Chapter XIV

The Lion's Den

Taylor awoke in the middle of the night. Eyesight blurry, he raised his head and looked around. There was another bed on the other side of him now where Cale was sleeping. Dover was sprawled out on top of the other bed next to Cody, muttering in his sleep. Tek was slumped in a chair by the bathroom, snoring.

He wondered dimly what had woken up him when he heard heavy movement outside the room door. There was a loud knock at the door and he jumped up in alarm. He gave Dover a violent shove. Dover jerked away, about to shout a protest before Taylor clapped his hand over Dover's mouth and pointed at the door. Again there was a booming knock, more urgent this time. The rest of the room stirred awake.

"Huh? Whaz goin' on?" Cale mumbled.

"Shit, shit, shit…" Dover hissed, scooping up Cody. Cody burbled. "Oh man, where do we go?"

Tek grumbled and rose to his feet. "Now, calm down, boys, no reason to panic…"

There was another knock and a muffled call from behind the door. "Police! Open this door at once!"

"No reason to panic, huh?" Dover growled.

"Shh! Quick, get in the other room," Tek whispered. Cale, Taylor, and Dover hurried into the bathroom, closing and locking the door.

There was another knock. "Yes, of course, one moment please!" Tek fumbled for the wall controls and pulled in one of the beds. He went to the door and undid the locks, pulling it open just enough to see out of. "Good evening, officers… what's the trouble?"

Four alien constables stood on the other side of the door. Their faces a bizarre mixture between lizard and antelope, they carried rifles with headlights mounted on top. The front officer looked Tek up and down. "We're searching for a few runaways reported yesterday morning. Human. We got a tip that they were here. Seen them?"

"No, can't say that I have…" he replied, waving a hand in front of his eyes. "Just stopping through the area on my way to Vusstra, only been here a few hours, you see."

"Uh-huh…" the officer remarked dubiously. He craned his thick neck to look over Tek and into the room. He gestured inside with the rifle. "Mind if we take a look?"

"Err, n-no, go right ahead…" Resigned, Tek opened the door to let the officers inside.

Inside the other room, Taylor attempted to hold his breath to stop hyperventilating. Dover had his hand over Cody's mouth, who was awake and close to tears. Cale sat on the floor next to the toilet with his head in his hands. None of them dared to move, straining to hear what was going on.

The officers moved into the room, looking around. One went to the balcony and deactivated the shade. Another looked down at Cale's luggage, poking through it. The head of the group looked to the bathroom door. He tried the handle. Locked.

He looked over to Tek. "What's in here?"

"N-nothing, just the restroom…"

"Locked from the inside?"

"Y-yes, I… I accidentally locked it."

"Is that right…" He made as if to turn away, then spun and struck the handle with the butt of the rifle. Tek flinched. The alien struck the handle again, breaking it off. The other officers raised their rifles as he pushed open the door.

The light on the top of the rifle flicked on. The spotlight drifted across the tiled floor, then scrolled over the end of a shoe. The circle of light rose to take in the pale squinting faces of all four runaways.

"Out! Now!" the alien bellowed. They hesitated. He aimed the rifle at Cody, who squealed. "Move it!"

They moved slowly out past the officer into the room. Abruptly, the others stepped forward and grabbed Cale, Taylor, and Dover. Dover struggled and Cody fell. The boy crawled under a table as Dover was wrestled and slammed against the wall with the others.

"Stay facing the wall! Don't make me shoot you."

The other officers began to search the three. They grabbed Taylor and Dover's wrists and turned them up to show the numbers. "This is them," one said.

Taylor began to shake violently. Dover glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Taylor! Stop!" he hissed. Taylor whimpered.

Suspicious, one of the officers began to search Taylor, patting down his legs. He lifted the back of Taylor's shirt and whistled. "Hey, hey guys, take a look at this."

Curious, the others looked over. The head officer lifted his rifle light. One of the aliens swore in a different language; another laughed.

Taylor kept shaking, his palms sweating where they were pressed against the wall. He was overcome by shame and a horrible agoraphobia, a panic of being trapped and on display. He had a momentary flashback to the trade station, the shackles, the crowd. He clenched his teeth and his eyes watered.

The officer who had sworn pushed the laughing officer aside. "Knock it off!" she growled. She batted away the other officer's hand, letting Taylor's shirt drop back down.

The head officer scowled. "Alright, that's enough! Get them out of here!"

The aliens began to push Taylor and the others out into the hall. One grabbed Cody, who began to cry loudly. The head officer gestured to Tek. When everyone was out, he took one last glance around the room and slammed the door shut.


The fringes of the cornflower blue dress lapped against the soft curves of her ankles. One foot delicately placed in front of the other, she moved with the liquid grace of a panther. The glass doors slid open in humility as she passed.

Her eyes glanced over the teeming ant colony that was the police station at noon. Telecoms chirped and beeped, keyboards clicked, officers practically shouted to be heard over one another. Here and there citizens went about their business, inquiring over lost property, or squabbling over some petty criminal offense. The building was a maze of desks, cubicles, and bodies. The ends of her lips curled into a Cheshire grin.

"Business?" a voice drawled. Her attention shifted to a diminished-looking alien behind the front desk. Her hair was frizzed and her uniform hung crooked. She looked up at the woman with nothing short of irritation.

The woman smiled and turned to the counter, placing her hands on its surface. "Hello, I—"

There was a trilling sound and the alien's attention snapped away. In a flash, she had answered the call. "East District Station, state your business," she rattled off in a monotone. Without pause she began to respond in an entirely different language to the voice on the other side of the headset.

"Excuse me, I—"

"One moment," the alien replied, reaching for the com box. Faster than the alien could move, the woman's hand shot over the counter, blocking her. The alien's eyes flashed up with a mixture of alarm and annoyance.

"My name is Corinne Peters, I'm here about a report my husband Johann filed—"

"Chattel division, 10th door on the far right," she snapped, brushing Corinne's hand away. The com had barely begun to trill again. "East District Station, state your business."

"Thank you," she simpered, turning away. She begun to weave her way down the right side of the room, smiling at the officers as they passed. Finally, she found the door.

Although quieter, the "Chattel Division" appeared just as disheveled and complicated. She stepped into a room practically packed with cubicles. With no clear direction, she began to walk, glancing at the maze of cubicles as she passed. Most were empty, but some were filled with bored or irritated employees. The glimpse of pale blue amidst a sea of drab grays caused several heads to turn in her wake. Eventually she came to a darker corner, where a crooked sign announced in diminutive letters, scrawled in various languages: "Reports". She turned into a cubicle where a canine humanoid sat staring down at a screen, tapping the words around. The tiny spectacles on his face begun to slowly slip down his muzzle.

She stepped up to the desk. "Excuse me, sir," she purred.

Startled out of concentration, he looked up at her in surprise. His jowls creased into a faint smile of relief. There were deep lines under his eyes. A cup of something a deep green color sat beside the alien's left hand. "Ah! Hello. You must pardon, but I'm very busy, I'm afraid."

"I'd just like a moment, I got a call…"

"Peters report, I assume?"

"Yes."

"Well, have a seat, I suppose," he sighed. He gestured to a chair in front of the desk.

"Very busy this time of year, very busy, you wouldn't believe the amount of cases I get as petty as ruined dinners!" he muttered, straightening himself up, tapping his glasses. "There's a reason the codes were drawn up, but it seems most of these owners can't be bothered handling their own discipline… but aye, I've gone off on a tangent, I'm afraid. I was expecting to see your husband handling the rest of this case. My sympathy for your loss."

"Thank you. It's still quite a shock," she replied, dabbing at her eyes.

He sighed and turned towards the computer screen, beginning to type. "Yes, it's quite a shame, what a mess of datawork…" He cleared his throat. "Well Mrs. Peters, we have a number of matters to discuss concerning the chattel in question. As you are aware, we have them in a holding cell below the precinct as we speak. However, before we proceed, I'd like to clear up a few things." He glanced at Corinne, who was staring at him intently. Unnerved, his eyes darted back to the screen. "As inheritor of Mr. Peter's remaining estate, I am required by law to verify and complete our records before we can continue. Do you agree to give your testimony?"

"Yes, of course," Corinne replied, gaze unflinching.

Pushing up his glasses, he tapped the screen, words scrolling up. "In short, Mrs. Peters… early yesterday morning, your husband dialed an emergency response number. His call was diverted to our department when he demanded to file a report. Unfortunately, he was only able to say as much as that his chattel had escaped before the call was abruptly cut off. When emergency services arrived at the property, all structures had been destroyed by fire, and there was only one person on site – yourself, Mrs. Peters. You were found unconscious outside the house. From what little was reported from yourself at the time – and lack of any remains – Mr. Peters was logged as deceased," he droned, voice progressively hoarse. He began to cough loudly, and Corinne broke from her trance to pull out a small, lacy handkerchief and pass it to him. He accepted it with strained thanks, clearing his throat, and continued.

"Yesterday evening, we received a tip of suspicious persons at a nearby lodging facility. We sent a team to investigate and recovered two humans with numbers matching Mr. Peter's files. The other two humans and a Vusstran were arrested for obstruction and suspicion of accomplice." He leaned away from the screen with a sigh, pushing up his slipping glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "Unfortunately we weren't able to get much information out of them from questioning. The numbered refused to speak, and the rest claim they were on a business trip and happened to take in your property out of charity. We haven't had the personnel to spare for a thorough background check to verify their story…"

"That won't be necessary," Corinne interrupted.

"I beg your pardon?" The alien spluttered, startled out of his report.

"I said there is no need for you to look into the others," Corinne reassured, a smile tugging at her lips once more. "I would be more than happy to fill in the gaps for you. Oh, I promised dear Johann I wouldn't," she simpered, shooting the alien a coy look. Flustered, he looked away. "But it just doesn't seem right for me not to speak the truth, now, does it?"

"N-no, I suppose it doesn't," he coughed. "After are, we are officers of justice."

"Of course you are," she smiled. "Well. The other night, my husband was having, how to put this… a bit of a fit. Business has been so horrible lately, and he was worried we would soon lose our fortune. He was rather intoxicated, you see, and not really in his right mind. I pleaded with him to be reasonable, but he wouldn't hear of it. I'm sorry to say that I hid inside the house to stay away from him. Dear Johann, he went out of control and decided to take out his frustration on the boys. They managed to get away, and in his rage, Johann must have had it in his mind to set them up for a terrible crime, and collect his insurance money. He began to set fire to the buildings. When I saw what he was doing, I ran downstairs to stop him. But the buildings were too old, and they caught fire faster than he was probably expecting. When I came downstairs, Johann was unconscious, and fire was burning through the kitchen. I raced to save him, but the heat was too intense… I… I turned and fled as the house caught on fire, and I must have passed out just outside. When I woke up… everything was gone." She sniffed and dabbed her eyes on the hem of her dress.

The alien gazed at Corinne, moved with sympathy. "I am sorry for what you have suffered, Mrs. Peters," he said.

She nodded her head and glanced up at him, twisting her dress earnestly. "Please, sir… please release them. They have done nothing wrong. If anything, it is my fault for not being able to stop my husband…"

The alien shook his hands. "Oh no, Mrs. Peters, it is not your fault! I'll be more than happy to release them, and return the, err… boys to you. I think it would be best for us all to just avoid a whole mess of datawork by carrying this further, don't you?" She smiled and nodded with appreciation, and he looked away sheepishly, turning his attention back to the computer. "Well, I'm sorry to say that you won't be able to collect on the insurance, as the damage was self-inflicted, but I can start the datawork to sign over your husband's estate, whenever you are ready."

"Thank you, sir, I really do appreciate it," she cooed, patting his hand.

"I'll, err… I'll call an officer up to escort you to the holding cells, if that's all," he said, standing.

"Yes, thank you," she replied, standing and smoothing out the folds of her dress. She pursed her lips and tapped her cheek. "Oh, wait… if you don't mind, can you do me one last favor?"

He blinked. "Yes? What is it?"

"Could you please clear the numbered boys from my records? I would like to release them. They've been through such an ordeal as it is, and there is really no need for them now that the business is gone… I think it's about time they had their freedom, don't you?"

"Y-yes, of course, ma'am, I'll get right on that," he stammered, incredulous. She smiled and turned away.

"Thank you for your time."


A flight of stairs led down to a long, dimly lit corridor. Cells were lined up neatly on either side, sealed by shimmering force fields. Faint spotlights stretched down across the ceiling, giving the cells the barest bit of illumination.

A force field crackled and hummed as a fist stroke a fruitless blow against it. From inside the cell, Cale withdrew his hand, giving only the faintest hint of pain. He sighed and leaned against the barrier, glancing back behind him at the small, cramped cell.

Dover sat motionless on a bench in the corner, his head resting against the wall. Cody lay curled up in his lap, chest rising and falling softly as he dozed. Tucked uncomfortably beneath the bench was Tai, his arms wrapped tightly around his knees, knuckles white where they clutching his shoulders. His eyes stared blankly across the floor.

Cale gazed sadly down at the defeated form of his best friend before glancing away. "I'm sorry," he muttered at last. Dover's eyes strayed to Cale. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't come… if I hadn't gotten involved…"

Dover sighed. "Well, well, it's kind of late for the hero to feel regret, isn't it? It's game over, anyhow. We're in the lion's den now, and no amount of sweet talking or gambling or gasoline is going to get us out of this."

If possible, Tai seemed to curl in on himself more. Catching the movement, Cale turned away from the force field. "Dover… knock it off… don't say that…"

"What? It's true. When they figure out what we did, we're as good as dead, anyhow. Well, maybe you'll live, but you're not gonna see the sun for a long, long time, bye-bye," Dover muttered, waving his hand. Cale scowled.

"They wouldn't really kill you guys, would they? I mean… there's got to be something… I…" Cale stammered.

There was a whimper from beneath the bench. Cale glanced down at Tai, who had buried his head in his arms, and was shaking violently. "I… hope… they… kill us," he choked out. "I'd rather… die… rather die than… go back…"

A clang rang out through the corridor. Cale and Dover's attention snapped to the outside, where footsteps echoed towards their cell. A guard stopped in front of the cell, tapping a panel out of view. The field fizzed and disappeared.

"Out," the alien barked. Cale and Dover exchanged glances, and Cale edged cautiously out of the cell. Dover wrapped a groggy Cody's arms around his neck and stood up, heading for the corridor. He stopped and glanced back.

"Taylor, come on," Dover hissed down at Taylor, who wasn't moving. Taylor shook his head. Dover glanced at the guard, who was tapping his foot impatiently, and reached down and grabbed Taylor's arm with his free hand. Taylor clawed at Dover's hand, but Dover clenched harder, dragging Taylor out from under the bench. They hobbled awkwardly towards the corridor, Taylor blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light.

Another guard had fetched Tek from a different cell, and he stood beside Cale, his blind eyes staring in confusion. Taylor looked away, and his breath died in his chest as he caught sight of who else was standing in the corridor, smiling – Corinne.

She nodded to the guards, and they backed off, heading back down the corridor and up the stairs, a door clanging shut behind them.

"Hello, boys," she said finally, glancing at each of them in turn. Cody was stirring awake, looking around in sleepy puzzlement.

For a moment they all stood staring at her. Dover was the first to move. "What… what are you doing here?" he said at last. "Where's Master?"

Her attention turned to him, her face melting with sugary sweetness. "Oh, dear. Johann is dead." Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Taylor twitch. "Oh, don't worry, you didn't kill him."

"Then who…?" Taylor bit out.

"I did," she interrupted. "It really was rather simple. A quick blow to the head… a little fire… and, oh! Gone." She pressed a delicate hand to her mouth.

Dover stepped back, clutching Cody to his chest. Cody blinked up at him. "What's going on? What's she saying?"

Cale glared at Corinne, putting a hand on Taylor's shoulder, who looked faint. "Why? Why would you kill him?"

Her eyes were cold, but she smiled at him all the same. "He was becoming such a nuisance… I couldn't have him blabbing about this and that… no, it was much easier to just have things… my way. It really was such a chore, just watching. Watching him waste everything we had built up. Better to end things now, before they became much too troublesome, before it was all gone." Her gaze drifted to Tai, who stared at her with a mixture of disgust and horror. "Besides, isn't that what you wanted, Taylor, dear? Haven't I made you happy?" she purred.

He looked away, face flushed. "No, I… this isn't what I wanted…" he whispered.

"Oh? What a pity," she tisked. She clapped her hands together. "Well, how about this? I've arranged for all of you to be set free! Surely you'll be happy to hear that, won't you?"

Dover stared at her in shock, clutching Cody so tightly that he squeaked in pain. "We're…"

Cale glared at her, arms folded. "Why?"

Her eyes snapped to Cale. "Oh, of course, you," she began, inching towards him. "When I first saw you on the porch that morning, muttering to yourself… I thought… oh, but it's just too bad, isn't it? Too bad." She backed away, leaving Cale reeling from the scent of her perfume. She sighed and turned towards Dover and Cody, brushing back a lock of hair. "To tell the truth, I just can't have his child around anymore… it would just be such a bother if he were discovered, hmm?" She floated up to the two, her thin fingers reaching out and ruffling Cody's hair softly. "I can't touch him now, but I can still convince you to take care of him for me, can't I?" she murmured, gazing up into Dover's eyes.

Dover grimaced. "I get it. A bribe? You let us go as long as we don't squeal about the kid?"

She grinned. "You always were so smart," she clicked, running her nails along his cheek. He shivered involuntarily. "I'll miss you. Playing with you was always so fun," she smirked. Dover fought down a blush as she withdrew her hand and turned her attention back to Taylor. He stood staring down at the floor, fists clenched. He refused to look up as she drew near.

"Oh, but I'll miss you the most," she hummed, standing in front of him. "You were always so shy, so insecure." She leaned down to look up into his face, hidden by a curtain of dark hair. She smiled and pressed her hand to his cheek, feeling him shudder beneath her palm. She leaned in close to whisper into his ear. "I'll let you in on a little secret. You were always my favorite. You'll miss me, too, won't you?" Taylor drew in a rattling breath, and she smirked. "That's a good boy." She pressed her lips to his cheek and drew away.

Corinne gave a satisfied sigh and clutched her hands together, looking over the group. "Well. I guess this is good-bye, then, isn't it? Go on, then. I might just change my mind."

Cale was the first to move forward, holding Tek's hand. "Come on, Tek…"

"Hmm? Where are we going?" Tek quipped, following.

"We're getting out of here," Cale replied. He glared at Corinne as they passed.

Shifting Cody's weight in his arms, Dover moved forward. As he drew towards Corinne, he opened his mouth as if to say something, but the words died in his throat. He glanced away, to Taylor. "Taylor. Let's go," he whispered, turning away and following Cale and Tek.

Taylor stood, willing himself to move, fighting nausea and a tumult of emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. He forced his eyes to gaze up, up into the icy blue eyes staring back at him above a coy smile. "This… this means we're free, right? You're not going to find us again, are you?"

She tsked and grazed his arm with her hand. "Oh, Taylor. You'll never really be free."

He stared into her eyes for a moment, and broke away, blinking. He ran to catch up with the others where they stood waiting at the door. As they walked through the door, Taylor glanced back to catch a glimpse of radiant blue, before the door closed with a faint click.