Chapter 27
Zarabeth couldn't help how she flinched at the piercing grind of metal against stone as she watched the officer pull the door open with painful slowness. The atmosphere of the prison was already enough to unnerve her, let alone the level of secrecy which she and Jim were forced to preserve in order to keep this meeting away from any suspicion or scrutiny. This was not their home ground.
The girl relaxed a little at Jim's tender touch against her hand which she realized was gripping rather firmly to his arm, doing her best to breathe calmly in order to better settle the distracted racing in her mind.
About to lead her in with him, Jim was stopped by the officer, the human man's look clearly cold and uncaring yet somehow genuine with his low words of warning.
"Any steps you take are at your own risk. The bars will sufficiently separate you, but they cannot keep him from grabbing at you or your wife if you get too close. Be sensible, Captain."
"Thank you, sir. I can assure you that both my wife and I are fully aware of what we are doing. You can go now. We will find you back in the office when we have concluded our business here."
It was taking everything in Zara to conceal the anxiousness she felt so sharply. She couldn't let on to how eager she was for the man to simply leave them be, fearing that even every simple breath she took was enough to call their intentions into question.
Waiting in her own tense silence, Zarabeth watched in complete relief as the officer grew steadily smaller with his steady pace back down the long hallway toward the front entrance of the prison.
"Took him long enough."
Zara had to agree with Jim's irritated remark, feeling much better knowing that they would be alone and at liberty to do and say as they pleased.
The two walked through the narrow doorway arm-in-arm, both somehow supporting the other, emotionally more than anything, as they stepped into the distinctly cooler space which made up the small prison cell.
"Zara! Jimbo! What in the wide world are ya doin' 'ere?"
Jim released his hold on Zarabeth to let her go to the wall of bars separating them from Silver, the boy cautiously looking up and down the silent hallway before closing the door behind him with as little noise as possible before rejoining his wife, a nearly undetectable limp still evident in his step as he shied away from aggravating his still aching hip. "We're here to see you of course, old scalawag. Quite the place they've got you holed up in."
"Ain't it though? Right depressing i'tis. No wonders half t'e men in 'ere don' live ta sees a courtroom at all. But look at ya, lad! You're upright, walkin' around even. They patch ya up good an' proper?"
"They did, though I'm more than a little happy to be out of there. A week and a half was long enough for me."
"I don't blame ya, Jimbo. Spent more than ma fair share in one of 'em blasted hospitals."
Silver's words were unintentionally emphasized with a pained grunt as he sat up from where he'd been lying on the small cot positioned in the far corner of the cell, the sight pulling a small gasp from Zarabeth as the rough blanket fell away from him.
"Silver, you-you're arm. They-"
"Aye, lass. T'ey took me arm. Though can't say's I blame 'em. Too many o' ma gadgets and gizmos made t'em a bit too uneasy. Understandable, I suppose. Easy now, Zara. I'm alright. T'anks ta yer husband, I'm bound for a fair fight in court tomorrow."
The girl waited patiently as the cyborg got up to make his way over to them, his gait clearly foreign even to himself without the weight of his metal arm to even his step, only the socket and a few short wires left of what was before.
It was the clanking and scraping of chains which truly broke what was left of Zara's composure, the anger and hurt she'd worked so hard to burry before now restored at the sight of the rusted metal secured over his ankle.
Her hold on the bars between them tightened till her knuckles were white, only trusting her voice after releasing a heavy breath to try to dispel some of her pent-up feelings. "Chaining you like you're some sort of monster..."
"Zarabeth, I've committed treason against ta crown, murdered innocents, destroyed more lives t'an I care fer yeh ta imagine. I am a monster."
"Silver that isn't you anymore! It's been over five years, can't they see that?"
The cyborg sat down on a small stool alongside them, releasing a long and tired sigh as he reached his good hand out for hers through the bars.
"Listen, lass. It's true, I'm not t'e man I was before, but I was a pirate, feared an' hated for well on double that time an' doubled again. I'm no saint, Zara. I'm not even a good man. All I am now is because o' you both. I'd 'ave never stopped if I hadn't run into ya rascals, an' t'ey would've caught me someday, I can safely say dat.
But I won't have either o' you feelin' sorry fer me. I 'ave lived a long an' full life, and it truly started t'e day I walked aboard t'e Legacy. Now, keep a stiff upper lip fer me, aye? Good lass. Jimbo, you let dis t'ing run its course. No outbursts ta get ya hurt now, ya hear me? You've got a beautiful wife ta think on firstly. I've been one foot in a coffin for well on a decade now. T'is'll simply scurry along t'e whole process."
Jim's brow furrowed in frustration with the momentary bit of silence filling the room, the words building up in his mind falling from his lips one after another in decided surety.
"Silver I'm going tomorrow to defend you, not to sit there and watch without a word as you're condemned to your hanging. If they insist on taking you, they're bound to do it, but not without the only fight I can offer you."
"Jimbo, you need not-"
"I'm doing this willingly, Silver. You can't stop me."
His mouth left open with words yet to be said, the boy hesitated before releasing a heavy breath as he dropped his gaze away from the cyborg's. "Because you would do the same if it was me inside this cage instead of you."
Clearly too stunned to make any reply, Silver simply sat there, his gaze unmoving from Jim's as he listened in respectful silence to all that the boy wanted to say.
These were things Jim had always felt, but never wished to say. He'd never wanted them to be necessary. He was saying goodbye.
"You're the only man I ever considered a father to me. Even after seeing my dad again, I still felt like he was too late. His spot was taken. I never trusted someone as far as I could throw them, but you changed that. You looked at me like I was worth something, or at least more than others had. The mutiny back then should have made me hate you, but it didn't. Well, I did for a while, but I couldn't stay that way. I still look back and feel like it didn't even happen.
Silver, you've done more for me and Zarabeth than we can ever repay. Being around when you need us is all we can offer, and you've done more than your fair share of saving. You're still doing it. I don't want to say thank you, because I wish I didn't have to. We'd much rather be sending you back on your way, ready to not see you for another year or two. At least you'd still be only a flight or family crisis away."
Eyes turned away, Jim's attention was brought back to the cyborg as he felt his hand gently laid against his shoulder, the alien man staring up at him completely at peace.
"Jimbo, lad...You've warmed t'is old heart right well. I've not had anyone ta give me children, but you're as much my son as if ya were ma own flesh an' blood. Now, I'd say t'e same fer you, Zara, but then it'd be odd 'cause ya two are married an' all."
Despite the somber atmosphere surrounding them, the two managed to laugh a little at Silver's attempt to lighten the mood, letting their hands come together to hold tightly to one another as Zarabeth looked down with a gentle smile.
"Silver, there is something we want you to know, something that pains us both in having to tell you here, but it is happy news."
Her eyes moving back up to meet the cyborg's expectant gaze, the girl laid a light hand over her stomach, the smile in her eyes glinting with her leftover tears as she spoke past the breaking in her voice.
"I am pregnant. Jim and I are going to have a baby."
She couldn't help how she laughed at the change in Silver's look, his entire countenance shining with happiness and surprise as he stood to let his hand rest against her cheek.
"Are ya really? You're with child, lass?"
The cyborg gave a hearty laugh at her nod in confirmation, his look as proud and pleased as either she or Jim had ever seen him, Silver's hand moving from her to clap Jim firmly on the back.
"Well done, Jimbo. I've lived ta see t'e day...t'e day my cabin boy captain became a father o' his own."
Zara's smile softened at the sight of the few tears which managed to leave Silver's eyes, the cyborg as quick to clear them away as they fell before returning to his seat.
Turning between the two of them for a few moments of content silence, Silver's eyes filled with a look that could only be described as hopeful as he let his gaze move to concentrate on the girl in front of him, his voice hesitant with his soft smile. "May I?"
"Of course."
Zarabeth moved as close to the bars as she could, watching with her own gentle smile as Silver's hand timidly felt her stomach, the cyborg's look almost overwhelmed as he fought to keep his voice even with his soft words.
"Little one? I know yer in t'ere. You listen ta yer Uncle Silver, right? I won' be seein' ya meself, but I need ya ta promise me a few t'ings since I can't be around ta meet ya when t'e time comes. You mind yer mama and papa. They be good people an' they're gonna look right well after ya."
Zara found herself slowly grabbing for Jim's hand again as she listened without the slightest sound to interrupt Silver, biting down hard on her lip to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes once more.
She wanted things to be different. It wasn't right.
They were saying their wishes and goodbyes to a man who had little chance of seeing the next day's end, forcing him to think on in regret at what might have been as he spoke his careful instructions to their unborn child. A child he would never meet.