She paced on the Maru. Could she tell him? Could she explain the situation to him? She felt like she had to, there was no other way. Maybe he would be able to help. He was, after all, a genius. But who could ever come up with a way around this? Besides, he would hate her if she told him. It was her own fault she was in this mess, no one else's. She was the one who had taken the flash, she was the reason Alamar's father was dead. It was her, all her. If only her dad wouldn't have left them there... but it was still her choice. That's what all of this was, a load of bad choices, one after the other. And not trusting her family would be yet another one. But would she be able to do it without Alamar knowing?

XXXXXXXXXX

Talamasca drift. Home of, well... almost no one. Harper had seen maybe three people on this pea-sized excuse for a drift. "Well, I see why she wanted to meet here, it would be impossible not to spot one another." he mumbled to himself as he felt a hand go over his mouth.

"Beka! Jesus, you scared the crap out of me!"

"Harper, be quiet!" she whispered harshly. His only response was to hug her.

"I've missed you, Seamus." they sat in silence for a few minutes, glad to be in each other's company.

"Harper, I'm in a bad situation. Someone I hurt... before I met you... is now a very powerful person. He gave me a choice. I was to kill either you, Rhade, or Dylan. I can't say more, other than now he knows Rhade lived and I have one week to finish the job.

Harper was aghast. "How could anyone do that to you? We'll just blast him, Rommie can take him out."

"That's just the thing, she can't. One of his rockets could destroy us. Just one, that's all it would take. I told you, he's powerful."

"Well, it's a good thing you have your friendly neighborhood genius at hand. I think I may have a plan."

She looked at him skeptically. "And what would this plan be?"

"Easy, really. We get Trance to develop a medicine that induces a death-like state. I'm sure she can do that. We have him thinking you did what he wants and he wins, then I develop a super powerful bomb, and POW! he's gone."

She laughed. "Harper, as much as I'd love that to work, there are too many ways it could go wrong."

"It's worth a try, isn't it? What other options do you have?"

"You're serious."

"Completely."

"Alright, Seamus, let's go!"