"Hello Satellite."

Her voice was coarse as sand, Cress realised and she wondered if it had been that way even before the Super Blue Moon Eclipse had given her sand powers.

Lazily, Jina sat on Cress's desk, legs crossed as they eyed each other.

"Hello Jina," Cress replied through gritted teeth, trying to calm her heart as it hammered in her chest. "What brings you here?"

"Ah, I'm not one for playing games, little one." She cocked her head, scrutinising Cress. "You're even less impressive as Cress than as Satellite."

Cress bristled at the insult. "Funny, I could have said the same about you."

"Cute. But not true." In one fluid motion, Jina stood up and now had the advantage to look down at Cress. "You owe me a lot of money."

"I don't owe you anything."

"We'll see about that."

Faster than Cress could blink, Jina's hand shot out and pushed Cress against the wall, so hard Cress fought for breath.

Jina's arm turned into sand, pinning Cress against the wall while more and more sand grains added to the weight against her chest. It became hard to breath and try as she might, Cress couldn't hit at anything, couldn't do anything to free herself. The sand was soft and yielding if she put some force behind her punches but hard as brick whenever she tried to wiggle herself out.

Unable to look down, she nevertheless felt sand enclosing her feet. She kicked desperately at it as her hands grasped for anything that could help her ward of the powerful stream of sand. Her fingers found something solid and without much thinking, pulled it in front of her chest. The coffee tray made for a solid shield and gave Cress a few seconds to ward of Jina.

She had to escape! With all the ruckus they were making, it was a wonder no one had come to check on her yet.

She focused on her newly-developed powers and tried to teleport. Closing her eyes, Cress felt light-weight and-

"Oh no you won't! If you leave, I'll spread everywhere who you are, Satellite!"

For a second, Cress had forgotten that right now, she wasn't in costume and she wasn't Satellite.

She was simply Cress.

And what fighting chance did Cress have against someone like Jina?

"What do you want?"

Jina solidified once more. "I told you. You owe me a lot of money." Cress was forcefully pulled up at her collar and staring once more into the cold, dark eyes of Jina. "If you want to keep your little secret, you better come with me."

Come with her? "Where?"

"Up the roof. Unless, as I said, you want everyone finding out who you are. Starting with your colleagues."

They weren't her colleagues but what choice did she have?

She gave a small nod.

Jina, knowing she had won, grinned. "Good girl. Now, lead the way."

It was all too familiar. Just like at the bank with Satellite and Thorne being ushered to the vault by the robbers.

She had been worried then but at least she had been Satellite.

At least she had a mask to hide any emotion.

Now, she had nothing and she was nothing.

And Jina knew that.

The other woman didn't need a superhero costume or an alias, or at least she didn't bother with it. Cress was almost grateful as it wouldn't draw any attention but as they made their way through the halls and into the staircase, both were empty.

An underground vault, now a rooftop.

Then Satellite, now Cress.

She didn't need to protect Thorne but that was the only upside to this nightmarish déjà-vu.

Cress didn't try to show how scared she was. "You wanted to talk? Here we are," she said with a sweeping gesture toward the empty rooftop. The afternoon sun had painted everything in a red that Cress would usually call romantic if she pointed it out to Thorne. Now, it reminded her more of danger.

And blood.

"No. I wanted you to know what I expect from you." Jina had been calm but now there was an ugly sneer on her face. "You little bitch. You ruined all my plans. I could have been gone from this shithole of a city but you-you..!"

Cress could have argued that Jina was nothing more than a thief and worse than that, she had put innocent people in danger. But she knew it was futile, so all she asked was, "You are a Lunar. You could have easily gotten any money you wanted using your powers. Why bother with henchman? Why rob a bank in broad daylight?"

Jina looked more amused than anything. "I don't need to use my powers for anything as simple as robbing a bank. And my 'henchman' ...", she trailed off with a shrug. "I like giving orders."

"I won't help you break into a bank."

Jina's face darkened before she broke into an almost pleasant smile. "No worries. I don't want our little hero to dirty her hands. And after all, you don't need to break into a bank, do you?" There was a calculating edge to her voice. "You could just transfer me any sum of money to an anonymous bank account."

Cress drew in a sharp breath. "Never."

The slap across her face was swift and brutal. "You better listen here. I know who you are, Cress Smith. I know of your hubby and don't think I didn't recognise him from the bank. You better do what I want or I'll make sure he won't ever be able to come home to you."

"Don't you dare hurt him!"

"I'll dare. I'll rip his pretty blue eyes out and fill the sockets with sand. I might as well drown him in it, so he can't make any of his smart comebacks. He'll cough and sputter and slowly choke to death and I'll make you watch." Jina laughed at the horror on Cress's face. "You won't be able to save him. I have the powers to do it, but you don't have the powers to stop me."

Cress didn't say anything. Jina knew her powers, she knew she couldn't win against her. Not by force.

Jina's fingers grasped at her chin, nails digging into her skin. "So what is his life worth, little girl? A few hundred million for sure. Such a small price for the safety of your loved one, don't you think?"

She needed time. She needed a plan.

The grip on her face became almost unbearable. "250 million dollars. That's the price for your husband."

Cress ripped herself away and felt blood dribble down her chin. "Are you crazy? 250 million?" Jina couldn't even have stolen that much money from the bank.

"For your husband, yes." Jina wiped her bloody fingers off, the gesture almost too casual. "Now, what would you say your secret is worth? The famous Satellite unmasked. How many Lunars and criminals would come after you?" When Cress didn't answer, Jina continued. "Another 250 million. 500 million dollars to an anonymous bank account only I can access. I'm sure you can find a way to do that, yes?"

As easily as putting on her shoes but ... "You're asking me to steal. For you." It wasn't a question.

"I don't care how you do it. Take two dollars from every American citizen and I have what I need. Get the sum from some hidden accounts of some guys you don't like. I honestly do not care. Get me the money or I'll get your husband."

Jina wasn't unbeatable, Cress had to remind herself. She had to have a weakness, she just needed to find it. That needed time and for that ...

"So, what's it going to be? Your life and your husbands, or the money? I'll get the money either way, the question is only if you'll be alive when I do. "

"How long?"

Jina raised a bushy eyebrow. "How long for what?"

"How long do I have?"

The smile on Jina's face was one of victory. "How long do you need?"

"One week." That should be enough to come up with something. anything. "And you stay away from Thorne."

"You have three days. No more," Jina spat when Cress tried to argue. "If you don't have the account ready by then, you're done for."

Cress swallowed hard. "Where will I find you?"

"You won't. I will. No tricks. No tracking me. If anything goes wrong ..." she let the threat linger in the air. "Do we have a deal, girl?"

Clenching her teeth together, Cress gave a faint nod. "You'll pay for that."

"Oh, I better not. As I said, if anything goes wrong, I'll hunt you and your husband down. Don't even think about running away from me, I'll find you anywhere."

Slowly, Jina's human form dissolved into sand once more. First her limbs, then her torso, until only her face remained with a cruel grin etched on it.

Formless once more, the wind blew the tiny particles into the red-tinged sky.

It took everything in Cress not to break down into helpless sobs.

There was no way for her to find sleep in her fitful state.

Cress wanted to toss and turn but didn't dare, as to not wake Thorne who slept evenly beside her.

She had played countless scenarios inside her head, every way she could evade, if not defeat, Jina. She knew she couldn't give into Jina's demands. Blackmail was like quicksand, it pulled you down deeper and deeper once you stepped foot in it. Cress almost had to laugh at the allegory, but it came out as a hushed sob.

Jina would always come back if Cress gave in now. Maybe not even for more money. She could order Cress to open prison doors to get back her henchman. Or she could demand classified information or forging documents - and who knew what else?

There was only one option: They had to leave, she and Thorne. As soon as possible.

Cress looked at Thorne's peaceful face and was overwhelmed by her love for him.

Now she had to trust that his love for her was strong enough too.

Because if she asked him to run away with her, she would have to tell him why.

And that she was Satellite.

Deep down Cress had always known that it would come to this someday.

And someday was today.

A/N: Many thanks to kiminicricket for betareading! Please read and review.