Jessye and Margaret were sitting in the kitchen of the Lahey home slicing apples to be dried and stored for winter use. The kitchen door was thrown open and there, panting and shaking was Brendan.
"What happened?" yelped Margaret as she leapt to her son's aid.
"They got Seamus!" Brendan said with difficulty as he tried to get his breath back.
Grabbing Bren by his arms Margaret gave him a small shake.
"Who? Who's got Shay?" She demanded.
With a quivering voice he replied,
"The Dragans! At the dump. They caught us boosting parts. We ran but
Shay just wasn't fast enough."
Covering her mouth with both hand Jessye was shaking her head in denial. Tears were running down her cheeks. She was whispering no, no, no, softly to herself.
"Damn it! How many times have we warned you two!! Margaret yelled. Seeming to wilt she plopped into a chair and put her face in her hands. "Oh, god! What are we going to do?"
"We have to rescue him." Bren hissed.
Taking her face out of her hands, Margaret looked at her son with sad eyes.
She asked, "How?"
Running his hands though his hair Brendan said, "I don't know but we have to do something. I'll get the rest of the family. Some one will think of something."
From her seat at the table Jessye had been listening with a sinking heart. She suddenly jumped up and grabbed Bren by his arm.
"NO!" She cried. "If the family try's to rescue him we'll only end with more people captured, or worse, dead."
Pushing Jessye away, Brendan yelled, "We have to do something."
Looking at Margaret and Brendan, Jessye sighed.
Softly she said, " You're right. We do. But we have to be smart. Just listen. What are you going to do? Throw rocks at the garrison gate. Even if you wanted to attack you couldn't get any weapons. Not soon enough to help Shay and definitely not enough to save him. All that will do is get more of the family killed."
Sobbing, Bren sat down at the table. He knew it was hopeless. Shay wasn't the first to be taken. He knew they had no power to fight back, but this was Seamus. " I don't think I can stand to loose Shay," he thought to himself.
Sitting down across from the two people who she loved most on this god-forsaken planet, Jess asked, "Do you trust me?"
"What?" said Margaret. "Of course we trust you. Why would you ask such a thing?"
Looking at Bren she asked, "Do you trust me?"
Looking at Jessye's intense expression, Bren answered almost instantly. "Yes, of course."
"Good, because I know some people. People who might be able to help get Seamus out alive." Jessye said.
"Jess you're just a girl. I know how you feel about
Shay and I know you want to help but who could you possibly know who could help?"
asked Margaret.
"I can't tell you. It would be dangerous if you knew. This is why you haveto trust me.
I've done some favors for them and they owe me. I think they can get to Shay, but the family has got to let them handle it.
I know it sounds odd but you have to trust me. Let me contacts them and sees if they can help. It would take more then a day to round up enough weapons to try to help Shay. Just give me till tonight. If I can't get help than you can try. But, please, please Bren don't do anything stupid. Just wait till I get back."
Getting up from the table Jess put on her jacket and ran out of the house
"No, no, no. This is not happening," thought Seamus. His wrists and ankles were tied to an x frame with leather straps. Pulling at his bonds desperately, he thought "I can't believe I let them freakin' catch me."
He had always gone to the garrison's dump looking for parts. The Dragans didn't allow "Kluges" to scrounge their trash but they weren't to fanatical about patrolling the dumps either. "I've done it a hundred times and they never had a patrol come till sun-up."
Rounding a mound of rubble, he had walked right into a patrol with his arms full of parts. Dropping them he tried to run but he was to slow. "At least Bren got away." he thought.
The Dragans had taken him to the garrison and had thrown him into a holding cell. After a few hours they had come for him.
They took him to a large room. The purpose of the room was obvious.
It was a torture chamber. The chains on the wall, the posts in the form of an x with leather straps, various tools lining the walls. It all said one thing to Shay. "Crap, I'm dead."
First they beat him. As they were hitting him they laughed and they kept telling him how they were going to make an example of him. They said, when they were done they were going to hang him in the middle of the ghetto. Everyone would see what happened to kluges who forgot their place. That's when the real torture began. He had been beaten enough times by local gangs and random encounters with Dragons to learn how to shut out the pain. The electric prod was a different story. The pain was all encompacing. Every nerve, every inch of him was in agonizing pain. All he could do was pray for the end to come soon.
As the news spread family and friends gathered at the Harper house. As darkness started to fall weeping could be heard coming from the small home. It was not a new accurance. Magog attacks killed and infested many friends and family over the years. Dragan slave raids carried many loved ones off. But you never get used to it. It's never routine.
With the Dragans you could at least imagine that your loved ones are still alive some were. But this was different. To be caught stealing, even garbage, was a death sentence. The last person caught stealing from the Dragans had ended up with his head on a pike.
It was placed outside the market main entrance. A bleak reminder of who was in control.
They knew they had no power. No real ability to rescue there lost family member.
The situation seemed hopeless. They were angry, frightened and ashamed. The shame, though, that was the worst. The shame of knowing they couldn't help Seamus. The shame of being too afraid to try. Worst of all was being afraid he was dead and afraid he was alive at the same time.
Coming into the dimly lit home Jessye walked through the gathering of grim faces. Jumping up from his seat on the floor, Brendan rushed to Jessye.
"Well? I hope you found your friends, cause no one here will do anything!" he hissed.
In a surprisingly cold voice Jessye said, "They are NOT my friends. I said I knew them and they owed me. And yes, I was able to talk to them."
Taking a seat from the kitchen table Jessye placed it in the main room and sat down wearily.
Getting up off the couch and kneeling in front of Jessye, Melissa Harper asked in a pleading voice, "Can they help us? Will they help me get my boy back?"
Hugging the grieving mother, Jessye said,
"They'll help! I know these people and there's a good chance they can get Seamus out alive, if he's alive."
"Oh, thank the Divine." Melissa breathed as she clung to Jessye.
Coming up behind Melissa, Ian Harper pulled his wife into his arms.
"Come love, he said. "Our boy isn't home yet. Jessye, talk is cheap. We need to know how they are going to do this and what do they want from us in return?
Ian Montgomery Harper! We will give them anything they want!" said Melissa angrily.
"NO, Lissa. Don't be mad at him. It's a good question." Jessye said as she stood up.
Standing close to the couple she looked at the hope and doubt on their faces.
"There will be a price. Before we talk anymore I think most everyone should leave," said Jessye
Waiting for the uproar that statement caused to die down, Jess continued. "I know you all love Shay and want to help but the fewer people who know what we are going to do, the safer it will be for all of us. And my "friends" want as few people involved as possible."
After a few minutes of discussing who should stay and who should go, the majority of people left. Sitting at the kitchen table with Jessye, were Melissa and Ian Harper and Margaret and James Layhee. Brendan, who had refused to leave, sat on a box next to the table.
"Ok, Jess. It's just us so lets hear the plan," said Margaret.
"Actually," Jessye said with an embarrassed chuckle. "I can't tell you much. I am going to meet them in three hours. If everything works out, we'll have Shay home before sunup.
"If you can't tell us anything why did you make everyone leave?" asked Melissa
"Yes, and why you?" Asked, James. "It should be one of us that goes," he said pointing at himself and Ian.
"Or me," added Brendan.
Shaking her head, Jessye said, "Sorry, this is the way it has to be. I've worked with them before and they know I can keep my mouth shut. They won't trust anyone else. The main reason I sent everyone away was so we could talk about the price."
"We'll give them anything we have. What do they want?" asked Melissa.
Not meeting any ones eyes, Jessye shook her head. "Before I tell you, you have to promise me you won't tell anyone, especially Seamus."
"Why not?" Asked Melissa in a confused voice.
"Because, if he knew, he would feel responsible. I don't want that," said Jessye
Sighing, she added, "He will have enough to deal with soon enough."
"Jessye, I don't under stand. What could they possibly want," asked Brendan in a worried voice.
"You have to promise!" Jessye insisted.
"Ok, we promise," said James.
The others agreed. None of them would tell.
Wiping her suddenly sweaty hands on her lap, Jessye took a deep breath.
"First let me say, I had a pretty good idea of what they would want before I asked them for help, so I knew what to expect. I um……..well,um………. There isn't any easy way to say this," Jessye said with a soft chuckle.
In a concerned voice Margaret said, "Just spit it out child. What do they want?"
In an exasperated voice Jessye said, "Me. They want me."