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Chapter 7: For This Dance We'll Move With Each Other

Jimmy was up and scrambling for a hiding place before he'd even realized what he was hearing, instincts getting him out of the way before his forebrain could mess things up. He hid himself in the pantry, and for a brief second he was nothing but grateful that the famine had cleared so much space, or he'd have been unable to hide in there. With baited breath he waited, hoping the sound of him getting into the pantry hadn't been loud enough to warrant inspection, wondering who the footsteps belonged to, praying that he wouldn't be discovered; no matter the circumstances, if he was found hiding in the pantry, he either looked like a shameless thief who was eating food as he pleased during a famine, or he looked like a dangerous weapon to be used against Kodos, if the governor knew the circumstances.

The footsteps, however, passed by the double doors leading into the kitchen without pausing, and Jimmy signed in relief.

With the utmost care, Jimmy extricated himself from the pantry and made his way over to the doors, opening one with as much care as he could muster. He peeked around the doorway, curiosity momentarily tamping down the overwhelming fear he'd felt only seconds ago.

It was Kodos, and from the glimpse of his face that Jimmy caught just as the governor turned the corner, the man was furious. Jimmy didn't know what possessed him to follow the dangerous man- and he was dangerous, even if nothing could be proven yet- as he returned to his office. Jimmy kept well behind him, blending into the shadows in his dark pants and grey shirt, as if he'd known he would be sneaking around even more this evening.

"You're here," Jimmy heard Kodos say in a flat voice. "Good."

There was a shutting of the door; though the entire outside of the governor's house was covered from every angle from state of the art security, the inside was yet another show of Kodos's power. Almost every room in the entire building had some sort of antique, whether a vase from Ming Dynasty China, or an Andorian statue made from the shimmering purple stone they called dempa, or a crystal chandelier that used actual wax candles to light a room. It was the same with the doors and floors- such a simple thing, normally, but instead of the sliding automatic doors and plain flooring, Kodos had imported antique doors that actually used hinges, complete with doorknobs.

And while the antique doors were a lot more aesthetically pleasing, it was damn near impossible to really soundproof them.

Jimmy crept forward, hardly daring to breathe as he crouched near the doorframe, all his muscles tensed and coiled, ready to throw himself away from the door and down the hall before anyone could be the wiser. He stared blankly at the opposite wall, focusing on listening attentively to the conversation occurring in the room. From the sounds of things, he was listening to the tail end of the discussion.

"-fool!' Kodos was saying. "Tell your men to set the building on fire- find a good reason for it too; I can't believe you just left their bodies there! Anyone could wander along, knock on the door, figure out what happened, and raise the sort of fuss that I really don't need to deal with right now, not when I'm still going over the results of those tests! I can't have them being alerted before the selection process has been completed."

Selection process? Jimmy wondered.

"Yes, sir," the other person said, sounding obnoxiously respectful, fawning over Kodos, as if he deserved the attention. "Right away sir. I'll have my people get on it. Before I leave, sir, I was hoping I could ask a few questions."

"If it will get you back to work any faster I will gladly respond to any questions you have."

I just…" the man- for the voice seemed to deep too be that of a woman's- paused for a second. There was something dark and eager in his voice that rubbed against Jimmy the wrong way. "I was just curious, sir, why you had us kill them second. I mean, I know we'll have to cut down the population to make sure the best people survive, but wouldn't it be easier to round them all up at once? Instead, first it was the elderly and lame, then those goddamn geniuses, next probably the local idiots, it doesn't matter, so long as the people who have the necessary and worthy talents live, but wouldn't it be easier simply to handle it all at once? You could round them up and gas them- there are some noxious things down in the labs that are easy to make, or you could simply put them in the jail or something. I dunno."

Jimmy abruptly was left feeling cold and nauseous even as he stayed in his low crouch. The confirmation of what he'd suspected, they'd all suspected was going on came as a nearly physical blow. Nevertheless, there had been no way for Jimmy to confirm it, no way to actually lay the blame at Kodos's feet. It would be his word against Kodos's, and Jimmy suspected he knew how that would go. They would say he was a child, that he didn't understand what he was talking about, that surely he was mistaken. They were all terrified, and it was better to deal with the devil you knew; no one was stupid enough to believe that anyone but Kodos was truly in charge; hell, with martial law in place, the paltry little government that was in place on Tarsus IV was all but ineffective. Any outcry would be immediately and harshly silenced to allow Kodos his continued control. Instead of outcry, everyone was fighting to remain on his good side, hoping that by sucking up to him, they would gain enough of his favor to survive the coming storm.

Jimmy was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly missed it when Kodos began his response, deep voice filled with an ancient and terrible conviction. "I will weed out the weak, those who will drag the rest of us down, those who will result in the death of more worthy members of society. But I am no fool. I must be subtle, for there are bleeding hearts among my populace who would defy me, who would kill us all for some imagined idea of 'good'. I will not have it. I will save what is mine- after all, even a mutilated body is better than having no body at all, and if I must remove some of the liver to keep the heart, the lungs of my people going, I will do it gladly. I will do it a thousand times over. We don't have enough food for more than half the population. Therefore, half the population must be killed. The elderly first were a kindness. They lack the strength to keep healthy during famine. And the offworlders, that was a mercy too. You know how irrational mobs and rioters get- they would have gotten around to killing them eventually, because the blame is always laid at the feet of the 'other' in this universe. And that death would not have been kind. This way, I save the ones that may be of use, and kill the ones that are worthless."

Worthless.

Abby. Daniel. Rukia. Deshtom. Gim. Gam. Andrelinna. Nawat. Donna. Izoivo.

Worthless.

Worthless.

Worthless.

Jimmy understood now what people meant when they talked about flying into blind rages, when they spoke of being filled to the brim with fury so fierce that it was uncontrollable, when they described how it would take over your thoughts, until nothing else existed. In that instant he could have been slapped, mocked, even shot, and he would not have responded, would not have even been aware of it happening.

He forced himself to breathe through the rage, forced himself not to cry out. It must not have worked, because he heard Kodos say sharply, "What was that?"

Jimmy's coiled muscles didn't betray him, however, and he was up and around the corner before he heard the scrape of a chair that indicated that someone was getting up from their seat in the office. He simply ran, blindly, trying to prevent himself from making a sound, refusing to allow so much as a heaving breath to indicate his position. He nearly slipped on the dark floor several times before he reached his room, and each time a sob nearly escaped from his chest.

He flung himself into the room, shuddering, and rushed to his bathroom, sliding across the floor in order to make it to the toilet before throwing up- or at least attempting to. He mostly just dry heaved, as there was nothing much in his stomach to throw up, but the bile tore at his throat. This time when he cried it was nearly silent, for no noise could fully encompass what he was feeling.

A short eternity later, Jimmy finally relaxed his death hold on the toilet, sagging back limply. He couldn't bear to stay with the taste of bile in his mouth for more than a few seconds, however, so he got up to rinse his mouth and sip some water, which soothed his throat.

We've got to get out of here, Jimmy thought to himself desperately, shoulders shaking as he braced himself against the sink. As before, he couldn't bear to face himself in the mirror. He wiped at his face too, removing sweat that was as much from fear as it was from his run back to his room. He didn't feel clean when he'd wiped it off his face, however, and he found himself taking his second shower of the day, feeling completely wrecked, as though he'd spent the better part of a week straight without sleep instead of just a single night. The hot water sluiced over him, washing away the sticky sweat that had gathered in the creases of his skin. He turned his face up to the spray, running his hands through his hair, wishing there was something that would let him leave the shower and sleep, if only for an hour or two.

He stumbled out, scowling as the clock reported that it was two in the morning. Ianto had spread himself across Jimmy's covers, arms and legs flung out and taking up a large portion of the bed. Jimmy sighed and pushed Ianto into a more reasonable shape, yanking the covers out from under his body. He crawled under them, Ianto snuffling a little as he adjusted to the warmth that Jimmy represented. Immediately Ianto clung to him like a limpet, and Jimmy couldn't find it in him to blame the boy. Hell, Jimmy rather wished that he had…that he had…

That he had his mom there. To give him a hug and kiss and to say that everything was going to be alright. He'd never believed her before, even as she comforted him after nightmares. His dad was reason enough not to believe her, and the one time he'd said as much he heard her crying in her room later- in their room, the room that should have been for husband and wife and was far too big for a widow.

Jimmy had never said it again, because no one wants to make their mom cry.

As much as he'd dismissed her at the time, however, Jimmy wished now that she was here.

Because maybe this time he'd believe her.

He thought he'd be unable to sleep, but the weariness was tugging at him now, pulling him into a sleep plagued with half memories that had been twisted out of shape, with anxiety and pain. Even though his mind was stressed, running in circles around the same ideas and worries, he somehow managed to rest, and when his alarm went off Jimmy groaned, feeling as though he'd gotten absolutely no sleep at all for as tired as he felt. He'd have almost been better off just staying up through the night if this was going to be the effect of attempting to sleep with the events of yesterday the focus of his mind.

Ianto stirred beside him, kicking Jimmy in the ribs as he changed position. Jimmy let out a yelp. He said aloud, "James T. Kirk, confirming wake-up call."

"Have a nice day!" the alarm said cheerfully in response, and Jimmy nearly pitched it against the wall in a fit of frustration. He managed to resist and crawled out of his bed, throwing on water clothes came to hand and not bothering to so much as comb his hair, though he did brush his teeth and splash water on his face in an effort to seem more awake. It didn't help the shadows under his eyes or the face that his face was too pale, his eyes to stormy to be considered normal. He rubbed at his face with a towel, already sick of the day, and knowing it could only get worse.

And it did, of course. Jimmy instructed Ianto to stay put first, warning him to hide if anyone entered the room, though Jimmy didn't think it would do much good, considering there wasn't exactly a surplus of places to hide, even if it was only Ianto's small frame. Ianto simply nodded, still looking too tired, too quiet, too wan, too…sad. Jimmy's mouth tightened as he surveyed the room. Ianto was still in the dirty clothes he'd been in yesterday, and Jimmy told him to throw something of his on, and to rinse the clothes if he could. Normally Jimmy would have just said to get rid of them, but he could hear the echo of Kodos's demand that they burn the place down. There was nothing else for Ianto to wear, because everything he'd brought with them would be long gone by now.

Then Jimmy had been forced to listen in stony silence as Kodos revealed that the program house had burnt down with everyone in it. Jimmy nearly decked the governor for his condolences, for daring to offer a listening ear if they needed it, but the hot fury of the last night had coiled into something altogether more dangerous: patience. Patience and the knowledge that when the time was right, Jimmy would strike the poisonous old snake when he least expected it, and would leave as much damage as he could, even if it meant his death. So Jimmy pretended to be in shock like he was expected to be. He could tell that Big J had warned the others of what had really happened, even if they didn't yet know the whole story- when the news was revealed, Memeki didn't say a single word about how she'd begged Jimmy to get the scroll her dapi had given her. Jimmy felt a pang go through his chest, a sense of profound loss flooding through him that he hadn't been able to do as she'd asked.

On top of that, they were expected to do their regular work, as if they could focus between the grim reality and the fact that people they'd known and cared for had been killed by the man who told them the news. The day wore on forever, until finally Ingrid sent Jimmy out, to prevent him from blowing either himself or someone else up.

By unspoken agreement, they all gathered in Jimmy's room, cramped though it was. They ate their dinners, meager as they were, in near silence, each person taking a little of their meal and giving it to Ianto, who still looked as though he was in shock from the previous day's events. Jimmy felt that way too, sometimes, burning hot and cold in equal measures.

When the meal was finished, but before anyone else had the chance to open their mouths, Jimmy told them all what he'd discovered when he'd gone to throw out his clothing last night. It was a stumbling, awkward tale, filled with moments where he wasn't sure what to say, how to describe what happen, because he was stuck between trying to be clinical, removed from the situation, yet simultaneously needing them to understand, to acknowledge the pain and suffering he'd experienced as a result.

"Jimmy," Big J finally breathed at the end, and the older boy got up and hugged Jimmy tight around the shoulders. Jimmy clutched at him as though he would disappear once Big J let go. "Oh Jimmy," Big J murmured, running his hand through Jimmy's hair as he had last night. Jimmy squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to stem the tears, but a few still trickled through.

"That's all well and good," Ebenezer finally growled, clenching and unclenching his hands rhythmically, "but that leaves us the question of what to do next."

And thus the conversation dissolved into chaos, each person attempting to put their own opinion forward. Big J only had to remind everyone once to keep their voices down- no one dared to speak loudly enough to catch the attention of Kodos or one of his guards. Instead, they hissed their remarks, using biting tones and rough words instead of shouts. Eventually, however, the evening wore into early morning, and Jimmy was nearly falling asleep on his feet. He'd contributed earlier in the evening, arguing as passionately as anyone else about his opinions (which were, Jimmy had to admit, largely unreasonable, since they mostly involved killing Kodos for what he'd done, and in an effort to prevent him from killing more people under his care) but he'd slipped towards silence, listening instead.

He was the youngest kid awake, Ianto, Memeki, Savik, Karrin and O'las having long since been sent back to their rooms to get what rest they could. Or rather, the others had been sent back to their rooms and Ianto was once more curled up on Jimmy's bed and dead to the world. As a result, the conversation had gotten even quieter in an effort not to disturb Ianto.

It was rapidly approaching dawn before they managed to agree on what to do, and the plan was elegant in its simplicity. Stealth would be their friend, and they would take advantage of the same thing that Jimmy had the previous day to get out to the program house- the fact that Kodos wasn't using the guards to keep his home secure, but instead had deployed them to the cities to keep the peace. As a result, Kodos's home was a ghost town, for even the servants left for the night to return to their residences.

It would be simple then, with proper planning, to leave Kodos's house in two days time, to slip out without warning and give themselves several hours before the man would notice the fact that they had disappeared; that everyone could agree on. They didn't dare wait any longer than a day or two before departing, however, because it would be difficult to try and keep what they knew a secret as well as keep the fact that Ianto was present in the governor's house under his nose, and they had no desire to do so for any longer than was absolutely necessary. The trouble came with their inability to agree on what to do after they had left. The suggestions varied from working against Kodos as some sort of free agents to hiding in the wilderness in an effort to avoid the people that Kodos would surely sent after them when he realized what they'd done.

It was Gretchen who finally suggested that they should track down Dr. Jameson, so as to warn him what Kodos was planning in the hopes that the populace would listen to him. She spoke slowly, sounding out the plan carefully.

"And then what? We'll just hope that he puts up with us?" Ebenezer demanded. "Sure, I bet he'll believe us if we tell him the truth of what happened, especially because Abby was…" Ebenezer swallowed, blinking a little too rapidly, then said, "Abby was his friend. He'll do whatever it takes to undermine Kodos's power if it means that he'll be saving lives in the process. But I'm not so sure that he'll be able to do anything about us. There's what, eleven of us? Where is he going to hide eleven fugitives, people who are dangerous because they know the truth of what's happening? How do you even know that he'll be willing to do it in the first place? He might just decide that we're too dangerous and turn us over to the guards. Then where will we be?"

"No worse off than we are already," Yana snapped back. "Gretchen is right. Dr. Jameson is our best odds to get the word out- no one is going to believe a couple of offworlders. Anything we say will sound more than half crazy, and traitorous to boot. If it comes from someone like him, a doctor that was out there during the riots, that understands what the people are going through, a lot more people will believe, and isn't that all that really matters? Besides, he went out of his way to make sure that Abby knew what was going on, and even made sure we got out of the program house and to Kodos's alright. I think he'll be able to point us in the right direction as far as what we should do next, since he knows this place a lot better than we do."

Ebenezer couldn't fault their argument any more than Big J or Roshaun could, and even Jimmy could see that the doctor was their best hope, the only one they really knew on this planet besides the scientists and the men and women who worked directly for Kodos, all of whom were too close to Kodos's fold to risk their inclusion. Gretchen and Yana spoke persuasively for a few more moments, trying to bring the others around to their point of view; slowly, one after another they were won over by the logic. They agreed that while the plan wasn't the best, per se, it was the only feasible one, the only way they could see to both get the news out and hide in plain sight until Kodos was- hopefully- dispatched by the very same people he was planning on killing in an effort to make the food last longer for the 'worthy' citizens.

It was nearly four in the morning before they all departed Jimmy's room, slipping back to their own in the pre-dawn light. Jimmy sat on his bed, exhausted and hoping against hope that he would be able to rest peacefully so he could actually function the following day. Again he was forced to push Ianto aside so as to reclaim some of the bed for himself, staring at the opposite wall with dull eyes that burned with the lack of sleep.

Like the previous night, weariness tugged at his bones enough that he was able to get some rest, but it was still plagued by nightmares, and twice he woke up gasping just before he or the people he was with were killed by Kodos in a dream. Again the alarm came far too early for Jimmy's taste, and he was groggy when he said aloud, "James T Kirk, confirming wake up call." He was groggy enough that it came out garbled, and Jimmy was forced to repeat it twice more, each time with increasing frustration, before the alarm finally shut off. Ianto didn't stir, and Jimmy greatly begrudged him the ability to sleep at all.

Two nights with less than four hours of sleep were not making Jimmy a happy person, but he managed to stumble through his morning routine without accidentally killing himself, which he counted as a bonus. Unlike the day before, however, when he existed in a constant haze of rage and sadness, today he was simply numb, existing in a different sort of haze, one that left him listless and unable to full concentrate on his work.

Jimmy ignored the looks of pity and sorrow he was treated to all day, to the murmured condolences for Abby and the others, as though that could make it all better, as if it was supposed to comfort him. Jimmy accepted them with a placidness that he knew was wrong; he knew he should be yelling at them to blame Kodos, not make awkward little apologies when they didn't know what else to say. They didn't burn in a fire, they were murdered, murdered in cold blood and without care.

Jimmy rubbed at his forehead, trying to fight the headache building in his temples, in part from what had happened the last few days, in part because he couldn't deal with another offer of sympathy, especially from Kodos, who had been positively simpering when he'd stopped by after the meager lunch. The haze cleared for those few moments when Kodos had clapped a hand on Jimmy's shoulder. Jimmy had been unable to keep himself from tensing under Kodos's grip, flinching back from the touch. He covered it with a weak smile, eyes flickering down.

"Sorry," he muttered. "You…startled me." Jimmy hunched his shoulders, rubbing at his face.

Kodos smiled thinly. "It's quite alright. I'm sorry for the pain you have endured. I assure you, I am working as best as I can to find the terrible perpetrators who killed my dear friend Abby and the other members of my program. I can't express how thankful I am that I was able to inadvertently rescue you. I hope you will look upon this as your home for the duration of your stay."

Even through the numb haze, Jimmy nearly punched him for that one. Though he didn't do anything, Kodos seemed to sense his intention, and the thin smile turned positively icy. To placate him, Jimmy attempted a false smile, but his muscles wouldn't work, wouldn't shape the careless grin that he'd worn so easily merely three days ago. Kodos left him alone then, thankfully, left him alone to stare blankly at the equations before him.

The following day passed much the same, with the same feeling of numbness in the wake of fire and fury. Jimmy went through the motions of doing his work, more preoccupied with hoping that Ianto wouldn't be discovered, that they wouldn't be caught as they tried to escape, that they would somehow survive the coming months despite the fact that winter was coming on top of the famine. He worried for the future, for his friends, for what Kodos was planning to do. It made him snap at the men and women he was working with though it wasn't their fault. He grunted apologies, and tried not to see the still-present pity in their eyes for his loss. He simply wanted to get out of Kodos's house, to stop working for him, to stop wondering if this was the minute where Kodos's guards would come bursting into the room and drag him and the others away in chains so they could be killed. The very thought left him jumpy for hours, especially as evening approached.

As they time that they had decided to leave came nearer and nearer, Jimmy began having second thoughts. He hadn't expected to, but suddenly there seemed to be a thousand and one things that could go wrong, a thousand and one things that could lead to their demise. He began pacing his room, stalking from one corner to the other, the most precious things of his life held in a bag over his shoulder, while Ianto watched him with eyes too weary to belong to so young a child. The Ianto before Abby's death had been shy and sweet, but now he was closed off, as though a part of him had died when Abby had.

Jimmy could sympathize, because he felt that way sometimes too.

He wanted to tell Ianto that it would be okay, but he had no way of knowing, no way to keep his promise. So instead Jimmy smiled weakly at Ianto and returned to his pacing, wondering when Big J would finally come to collect him. They were planning on leaving in stages, in groups of two or three, and Big J, Ianto and Jimmy would be the last group; they planned to meet at the outskirts of the city, but by leaving gradually they hoped their departure would be less noticeable than if a group of eleven attempted to make their way through Kodos's grounds and to the city on foot with naught but their personal belongings. Two or three people would also be more easily ignored by the sensors than an entire group, and Ebenezer and Roshaun had spent the previous night ensuring that nothing technological would realize- or report- their absence. Jimmy hoped belatedly that he hadn't set anything off, but considering the general lack of outcry from Kodos about the fact that he had been sneaking off the grounds at the same time that his men were attacking Abby and the others, Jimmy guessed that for some reason Kodos and his men either hadn't recently checked the tapes or had turned them off for the duration of the attack. Jimmy suspected it was the second, since the program house was on Kodos's grounds, and he wouldn't want any record of what he was doing to exist.

When the nearly silent knock on the door finally sounded, Jimmy practically leapt for it, opening the door as quickly as he could manage. Big J stood at the threshold, hand raised for another knock. He raised an eyebrow, face creasing a little in laughter. Jimmy flushed, but didn't respond, waving for Ianto to come. Like before, the halls were empty and silent, with not a soul in sight to catch them. Jimmy's heart pounded frantically the entire time, however, as he expected each shadow to hold a guard, each movement out of the corner of his eye to be a phaser about to be fire.

Despite Jimmy's worries, the task of escaping proved to be no harder than it had several nights previous, and Jimmy was strangely furious at Kodos's overconfidence, his belief that no one knew what he was up to, that no one would dare harm him even if all of his men had been sent out to control the population of Tarsus IV. They slipped out the last door, shutting it firmly behind him and it was only then that Jimmy's heart began to calm by slow degrees. They crept across the lawn, sticking to the shadows cast by the various bushes and trees that could be found everywhere. They generally avoided the path as they walked the eight miles in the cold of the night to the edges of the city. It took nearly two hours, bogged down as they were with their personal belongings, but there hadn't been so much as a hint that they should leave them. Until they were able- if they were able- to get off this planet, their personal items were all they had of home, all they had of the families and friends who loved them, all they had to remember that Tarsus IV and Kodos wasn't all there was to this universe.

The others were waiting for Jimmy, Big J and Ianto, and when they appeared over the edge of the hill, Jimmy could practically sense their relief. Jimmy smiled a little, feeling himself relax a little more as he saw the faces of the others, glad that they had made it thus far without harm. It was another minute or two before they were close enough that they could speak without worrying about drawing attention to themselves, however, so Jimmy kept his greeting to a brief wave, as did everyone else.

When they finally met up, it was as though they weren't sure how to continue. They stared at each other awkwardly, unwilling to blatantly address what had brought them this far. Ebenezer grunted, finally, breaking the strange tension between them all and held up a piece of paper. "I tracked down Dr. Jameson's home address on my PADD." he said aloud, and it gave them all something else to focus on.

"I know where that is," Gretchen announced, scrunching her face up in thought. "At least, I'm pretty sure I know where it is. When…" she licked her lips a little nervously, and she had to blink a couple of times before she was able to continue. "When I went with Rukia to do some shopping a couple of times, I'm pretty sure we passed this street."

"Can you take us there now?" Savik asked, ever the impatient one.

Karrin elbowed him, and Savik was on the verge of retaliating when he caught sight of the stern looks on Roshaun and Big J's faces especially. He settled for making a face at her and stepping away to prevent the air from being knocked out of him again.

Gretchen worried her lip for a moment, and then nodded. "I think I can. I can get us to the general area, at least."

Jimmy adjusted his pack before they set off following Gretchen into the city proper. It was an organized city, unlike New York or Boston back on Earth. It was more in keeping with San Francisco, which had been more carefully designed than its predecessors. To that end, the city was patterned more or less in the style of a grid, each street carefully labeled, even if the cars used the magnetic strip and GPS for Tarsus IV to orient itself; enough people walked around the city. Jimmy had never been able to think of it as a city, truly, since the population was not that much bigger than that of Riverside in Iowa, and nowhere near approaching the near billion people present in New York, or Vulcan's Shi'Kahr, or even Cardassia's Gemvar. It was, however, the closest thing they had to a city- nearly five thousand people lived here, the other three thousand or so spread across three other settlements.

It didn't take them as long as Jimmy thought it would to traverse the city and get to Dr. Jameson's house, even with the unexpected realization that there were guards posted all over the city, carefully keeping an eye on the citizens in an effort to keep order. There were only so many people that could stand watch and enforce martial law, since Kodos's guards only comprised about a tenth of the population, if that. There were entire streets that showed not a single sign of life, that were completely unwatched. As a result, though they were forced to take several detours and there were some terrifying moments where they were forced to take last minute cover and scatter, hiding themselves as best they could so as to avoid attracting attention, they were eventually successful in reaching their goal.

Dr. Jameson's house was a quiet affair, like most of the other homes in the area. It was a quiet two story building that harkened back to the older styles of design found on Earth. It wasn't made of wood, but of a special polycarbonate mimicry that made it all but indestructible. Nevertheless, the design wasn't unlike that of Jimmy's home in Iowa, complete with a wraparound porch that could have come straight out of the 18th or 19th centuries. It was a blue color, with large bay windows and a kind of placid warmth that welcomed you casually forward. Though the plague had destroyed much of the grains and vegetables, it hadn't touched the flowers and shrubbery, and even though most of them were dying in the fall chill, Jimmy was surprised to find how much he enjoyed seeing them.

The entire group, Gretchen, Ianto, Roshaun, Ebenezer, Savik, Karrin, O'las, Memeki, Yana, Big J and finally Jimmy traversed up the steps, crowding awkwardly on Dr. Jameson's porch, casting about warily for some sign that their presence had been noticed by a guard or a neighbor.

It was Big J who finally stepped forward, pushing past all his friends in order to get to the front, where he rang the doorbell for a few seconds before stepping back and waiting, like they all were, nerves raw and hoping that Dr. Jameson would come to the door and let them in.

Five minutes passed, a long five minutes that seemed to Jimmy more of a short eternity than anything else. He, like most of the others, fidgeted and shifted from foot to foot, unable to keep adrenaline from making his heart race and his breathing speed up.

Just as Big J was about to ring again, the door opened.

Dr. Jameson stood there, hair in disarray, wearing loose sweatpants and a t-shirt. He looked shocked to see them, and his gaze passed from face to face, picking up on the agony, the misery, the worry, the fear, the anger. All of it.

He sighed, looking more defeated in that moment than Jimmy had thought possible.

"Well, it looks like you had better come in."

TBC