midst."
"You're a real piece of work, all of you," Mouse began.
The General cut her off, "I understand your angry, Miss Thakur, but-"
She shouted back, "It's Mouse, and you understand nothing about why I'm angry." She paused and tried to bring her voice back down. She failed. "My generation is pissed. You force us under your thumb. You make us work for your own gain. We do the jobs you won't cause we can't get the jobs you have."
General Baker tried to speak but Mouse growled in response. "I am talking. You've forced us to live in a world you built." She pointed at all of them, thrusting her finger forward as if adding a punch to every word. "We're stuck with the responsibility of rebuilding a world you fucked up."
Mouse smiled, but she couldn't imagine what was funny. It surprised her. She'd never been so angry before. "And when we tell you to fuck off, you aim a gun right between our eyes. We don't get a say. If We say no, we can't survive."
The room was silent. Tears streamed down Mouse's face. Her words hurt them. Even her father couldn't look her in the eye. She forgot he was still here.
Miranda was the only one who met her gaze. She nodded, a gesture of understanding and respect. Mouse didn't bother looking back when she left. The stress, the anger was taking its toll. She felt sick.
She stormed out of the complex, sobbing. Argus and Roadrunner waited for her by a shuttle on the landing pad. They ran to her when she keeled over, vomiting on the paved marble underfoot. Argus barely registered the sight but Roadrunner immediately turned away to prevent being sick himself.
Argus patted Mouse on the back and helped her to her feet. "It's okay."
Mouse still felt sick, swaying as she replied. "What's your plan?"
"How badly do you want your arm back?"
Mouse perked up and began to speak, to boldly state she'd do anything to get it back. She managed to stutter a few syllables, whining before stopping to stifle more tears.
Argus smiled and nodded. "Good enough. I don't know how long I'll be. Just hold on, okay?"
"If you say so. What are you going to do?"
Argus led Mouse to the shuttle as she replied, "You invited me into your crew to fix things. So, that's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna fix it. Where are you heading?"
"The archives. I found somthing that The Archivist needs to see."
That was definitely intense! I'm certainly not offended, I'm on Mouse's side in this matter. While I don't swear, I understand her letting it rip on the Elders and general. :D Go Mouse!