DAY

Sometimes my brain is a goddy awful place. I've had this thought a lot in the past ten years. Most of the time I was just frustrated but right now as I sit here against the frozen concrete wall with my head clutched in my hands trying to contain the nightmarish memories that are assaulting me I mean it.

When I moved to Ross City I had a head doctor who specialized in neuropsych-something-pretensions who was always rambling about how little scientists know about the brain. I think it was supposed to make me feel better when my memory didn't bounce back as quickly as everyone hoped but frankly it just made me doubt his treatments. He also said that memories could be triggered by "sensory experiences" like sounds and smells and he kept trying to get me to "recreate" stuff from my past, I had a lot of colorful things to say about that suggestion…. He must not have been as cracked as I thought though and in any case the joke's on me because I finally understand what he meant.

Memories are crashing into my brain relentlessly right now, sharper and more painful than they've ever been. My mother shot in the head, neck snapping back, crumpling to the ground outside our home, John's whole body convulsing as bullets fill him and blood blossoms from his chest, Eden in some kitchen somewhere screaming for me, blinding pain in my head, June angry and cold accusing me of killing her brother, June pale in the candlelight her face unimaginable sad, June shouting at the sky broken, broken everything is broken. I can't take this anymore, I feel like I'm losing what's left of my mind. I'm barely holding it together anyway all I want to do right now is rage and shout and kill whoever's responsible for murdering Jessa and endangering June. But I don't want to open my eyes again either, don't want to face the reality of Jessa's cold body or the possibility that June and I might not make it out of this goddy cell.

June I've been so overwhelmed by the onslaught of memories that I'd forgotten all about her next to me. Focus you trot, I think and force myself to fight out of the hell in my mind and open my eyes. What I see is alarming; June's face is pale and even though she holds her knees tightly to her chest she is trembling so hard it looks like she might break apart. Her eyes, ringed by dark circles are fixed intently on the spot where Jessa lies under the thin blanket we pulled off the mat we're sitting on now and laid over her. I don't want to look at Jessa, don't want to think about what a goddy failure I am but the sight of June like this is almost as horrible. I think about what Tess said to me in that stairwell again and I'm afraid for her.

"Hey." I say putting an arm around her and pulling her into me. "Are you okay?" What a stupid question, no one in this room is okay.

"I'm fine." She says which obviously isn't true so I try something else, desperate to distract us both.

"What are you thinking?" As soon as the words leave my mouth I cringe, whatever she's thinking it's not sunshine and butterflies and I doubt she wants to talk about it. I sure as hell don't want to talk about what I've been thinking.

"I was thinking about my brother."

"Tell me about him." I say, hoping his death hasn't been playing over and over in her mind on a goddy jumbotron like John's has been in mine. She shrugs a little and for a second I don't think she'll answer but then she surprises me.

"He was…wise. I wish you could have known him, I think you would've liked each other. Before he died he was digging into government crimes, the plagues, the trials, our parents accident…. he hated what they were doing to the people, he wanted to change the system." She still stares straight ahead but a small smile pulls at the corner of her mouth as she goes on, "So he was a bit of a revolutionary, kind-of like you." Then she sighs and shakes her head. "I wonder sometimes if he hadn't died if you and I would ever have met." She turns to look at me and her dark eyes are full of sadness. I don't know how to respond to that, I know I've wondered what would've happened if my mother and John had survived, what kind of man John would be… That thought haunts me more than any others but the truth is I can't imagine a world without June. That's a lie, I can…it was dark. My chest feels like lead when I remember what Jessa said to me before she died, she'd been right, without June I'd felt empty.

"I think we would have met someday, yeah? I was trouble and it was bound to be you who caught me." I nudge her shoulder and she nods.

"I admired you, you know."

"I don't blame you" I say, "Did you have a scrapbook?" The teasing just sounds hollow besides I don't think June knows what a scrapbook is either. "Why?" I add after a pause.

"I was impressed." She says shrugging, "Maybe even jealous, your stunts were legendary. I didn't want to believe it but you were a better runner than me…" She glances at me with a bit of mischief in her eyes. " No one was ever better than me at anything."

"How did you do it then?"

"What?"

"Catch me." Goddy hell. I don't know what possessed me to say that! I didn't even think about what I was asking until June's expression darkens and temperature in the room plummets.

"I lured you out and got enough information to give myself someplace to start looking… I didn't know it was you when we first met."

Suddenly a weird detail pops into my head. "The knot."

"Hm?"

"I remember going for cures and the contact had his coat tied with some fancy military knot. That was you?"

"Yes" She replies closing her eyes, "That was my first mission and you had me pegged in minutes, I've been careful about that sort of thing ever since."

"You said you didn't know it was me when we met though?" Why am I pressing this conversation? It's hard to imagine a worse time to do this. For some reason though my memory feels like its alive right now, like the details that were cut out of my head are struggling to find me, like if I hear this I won't just know it I'll remember it. Maybe it's not such a bad time anyway, the circumstances seem to have stripped us of our usual barriers.

"I didn't, it was just dumb luck or a cruel twist of fate, whatever you want to call it. I saved Tess from a skiz fight and then you saved me. We were together for a few days before I figured out who you were… When I did I didn't even think twice before I turned you in." She's quiet for a long time before going on. "I've regretted that choice everyday since."

The night of June's twenty-seventh birthday after what might have been the most awkward dinner in the history of dinner June and I fled the curious looks from Tess, Eden and Pascao and ended up walking the streets of LA for hours. Eventually we found our way to Lake sector and spent the rest of the night until dawn sitting under a bridge by the edge of the lake with a bottle of wine I nicked from Tess. Since both of us had already downed a few glasses of wine at dinner a lot was said. Course that was before the alcohol went to our heads completely and we gave up talking altogether and started making out like teenagers... Funny thing is that after that night we never really talked about our past again we just moved on into our future. I think we both thought it was better to let go. Now I wonder if either of us did, June is still carrying all that guilt and like a goddy trot, I've been letting her hold onto our story like it was hers alone to keep. It's long past time to change that.

"I regret a lot of things but I don't regret you." I tell her. "Not at all. I want to know this stuff ok? It can't all be terrible, there had to be a few good moments yeah?"

"Yeah." The shadow in her eyes lifts a little "More than a few."

"Tell me."

And she does, hesitantly at first but then the words start to pour out of her like water from a broken dam. Even knowing June I'm still impressed by how rich and detailed her memory is. The story she tells is so clear it pulls things from the darkness in my head and makes me feel like I'm not just hearing it but remembering it. While I'm listening to her I can almost taste the cheap wine on her lips from our first kiss and see a blush rise on her cheeks when she stumbles through a list of fun facts about the mettle in paperclips.

I don't think I've ever thought about what it must have been like to hold onto everything like that for so long. Listening to her now I understand that she didn't just carry a story she carried us, the realization tugs at my heartstrings. When she finally goes quiet I reach and out take her face in both of my hands running my thumbs back and forth along her frozen cheekbones. I lean my forehead against hers and watch her breath hang in the air between us while I try to think of what to say I can't explain how it is that I love her more now than I did an hour ago so I don't try, I just pull her a little closer and tell her "Thank you".

I don't know how much time passes while we sit like this my brain is still on fire but at least not all of the memories that cycle through it now are tainted with blood and sorrow. I look over at June who is still watching me from beneath her dark lashes and I wonder if I'm seeing things because even though her mouth is set in a grim line and her shoulders are tense it seems like some of the heaviness has gone from her eyes. She hasn't stopped shaking though and every so often she winces and inhales in a way that makes me worry that she's in pain. I'm just starting to think its time to figure out how to get the hell out of here when there's a beeping sound outside our cell and a moment later a girl steps through the door. Alone. Why would she be alone? Where're the guards? Without warning anger floods my veins, She's involved.

JUNE

Dakota

Estimated 42F indoors

She stands motionless in the middle of the room seemingly transfixed by the dirty bloodstained sheet that covers Jessalyn's body. I watch as the color drains from her face and she sways on her feet, for an instant her body looks as though it can't decide whether to remain frozen or collapse but eventually gravity wins and she drops heavily to her knees. Neither Day nor I move to help her, we are both wary of her presence here now after so many hours in the company of our captors. Still wherever she's been it's clear Alisha had no knowledge that one of her would-be rescuers had died.

For three minutes and six seconds no one speaks. Alisha doesn't move, she simply stares with blank eyes at Jessalyn's body, I study her trying to assess her state of mind but I am distracted when I feel Day's arms tighten around me and hear his breathing change. I sense that he has begun to channel his anger over Jessalyn's death at the woman before us and while there's very little doubt in my mind now that she's involved somehow I'm not convinced she isn't also a victim. My thoughts turn to Anden; I remember the look on his face when he asked me to bring her back. Anden truly loves her and he is not a man who falls in love lightly besides, if I trust anyone's judgment it's his. More importantly perhaps I have not forgotten the way Alisha's eyes followed Anden at dinner and even though it's hard to imagine that this haunted looking woman is the same person I thought looked so unmarked by life that night I know I didn't misread her feelings for him. That thought moves me to break the silence.

"Alisha?" I free myself from Day's grasp and make my way over to her. The movement triggers another wave of the stabbing pain and nausea I've been feeling since waking up but I push it aside and trap the fear that follows, whatever it means there is nothing I can do about it now. "Alisha?" I say again waiting for her huge hazel eyes to focus on me before I continue on in my best impression of the soothing voice my brother used to use. "What happened to you?"

"Are you involved in this?" Day speaks up from behind me. His words are measured but I hear the sharp edge in his tone and I shoot him a warning glance.

"I didn't want anyone to get hurt." Alisha replies at last in an empty voice, "They promised me no-one else would be hurt."

"They lied." Day snaps.

"Who promised you?" I ask, ignoring him and keeping my voice gentle. Now that I am close to her I see dark bruises on her wrists and an angry red mark that is just beginning to swell across her face, someone hit her recently.

"I don't know." Her voice is barely audible. "I don't know names."

"Why would you work for them?" Day asks abandoning his attempt at calm and jumping to his feet. His eyes flash as he walks over to join us. For a moment I'm afraid he's going to start yelling at her but when he's close enough to take in the bruises on her arms and face he stops short and crosses his arms tightly across his chest.

"They have my sister" She whispers, "Lissa, they…. they're selling her. I had to come. They showed me… They have pictures of her with_" Suddenly her lovely face spasms and her words seem to get caught in the back of her throat like they're choking her. She clenches her hands into fists and presses them against her mouth as though she is trying to keep herself from drawing breath, indeed for a long moment she doesn't breathe at all. I am just about to reach out to shake her when she breaks; ugly tears stream furiously down her cheeks and the noise that escapes her is horrible, almost animal the sound of it alone threatens to tear out my heart. I glance up at Day and see that the anger in his eyes is fading fast, he looks back at me with an expression that must mirror my own and the two of us wait in helpless silence until Alisha is able to regain control. When at last she is calm I reach out hesitantly and place a hand on the top of her shoe; I've never been particularly good at being comforting.

"Alisha?" I try again, "Please tell us what happened…" She looks a little startled and stares down at the spot where my hand rests, I'm tempted to pull it away but I force myself to wait patiently and maintain the contact.

"They took Lissa to force our father to bribe the other CEO's for the Colonies vote at the UN summit." She says at last.

"Your father works for these trots?" Day asks in disbelief.

"No!" She snaps and for the first time there is a hint of fire in her voice but then she hesitates and when she speaks again it's gone replaced by a deep sadness I understand all too well. "He's a CEO at Meditech…when our mother died he almost went bankrupt gambling." She winces at the memory. "A few years ago he started smuggling illegal drugs for the black market through the corporation to pay off his debt." She looks directly at Day now, meeting his gaze for the first time with eyes that are surprisingly hard. "He's a good man, he loves us. He didn't want to go on working with the organization but once you deal with them they own you."

"Do they own you too?" His voice has lost most of the edge but it's still an accusation and Alisha hears it as clearly as I do.

"They do now! They have my sister… They're selling her to god knows how many men for…what would you do Day?" Her words are sharp but there is a current of desperation running beneath them, like she truly wants to know what her childhood hero would tell her to do.

"I_ " He starts, his mouth opens and then quickly closes again, he shakes his head and takes a spontaneous step back from her, his eyes dart over to me looking for help.

I don't blame him; it's a loaded question. What would he do?

I was well aware that the political system in the Colonies operated more like a business than our own government but over the past few years with so much crossover between our citizens Anden has been working closely with them to draft a set of unified civil rights laws and break down some of the barriers created by our ancestors. I can't pretend it's not disheartening to hear that this kind of corruption is still so prevalent in their country, that one mans poor choices and another's greed could threaten thousands of lives! I also can't help but wonder if the Republic is facing similar internal struggles? Change is a painfully slow and arduous process and I haven't paid careful attention to the nuances of politics lately the way I once did. ""So the organization is forcing your father to buy votes from the other CEOs… When did you get involved?" I ask pushing the thought aside and jumping in to save Day.

"I didn't even know they had Lissa until a week ago, my father kept it from me but then…" She clutches at her forearms so tightly that the fingernails on her undamaged hand draw blood as they bite into her pale skin.

"They realized they could use you against Anden." I finish for her and try not to sigh it's a proverbial "two birds with one stone" situation and I'm angry with myself for failing to look into Alisha's family more carefully. If I had I might have recognized the possibility that something like this might occur or at least have been better equipped to handle the circumstances when it did. I do wonder what made them decide that she was close enough to Anden to take the additional risk since their relationship has not been widely publicized. Threatening an already corrupt CEO is one thing but Anden is a well-respected leader who isn't known for having vices or making rash decisions. Someone must have been very certain this woman was important enough to him that endangering her would bend him to their will.

"Why wouldn't you just tell someone?" Day asks.

"You don't understand." She replies, "I didn't know who was giving them information about me and they kept sending me these pictures of Lissa ….she was…" A shudder runs through her body again but this time she is able to stay focused and continue. "As long as they didn't kill her they were keeping their word to my father but there was nothing to keep them from hurting her, I had to come."

"What kind of information?" I say

"They knew about Mexico and_"

"So you came here on your own?" Day interrupts his voice rising again, "You just staged the whole thing and left? Did you know they were going to try to kill June?"

"No!" She cries, "I told you they promised me no one would be hurt! It was just supposed to be a distraction… I don't know why someone wanted June…"

"Dead?" He snaps, "Why they wanted her dead? The trot with the gun told me it was just more convenient that way but I guess they left that out, yeah?"

"Day" I say reaching out to stop him.

"What about your hand?" He asks with only a little less heat.

She shrugs miserably as if it couldn't possibly be important. "I had to."

"You did that to yourself!?" Day's voice is incredulous and we both watch her in stunned silence as she nods. I try to imagine this fragile looking girl taking a knife to her own hand and cutting off a finger before carefully giftwrapping it in that delicate little box.

"Did it work?" I ask her when I am able to focus on the present situation again. "What happened to your sister?"

"No." She says in a strangled voice. "When you came they thought I gave you information and they moved her again. They never let me see her but at least she was here for a while, I don't know where they're taking her now."

"And what about you?" I say softly, "What will they do with you now? Or us for that matter?"

"They're going to move us too, I think." She replies.

"All of us?" Day asks, "Why?"

"I'm not sure… I heard one of the guards say something about the boss and getting a van prepped. He.. he thought I was knocked out when he said it so I don't think he was being careful, but then they sent me back in here with you so they must be taking us somewhere together." Day and I glance sideways at each other, a van does not sound like an ideal development. On the other hand I can tell by the look on his face he's thinking the same thing I am… If they don't kill us first being transported might be an excellent opportunity to engineer our escape.

Silence descends over us then and we sit consumed by our own thoughts and with waiting for whatever comes next. Eventually Day leans his head back against the wall closes his eyes and does not open them again although I seriously doubt he's sleeping. Meanwhile my brain is busy analyzing and reanalyzing the conversation with Alisha, something she said struck a chord with me, there was an important detail in that conversation if only I could put my finger on it…

"June." Alisha's quiet voice breaks through my concentration and I look up to find her watching me intently.

"Yes?" I say matching her hushed tone.

"Do you think he could forgive me?"

"I_" I start and then stop. Do I? When she came here she betrayed her own country and ours and she did so without regard for Anden or any of the innocent victims the new UN laws would protect, victims like her sister. Her sister… suddenly I hear Metias's voice from my dream "Good isn't something you are or aren't its something you strive everyday to be but sometimes you fail the people you love." Who am I to judge this woman for her choices, for trying to save her sister? My eyes wander to Day and I notice that his bright blue eyes are open and trained on me. If any two people in the world fully understand the lengths someone will go to out of love for their siblings it's Day and I.

But forgiveness… I watch Day for a moment longer and I can almost hear his thoughts. Forgiveness is something I never would have asked for from him, something I didn't believe I deserved but he forgave me anyway, and if I can be forgiven...

"Yes." I tell her, "I think he could."

Just then there are footsteps outside the door. Day and I rise simultaneously to our feet and instinctively take a protective stance in front of Alisha who began shaking again as soon as she heard the guards approaching.

"You'd think they'd keep their goddy products a little warmer." Day mutters under his breath.

Warmer… Suddenly I remember what Alisha said about Mexico… They knew about Mexico. The door opens and guards stream in with their weapons aimed at us. It's a ridiculous show of force, I might have been able to take one or two of these men down before they killed me but I would never have been arrogant or stupid enough to attack this many from my current position completely unarmed.

"Stand." One man snaps at Alisha. But he doesn't even give her time to respond before he hauls her to her feet.

"Let's go." He says pushing her into another guard before tuning and slamming the butt of his rifle into Day's shoulder.

I follow without resistance my mind still working furiously. I don't know yet if it will make any difference but wherever we're going one thing has changed.

I know who's behind this.

Hello lovely Legend fans! Sorry for the delay (again). As always thank you so very much for reading and reviewing I truly appreciate it and I hope you are still enjoying this little story... Whether you love it or hate it I would very much love to hear your thoughts!

Have a lovely week!