Author's Note: Happy New Year, everyone!


Aiden followed Sarah and Brody as they walked up to the Ribbon Tree. He considered pointing out that this was a lot of walking for someone who had just been discharged from the hospital, but he also didn't want the Rangers to pick somewhere new for their game of twenty questions. He needed the privacy.

He wasn't worried about Sarah's questions. He could whip up an answer that seemed good enough, and with Brody confident he would pass, all he needed to do was convince Sarah that there was some good in him. Then, he would be home free.

Once they arrived at the Ribbon Tree, they sat in the grass in it's shade.

"So, you have questions?" Aiden looked to Sarah, ready to take her on. Sarah gave her head a little nod.

"Yeah. Just one, really."

"Just one?" Aiden asked and turned to Brody with a smile. This was going to be easier than he thought. If he had known it would just be one question, he would have agreed to get ice-cream too. "One question, and then you'll believe I'm here to help?"

"One question, that's all it takes," Sarah answered.

"Alright, hit me with it."

"Why?"

"Why… why what?" Aiden asked.

"Just… why," Sarah told him. "You know what you've done. You know who you've hurt. I want to know why you did it. What could have possibly possessed you to say that hurting people was better than whatever else Madam Oedius could do."

"My life was on the line," Aiden said. "It was them or me, and by the time Madam Oedius felt I was ready to be on my own, I had submitted to her power."

"So, you gave in?" Sarah asked. "Madam Oedius had complete control over you?"

"This is more than one question."

"These are follow ups," Sarah said and looked to Brody, who nodded in agreement with her. "They're to help me get the answer I need for you to pass."

"Alright, then yes, Madam Oedius had complete control. My life was in her hands, and if I didn't do what she wanted, I was dead."

"How long did it take for her to do that," Sarah said. "Control you, I mean."

"I don't know. A few months."

"A few months? Really?"

"She's capable of unspeakable things."

"So after a couple of months, you decided that living the way you were, and hurting people as a result, was better than death?"

"I…"

"You were with Madam Oedius for a couple of months, subject to unspeakable things, and you still decided that living like that was better than ending it all."

"That's what she wanted. She wanted me to think she spared my life."

"So, it's not that you submitted to her, it's that you owed her?" Sarah asked. "You owed the monster who kidnapped you, who made your life a living hell? You owed her so much, you were willing to kill to repay that debt?"

Brody looked to Aiden as Sarah asked him these questions and he could see his brother started to shake a little. He appeared nervous, despite claiming he had nothing to hide. A part of Brody thought maybe Sarah was being too tough, and poking at little loopholes that would intentionally make Aiden look bad.

But then he glanced to Sarah. His intention was to give her a look that suggested she lay off, just a little bit. When she looked back at him, though, her face seemed apologetic and almost regretful. She didn't look like she was enjoying these answers anymore than he was.

"When I found out Jordan died, that was it," Aiden said. "I knew I couldn't keep doing what Madam Oedius wanted. I knew I had crossed a line and I had to make up for it. So I escaped."

"How did you escape?" Sarah asked.

"There was an open pod and…"

"So, after a few months of captivity, once you finally decide you've had enough of Madam Oedius, you escape in an open pod. Conveniently, one she leaves out at the same time you plan on escaping."

"I always planned on escaping."

"So then why would she think you were ready to work for her?" Sarah asked. "If she thought it was safe to let you roam free, wouldn't that be because you had given up on escaping?"

"I…"

"I mean, you said earlier, you had submitted to her. So there was a point where you didn't want to escape. Where being with Madam Oedius was better than anything else you could imagine."

"I didn't say that."

"You did," Sarah nodded. "You said that was why you did what you did. Madam Oedius made you submit. She made you into her warrior."

"So she trusted me enough that she didn't think twice when she left a pod lying around," Aiden argued. "That makes sense. Why don't you believe me?"

"I just want to understand why, Aiden," Sarah told him. "You were in our Ranger base. You were safe from Madam Oedius. If you really didn't want to do her work or hurt me or Kelly, you could have said something then."

"She would have known."

"We kept Kelly safe!"

"Madam Oedius got her back."

"You brought her back!" Sarah shouted. "You had the perfect opportunity to ask for help. You knew it was the Ranger base. You knew I was a Ranger. If you had asked for help then, I'd be more inclined to believe you now, but I don't! You put Kelly's life in danger! You poisoned me. You attacked those babies and you killed…"

Sarah didn't finish her sentence. Aiden reached for a ribbon from the tree and wrapped it tightly around her neck. He stood behind her, choking her with the ribbon as he glared at Brody.

"You said I'd pass," he growled.

"Aiden, we both wanted you to pass," Brody said and looked quickly to Sarah. She was trying to pull the ribbon from her neck but Aiden held it tight. When he yanked her back, Brody thought he was going to take her head off. He winced. "Aiden, come on, bro, I'm on your side."

"You set me up. You believe her, don't you?"

"I want to believe you," Brody said and this time he took a step back. Sarah's lips were blue. She didn't have long. "Aiden, let her go."

"She's the reason you don't trust me."

"I trust you despite her," Brody said. "Her questions weren't fair. She wasn't playing by the rules and I got caught up in the drama, alright. I should have called it off. You've been through a lot with Madam Oedius. I'm sure it doesn't feel good being grilled again. I'm sorry."

"So you still believe me?" Aiden asked.

Brody nodded, "I do."

"Then give me your Power Star," Aiden said. Brody reached into his pocket while Aiden tied the ribbon around Sarah's neck.

"Swap?" Brody asked as he held his Power Star in his hand. "I believe you, bro. I really, really do. I just don't think I can take it if she dies."

"She'll tell."

"Who?" Brody asked. "There's no one here. It'll be her word against mine."

Sarah's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell limp. "Aiden, please. I believe you. You know I do. We can still make things right. As long as the body count doesn't rise, all can be forgiven."

He held out his Power Star. Aiden took it, then took Sarah's and let her go.

"I can't stay," he said. "I have to go."

"Get out of the city. I'll handle everything. I'll tell you when it's safe to come back," he said and let Aiden run off while he untied the ribbon from Sarah's neck. It took a lot longer than he wanted, but slowly, she started to come to.

"You were right," he whispered to her.