Every map was different, and Blake couldn't figure out why. Not only that, but she couldn't even venture a guess as to where any of them pointed. Even if her knowledge of the constellations was above average, the waypoints she managed to translate didn't ring any bells. The formation of the stars didn't even look familiar.
If the maps were as old as they looked, the locations could have changed by now. Stars could have been destroyed while new ones were discovered. If that was the case, how could they be used as anything other than a snapshot of what once was?
The maps themselves served as no use to her, but the words written in the legends proved an even greater mystery. Mentions of a 'key' were made on every page, as if serving a warning to those without that integral item. There was also a lengthy tirade about how only the 'worthy' were allowed at this mythical location but, other than that, the only thing she got from hours of poring over the pages was a headache.
Deciding that she deserved a break from the monotony, she headed to the rec room and, upon finding 'her' seat open, sat at the table with Emerald, Mercury, and Ret.
"You look like crap."
"Thanks," she grumbled while picking up the cards dealt to her. "You look great too."
While Emerald rolled her eyes at the response, Mercury huffed with amusement. But his gaze quickly locked onto the other side of the room, and his posture stiffened as he leaned across the table and whispered, "Incoming."
As Cinder walked across the room, Emerald only glanced that way before scowling at the cards in her hands. "Whatever," was all she said before flipping one onto the table and motioning for Mercury to play.
"Guess we're nobodies now..." he muttered while selecting a card and doing the same.
Cinder, meanwhile, glowered at Blake before leaving the room behind. Fortunately, Blake had already turned in the first two maps, which seemed to have bought her a reprieve. It probably wouldn't last long though, which meant more late nights and early mornings brushing up on her Valerian.
"Well I know Cinder didn't tell you." Rolling her eyes at the comment, Blake played one of her cards and prodded Ret to go next. "I'm going to find out, you know," Emerald added undeterred.
"Relax, Em," Mercury cut in. "So she learned something before you. You're still gossip queen."
The response pacified Emerald enough for her to pick up her cards, but she immediately set them back down in a huff.
"I've stored favors with every person on this ship - how the hell did you find out before me?"
"Luck?" Blake suggested, and smiled when Emerald glared. That glare disappeared, however, when Ret poked her shoulder and motioned for her to keep the round going. Though it looked like she would rather stay on this topic until she found an answer, she gave it up with a roll of her eyes and played her next card.
While Mercury considered his options next, Ret nudged Blake's shoulder and offered her one of the stims he always had on him. When she waved him off, he opened it up and took it himself.
"You're cutting it close," Mercury warned from across the table, and even Emerald looked vaguely troubled by the continued drug use.
"Cinder will tear you apart if she spots you loaded on shift."
"It'll wear off by then."
Ret didn't look at all worried about the possible repercussions, but his friends exchanged concerned glances.
"Maybe you should be more like new girl," Emerald suddenly said, and Blake immediately knew where the conversation was headed. "New girl's clean as a whistle."
The look Emerald sent Blake dared her to disagree, so she shrugged when Ret looked at her.
"Don't need it. It only holds me back."
She didn't think her opinion mattered but, after spinning the disk between his fingers, Ret sighed and put it away. Emerald and Mercury relaxed at that small success, and the card game continued as normal.
The last thing Blake wanted to be was someone's sobriety program, but she would help if she could. It also gave her an ironclad excuse for turning down any offers made to her - she was helping Ret, and she couldn't help Ret by lighting up herself. Plus, she would be lying if she said she wasn't worried about his habit. If the drugs themselves didn't kill him, Adam or Cinder certainly would.
"When does she stop being new girl?" Ret asked, tossing another card on the table.
"When there's a new new girl," Emerald replied with a dismissive wave. "Who knows when that'll be. Don't particularly care."
The response was flippant, but Blake had learned to ignore the jabs. They happened often enough that she expected them more often than not. At the end of the day, they were just insults, and she could deal with insults far better than she could deal with assaults.
After her first night on the Inferno, she had feared that this would be a constant fight for survival - an endless battle to prove herself to people far crueler than herself. Some of the crew still tested her, but she'd learned who they were and avoided them as much as possible. Adam and Cinder were harder to avoid, but she tried to keep her head down whenever they were nearby. Then there was Yang...
On cue, Yang strode into the room and immediately captured Blake's attention. From her golden hair, metal arm, and vivid red eyes, she was a symbol of power and strength. She was to be feared...but it was growing harder to fear her these days. She could be cold and harsh, but she was also fair and reasonable.
When Adam stalked in after Yang, Blake averted her gaze and watched the interaction out of the corner of her eye. Adam was someone to be feared. His quick trigger to violence and propensity to fly off the handle made him unpredictable, and unpredictable in this type of environment was a deadly thing.
At the moment, however, Yang was the angry one.
"It's a waste of time -"
"I don't care," Yang spit back at him, tearing her arm from his grasp when he tried to physically stop her. "Give me thirty fucking minutes to check it out."
If anyone else spoke to Adam like that, those might be the last words they ever said. When Yang did it, he clenched his jaw and looked like he wanted to hit her. Noticing the room's attention upon them, however, he said "Thirty minutes," before stalking away. As soon as he disappeared, Yang's gaze fell upon Blake.
"Grunt - with me."
Tossing her cards on the table, Blake scrambled to her feet and hurried after Yang. She had no idea where they were going or why, but she didn't care. Adam clearly didn't want it to happen, which meant she was on board with ensuring that it did. Plus, she wouldn't pass up an opportunity to spend time with Yang in private.
"What do you need?" she asked upon falling into step by Yang's side.
"Company."
Blake tilted her head at the response, but Yang added nothing to it. Instead, she silently led them into the shuttle bay - Blake's first clue that they were leaving the ship - and grabbed a phaser off of the rack filled with them. After strapping the weapon across her back, she grabbed a second one and pressed it into Blake's hands. Before Blake could ask what it was for, Yang jogged up the ramp of one of the shuttles parked in the bay.
Giving up on the idea of getting more explanation right now, Blake followed Yang into the shuttle and joined her in the cockpit. This particular vehicle was built for short excursions or moving between ships, making it spacious for just the two of them but still easily maneuverable. And, from the way Yang's hands raced over the controls, she knew exactly how to fly it.
"Am I going to need this?"
When Blake motioned with the weapon in her hands, Yang barely even glanced over.
"I hope not, but you never know."
That answered nothing except suggesting they were headed somewhere potentially dangerous. But the Inferno itself was dangerous, so that wasn't much of a change.
"Hold on."
Once the shuttle bay door opened, revealing nothing but empty space beyond, Yang fired up the thrusters and went through a preflight checklist while Blake silently did the same. When all systems were operational, Yang carefully piloted them out of the Inferno.
For a few brief moments, the shuttle drifted into the expanse of black dotted by millions of stars and planets - a view Blake never grew tired of, no matter how many times she saw it. After they moved far enough away, Yang turned the shuttle so that the Inferno took up most of their view. Unlike space, which was a miracle to be marveled at, the Inferno was built to be feared. Blake felt that way the first time she laid eyes upon it, and her opinion hadn't changed since.
Fortunately, the Inferno wasn't in their field of view for long, as Yang directed the shuttle underneath it. As soon as they made it to the other side, Blake spotted their destination - a passenger ship floating nearby. From the burn marks across the hull and the lack of lights, it had been attacked and left as scrap to the void of space.
"Raiders probably got it," Yang explained while piloting the shuttle closer. "We'll check it out and see if it has anything useful. Most likely not, but you never know."
The answer explained why Adam viewed the excursion as a waste of time, but Blake understood Yang's insistence as soon as they were close enough to make out the markings on the ship.
It was Zitovian. By itself, that held little significance. But when Yang believed that a group of Zitovian raiders had some connection to her sister, she would follow any possible lead.
That dedication to her family was either admirable or stupid. Considering they were leaving one of the most notorious ships in the universe, by themselves, to 'check out' a destroyed hull that merely bore the right markings, Blake leaned towards the latter. Still, she was willing to help. She didn't know how much help was needed on a lifeless husk of a spacecraft, but she could at least provide what Yang originally asked for - company - and a second set of eyes in this search for clues.
Her willingness did little to temper her nerves, however, which grew the closer they drew to the ship. Up close, the destruction appeared contained to the rear of the craft, and the docking bay was damaged but not enough to make it unusable. Another small craft had been destroyed in whatever attack happened here, and its parts now floated listlessly around the space. After carefully navigating through the debris, Yang set the shuttle down in the only open space large enough to fit.
"We need helmets," Yang muttered. After tapping one of the meters, she headed into the back of the shuttle. Even though the lack of gravity in the docking bay confirmed that the ship's outer seal was broken, Blake glanced at the oxygen readout before following.
"This should fit."
When Yang tossed a helmet over to her, Blake caught it and tried it on. The black mask automatically sealed with her armor, creating a spacesuit capable of withstanding their short trek to the door and back. Yang handed her a thruster pack next, which she slipped around her shoulders before buckling into place.
"You good?"
Yang's voice sounded as if she was right beside Blake, confirming that microphones had been installed in the helmets. A useful feature, especially in situations like these, and Blake nodded before motioning for Yang to lead the way.
"Take one," Yang instructed first, pointing at a box of flashlights before lowering the shuttle's ramp. Gravity instantly disappeared, but Yang hardly paused before swinging herself out of the ship. After grabbing a flashlight and attaching it to her suit, Blake did the same.
"We'll try that door."
Yang pointed at a door in the front left of the room and, after making sure Blake understood their objective, pressed her feet to the side of the shuttle, coiled her legs, and propelled herself forward without the use of her boosters.
While Yang sailed towards the door, Blake grabbed the same handhold, lifted her feet up to the ship, and replicated what Yang just did. Launching herself off the side of the shuttle, she focused on her destination and kept an eye out for any debris that might drift into her path. Fortunately, the path remained clear, and she floated seamlessly over to the door and Yang.
"I think the inner seal's intact," Yang said, running her hands across the surface of the airlock door while Blake grabbed onto a handhold to keep herself in place. "If we can find the override, we can pull it open."
"Should be bottom left." Blake pointed her flashlight at the corner of the door, where the override handle hid, and Yang glanced at it before giving her a surprised look. "It's standard on these ships," she added with a shrug.
If Yang wondered how Blake acquired that specific knowledge, she didn't ask while twisting the handle, pushing the door open, and waving Blake through. Yang quickly followed into the airlock and, as soon as she pulled the door closed, gravity returned like a great weight pressing down on their shoulders.
"Damn, this is a nice ship. They must've built a backup battery into the airlock system to keep it afloat." After leaving the airlock, Yang removed her helmet and took a deep breath. "Life support's gone though. Oxygen will run out eventually."
Standing in what was basically a much smaller version of the Inferno's ready room, Blake removed her helmet and sniffed the thin, stale air. Enough oxygen was left to sustain them for the duration of their visit, but she would start to worry if they were stuck here for a significant amount of time. Fortunately, from the speed Yang was moving, they wouldn't be here long.
"Before we go any further..." Yang said from the doorway leading into the rest of the craft. "Prepare yourself. Whatever happened here, chances are it wasn't pretty."
Nodding at the forewarning, Blake mentally steeled herself for what was to come. Following Yang's lead, she set her helmet by the door and paused when she noticed a shelf of spacesuits nearby. The small, child-sized one latched like a clamp around her heart, and it took a great deal of effort to ignore that feeling and follow Yang further into the ship.
As the universe devolved into chaos, morals went right along with it. That was why Blake's mission was so important. That was why she had to succeed. The group who did this - a group probably similar to the Blackguards - had to be stopped. They had to learn that such disregard for life wouldn't be accepted. Before she could imagine locking them in cells for the rest of their lives, however, she had to witness the remnants of their crimes.
"What're we looking for?" she whispered while they walked through the ship, their flashlights bouncing around the halls as they went. Even though they were the only ones around, it didn't feel right to speak any louder than a whisper. Out of respect for the dead or because the atmosphere suggested that she shouldn't.
"No idea," Yang replied in an equally quiet tone. "We should get the captain's logs and see if they mention anything. Otherwise...look for a sign that says 'Ruby Rose was here.'"
The instruction wasn't serious, but Blake fell silent and kept her eyes peeled anyway. The dejection in Yang's voice gave away her expectation for the outcome of this mission, and that made Blake feel worse than before. She didn't have siblings of her own, but Sun was like a brother to her - what if he disappeared? What would she sacrifice to find him?
...maybe Yang's dedication wasn't so dumb after all. And Blake still wanted to help if she could. That desire made her a willing participant in this moment, as they walked through a ship that had once been full of life. From the dark marks splattered on the walls and smeared across the floor, these travelers had been ill-prepared for those happy times to end.
As she stepped around the first body laying in the hall, she shook her head and tried to still her hammering heart. Space travel had brought them together - infinite planets sharing knowledge and resources - but also fostered a sense of lawlessness amongst the stars. Out here, in the midst of vast emptiness, there was always a bigger ship. There was always a deadlier enemy. And help was hardly ever nearby.
That was what made ISA so important. By creating a network of cooperative planets, the space between them became safer. ISA created a chance of being saved in a situation like this. Because this ship, these people, had no chance.
"They didn't even fight back…" Yang whispered as they passed a man and woman who'd been gunned down in each other's arms. While Yang shook her head and continued towards the front of the ship, Blake held her light on the couple for a second longer before following.
"Who did this?" she asked once she returned to Yang's side.
"The Blackguards aren't the only ones who don't care about innocent lives," Yang replied in an almost-resentful tone. "There are plenty of others who wouldn't hesitate to do this."
"That's…"
'Awful' almost slipped out, but Blake held her tongue and shook her head instead. Yang might agree with her, but she didn't want to put that thought out in the open only to regret it later. Because Yang was a Blackguard. She was one of these people.
That was becoming harder to believe, but Blake didn't dwell on it while they crept through dark, quiet halls. It wasn't long before they reached the bridge, where pried-open doors greeted them.
"Guess they wanted something in here…"
No sooner had they stepped through the doorway did a blast of phaser fire hit the ceiling above them. On instinct, Blake ducked and searched for the source of the attack, but Yang immediately vaulted over a computer station and snatched the weapon away from someone. It was crushed in her hand and tossed across the room by the time Blake got her light on their attacker.
Then they both froze.
It wasn't an attacker; it was a little boy, no more than six or seven years old with short, wavy blonde hair and two delicate little horns on his forehead. Now on the verge of tears, he scooted underneath a table to get away from Yang.
"Please don't hurt me," he begged as the tears began to fall. "I won't tell anyone you were here, I promise!"
Without moving her light, Blake held her breath and waited for Yang's response. He just shot at them, but he was only a kid...and obviously only doing what he'd been told.
Fortunately, Yang didn't look mad - she looked shocked. And, after glancing at Blake, she hurried to the front of the bridge without a word. Relieved by the lack of anger, Blake rushed over to the little boy, knelt in front of him, and held up her hands to show that she meant no harm.
"It's ok…" she said softly in Zitovian, the language he just used to speak to them. "We're not going to hurt you..."
When he seemed to understand her - and believe her - she prayed that she hadn't lied once again. After what happened with Jori, and Austor, she couldn't bear the guilt of another life lost because of her. Especially not a child...
"Shit," Yang muttered after trying one of the ship's computers. "There's no fuel," she said before rushing over to another, which also remained stubbornly blank. "No power. Nothing - it's all gone."
When Yang slammed her fist on the computer in frustration, the little boy slid further underneath the counter.
"It's ok," Blake reassured him as more tears welled in his eyes. "Please don't be scared. We're just trying to see if the ship works -"
"Can you talk to him?" Returning to Blake, Yang motioned towards the boy. "You can speak to him? Ask him if there's a radio or something."
"Do you know if there's a radio on board?" Blake asked. "Or anything we can use to communicate?" she elaborated, but he bit his lip and shook his head.
"Fuck."
Yang checked the computer again, as if something magically changed in the past few seconds. After staring at the blank screen for a long time, she gave it another angry tap before pacing in front of it.
"We can't send out a distress beacon. We can't power anything up. We can't fix life support. We can't do anything." Abruptly coming to a stop, she closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and sighed. "We have to leave him."
"What?" Yang tried to resume pacing, but Blake stood up and grabbed her arm. "We can't leave him here alone. He'll die."
"If we take him with us, he'll die," Yang countered. "I don't know what version of Adam you've met," she added, her gaze flitting to the bruises on Blake's neck. "But he's not great with people - period."
"There's probably a back-up radio somewhere," Blake pressed. "We just need to find it -"
"We have to be back in ten minutes." Yang didn't elaborate on what would happen if they weren't back in time, she just let the words hang in the air before shaking her head. "We have to leave him."
"No."
"Blake," Yang sighed. "Another ship could find him and get him somewhere safe."
"And if that doesn't happen?"
Yang didn't answer, but Blake saw the uncertainty in scarlet eyes, and that made her even less willing to back down. She wasn't about to have this on her conscience; she had enough there as it was.
"Listen," she continued when Yang didn't respond. "We'll be at Drideter tomorrow. We can take him with us, hide him on the shuttle, then smuggle him off and get him to someone who can help."
"You realize what happens if we get caught? We all die - very painful deaths. If we leave him, he has a chance. If we take him, he doesn't."
Realizing that Yang was serious, that she actually believed there was no other option, Blake took a step back and shook her head.
"Then I'm staying."
For a second, Yang just stared. Then she clenched her jaw and balled her fingers into fists.
"You don't get to make that call - I make the decisions here."
"And your decision is wrong," Blake shot back. "Or will you really leave a child to die?"
Yang froze at the question and, for a split second, Blake worried that she would say yes. That she would rather save herself than risk her life for someone too young to hope of helping themselves. But then her expression changed. Briefly, she looked horrified, then ashamed, before settling upon anxious determination.
"Ok." She didn't sound certain, but she still nodded. "Fine. But you have to tell him that he either stays quiet or dies."
"I'm not saying that to a child," Blake scolded her before kneeling down to speak to the little boy. "Can you tell me your name?" she asked first, and felt her heart crack when she noticed his hands shaking with fear.
"Z-Zimon."
"Hi Zimon, I'm Blake," she replied with a small smile before motioning to Yang. "And that's Yang. We want to help you get home, but this ship is broken. We have another ship we can use, but you have to come with us."
When he sniffled and sent an apprehensive glance towards Yang, Blake scooted closer and shook her head.
"She's ok. She's loud, but she won't hurt you."
For a second, Blake thought he might insist on staying here, making this rescue mission that much more difficult. Fortunately, he gave Yang another long look before wiping some of the tears from his bright blue eyes and crawling out from under the table. Once he pushed himself to his feet, Blake realized that he must be younger than she initially thought, possibly even as young as four or five.
"We should go."
Without looking at Yang, who shifted impatiently nearby, Blake smiled at Zimon and used the most patient tone she could muster.
"We need to leave now, ok?"
"Ok," he whispered before raising his arms towards her. It took Blake a second to understand what he was asking of her, but as soon as she figured it out she didn't hesitate to pick him up. He wasn't too heavy, thankfully, and she could easily carry him back to the airlock while relying on Yang to light the way.
"Alright." After shifting him to her side, she looked up at him and nodded. "Ready?"
"I can't leave Zam Zam..."
When he pointed at a stuffed animal laying nearby, whose long, velvety ears had seen cleaner days, she picked it up and handed it to him.
"Can't forget him," she agreed before nodding to Yang.
Gone was any notion of searching for evidence of Ruby, and Yang simply gave her a long, hard look before hurrying back the way they came. Remembering the gauntlet of horror between them and the shuttle, she clutched Zimon closer as soon as they stepped off of the bridge.
"Don't look, ok Zimon?" she whispered, and he buried his face in her shoulder while they rushed to the airlock.
Up ahead, Yang took long, purposeful strides and kept her flashlight trained forward at all times, almost as if ignoring the fact that they were bringing company back with them. But Blake couldn't ignore it, not with Zam Zam's soft fur brushing against her chin while Zimon clung to the stuffed animal and her at the same time.
Her heart raced from the implications of what they were about to do, knowing this wasn't pushing boundaries but outright ripping up the line. Yang wasn't exaggerating when she said that they would meet painful ends if caught, and Blake doubted she could even fathom the depths of agony at Adam's disposal.
"Goodbye Mima...goodbye Papa..." Zimon whispered as they passed the couple who'd died in each other's arms. And, at that moment, Blake decided that she didn't care if this ended horribly. She couldn't leave him behind; she wouldn't be able to live with the guilt.
Reaching the airlock first, Yang put on her helmet before pulling out the child-sized suit and offering it to Blake. After setting Zimon down, Blake took the suit and held it up to him. It looked like it fit, so she helped him step into it before sealing it up and handing him the helmet.
"It's not far," she said when she saw the fear in his eyes. "Why don't you let Yang hold onto Zam Zam?" she added while motioning for the stuffed animal. "And you hold onto me?"
Again, he agreed, although somewhat reluctantly as he handed his toy to Yang. For a second, Yang just stared at the stuffed animal with nothing more than a stitched X for a nose. Then she finally took it, gave Blake an unamused look, and walked into the airlock.
Undeterred by Yang's reticence, Blake held Zimon's hand and followed. Once the three of them stood inside, Yang opened the outer door, and a great suction of air rushed past them before gravity disappeared.
"Do you need help?"
Gently floating while holding onto one of the airlock handles, Yang couldn't hide the apprehension in her eyes or the tenseness in her posture. With Zimon clinging to her, Blake wrapped her arm around him for additional security and shook her head. Taking that response at face value, Yang kicked off the wall and drifted back to the shuttle. After waiting for Yang to make it safely, Blake moved closer to the door and prepared to do the same.
"Hold on, ok?" she told Zimon before bunching her legs and propelling them away from the wall.
Carrying another person made the action much less fluid, but they still floated easily across the docking bay before she grabbed the shuttle door and pulled them inside. Already ready and waiting, Yang wasted no time bringing up the ramp and sealing off the cabin. Gravity and oxygen hardly returned before she pulled off her helmet and handed the stuffed animal back to Zimon.
"This is a really bad idea…" she muttered while rushing to the cockpit and firing up the engines.
Blake would never agree with that, but she started to question her decision as they left the destroyed ship behind. They just put their lives in the hands of a child, who could raise all kinds of commotion if he didn't stay quiet. But how could she explain the importance of being quiet without scaring him?
Knowing that she had to think of something fast, she left the cockpit and sat with Zimon in the back. With his feet pulled up on the seat, he hugged Zam Zam to his chest and watched her struggle to find the words to say.
"When we get there…" she finally began. "We need you to stay on the shuttle - just for one night." When he frowned, she scrambled for an explanation that a child would understand. "Because...it's the captain's birthday," she said as soon as the thought occurred to her. "And we don't want to steal his attention, so we need you to hide until his celebration is over."
Fortunately, Zimon understood the importance of birthdays, and responded with a slow, thoughtful nod.
"I can hide," he whispered before adding an even softer, "...will there be cake?"
Realizing that the poor boy must be famished, Blake glanced at Yang before smiling. She had no idea if the Inferno had any cake on board, but she would find out. If not cake, there were other desserts that a child should like.
"There will be lots of food, but you have to eat on the shuttle, ok?"
"Shit. Adam's waiting."
Foreboding returning in full, Blake motioned for Zimon to wait and headed up to the cockpit. Once there, she found that Adam was indeed waiting for them to return.
"What an ass," Yang mumbled while putting the shuttle into its docking protocol. "Guess we're gonna die early."
Ignoring the comment, Blake turned around and smiled at Zimon.
"The birthday boy is about to come on board," she explained with as much levity as she could muster. "Can you hide and be really, really quiet until he leaves?"
With nothing more than a little nod, Zimon hopped down from his seat and slipped behind one of the cargo boxes stacked at the rear of the shuttle. When he dropped down to the floor, the only way to see him would be by searching behind the crate.
"Good job, Zimon," Blake called out when she couldn't see him anymore. "Just stay there, ok?"
No response, but when the shuttle landed with a jolt, her heart threatened to beat right out of her chest. Seconds later, the ramp began to lower, and Yang gave her a meaningful look before walking towards it. The instruction was clear - meet Adam outside versus letting him walk onto the ship. With her ears straining for the slightest sound from behind the cargo boxes, Blake followed Yang down the ramp while Adam stalked over to them.
"Find anything?"
"No. Nothing."
When Adam looked satisfied with the result, Blake frowned. Apparently, he was enough of an ass that he would rather be right than for Yang to find a clue about her sister's whereabouts. But that wasn't surprising at all.
"Good," he added for further measure. "Come with me. I want to hear your strategy for the Galaras."
It was only then that he turned towards Blake and, when he frowned, she worried that he also heard the tiniest shuffling sound from behind them.
"Are you done with the maps yet?" he asked instead, and she nearly sighed in relief while shaking her head.
"No -"
"Then get working."
His glare made it obvious that she had no say in the matter, so she haltingly nodded before stepping away from the shuttle. If she left, someone needed to stay with Zimon...
"Before she does that -" Yang held out an arm to bar Blake from leaving. "I want her to clean the shuttle."
Sensing Adam's amusement at the needless punishment, Blake scoffed and turned towards Yang.
"Why?"
"Because I told you to," Yang snapped before shoving Blake towards the ramp. "Stay here and clean every inch. Keep cleaning until I come back and tell you it's good enough."
The ploy worked, and Adam smirked at Blake's plight before heading towards the door of the shuttle bay. As soon as he was out of earshot, Blake leaned close to Yang and lowered her voice.
"Can you bring back food?" she whispered, and Yang gave her another unamused look. "And a piece of cake, or some dessert?"
Rather than respond, Yang sighed and walked after Adam. After catching up to him by the door, the two of them left the shuttle bay behind, and Blake waited only a second before hurrying onto the ship and closing the ramp behind her. Her heart pounded in her ears, and she probably just lost several of her lives, but she sighed and turned towards the cargo boxes.
"You can come out now," she said, and smiled when Zimon slipped out from behind the boxes with his stuffed animal in tow.
"Did I do good?"
"Yes." Sitting down on one side of the shuttle, she nodded. "You did very good. You might have to do it again though, ok? I'll tell you when."
"Ok." After climbing up on the seat beside her, Zimon held his stuffed animal up for her to see. "Did you know Zam Zam has special powers?"
"Does he really?" Hearing a voice outside the shuttle, her heart jumped into her throat only to climb back down when she realized it was just someone heading to dinner. "Why don't you tell me about him?" she whispered, doing her best to maintain a light tone while her heart kept racing.
What was she thinking? Bringing a child onto the Inferno...in the history of bad ideas, that had to be at the very top. But she couldn't just leave him there…
Yang could have left her there. Yang could have left both of them there, but she hadn't. As scary as it was to think, Blake had to face the fact that Yang hadn't made the choice of a cold-blooded killer. She made the choice of a good Samaritan, even though it put her life in danger. Was it possible for someone to be a criminal but also not?
If they made it out of this alive, Blake might have to admit that 'good' and 'evil' didn't apply to Yang as cleanly as she hoped...and that lack of clarity continued to confuse her.