Final Resistance
Chapter 12: The Stories Just Write Themselves
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Voltron Force. It's owned by World Events Productions and whoever they decide to license the guys to. Yep—they own Lance, Keith, Pidge, Hunk, Allura, and even Wade (and all the other characters surrounding them). However, Cheryl, Alex, Bernice, Ethel, and Diana are all my characters! I can't tell you how much I love them!
****Present, The Void****
Once Cheryl, Alex, Bernice, and Ethel met up in the yard, they took over the same picnic table from the day before. "Since Ethel shared her story, I guess it's my turn to share my capture story. Hopefully, we'll have time for Alex and Cheryl's story."
"We'll have time. This is the day we have the longest recreation break of the week." Cheryl said.
"Ok, I'll just get into it then." Bernice answered. "Similar to what happened to Ethel, Diana said that my last mission was perfect for me as well allowing me to use a diplomatic trip as a cover for pulling something from Wade's files. At that moment, we didn't pick up the vibes that Tylade had other plans regarding their admission to the Alliance. I don't think Diana even picked up on it until it was probably too late. So, everything happens on the last day of the trip…."
****9 Months Ago****
Bernice looked around and read the mood in the room. She stopped and looked at the group that was hosting her diplomatic trip. Today was the final day of her leg of the diplomatic mission trip to Tylade—one of the most remote planets on her side of the galaxy. Tylade was a mostly tropical planet and was looking to finally join the Alliance full-time. The planet wanted to reap the benefits of the Alliance combined financial resources to help the planet's economy. Since Cetrac was the longest and closest Alliance world, Bernice was asked to help sponsor the planet for membership. In an effort, Bernice also asked Allura to have Arus help sponsor the planet—among other things. Bernice thought that the power of Arus would help increase Tylade's chances of joining the Alliance.
Bernice let her mind drift regarding the unofficial mission that also bought her to Tylade. A successful mission that was completed with Pidge offering some assistance with system networks. In between meetings with her hosts, Bernice heard whispers about Wade's major plans for the upcoming months. Once Bernice was able to access the information, she printed the rough calendar of Wade's major trips, along with his plans for Black Lion and the prototype ships he planned to replace Voltron with. Within a couple of hours, Bernice was able to print the information into a couple of pages and tucked it within an invitation to Allura for Cetrac's 5-year anniversary of Bernice ascending the crown. The invitation was tucked securely with some of her personal things for when she'll pass Allura in the hallway after this meeting.
Focusing back on the meeting, Bernice decided to address the Prime Minister with a responding regarding Tylade's chances of joining the Alliance full-time now. "Minister Monede, as far as I can tell—your beautiful planet should be accepted and added to the Alliance without issues. I'm proud to officially sponsor your planet for membership and I believe that this is a great beginning of our planets' diplomatic relationship." Prime Minister Monede identified as a female member of the reptile-humanoid species that called Tylade home. Monede boasted of yellow skin with freckles that contrasted to the vibrant green skin that most members of her people usually carried. The people of Tylade also boast of a species that tend to be the same height regardless of gender or sex.
"I, as well as the people of Tylade, look forward to being members of the Alliance. I also agree that this is a great start of our planets' diplomatic relations. This is a great day for the Tyladen people." The minister grabbed a small pen and quickly signed the agreements that Bernice bought as part of the admission package. Once she was finished, the paperwork was given to Deborah to process.
"That's about it regarding the admissions packet. We'll send the packet immediately and make sure you receive a copy for your records—just in case some technical issues happen in transit. It's always good to have two of three copies of every document sent to the Alliance." Deborah said with a smile. "By your leave, I'll go and take care of that for you now."
"Please do, Duchess Deborah. If you'll like, Duke Vaken would like to help you in our business office. Once we are admitted fully into the Alliance, he'll personally handle all Alliance correspondence."
"That will be great," Deborah replied with a bow. Vaken walked to Deborah and offered his arms. The two nobles walked away from the small meeting room and started to share more about their cultures and what Vaken could expect with Alliance documents. With the two nobles out of the room, Bernice and Minister Monede shared a look before standing up together. Bernice and Monede met in the middle and shook hands.
"I would love to visit your planet again—this time as a friend." Monede said with a smile.
"We'll be pleased to host you in return for your warm hospitality throughout out my visit." Bernice responded with a smile on her face. Before either leader could speak, Deborah and Vaken returned from their errand.
"Everything is taken care of from our side and the admissions packet was sent certified with copies sent to both official inboxes." Deborah reported with a confident smile.
"Duchess Deborah gave me some great tips on submitting future paperwork to the Alliance and we're all professionally set-up for the future." Vaken added. "It's been a joy to work with you and I look forward to working with you in the future. It's a shame that you have been cooped up with us at the castle without enjoying our wonderful planet."
Deborah and Bernice smiled brighter. "The sights I was able to enjoy made this trip even more memorable! Next time, we'll have to take advantage of a grand tour."
"In the meantime, I'm sure you'll enjoy a nice break in the action before our big dinner." Monede said with a smile.
"That'll be great," Bernice replied turning to face Monede again. "I'll see you at dinner!"
"Until then," Monede said as she sat down at the table again. "As you know, I'm about to meet with Princess Allura of Arus next. Hopefully the meetings with Princess Allura will run just as smooth as ours were."
"I'm sure they will. Princess Allura and Arus provided us with so much support during the beginning of my reign." Bernice said as she walked towards the door. Bernice and Deborah waved at their hosts before walking into the hallway along with Vaken. Vaken and Deborah enjoyed their conversation as they walked back to the wing where their suite was located. Once they arrived at their suite, Allura just happened to step out from her suite across the hall. Allura was wearing a blue sheath dress with matching blazer and two strings of pearls along with her blue circlet. Bernice, Allura, and Deborah greet each other and caught up on the day's events.
"And before I forget—since I know you're due to your meeting with Minister Monede," Bernice said, ready to conclude their conversation. Bernice fished out the invitation with Allura's name and gave it to her. "Here's the formal invitation I promised you about Cetrac's upcoming celebration. I wanted to personally deliver it to you."
"Thank you, Bernice," Allura said with a smile as she tucked the invitation into her personal folder. "I've been looking forward to receiving this invitation for months." The princesses shared a bigger smile before Bernice bent over to whisper in Allura's ear.
"And there's the information that'll help you in the future." Bernice straightened herself up as Allura nodded and smiled even brighter.
"Thank you again," Allura said before turning to Vaken. "I'm ready to meet with Prime Minister Monede, Duke Vaken." The gentleman nodded and offered his arm to the blonde princess. Bernice and Deborah walked into their suite and sat down on the couch.
"Another successful day of work," Bernice replied with a satisfied smile.
"As much as I enjoyed Tylade, I'm ready to head home to Cetrac." Deborah added. "I'm sure that Dev misses me. He was stuck with the joyous work as acting regent in your stead and having to watch over little Angie."
"And she's still in her helper stage, too." Bernice said chuckling. "My niece is great at helping, she can't help it she wants to be a leader like her parents."
"It's all fun and games until you have to work on your fifth draft because of your little helper likes the keyboard." Deborah said with a fake sigh. She joined Bernice in laughter before getting up.
"But the pictures are so worth it!" Bernice said, standing up to go to her room. "Let's make sure everything's packed for the trip home. After that, we'll eat in our semiformal clothes before returning home. We'll thank our hosts again and invite them to visit Cetrac first, of course."
"Of course." Deborah said as they walked into their separate rooms in the suite. Just as they were done changing for dinner and the trip home to Cetrac, there was a knock on the door. Puzzled, Deborah called out to Bernice that she'll answer it. When Deborah opened the door, she was surprised to find a few Alliance soldiers on the other side.
"Good evening, Duchess L'mel. By chance is Princess Bernice in there with you?" The leader of the group asked.
"Why, yes, she is. Is something wrong?" Deborah asked. "Did something happen on Cetrac? Or is there an emergency meeting with the Council?"
"We're here to formally escort Her Royal Highness, Princess Bernice of Cetrac to meet with Sky Marshal Wade immediately."
Just before Deborah could answer, Bernice walked to the door. Bernice was wearing a flowy sleeveless blue dress and matching heels. "What's going on here?"
"We're told that escort you to an immediate meeting with Sky Marshal Wade. He's waiting for you now in his ship." The leader of the soldiers answered Bernice. "What about Duchess Deborah? I usually have her by my side for official meetings."
"Our orders were to bring you only, Your highness." The soldier responded with a bow. Bernice sighed—this situation was awkward but felt that she was powerless to do anything else but comply with the order.
"Bernice—"
"Everything will be fine," Bernice said as she stepped out into the hallway with the soldiers. "Send my regrets with Prime Minister Monede that I won't be joining her for dinner. You and Devin know how to run Cetrac in my absence. I can't see being away from Cetrac for long. I'll meet with Sky Marshal and follow-up with you later."
Deborah started to say something else, but Bernice turned and gave Deborah a stern look. "Yes, ma'am. Devin and I will take care of everything as co-regents in your absence." Bernice nodded before turning back to the soldiers.
"Let's not keep the Sky Marshal waiting, gentlemen." Bernice told the men as they walked out of the hallway and into a different hallway. Bernice followed the men to Wade's fractal. Once she was settled and seated in front of Wade, the ship moved and alarmed her. "Sky Marshal Wade…what's going on? Why are we moving?"
"Good evening, Princess Bernice. I'm here to learn more about the Den Resistance." Wade introduced. "And until you do, I'm placing you under arrest for conspiracy against the Alliance."
"What! You can't do that! I have diplomatic immunity!" Bernice yelled as she stood up. "And on top of that, you have no proof."
"Oh, I have proof. I can confirm that you were able to get into my system and take a couple of pages from my personal agenda. I figured that the Den Resistance would hack into my system—and it finally happened. Since I'm a great planner—you only took the fake agenda. I should be able to catch the rest of your little group."
"You bastard! My planet and subjects had nothing to do with this."
"Trust me, I know you acted on your own. Good thing you have the foresight to name your friends the Duke and Duchess of L'mel as co-regents in your absence. You'll be staying at The Void and they'll run your planet until further notice. I'll just tell the press that your fractal was malfunctioning and exploded at the remote dock as you were meeting with me at my fractal closer to Prime Minister Monede's castle. Don't worry about the crewmembers—they're all safe enjoying dinner with their counterparts in their quarters. Duchess Deborah is enjoying dinner with your hosts here."
"You'll never get away with this. The accident will look too fishy, and someone will call you out on it." Bernice stated, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Who's going to stop me? Your little friends?" Wade asked with a smirk. He turned around and looked at his droids. "Take her to the holding room. Prepare her for immediate disembarkation at The Void. Process her intake en route." Two of the droids forced Bernice to stand up from her seat and practically dragged her away. When Bernice was allowed to join the general population in the yard at The Void, she was heartened to see a familiar face.
"Ethel! This is where Wade's been hiding you all this time!"
"Welcome to The Void. No one knows we're here for sure, but at least I'm not by myself anymore."
"I'll say not." Bernice answered with a hug. "Let's catch up on what happened since your disappearance…"
****Present, The Void****
"So…that's my story. I feel so foolish not to see that Tylade already made a side deal with Wade—and that our conferences were just mere window dressing." Bernice concluded. "I saw the signs and ignored them in the hopes of good faith."
"And from what you shared with us; we were able to tell the fake from the actual plans. We were able to get a few more successful missions done in the meantime," Cheryl added before hugging Bernice. "Your work wasn't in vain."
"And…my stay was a lot more bearable once you arrived." Ethel said before being hugged by Bernice.
"That's so sweet of you. You made my first days bearable, too!" Bernice responded.
"That goes double for us!" Cheryl and Alex said, hugging Bernice and Ethel.
"Let Alex and I tell you our story on how we missed one minor detail that ultimately led to us being here." Cheryl started.
"So basically, Cheryl and I were sent to two different locations for this mission. It was important because the part of the system we were working on needed an operator on both ends." Alex started to tell the story. "We were still comparing the data from the Lions to Wade's prototypes. I was sent to Brazil, while Cheryl was sent to Balto. We noticed that the equipment was acting a little weird, but…"
****6 Months Ago****
"Shoot! It did it again," Cheryl told Alex as she looked over her terminal again in one of the remote data centers in Balto. "My screen moved to a different folder twice already on its own. Are you sure that you're not doing it from your end?"
"I'm away from the terminal, remember?" Alex asked as she tried to go over the performance differences between the prototype lion and the data from Black Lion. Despite the rising humidity in the remains of Brazil's rainforest, Alex felt comfortable in the warm climate. Alex took a quick sip of cool water from her water bottle. The data Alex was looking at was very interesting and she blinked a couple of times in disbelief.
"One thing's for sure," Cheryl said as she looked at the screen intensely.
"What's that?"
"Look at the screen on your terminal," Cheryl instructed. "Wade progressed further with his side project than we originally thought. We got to tell the others. If we don't, the technological poop will hit the fan. We don't want to be in that position."
Alex stopped and looked at her terminal screen before whistling. She also noticed the flicker that Cheryl was just telling her about earlier. "And it's flickering again on my terminal. Maybe it's the weather or the mountains here."
"It's a clear sunny day and the mountain doesn't affect Alliance equipment as much as it does civilian ones." Cheryl told Alex, blinking in disbelief. "You should only see that effect if it's raining down there in Brazil." Cheryl turned around and muttered snart when she noticed that she was surrounded by Alliance military police. She simply rose her arms in surrender as the Lieutenant of the group took off Cheryl's headset and waited for an opportunity to speak.
"You know, I'm getting the feeling that we've been set-up," Alex said, noticing that she was just kicked out of the system. "And now I'm kicked out of the system. Are you still there with me?"
"I'll say, Sargeant Zana," The lieutenant finally spoke into the microphone. "Let's do this easy. Just turn around and submit to the forces there in Brazil. You're going to meet up with Sky Marshal Wade."
Surprised, Alex turned around as directed. Sure enough in front of her was a small team of military police officers waiting for her surrender. "Snart," Alex simply said as she rose her hands above her head. Two of the soldiers approached Alex and took her arms down to handcuff her. "This wasn't how I imagined today would come out." Alex finished softly as the group walked towards the hangar. A few minutes later, Alex was pushed into a small room in the military police ship. Once the ship took off, Alex closed her eyes in the dark room and decided to take a quick nap while blaming herself for not catching the strange flickering on her screen.
A few hours later, the ships that Alex and Cheryl were on landed at the same time at The Void's hangar. When both women glanced at each other, they hid a smile.
"Together again, I see," Alex said as the wade droids and soldiers led them through a hallway.
"I didn't think we'll meet up this way, though." Cheryl said before being prodded by the closest droid. "Ouch! I'll stay quiet." Alex and Cheryl stayed silent as they finished their march to the intake room and was personally questioned by Wade. After a fruitless interrogation, Alex and Cheryl were forcibly changed into The Void's prisoner uniforms and pushed into the Black Hole.
****Present, The Void****
"The fact that I kept overlooking the weird flashing on my terminal keeps haunting me. We'll still be free if I would have done something different." Cheryl confessed.
"Don't beat yourself up about it, Cher. Don't forget, I also overlooked the flashing on my terminal until you kept mentioning it to me." Alex said, putting a soft hand on Cheryl's shoulder. "But that's all in the past now because in a few short days, we'll be free again."
"I know," Cheryl said with a sigh. "Just hang on to hope until then."
"That's the spirit ladies. If you have hope, you can make it out of here. The Voltron Force ever fails and they're not about to start now." Manset said as he checked in on the group. While he had the group's attention, Manset shared a story of how his first mission for the Den Resistance was so challenging but was rewarded by meeting Diana and Keith. "It was then that I learned that Diana was more than some intelligence desk officer. When she's in action, it's like she's a blend of Keith and Lance."
"That impeccable timing!" The group said in unison before chuckling.
"It's like her intelligence background is just another dimension to who she is. Can you imagine how much she could get down if she wasn't known in different circles—diplomatic, military, intelligence, and nobility?" Cheryl asked.
"I wonder if that's why Wade is so determined to mold her at first," Bernice mused.
"And since Diana has always been fiercely independent, it backfired," Ethel added.
"That's probably when Wade decided that he was going to break her…" Alex continued the thought out loud.
"No matter how long it would take." Cheryl finished the theory. "If I know Diana as well as I think I do, he's probably failing hard."
"I wish I knew what her answers are to Wade's questions. I know some of them have to be humorous—she spent enough time with Lance for some of his ways to rub off on her." Ethel said.
"And it'll probably make Wade even madder." Manset finished. Before any of them could speak again, their time in the Open Yard was over.
Meanwhile, in the sensory deprivation chamber, Wade returned to have another conversation with Diana. This time, a couple of droids followed him closely into the darkened room. "Feeding time!" Wade called out into the room in jest, enjoying the silence from Diana. It was a change from hearing a biting remark. "What's the matter, Diana? Cat got your tongue?" Wade chuckled to himself as he motioned for the droids to prepare feeding Diana, using his new instructions just for her. "I forgot, you can't see or hear me." Wade walked up to Diana before taking off the hood on her head and the ear plugs from her ears. "Time for your meal."
"If that's what you want the call the slop you have here," Diana responded to Wade's voice.
"But this meal has been especially prepared for you," Wade said as one of the robots forced Diana's mouth open. The other robot took a spoon from a big bowl and fed Diana some of the seasonless Cream of Chicken soup. Diana forced the spoonful down her throat before another spoonful was forcibly fed to her. When the second spoonful was down her throat, Diana paused before speaking.
"This is the blandest Cream of Chicken soup I ever had. It totally lacks any kind of seasoning." Diana pointed out. "I wouldn't feed this to a dog." Another spoonful was forced down her throat in response.
"And what do you think you are, my dear?" Wade asked with a smirk.
"If you were to refer to me as an animal, I would be more of a feline. Specifically, people would probably identify me as a beautiful, loyal, fierce lioness." More soup was force-fed. "In fact, out of the two carbon-based life forms in this room, you're closer to being a dog than I am. Actually…you would be the son of a female dog." Once the words left her mouth, Diana's mouth was forced to open wider by one droid as the other droid forced the rest of the soup into her mouth. Satisfied that the soup appeared to completely go down Diana's throat, the robots left Wade alone with Diana.
"It appears that we're alone again, my dear. Why don't you just confess everything you know about your little resistance group. My previous offer of forgiveness still stands." Wade encouraged Diana.
It didn't take Diana long to form her answer. Once Diana sensed that Wade was standing directly in front of her, she vomited every ounce of the soup she was just fed. Looking down, Wade was angry that his pristine uniform was soiled.
"Do you feel better?" Wade asked Diana as he took his handkerchief out to clean the larger bits of vomit off his shirt.
"Not yet," Diana replied before taking a few moments to gather her strength. "And about your offer, Sky Marshall Wade…Go to hell. You're not getting a damn thing from my lips."
"You'll pay for ruining my shirt. That vomit is going to stay there for a few moments. And that's just for beginners."
"That's unequal. You ruined so many lives—but you'll never be able to fully pay that back." Diana spat out. The next second, Diana was slapped so hard by Wade that her head turned. "As for that movement that barely registers as a slap—don't you just feel like a big boy." Wade growled loudly before slamming the ear plugs into Diana's ears and pulling the hood back on her head. With a precision turn, Wade left the room in silence as Diana took a few breaths to collect herself.
"He forgot that with this hood, I can't smell anything." Diana said with a smile. A few hours later, a droid came into the room and cleared up the vomit that Diana spewed from her mouth. After cleaning the room, the droid made sure to take off the hood, earplugs, and the goggles so Diana could see and hear Wade's newest message for her.
"Ms. Smyth-Williams you should be aware that your resistance is futile. You don't need to suffer any more than you already have. Just provide all the information you have on your little Den Resistance."
"And you should know, Sky Marshal Wade, that you'll never get any information out of me." Diana responded. "You're just wasting your time."
"Fine, keep fighting me. It's just a matter of time before you'll finally break," Wade said dismissively. "And I guarantee that you will break down, Diana. It's just a matter of time."
"I hope you're willing to wait for eternity, Wade. I refuse to break."
"I'll break you, Diana. I guarantee that you will break down in front of me and tell me everything I ever wanted to learn about your group," Wade paused for a few moments before continuing. "And I'll break you by any means necessary."
"You'll have to do more than empty threats to scare me, Wade." Diana responded staring hard at the robot monitor in front of her.
"Oh no, my dear, it's not an empty threat," Wade responded with a sinister grin. "Once I have the rest of your friends in here, you're going to wish you cooperated with me."
"Ahh…so it is an empty threat," Diana responded with a sinister grin of her own. "And once again, you're wasting your time."
"I have other matters to attend to. Look forward to having a more productive conversation next time." Wade ended the message before the robots force fed Diana a bowl of cold oatmeal. Once they were finished feeding Diana, she was back to the silent darkness of the ear plugs, goggles, and hood.
*****The next day, The Void*****
After following up on Galaxy Alliance matters with his subordinates, Wade decided to pay Diana another visit. With a press of a few buttons, Wade requested that a couple of his droids meet with him in the hallway and prepare for visiting his most prized prisoner. Although he was tired of Diana's ongoing resistance against him, Wade still believed that it would only be a matter of time before he'll find a way to ultimately break Diana down at last. And once he broke Diana's spirit, he's going to take complete advantage of her social and political capital to ensure his rule over the galaxy.
Once Diana's spirit has been broken, Wade intends to move Diana into her suite in his wing. There she'll be in a gilded cage for a couple of months undergoing her transition into his deputy. Luckily, Wade made sure that all the news organizations knew that Diana was considered missing after not returning from her last trip to Arus. Once Diana finishes her transition to his deputy in The Void, he'll announce that he found her and decided to promote her to one of his deputy Marshals. In the meantime, he'll have control over Voltron and spread his ultimate law across every inch of the galaxy. With Diana and Voltron on his side, Wade will be able to subdue resistant planets (as well as Doom).
But for now, he had to focus on getting Diana to talk. After meeting with his droids at his office door, Wade led them through several hallways before stopping in front of Diana's cell. Wade sighed, knowing that this visit would probably be just as fruitless as his last attempt. The goal of these talks was to help sow doubt into Diana's mind. Once enough doubt fills Diana's mind, Wade will be able to enact the next step of his plan for Diana. After entering the dark room, the robots carefully removed Diana's hood, goggles, and ear plugs.
"Good morning, Diana. How are you today?" Wade asked with fake pleasantry.
"I've been better," Diana responded. "Just peachy keen."
"Everything could be easier if you'll cooperate with me for once," Wade said as he walked closer to Diana. "And who knows, you might just work for me again in a different capacity. I'll even forgive you for your past mistakes."
"You can just keep dreaming, Wade. I didn't want to work for you in the first place—remember?"
"That's one of the things I like about you, Diana. You're always so spirited—so much like your father." Wade said with a sinister smile on his face. "Perhaps, like him, a little too spirited."
"Well, will wonders never cease," Diana told Wade. "And here I am thinking that you hate every ounce of me. Anyway, what do you want now?"
"The same thing I wanted yesterday. And the day before that. And the weeks since you've been staying at The Void. Definitely since I started taking notice of an ongoing resistance fraction." Wade said shrugging his shoulders. "I want information."
Diana chuckled. "You can just as easily search for it on your own, Wade. You have access to a powerful AI system." Diana paused for effect. "You also have goons who hang on your every word and willing to perform research for you."
"I find that firsthand information is best when it comes to groups like yours," Wade said, "I'll have to give it to you and your little friends. The Den Resistance has been a challenge to nail down."
"You haven't nailed us, yet." Diana pointed out to Wade.
"Just a matter of time." Wade walked away from Diana and towards the middle of the room where a chair was waiting for him. "Ready or not, here comes the questions." Diana answered Wade with a snort. "First question: Who are you in the Den Resistance?" Diana stayed quiet. Wade repeated the question and Diana declined to answer it again. "All right let's try another one. What do you have against me? Why join the resistance against me?"
Diana snorted loudly. "Sky Marshal Wade, you should already know the answer to that one. Maybe you should undergo a holistic check-up – including a mental health screening. As if you could forget our history together, sir."
Wade let out a muffled grunt at the answer. Wade quickly asked more questions to which Diana decided to respond in kind with a question of her own. After a few rounds of the questions, Wade was tired of the interaction. "This isn't your usual tactic. I'm not sure if I'm talking to Diana Smythe-Williams or Lance McClain. You're copying some of his mannerisms, girl."
Diana bristled at being called girl but decided to focus on another retort. "Thank you, Sky Marshal. I absolutely adore Commander Lance McClain." Diana smiled for a moment before continuing. "I adore real men." The next thing Diana knew she was slapped hard again. "Either your slapping has improved or I'm getting physically weaker than I thought." Without warning, Wade's fist connected to her abdomen causing her to slightly wheeze. "If you wanted a fist fight, Wade, release me from these chains and let's get it on. My opinion still stands, you aren't a real man." Wade roared in response before walking away from Diana to cool down for a few moments.
"I've killed people for far less." Wade told Diana once he calmed down. "If you weren't so valuable to me, you would join their ranks." When Diana didn't respond to the remark, Wade decided to speak again. "I decided to try a different method of getting you to break. Since you refuse to answer questions, perhaps I can get you to volunteer the answers on your own."
"Not likely." Diana responded.
"I know for a fact that you treasure interpersonal relationships." Wade announced with a smile. "Let's focus on your co-conspirators. If I remember correctly at this point, your cohorts are Cheryl Jackson, Ethel Acenas, Bernice—Princess of Cetrac, and Alex Zanas. Let's talk about their initial impressions of you. Then we can talk about how you failed them. If we have time later, we can even discuss the impacts on their families. Unless…"
"Unless what?"
"You provide me with the information I want. A confession will also do." Wade said with a smile, playing with a plain manilla folder with blank pieces of paper in it. Diana snorted in response. "I guess that snort means no. Let's start the tale with Cheryl Jackson and go through the rest of your friends who are already here. As you already know, Cheryl was assigned to one of the teams that analyzed what happened to the Lions after the celebration. I'll have to tell you, Diana, there's some very interesting notes here."
Diana decided to steel herself for Wade's new tactic. I'll be damned if I allow Wade to use the girls to break me down. I know what he's trying to do…and he'll just have to fail again when it comes to me. Diana thought as Wade started to spin his tale.
"After two rounds of investigating, there was no external factor regarding the Lions' breakdown. The flaw is within the ancient code," Wade started taking a pause to see if Diana would react to what he was saying. He was mildly disappointed to see Diana's face staying normal. He didn't think that the first statement would work. "I didn't think that would get a reaction. How about this note? Diana asked for a new terminal for her desk—she felt that it was bugged." He looked up again to see if there was a reaction and was disappointed again to see Diana keeping her composure. "There's more, Diana. How about…" As Wade continued a story from several baseless accusations, Diana grew bored. It wasn't too long before Wade stopped with the fake stories from Cheryl. "I'll have to applaud you for your composure, Diana. I thought you would be a bit more responsive."
"You'll have to do better than baseless stories, Wade," Diana told him. "I'm secure with my knowledge and there's nothing you can do to change that."
"Well…that's just one person. Let's continue on with another friend of yours, Alex Zana. She was assigned to the team that analyzed the mechanical parts of the Lions after the celebration. Zana noted that the issues came from within the lions—particularly Black Lion. Then there was the need for a new car since you stated you didn't trust the one, I assigned you from the motor pool those first couple of months of your full-time service." Diana snorted.
"Once again Wade, you'll have to do better than your base assumptions and baseless stories."
"Hmph. I'm just getting started my dear," Wade answered with a smirk. "Anyway, back to Alex Zana." Wade continued to weave a few odd stories. He occasionally interrupted the stories by asking Diana a question. In response, Diana would laugh or simply refuse to answer anything. After another few minutes of frustration, Wade took a break from the stories and stood up. "I'm starting to think that I'm slowly breaking you down, Diana."
"In your dreams, Wade." Diana responded. "You'll never get me to break. You forget how much training I've endured through military intelligence, not to mention my extensive psychological training from formal classes."
"If you only had the view I have. Those comments I made earlier are slowly making an impact on you. I have other things to tend to, so I'll leave you with a couple of thoughts from your friends Cheryl and Alex." Wade walked to stand directly in front of Diana while grabbing the things that would block out her senses again. "There's a note at the end of both Cheryl's and Alex's files. On Cheryl—and I quote: I had reservations on this last mission. I told Diana that it wasn't going to work, and I got caught. I blame her for this situation I'm in now in The Void and any negative effects my family is going through right now—end quote." Wade said, pausing as he watched Diana process what he just said. It wasn't much—but there was a small shred of doubt on Diana's face—which disappeared as quickly as it appeared. "Now that you processed that note, here's the last one from Alex—and again, I quote: The continued stress of working under Wade's authority and fighting against him is taking a big toll on me. I had strong reservations on this last mission from Diana—but she waved them all off. Now I have a bigger stressor since I've been caught and stuck in The Void—what will happen to my family and their finances." Another second of doubt showed on Diana's face before she could hide it.
"You know what, Wade? You just can't help it—you constantly fail to get me down." Diana said chuckling. Without warning, Wade threw a few punches. One punch landed on Diana's leg, one landed heavily on her right arm. Another punch landed on her ribs, causing a bit of pain. The last punch landed on her abdomen. Diana wheezed for a few seconds before speaking again. "If you want to fight, Wade, all you have to do is set me free."
"I don't have the time for this," Wade said walking a few feet away from Diana before returning to his spot directly in front of Diana. "I'll leave you with this observation: At the end of the day, you failed two of your friends miserably when it counted. Not only are they affected—so are their families. Did you know that you can make people miserable as well? It's what you're good at, Diana." Wade finished before roughly placing the ear plugs, goggles, and hood back on Diana before leaving the room.
After being in the room alone for a few minutes, Diana started to speak out loud. "I'll be lying if I said those last statements didn't hurt. Even after joining them in The Void, I never asked Cheryl or Alex how they felt about their situations. As for their families-I'm not sure how well they're going to be with me holed up in here." Diana was frustrated again with her inability to hear her own voice—but was somewhat comforted to feel the slight vibrations from her throat. With that, Diana decided to think back to the day that Alex and Cheryl were caught on their last mission. This mission was different because they needed someone to man a terminal in Brazil and the other one in Balto. When Diana shared her feelings about the mission after it started, Lance quickly volunteered to check on Alex in Brazil so that Diana could focus on Balto since she was in a nearby planet doing taking over an intelligence task Wade wanted her to do.
*****Six months ago*****
As Diana was finished with the intelligence task that Wade just had to have her to do near Balto, she turned on her private commlink to both Alex and Cheryl. When she heard that the screens were flickering on Cheryl's terminal, Diana grew concerned—even with all the precautions she took for this particular mission, she had a sinking feeling that she was going to lose two more of her friends to The Void. When Alex confirmed that her terminal was also blinking, Diana cursed herself. She sighed before reaching out to Lance. She hated reaching out to anyone on the open channel when it came to missions, but in times like this, she didn't have much of a choice.
"Vocant Vulcano Venus. Vocant Vulcano Venus."1 Diana said, using Latin. Since Latin was the language that Wade was surprisingly weak at, it was decided that everyone speak Latin when important mission information had to be shared over the open channel.
"Respondens autem Vulcan. Respondens autem Vulcan." Lance answered back. "Quid est hoc numemn?"2
Diana rolled her eyes before responding. "Et ars apparatus hoc mundo valde molestrum."3
"Damnare," Lance bit out. "Quis es machina?"4
"7 apparatus est, et ad aedificationem Campinas," Diana answered, providing the actual building that Alex was working. "Vos effingo?"5
"Intelligo. Et Venus, te amo Pulchra."6 Lance answered before ending the transmission. Diana changed her trajectory of the fractal to get as close as possible to where Cheryl was currently working in one of the most remote places in Balto. Diana noticed an Alliance craft and had to land further away than she wanted to. Grabbing her hovercycle, Diana raced to the Balto data center, hoping that she'll be able to stop Wade's men from grabbing Cheryl. Diana was very displeased when she noticed that she was now behind Wade's men—complicating her ability to save Cheryl from her impending imprisonment. No matter how hard she tried, Diana couldn't overtake Wade's men and had to settle to sneaking around some of the darker corners in the hope she could take a few disabling shots.
Unfortunately for Diana and Cheryl, the men stood at near impossible angles. Diana was forced to watch Cheryl's arrest through the scope of her rifle in tears over her helplessness. Once Diana could move freely, she left the data center and headed back to her fractal when Lance paged her.
"Vocant Venus Vulcano. Vocant Venus Vulcano." Lance called on the radio. "Et captus fuit machina. Quid de technicos?"7
"Tum quod captum technicus. In via mea in terra."8 Diana answered, letting Lance know she'll meet up with him back on Earth—and particularly Dallas. On the way back to Earth, Diana gave Wade a prepared excuse for taking the next week off from work. Luckily for her, Wade agreed, and it was just luck that Lance already arranged to have the week off himself—as a treat for handling extra recruiting and teaching tasks. When Diana arrived on Earth, Lance greeted her with a tight hug and a chaste kiss on her forehead on the tarmac. He guided Diana to a rented blue convertible that they were taking on their long drive to Houston. They were going to meet with Cheryl's family first to give them the bad news personally.
The ride to Houston was mostly silent since Diana decided to take a nap. Once they were on the outskirts of the city, Lance woke Diana up. "It's not your fault, Diana." Lance finally said as he drove them into the middle of the city.
"You haven't failed your team. Your team hasn't been captured," Diana countered. "I failed all of them again. I hate how I barely miss all those details."
"You kept your team out of trouble for nearly five years. What more can you ask for, Diana?" Lance started. "And in case you forgot, I know how it feels to be captured. Under Keith's leadership, mind you. Been there, done that, I got the Tattoo and T-Shirt package to show for it."
Diana hmphed before looking at the GPS directions in the car. "According to this, you'll need to take exit 350, then take a right."
Lance shook his head as he noticed that it was impossible to make that exit. The exit was coming up and he was simply too many lanes over to make it safely. Diana looked around the highway before repeating the directions again. Lance finally managed to move the car to the last three lanes needed to get off the next exit. "I know, I know. But there was no way I was going to make that exit, Diana." He told her. "Besides, it'll route us back on track—it's not like we're in the country." And as soon as Lance finished telling Diana that fact, the GPS corrected the route. "See…I told you so." It didn't take them much longer to arrive at Cheryl's family home. When Lance parked the car, Diana took a deep breath before opening the door.
"Here goes nothing." Diana said to herself.
"You'll do fine. I'm here with you," Lance said standing behind Diana as she pressed the doorbell. As she waited for someone to answer the door, Diana smoothed down her yellow sheath dress and took a deep breath. It didn't take long for the door to be opened.
"Hello, there. You must be Diana and that handsome guy behind you must be Lance." The older woman greeted.
"Yes. You must be Mrs. Jackson. I'm sorry that we're meeting under these circumstances," Diana answered before taking Mrs. Jackson's hand and shaking it.
"It could be worse, Diana. Please come in." Mrs. Jackson said, stepping aside to allow Diana and Lance into the house. Diana and Lance followed the older woman to the sizeable living room to the left of the front door. In the middle of the living room was a large, black leather sectional couch. There was a dark, wooded coffee table between the sectional and love seat. "Please take a seat while I'll get Cheryl's father. Would you like anything to drink?"
"We couldn't trouble you like that," Lance stated as he and Diana sat down on the love seat. "If anything, two glasses of water would be fine, ma'am."
"It's no bother at all. Give me a few moments to get that water for you." Mrs. Jackson said with a smile and left the room through a door opposite from the large windows in the room. Against the far wall in the room was a wall of family pictures. The top row featured pictures of Cheryl's parents from their college years and their graduation. The next row featured their engagement party photo, wedding photo, and the pictures from both Cheryl's and her twin sisters' births. The next row of pictures featured Cheryl's childhood from birth to graduating from the Academy. The last row of pictures featured the twins from birth up until their latest high school pictures. The wall surrounding the door Mrs. Jackson just walked through featured The Jackson's honors and degrees. The top row featured Cheryl's parents' honors and degrees. The next row featured Cheryl's honors and Academy diploma. The last row featured the twins' honors—including both Junior and National Honor Societies certificates. The wall surrounding the door that Lance and Diana entered the room through featured maps highlighting where the Jacksons grew up before meeting in college.
It wasn't too long after Diana and Lance admired the living room when Cheryl's twin sisters entered the room. Lance and Diana turned when they heard someone clearing their throat. "Why are you here? Is it because of what happened to Cheryl?" The girl in blue asked, staring hard at Diana and Lance. Diana noticed that the twins shared some of Cheryl's features.
"I'm sorry for my sister's rudeness," The other twin, wearing green, apologized. "My name is Laraine and my sister's name is Kelraine. We miss our big sister."
"It's ok—I can only imagine a little of what y'all are going through," Diana said. "My name is Diana and that's Lance," She pointed to Lance next to her. "Cheryl told me a little bit about her baby sisters. I promise we're going to get Cheryl out as soon as possible. In the meantime, how's school?"
"It's school." Kelraine replied. "We're in the Early College program so it's giving me more of challenge than I'm used to."
"We're in our Junior year. We're worried that we'll have to withdraw from our school. We love it but we know that our parents' financial situation is a bit difficult in addition to having to pay for private school." Laraine admitted.
"I'm going to do all I can to make sure that you continue and finish up your high school years at Northwest Prep," Diana promised. "I know someone that knows someone."
Just as the twins were going to respond, their parents entered the living room. "Girls, don't you have projects to work on?" Mr. Jackson asked after acknowledging Diana and Lance.
"We're getting right on it, Dad," The girls answered in unison. "Have a great day and get our sister out soon!" The girls left the room, and everyone could hear them walk up the stairs to their rooms.
"I'm sorry about that. They miss Cheryl so much," Mr. Jackson said focusing on Diana and Lance. "I'm Sergiano Jackson. I see you met my wife, Annlise." Diana and Lance nodded before formally introducing themselves. After shaking Sergiano's hand, Diana and Lance sat back down on the love seat while Sergiano and Annlise sat down on the sectional. Cheryl told me a little bit about you, Diana. I'm honored that the both of you are sitting down in my living room. I just wish it was under better circumstances."
"It's the same here sir," Diana responded as Annlise poured some water into Diana's glass. "I feel responsible for not being able to save Cheryl from being captured by Wade."
"But you successfully saved Cheryl so many times," Sergiano said before taking a sip of water from his glass. "And as bad as it may sound, at least we know that Cheryl is in a relatively safe place and not missing in Space. With that being said…what're your next steps, Diana?"
"First things first—I want to make sure that everything will be fine for your family, Mr. Jackson," Diana stated. "I know that you have been depending on the money Cheryl has been sending you every month to help cover the girls' tuition at Northwest Prep. I just happened to have a great personal connection to Northwest Prep. My grandmother, Lillian Williams, will contact you about her covering the girls' tuition until their graduation." The Jacksons smiled at that piece of news. "Among other educational costs. My grandmother knows people who know people. With that being solved, I'm sure you have other concerns." For the next two hours, Diana calmly addressed each concern that Sergiano and Annlise had. It ranged from other financial concerns from the Alliance to current employment issues. Diana also made sure to address anything they can expect in the future from Wade—including unplanned visits. After going through each concern, Lance guaranteed that Diana's plans will work perfectly for them. After the conversation, Lance and Diana stayed for a quick dinner with all the Jacksons present before leaving for the long drive back to Dallas to catch their flight to California—where Alex's family was waiting to talk to Diana.
The next day, Lance and Diana drove through the Mojave Desert to reach the Zanas. When they arrived at the two-story ranch house, Mr. Zana answered the door and ushered them inside a full house. Several of Alex's siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and even a set of grandparents were waiting to hear from Diana personally. The adults filled the spacious den while the children were making noises upstairs. After introducing themselves to the family, Lance and Diana answered several questions about Alex's situation—including dispelling the story that Wade gave the family about Alex being kidnapped by local natives. After explaining that Alex was staying at The Void, the family was relieved.
It was then that Alex's youngest nephew walked into the room and stood by Diana. He asked Diana if he could sit on her lap. With a smile, Diana picked him up and sat him on her lap. A few moments later, Lance and Theodore were having a disagreement about Diana.
"You can't have her! She's my Diana! Go find your own!" Lance stated emphatically.
"No! She be mine! Go away!" Theodore responded with a serious face. "Have my toy!" Theodore threw his small overall-dressed chicken plushie at Lance. The adults laughed as Lance made several silly faces at Theodore before picking him up.
"Another competitor!" Lance huffed in mock anger, winking at Diana. "Look buddy, it'll be a long, long time before you'll even get a chance." Theodore laughed at Lance before yawning. As the conversation centered back on Alex, Alex's sister-in-law picked up Theodore and decided to put him to bed for the night. After that, Diana spent the next two hours going over the Zanas concern for Alex, their jobs, and even their fledging businesses. Diana addressed each concern with a different plan—including suggesting that the Zanas consider working as freelance contractors. She pointed out that with such a large family, it'll be possible for everyone to pitch in and focus on the new business. "My main plan is to get Alex out as soon as possible. Everything else will maintain things until Wade is out of power. That's everything." Diana stood up. "We'll keep in touch and as I told the Jacksons, let's keep this between us."
The family stood up and each member hugged Diana and Lance as they left the house. When it was just Alex's parents, Alex's youngest brother (Abe) and sister-in-law (Reyna), and Lance, Mrs. Zana asked if Lance and Diana were planning to leave for Florida already.
"We're going to stay overnight at a hotel, then make the trip back to Los Angeles in the morning before taking our flight back to Florida." Diana explained. "We're too tired to even attempt going back tonight."
"Why don't you stay the night here?" Mr. Zana asked. "We have plenty of room here since everyone is staying in their own homes tonight."
"Except for Teddy. He's staying with us for the next two weeks," Mrs. Zana pointed out.
"We couldn't put you out like that," Lance responded.
"We insist," Mrs. Zana stated. "In fact, you guys can sleep in Alex's room. I'll change the linens now." Mrs. Zana said as she left the room. Abe and Reyna walked to the front door, with Lance and Diana following them.
"Welcome to the family," Abe said. "Like Mom said, Teddy's staying with his grandparents for the next couple of weeks so Reyna and I can focus on a few things. Don't be surprised if you wake-up tomorrow morning and you find a toddler staring at your face. He tends to cling to people he likes. And apparently, he likes Diana."
"I guess it's settled. We're staying overnight. I'll get our duffel bags. I hope Teddy's not getting any ideas. I don't share what's mine," Lance remarked with mock seriousness as he left the house to get their bags. "It was nice to meet you." Abe and Reyna laughed and repeated the sentiments as they left the house for the night. When Lance returned to the door, Diana closed and locked the door. Mrs. Zana returned to the foyer then and guided them to Alex's room upstairs. When Mrs. Zana opened the door to Alex's room, Lance and Diana were in awe. Alex's room looked exactly how Hunk had his room set-up.
In the middle of Alex's room was a queen-sized bed covered in navy blankets, pillows, and sheets. The left window had a bookcase with an attached desk. Next to the desk was the closet door, then the rest of the left wall. By the right window was a small sofa and an end table. On the wall by the door hung Alex's tv with the rest of the walls covered with technical drawings, posters of various vehicles and shuttles, and the occasional rock band. There was also a large picture frame with several pictures of Alex's family and friends.
"Thank you, Mrs. Zana. We're sorry to trouble you with this room." Lance stated with a smile.
"Yes, thank you so much for your hospitality," Diana echoed as she took in the room again. "This is more comfortable than we could ever imagine."
"You're welcome. Your bathroom is across the hall and down two doors. Theordore is staying with us, so don't be surprised if a little visitor wakes you up early in the morning." Mrs. Zana reminded them. "Sleep well and we'll see you in the morning!"
"In the morning," Lance and Diana called out as they took in Alex's room again. A few minutes after the door closed, Lance and Diana changed into their nightclothes. Lance decided to just wear a pair of red pajama pants, while Diana chose to wear a clinging purple nightshirt. It didn't take them too long to get comfortable in Alex's bed and minutes later they were asleep holding each other. And true to their hosts warning, Theodore woke-up Diana at 5:30am with a smile and asking for cereal. Diana managed to give him a smile back before grabbing her fluffy robe and slipping her feet into her slippers. Once Diana was covered, Theodore grabbed her hand and led her to the kitchen for their early morning breakfast.
When they arrived at the kitchen, Diana asked Theodore where the cereal was. With a toothy grin, Theodore pointed to the pantry. Diana opened the pantry door and let Theodore point out his favorite cereal—Fruity Peebles. "Fruity Peebles, huh? Just like your Auntie." Diana said with a smile as she took the box down. "And where's the bowls and spoons?" Theodore ran to the cabinets by the pantry and pulled out two spoons before pointing to the high cabinets he couldn't reach. Diana opened the cabinet door and found the bowls before taking two of them down. Diana placed the bowls and the cereal on the table before opening the fridge for the milk. "I hope your grandparents won't mind this. I'll make sure to add this to my tab."
"Add to the tab." Theodore echoed, trying to repeat Diana's phase. After Diana filled both bowls with cereal and milk, they started to eat. "You bring my Auntie back?"
"I promise. I'll bring your Auntie back." Diana said. "No matter how long it takes."
"Bring my Auntie back and be mine?" Theodore asked as Lance walked into the kitchen with his robe and slippers on.
"We'll bring your Auntie back. But you can't have Diana." Lance answered before razzing Theodore. Lance then sat next to Diana and gave her a chaste kiss on her cheek.
"No mushy." Theodore said frowning and pointing to Lance as he took Diana's spoon and took a bite of her cereal.
"Yes mushy," Lance said, sticking his tongue out at Theodore. Diana rolled her eyes before Lance and Theodore went a few rounds of bickering. Alex's mother entered the kitchen and shook her head at the guys before walking out of the kitchen. Diana followed the older woman out of the kitchen as Lance and Theodore finished their breakfast.
"Lance certainly has a way with kids," Alex's mother said with a smile.
"He sure does," Diana responded with a smile of her own. "I promised Theodore that I'll bring his Auntie home over cereal. No matter what it takes, I'll make sure that Alex comes home."
*****Present Day, Open Yard*****
After settling into their new meeting place in the open yard, Cheryl spoke up. "So…do you think that Wade would try to use us to break Diana down? We all know how important interpersonal relationships are to her."
"He definitely going to try to use us as a means of breaking Diana," Alex answered. "I just hope that she's resilient enough to hold up to the attacks. When Diana joined us here at The Void, she focused more on a brighter future."
"Knowing Wade…he's probably going to weave a few stories together and present it to Diana," Bernice started.
"And add some disparaging comments. He'll probably make it seem like we resent being caught and whatever fallout our friends and family may face over it." Ethel finished. "Hopefully, Diana will recognize that Wade is lying and attempting to get her to break."
"She will, ladies," Manset answered joining their table for a few moments. "If I know Diana as well as I think I know her…Diana personally visited your loved ones after you got caught. She probably listened to your loved ones list their concerns and provided solutions as needed."
Before anyone could speak a round of alarms sounded in their ears, announcing the addition of a new prisoner to the population of The Void.
Translation:
1. Venus calling Vulcan
2. Vulcan responding. What is it Goddess?
3. The technologist and the machinist are in trouble.
4. Damn. Where is the machinist?
5. Campinas, Building 7. Do you copy?
6. I understand. And Venus, I love you Beautiful.
7. Vulcan calling Venus. They captured the machinist. What about the technician?
8. They got the technician, too. I'm on my way back to Earth.