School Days: Junior Year

Chapter 2: Back to School

Do you ever lay awake in bed before a big day and simply can't fall asleep? Then it's 2AM and you stare at the clock thinking, 'If I go to sleep now, I'll get 5 hours of sleep...'. Then it's 4AM and you have to reconsider the math. By about 5AM it's easier to stay awake the last two hours than try to get that little bit of sleep. Of course by then you're so exhausted, you can't really help but fall asleep. And when you're alarm goes off two hours later, all you want to do is throw it across the room.

Yeah, that was me last night. Today is the first day of my Junior year of high school - this, in itself, should not be anything to keep me up all night but I have to face the 'Erik Situation' today - or at least Erik. If we don't have any classes together maybe it won't be so bad.

I looked at the alarm clock again and knew my borrowed time from pushing the snooze button was going to end soon. I reached over and turned off the alarm before it could yell at me for still being in bed. Slowly dragging myself from the bed, I tried to stifle a yawn and failed. "Ugh, it's gonna be a long day" I said sleepily. I retreated to the bathroom and washed my face, scrubbing harder than necessary to rub the sleep away. There were dark circles under my eyes and I grimaced. I rarely wore anymore makeup then a bit of lip gloss but I was not going to school looking like a raccoon. I dug under the sink for my seldom used makeup and managed to tone down the raccoon face.

"You look tired. Didn't you sleep well?" my dad asked over breakfast. I just shrugged and ate my cereal in silence. My dad didn't push and seemed to be lingering while I finished. As soon as I had put my bowl in the sink he spoke up. "Come on, I have something I want you to see." I barely had a chance to grab my backpack before he was dragging me out of the house, clearly excited.



Sitting in our driveway was a shiny, new car. "You bought a new car?" I asked looking toward the garage to see if his old car was still parked there. It was. I looked from his happy face to the car and back again. "Is this...?" the fog started to clear as everything clicked. "Is this for me?" I asked beaming.

"Yes!" my dad said pulling the keys from his pocket and holding them out to me.

I took them in awe and then gave my dad a huge hug. "Thank you Daddy! This is awesome!"

My dad chuckled. "Well you're a good kid, but you have to keep your grades up, no staying out past curfew and all that or the car will be the first to go."

"Right! Totally understand!"

"And I have it on good authority that Mrs. Anderson would be amiable to you driving Todd to school - if you were so inclined." my dad said with a wink just as I heard Todd's front door opening across the yards.

"Thanks Dad!" I said and check my watch. I jumped in the car and took in the new car smell with a huge smile. I was putting on my seat belt when I heard tapping on my window. I rolled it down and my dad held out a little blue and silver sticker. It was a parking pass for my school; I took it and quickly applied it to my window. "Thanks. I love you!" I said as I backed out of the drive way. Todd's house was only next door and I could have walked over to offer him a ride but I wanted to drive the short distance. I parked smoothly in Todd's driveway and saw him sitting on his front stoop, staring at the car.

"Nice." Todd said with appreciation.

"Want a ride?" I offered, getting out of the car and smiling.

"I would but I doubt my mom will let me." Todd said with an eye roll.

"She will." Mrs. Anderson said from behind him. She smiled at me. "Good morning Ginny."

"Really Mom?" Todd asked surprised.

"Yes, but don't think this means you're ungrounded, it's just an allowance." she said. She was sweet about it and I could tell she was starting to soften. Maybe he would be ungrounded soon.

"Thanks Mom!" Todd said sounding thrilled at the smallest allowance.

I heard the door open and close again and heard a girlish squeal. "Ginny! You got a car!?! That is sooooo cool!" Meghan Anderson, Todd's younger sister, said bounding down the stairs. She was dressed his reds and black, had on dark lipstick and seemed to be aiming for a goth/punk look; a stark contrast to her naturally blond hair and her perky attitude. "Can I have a ride to school? Pleeeeeeaaaaase?!" she stretched that single word into a whine that made me cringe.



Before I could reply, she'd jumped into the passenger seat and was buckling her seat belt. "Oh no you don't!" Todd said, marching around to the other side of the car. "IF Ginny agrees to give you a ride, YOU will be in the BACK!" he said sternly. Meghan immediately pouted and I knew the whine would be back in minutes.

"Yes you can have a ride." I said leaning to looking in the driver's side window. "BUT, Todd's right - in the back." I said pointing and trying to smile. "I offered Todd a ride first."

"Fine!" she said with a humph. She got out and moved to the backseat and grumbled the whole time. Once we were on our way, I glanced into the rear view mirror and saw that Meghan was back to being perky and grinning.

"Excited about your first day of high school?" I asked her. Next to me I heard Todd groan and then Meghan was off and rambling about all her high school plans. She could talk faster than anyone I'd ever met. I caught about every fourth word and eventually just tuned her out. It was just as well, she wasn't listening to us either. "When did she go goth?" I asked Todd quietly.

Todd shrugged. "Last night she was going to wear a pink sundress." he said. "I stopped paying attention after the fourth outfit at about 2AM." I laughed as I pulled the car into the student parking area. Meghan was off and running before I'd even turned off the car. "Bye....you're welcome for the ride....have a good day." I said to her back. She didn't hear me, nor had I expected her too. Todd chuckled next to me. "Fun, it's going to be so fun having your baby sister at our school." I said with an eye roll.

Todd and I were chatting about our respective summers as we passed through the school, got our schedules and went off to our lockers. We were so busy talking, I was oblivious to the changes around me. At least until we got to a hall that I know used to end with a solid wall. "What the...?" I interrupted Todd and looked around me.



"What's wrong Ginny?" Todd asked as Timothy smiled our way and waved. Veronica was also there but didn't wave or acknowledge us. I shook my head and looked around again trying to get my bearings. "Gin?" Todd asked again.

"Um...doors, there are doors....there should be a wall..." I said blinking. There were also new locker and new paint on the wall but that wasn't as disconcerting as doors to what should be nothingness.

"Yeah, didn't you know?" Todd asked.

"Know what?" I asked.

"Oh they've been working all summer, the construction crews. They added a new addition to the school. Includes and auto shop, new classrooms, new gym..." Todd explained.

I looked at him wide eyed. "Wow. I had no idea." I said. "So if I go through the doors I'm not gonna fall to the ground?" I teased.

Todd laughed. "Nope. Look, I better go find my locker. I'll see you in English later." he said holding up his schedule. We'd already compared and knew we had English and Science together this semester. I waved to him and started toward the doors. I realized that my new locker was in the new wing, as was my first period class.

"Hey Gin." I stopped in my tracks when I heard his voice. During my visit over the summer, we'd both been content to ignore what had happened in May, I doubted that would hold for long. Erik put his hand on the curve of my back sending small ripples through me. "Gin?" he said.

"Hey Erik." I finally mustered. I gave him a weak smile, the best I could do to hide the emotions and words tumbling around in my mind.



"You look great." he said, I wondered if he was trying to figure out what to say as much as I was. "Have a good summer? I mean after you visited Virginia?"

"Thanks, and yeah - it was fun. Went to D.C. and saw James..." I thought I saw a slight twinge from Erik when I said his name but he didn't comment. "um, went to New York City and went to Maine - we stayed in their beautiful little town in Maine, it was very peaceful."

"Sounds great. Glad it was good...." we were both quiet for a moment and I knew time was running out, we'd both have to get to class. "So...look, about...." he trailed. "Can we talk?" he finally said.

"I really need to get to class - my first class is in the new wing and I have no idea where so...later...." I said backing away from him.

"Right. Later." Erik said sounding dejected.

We parted company and I felt horrible the whole way to my new locker. I tried several times to get it open before I slammed my hand against it. "It's a new locker! Why is it sticking!" I shouted. Several people turned to look at me and I felt my cheeks grow hot. I ducked my head and hurried into the new art room which was my first period class, an elective.

Halfway through the class, I saw chiseling at a large block of clay, wondering if it was wise to start us on such a large project the first day of class. I had put Erik out of my thoughts while working with the clay. "I thought we were going to be friends." he said. Okay so I thought I'd pushed him from my thoughts. I was feeling guilty about ignoring the situation - we'd been down this road before - clearly I was feeling guilty I focused again on the clay, ignoring his errant voice. There was no reason to pay attention to voices in my head.



"Earth to Gin...." he said again and I shook my head, trying to focus on the sculpting. "Gin, look - I know I've put you in an awkward position but ignoring me is just rude." he said. I was fully prepared to continue ignoring the voice until I felt his hand on my shoulder. I dropped the hammer and chisel, one of which landed on my toes, as I jumped from surprise.

I put my hand over my pounding heart and turned to face him. "You scared the crap out of me!" I hissed at him and then winced at the pain in my foot. I knelt down to retrieve the fallen tools and he knelt down with me. He reached for the hammer at the same time I did and our hands grazed each other.

"Gin." he put his hand over mine and gently brushed my skin with his thumb. I shuddered a bit at the delicate touch. "I said I loved you, and I meant it but I'm willing to wait, in the mean time." he said softly. He gave me a smile that could melt me in an instant and held up the chisel with his other hand. "I better get back to my own class." he said as we stood up together. I took the tools from him and watched him leave just as Mrs. Wellsly was about to question his continued presence in the art room.

Timothy, Todd and Erik were already sitting together when I made it to the cafeteria. The new wing to the school was not so complicated as to make me get lost and yet my thoughts seemed to be wandering a lot today so I'd ended up in the old gym - now a music room - instead of the cafeteria. I grabbed a sandwich and joined them. They were all talking about their morning classes so I was able to focus on my sandwich. I saw Veronica walking up with her soup and started to wave her over but she paid about as much attention to me as she had that morning, or even this summer.



"What's up with her?" Erik asked, following my gaze toward Veronica as she sat at a table with a group of girls I vaguely recognized as the primary source of gossip and generally snobbery in the school. I raised my eyebrow as Veronica joined them with no problem, clearly a member of the inner circle.

"Looks like she made friends over the summer." I said watching her for another moment before returning my attention to my lunch.

"Meghan said she spent a lot of the summer at the beach club, she didn't say who she had been hanging out with though." Todd said looking a little disgusted. Most everyone outside 'the circle' disliked them or secretly wanted to be one of them while pretending to be disgusted with their behavior.

I looked at my half eaten sandwich and sighed. "I'm not very hungry anymore." I said pushing it away. As crappy as she was as a girl friend, Veronica was the only one I had really.

Erik put his arm around my shoulder to comfort me and I resisted the urge to both push him away and to cuddle into his comforting arms. Instead I let him keep it there and said nothing. I saw Todd and Timothy looking between us but neither said anything.

In my last class of the day, pre-calculus, I saw Veronica and one of the other girls. I took a steadying breath and walked past them without saying anything but I saw Veronica's eyes follow me. By the time I'd taken my seat a couple rows away, she and the girl were laughing about something...or someone.

After school, I was the first to reach my car. I'd told Todd I'd give him a ride home and extended the offer to Meghan even though I feared I was setting up a bad precedent. I had a bad feeling I would be driving Meghan to and from school, listening to her rapid speech, all year long. "Nice car." Erik said, sometimes I swear he materialized beside me just to shock me!

"You should stop doing that." I said turning to look at him.

"What? Complimenting your car?" Erik asked.

"No, showing up suddenly without making any noise." I said, giving him a weak smile.

Erik smiled back. "It's not my fault that you're too deep in thought to pay attention to your surroundings." he said.

I wanted to tell him it WAS his fault since all my thoughts were about him but I bit my tongue.



"So..." I trailed off, not really sure what I had intended to say. Thankfully the awkward silence was cut short when I heard Meghan rambling away as she and Todd approached. "Did you need a ride?" I offered.

"No, thanks though. I got my own transportation..." he looked over his shoulder and motioned toward a motorcycle a couple spots away.

"Oh you got a motorcycle!" I said looking past him towards it. I remember him mentioning once that he'd wanted one and had been saving what he could in hopes of getting one.

"Yeah, I worked for John - my mom's husband - over the summer some and he gave me a good paycheck." Erik said.

"Wow! Is that yours?" Meghan said sliding up to us. "Hi, I bet you're Erik. My name is Meghan Anderson. I'm Todd's sister. It's nice to meet you. Is that your motorcycle? Motorcycles are sooo cool!" I was about ten seconds away from clamping my hand over the girl's mouth when she finally shut up.

Erik laughed. "Hi Meghan Anderson, yes I'm Erik and yes that's mine." he said.

"Wow. Could you give me a ride some time?" she asked leaning in toward him and smiling.



I raised my eyebrows and looked from her to Todd. "Is she...?"

"Yeah, yeah she is..." Todd said shaking his head.

"But...she's only..." I sputtered trying to find the words to convey my thoughts.

Todd shrugged. "Erik doesn't seem to mind." he said

I looked back and was horrified to see that Todd was right. Erik was either flirting back or humoring Meghan. He was giving her the smile which made me swoon....and it had the same effect of Meghan. "Okay! Um, Meghan, unless you wanna walk or take the bus, get in the car!" I called out. She winked at Erik and gave him a small wave before hurrying over to my car and getting in the backseat. I didn't meet Erik's gaze as I got in as well and left the parking lot.

After dropping Todd and Meghan back at home, I made my way to Central Park. James and I had made plans to meet up after school today and I was looking forward to seeing him. I think. I got there a little early and was happy to find the little island in the middle of lake devoid of people. I claimed a bench and stared out over the rippling water, trying to think - or maybe trying not to think. I was so deep in my non-thoughts that I didn't hear him approaching.



He sat down beside me and had his arm around my shoulder before I realized he was there. "When did you get here?" I asked feeling confused for the umpteenth time today.

"About a minute or two ago." James said smiling. "How was your first day?"

"Long." I said leaning against him. "Confusing."

"Confusing? Why?" James asked.

"Apparently while I was gone, they built a whole new addition to the school. Which happens to be where my locker is and two of my classes. It's not really confusing but some how I managed to get turned around a couple times." I said leaving out all the confusing feelings for Erik I was having - the real reason.

"Ah, I can see how that would be confusing then." he said squeezing my shoulder. "How are your friends? Did you catch up with Veronica? I know you didn't hear from her over the summer."

"Um...no, not really. She seems to have ascended into this circle of girls that are just....horrible really. She really didn't acknowledge my existence today." I said sadly.



"I'm sorry Ginny." James said holding me a little tighter.

I shrugged half-heartedly. I wish I could just shrug her and her behavior off but I felt hurt by her. Again. "Thanks. Maybe she'll come to her senses. Todd's little sister is a freshman this year...I gave her and Todd a ride to school and I swear she didn't stop talking even to breathe!" I said changing the subject.

"Gave them a ride? You got a car?!" James asked surprised, whether he was surprised that I got a car or that I hadn't been jumping for joy, telling him from the start; I wasn't sure.

"Oh! Yeah! My dad totally surprised me with one this morning before school!" I said excitedly. I pointed across the small lake to the parking lot where it was.

"That's great Ginny." James said smiling.

"So, what about your day? Did you get your schedule set up properly?" I asked.

"Yes, I'll be taking a couple weekend classes as CSU this semester as well. Those, with my internship, should ensure that I graduate in December instead of May." he started talking about his classes and I felt a sickness in my stomach. He was going to be so busy this semester and then what? Would he continue at CSU? I was pretty sure he had bigger plans than a state university.

End Chapter

School Days: Junior Year

Chapter 1: Summer Sun

Wow, what a summer! My Dad, true to his word, had arranged a grand adventure across the East Coast for almost the whole summer. He had to do some work along the way of course but we'd had a lot of time together and seen just about every sight-seeing, tourist spot along the coast in the last couple months. It had been so much fun, and one of the perks of being so busy is I didn't have much time to think about Erik; or James; or Todd and Mei-Ling's mysterious appearance. Yeah I didn't think about any of those things at all.

I pulled out the very familiar post cards and letters from my tote and looked at them again. I could feel the warm summer sun on my shoulders and heard the gentle lapping of the water on the beach behind me. I had less than a week left out here and all of my 'not thinking' about things was making me nervous about the end of vacation. A small picture fell out from the papers onto the bar and I picked it up and smiled. I'd taken it during our stop in Virginia; it was a great picture of Erik and his little brother Gavin.

"Cute kid." a somewhat familiar voice said. "Yours?"



I looked up at the boy pouring drinks in surprise. "Um, no. I'm barely 17." I said with a weak laugh.

He just shrugged as if my youth didn't mean it wasn't possible. "So, I'm Trip." he said holding a lemonade out to me.

"I didn't order this." I said looking at the pink umbrella in the glass.

"Sure you did, yesterday and the day before...oh yes and the day before." he said with a boyish grin. "You've ordered it everyday you've been here. You realize there is a beach behind you right? Most people don't come here to drink lemonade and look stressed."

I looked over my shoulder as if I'd forgotten about the beach. "Yeah well, I have a beach at home..." I said lamely.

"Yeah? Where's home?" Trip asked running a cloth along the bar.

"California." I said and took a drink from the ice cold lemonade. "Thanks." I said raising the glass slightly.

Trip just nodded. "Sooo, what's got those cute little worry lines creasing your forehead?" he asked with a smile.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Do you flirt with all your customers? I'm not even attracted to you."

He laughed and shook his head. "I'm NOT flirting with you. And thank you for that extra special ego boost by the way..."

I covered my mouth once I realized what I'd said. "I'm sorry, it's not that you aren't cute...you are, I'm just...yeah, never mind. I'm gonna go claim a lounge chair or something."

"No wait, don't worry about it, you're not my type anyway." Trip said with a smile that convinced me not to leave. "I've just seen you worrying about something and thought you might want someone to talk to that's all. No flirting, scouts honor." he held up his hand in an incorrect scout salute. When he saw me looking at it curiously he looked and corrected it and then grinned sheepishly at me. "Okay so I wasn't a scout..."

I laughed and felt some of the tension dissolve. "What do you mean I'm not your type?" I said smiling so he knew I was teasing.

"Oh I'm more inclined toward the tall, dark and muscular." he said looking past me toward a few guys on the beach.

"Oooh." I said following his gaze. I nodded in understanding and turned back toward him.

"So, tell me about the kid." he said while washing a glass. "Or maybe it's the boy..." he leaned forward to look at the picture. "Oh yeah, it's the boy." he said with a wink.

I smiled as I looked at the picture and flipped to another one. "You don't need to hear about my problems - I don't even know you."

"True but I'm here, you're here and I have about twenty more glasses to clean. Come on..." he prompted.

I sighed in defeat, knowing it would be good to talk. I held up the second picture of Erik with his family for Gavin's birthday. "This is Erik." I said. "My ex-boyfriend."



I gave him a quick recap of our relationship and break up. "We're friends now...sort of. I mean we're trying to be friends but it's awkward."

"Why is is awkward?" Trip asked.

"Just before school ended, he told me he still loves me, always had. It was wonderful and so sweet and heartfelt." I said frowning.

"So the problem is....what exactly?" Trip asked.

"Then this girl he'd been seeing last summer, right after we broke up, walked up and ruined the moment." I said.

"Tramp," Trip said with a smile as if reading my mind.

"I know right?" I said with a chuckle. "That's not really fair of course, we weren't together when they dated so I didn't have any claim....and of course there's the fact that my boyfriend walked up shortly there after."

"Oooh, the plot thickens." Trip said putting the glass in and rifling through the pictures.



"He's cute." he said looking at the picture. "Kid's not bad either" he said with a wink. "Okay, tell me more about this Erik guy, you still have feelings for him?"

"No. I'm with James...." I said with very little conviction.

"Yeah that was convincing, I thought you were from California - don't they teach you how to act out there?" he said with a grin.

I smiled weakly. "I AM with James...but Erik...well he's Erik. I can't deny that him telling me he still loved me and that Val, she would be the tramp," I explained. "That Val didn't mean anything to him....yeah that gave me all sorts of warm fuzzies."

"So dump James and get back with Erik." Trip said before resuming washing the glasses. I was about to explain further when my phone rang. I was shocked to realize it was almost five o'clock.

"I have to go! I'm supposed to meet my Dad for dinner in half an hour and have to change." I stuffed the letters and pictures back into my tote bag and grabbed my towel. "Thanks..." I looked away and then back at him. "Will you be here tomorrow?" I asked hopefully.

"Yep, same bat time..." Trip said.

"Same bat channel?" I said with a laugh.

"Very good...hey you didn't tell me your name!" he called as I'd started to back away to leave.

"Ginny! My name's Ginny!" I called back and then waved and hurried away from the beach to get back to the hotel.

The next day I headed down to the beach feeling lighter than I had for the last week. The troubles were still the same but I felt like talking them out was helpful. I looked toward the bar and didn't see Trip there, I decided to stake out a lounge chair for the day and was happy to find an empty pair. I was barely settled into my own chair when I heard someone sit in the one next to me. I turned and was surprised to see Trip. "Slacking?" I asked with a playful smile.



"Day off." Trip said.

"But you said..."

"I said I'd be here, and here I am." Trip said grinning. Before I could reply he motioned toward my tote bag. "Tell me the rest" he said. "Why shouldn't you just dump the James guy and get back with Erik?"

"Well James is...pretty much perfect." I said wistfully.

"Nuh-uh, doesn't exist." Trip interrupted my thoughts about seeing James in Washington DC.

I shrugged. "If he has flaws, I haven't seen them. He's a gentleman, he's cute, he's funny, he's charming, he's smart."

"Wow...what happened between you two after Erik's declaration?" he asked.

"Not much, my Dad and I left on vacation and James went to Washington D.C." I said. "We stopped for a week or so in D.C. and I saw James then. It was like nothing had changed...aside from location."



"Well did you tell him? What Erik said? Cause if not, as far as he knows nothing HAS changed." Trip pointed out.

I grimaced. "Well no, I mean how do who broach that subject anyway?"

"If you still have feelings for Erik but don't tell this guy - it's not really fair to him is it?" he pointed out.

"Ugh, you're supposed to be helping...I don't have feelings for Erik...not really! It was just a moment of..." I trailed off. "I don't know what but I like James!"

"But you LOVE Erik." Trip pointed out, when I turned to glare at him he just shrugged it off. "I'm just sayin' Tell me about the rest of your visit with James."

I grumbled for a moment and then continued. "James showed me around D.C., we did the touristy thing even though he'd been there for a couple months for his internship. It was a lot of fun. He had some great stories about the other people in the Senator's office. I didn't realize how much I missed being with him until I had to leave at the end of the week."



"He told me about an opportunity he has to graduate a semester early....I told you he was smart!" I said as if I'd scored a point for James.

"I didn't doubt it." Trip said simply.

"Anyway, we go to different schools back home so it's hard enough to get together, he'll be pretty busy this semester it sounds like." I said feeling sad again.

"And after? Is he staying on the West Coast for college?" Trip prompted as I sunk into my own thoughts.

"Um, huh?" I asked shaking my head to focus. "Um, you know I'm not sure." Trip was silent as I started trying to think if James had mentioned his college plans. I don't know how long we sat in silence but soon music started playing from the band and dance area and Trip was dragging me to my feet and out of my thoughts.



"Okay, so James sounds like a great guy - I changed my mind - you should stay with him. But you should be honest about your maybe, possible feelings for Erik - at least with yourself." Trip said as we danced.

"I don't have any feelings for Erik." I denied. Even as I said it, I wondered if it was the truth.

"Yeah, right." Trip said with a smile and an eye roll.

As Trip nearly fell to the ground doing some bizarre dance moves, I dissolved into giggles. "You dance like Todd!" I said through laughs.

"And who is Todd?" Trip asked, still dancing. "Another of your many suitors?"

"No! Not since Mei-Ling anyway!" I said with a chuckle. "Todd's my neighbor and my best friend."

"And what happened before Mei-Ling?" he asked

"I had a huge crush on him before I met Erik, but it never really worked between us. We work much better as friends." I said.

"So Todd was the prequel, Erik is the main story and James was the sequel?" Trip said with a mischievous grin.

I rolled my eyes. "Well there was an awkward kiss between Todd and I - after Erik but before James. How does that fit into your script?"

Trip waved that point off. "Sounds perfectly juicy but not enough for a feature film. Besides, he's with this Mei-Ling now yes?"

"I think so...I mean she showed back up. The same night as the whole Erik and the Tramp. You see she was an exchange student and she a Todd dated and then she went back to China. This last year was brutal on Todd but he was recovering I think and then she showed up."

"And? Surely one of those letters contains details as to the why?" Trip prompted.

"Well, apparently she applied for college here and student visa - I guess she was done with her required education in China? I don't know exactly but she's now a student at CSU, about an hour or so from where I live." I said. "Todd is still grounded for life so they haven't had much time together since she showed back up from what he said." I said. "Not alone anyway. She comes over for family nights thought I guess."



"Why is he grounded for life?" Trip asked confused.

"Underage drinking and driving and crashing his car into a tree." I explained.

"That'll do it," Trip said nodding. The music stopped for a few moments and Trip and I decided to head back to the lounge chairs then. "What about your other friends? Or are all of your friends romantic interests?" he asked with a chuckle. I kicked some sand at him in protest and he laughed, dropping into the chair.

"Well I have another guy friend but definitely not a romantic interest and then there is Veronica. I have no idea what's up with her, haven't talked to her all summer." I said looking down at the tote where I knew there was no picture, letter, postcard or email from V. "Thanks for this, by the way." I said leaning back in the chair.

"What?" Trip asked.

"Talking, listening. Boy problems isn't really something to talk to my Dad about ya know?" I said looking over at him. "And Veronica sometimes sucks as a girlfriend." I said with a sad laugh.

"Mhmm. No problem." Trip said. "You seemed like you needed to talk, or ramble." he teased.

I grinned. "I did...and I don't ramble. I can't believe how much of the week I wasted just sitting at the bar." I said. "I leave tomorrow morning."

"None the wiser despite talking about any of it?" Trip asked.

I shrugged. "Maybe, I don't know really. But I have a long flight to think about it and a week before school starts." I said. My phone rang and I looked at it. "It's my dad, I gotta go."

"I'll walk you back to the hotel." Trip offered.

I grinned, "I have a better idea, I'll race you." I said jumping up and starting to run before he was even out of his chair. It didn't take him more than a few long strides to catch up to me.



"That wasn't really fair ya know." Trip said laughing.

"I know. But you're taller than me..." I said as we neared the hotel. I stopped to catch by breath when we reached the doors. After a moment of rest I pulled out an empty post card and wrote my name, number and email on it and offered it to Trip. "Wanna be my pen pal?" I asked hopefully.

Trip took it and nodded. "Sure. So, in spite of the boy problems - did you have a good summer?"

"Yeah, I did." I said with a smile, and it was true. I had a mess of emotions waiting for me back home but it had been an amazing trip. "Thanks again Trip." I said giving him a quick hug before waving and walking inside to the hotel.

End Chapter

Project Unity

Chapter 9

Freya rubbed her head again, hoping to rub away the headache forming. The words on the screen were starting to blur as it stretched into the third hour of her research. The lights were dim in her quarters and for a moment, she envied her roommate, who was sound asleep. Freya glanced at the clock and sighed; oh four hundred. She had to be on duty in a few short hours. And yet every time she tried to lay down and sleep, she found herself tossing and turning as she thought about Julian.

*Beep*

Freya jumped as the sound echoed around the otherwise silent room. After a moment, she looked around for the source and spotted her comm unit. She picked it up and activated it. "Ryan." she said simply.

"Can you meet me in the gym Doctor?" Freya recognized Captain Hunt's voice instantly. Her brow furrowed and she found herself looking at the clock again even though she'd just checked it.

"Um, yes sir." she said finally. "I'll be right there." she said. She looked down at her slightly wrinkled pants and shrugged, he would just have to understand. She arrived in the gym five minutes later, disturbed only slightly by the complete lack of people on the deck. On first glance, the gym appeared empty but after a second she recognized the familiar sound of someone running and the gentle turning sound of the machine. She looked over toward the running machines and saw Captain Hunt. "You wanted to see me Captain?" she asked approaching him. She looked quizzically at the monitor where an old history clip was playing before returning her attention to Hunt.



"Yes." Captain Hunt said, not stopping his work out. "Sorry for the early call, did I wake you?"

Freya shook her head. "No, I wasn't sleeping."

Hunt nodded. "I figured as much." he said. "I wanted to talk somewhere we weren't likely to have....company." he said.

"Umm, okay." Freya said hoping she didn't look as confused as she felt.

Hunt continued to run and punched a few buttons as he spoke. "I received a message, from the Sons of Liberty. They want to talk."

"Well that's good right?" Freya asked, although for a moment, anger flickered inside her. They were the reason Julian was paralyzed.

"Mhmm." Hunt said. "They are naturally hesitant to come out in the open; for all they know we might have security waiting and simply be done with it."

Freya nodded, that made sense to her. Part of her would love to see them stuck under Bonwick's spiteful glare but she knew that wouldn't be the end of it, it would probably just escalate things.

"They've requested a mediator." Hunt continued. "A neutral party, so to speak." he stopped talking but didn't stop jogging as Freya accepted what he said. "They've requested you."

"What? Me? Why?" Freya asked shocked.



"I suspect they feel you are the only person who can see both sides." Hunt said. "I can see the logic in their choice. You are an embryotic, you have something to gain should this movement effect change but on the other hand, you are already a prominent member of the crew, you are outside the rules so to speak."

"But I don't have any power to make change." Freya argued. "The Council would never listen to me, if they even granted me an audience."

"They didn't ask for power, they asked for you. I'd like you to do this Doctor, but I won't order you to." Hunt said as he turned off the running machine and steady his gaze on her.

"Why not? Why won't you order me to do it?" Freya asked.

"Because I can't offer you any back up, I can't protect you. I may not even be able to find you - they have proven that they know this ship better than our security forces do. I don't think they mean anyone any harm but...." Hunt shrugged as he trailed off.

"But you don't know for sure." Freya concluded and Hunt nodded. "What would I have to do?"

"Talk to them, make them trust you and hopefully at least me. I am a member of the Council - I may just be one but I am a member. But the violence has to stop." Hunt said.

Freya's brow furrowed again as she thought about it. "What about the medical ward?" she said thinking about Julian lying in that bed still. He'd been quiet since she'd told him the extent of his injuries.

"Doctor Hapsberg will be back on duty in a few days so there will be someone available." Hunt said.

Freya bit her lower lip considering and then sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Captain, I'm a doctor, not a diplomat - I don't see how..."

Hunt smiled and held up his hand. "Just think about it. I don't need to give them an answer right now. Consider it, talk to someone - discreetly - if you need to." Hunt put a hand on her shoulder and then picked up a hand towel to wipe his face and left her standing there.

Freya turned to ask him a question but he was already gone. Freya started walking back to her quarters, considering the Captain's request, and then stopped and turned toward the medical ward. She wanted to check on Julian and hoped being near him might help clear her head. But when she got there and looked down on his sleeping, broken body; all she wanted was for the Sons of Liberty to take a walk out the nearest airlock.



Freya's thoughts tumbled around as she stood over Julian. She reached out and touched his leg; even though he couldn't feel it. She choked back tears. "I'm sorry." she whispered. "I'm sorry I couldn't fix you." she knew he wouldn't hear her, not really. He was deep in sleep, a place she wished she could reach right about now.

She jumped back when she heard the door to the ward swish open. She turned toward the wall and wiped away tears and then turned to see Andy standing there with a huge grin on her face. "What?" Freya asked softly. She heard Julian shuffle slightly and took Andy's arm and led her out onto the deck. Across the way she could see the dim early lights on in the mess hall and thought she saw Ash moving around. "Let's get some coffee." she said.

Andy practically bounced along next to her, clearly eager to tell her something but she waited until Ash handed them each hot, fresh cups of coffee and they were seated. "The exo-skeleton! We can do it!" Andy finally exclaimed.



Freya was in the middle of taking a drink and nearly spit the coffee out at Andy in surprise. "What?"

"I found that archive you were talking about! It took some digging since you didn't give me too many details but after reading through it, I ran it by Dex and he thinking the engineering side at least can be done!" Andy said clearly pleased with herself.

Freya just stared at Andy. She'd read over the archive several times and had no doubt in her friend's ability to build the exo-skeleton; she doubted the medical side. But it was worth a try right?

"Freya? Come on Freya - this is awesome news, Julian will be able to walk again! I admit it will be heavy and bulky and he probably won't get around too quickly but at least he'll be walking!" Andy said happily, in spite of Freya's obvious hesitations. Freya was lost in thought, which was irritating Andy, "Earth to Freya..." she said as Ash walked up.

"You two need anything else?" Ash asked.

His voice jarred Freya from her thoughts and she turned her gaze on him. Ash raised his eyebrows and looked back at her. "What was that?" Freya said feigning deafness.

"Do you need anything?" Ash repeated looking at her curiously.

Freya closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to capture a fleeting thought. She finally shook her head and opened her eyes. "No thanks." she looked over at Andy who was looking at her like she was crazy. "You?" Andy just shook her head and Ash walked away slowly, he turned back and locked eyes with Freya for just a second before he turned away and headed into the kitchen to work on breakfast.

"Okay what was that about?" Andy asked.

"Nothing." Freya said. She tried to focus on Andy as her thoughts tumbled through her mind again. She was sure Andy was talking about something but Freya interrupted. "The Sons....they've requested me as a mediator." Freya leaned forward and whispered, throwing a few glances around the empty hall. She quickly recounted the few things the captain had said watched as Andy went from surprised to curious to upset.

"Are you actually considering this?" Andy hissed.



Freya nodded and then shrugged. "I don't know. I think so."

"It would be crazy." Andy said clutching Freya's arm. "They are terrorists, all their talk of not wanting to hurt people didn't stop them from blowing up a console on the bridge...on your boyfriends legs!" Andy said trying not to attracted Ash's attention as she navigated Freya out of the mess hall.

"I know what they did." Freya said back coldly. "Trust me, I know. But I don't want to have to operate on someone else because of this, I want it to stop." Freya yanked her arm from Andy's grip and backed away. "I need to go get a couple hours of sleep. I'll look over the exo-skeleton research and get back to you."

Freya turned on her heel and walked quickly away from Andy. After a moment, Andy called after her. "Freya wait!" Freya didn't stop or turn. Freya could hear the click of Andy's heels on the metal deck and knew Andy was going to catch up with her soon. "Freya!"



Freya stopped and turned, the two almost collided. "Sleep, Andy, I need sleep."

"Just...just be careful." Andy said. "And I think you should talk to Julian about it first."

Freya swallowed back a lump in her throat, she knew what Julian would say and didn't want to hear it again. "I will." she lied. "On both counts." she added with a faint smile. Freya didn't get the sleep she needed. She laid in bed thinking about Julian, about Captain Hunt, about the Sons of Liberty. As angry as she was with them for what had happened to Julian - did their cause have merit? More than that - could they actually effect change if given a chance? The violence had to stop, that much she agreed with Captain Hunt on. The ship wasn't big enough for a civil war to be fought right on the decks.

As she got dressed for her duty shift, she told herself that she would simply tell the Captain no, he would have to find another diplomat or whatever for these people. Julian needed her right now, he would be dismissed from the medical ward soon and it would take him time to get adjusted to life. Even if the exo-skeleton thing worked out - he would still have to make adjustments and she was his girlfriend, his best friend. She had to be there for him.

She reminded herself of her decision the entire walk to the medical ward and even as she stood over his bed to do a quick exam.



Julian looked over the book he was reading as she did the exam and tried to catch her eye but she'd been avoiding looking at his face because it made her want to cry. "Freya." Julian finally said catching her hand.

Freya turned her eyes toward him finally. He closed the book and put it on the table by the side of his bed.

"Am I going to live?" he said with a teasing smile. It was the first time he'd attempted a joke since she'd told him and Freya wondered why the change of attitude.

"Yes." Freya said. "Yes you will. How are you feeling?"

"Optimistic." Julian said. "Andy stopped by, told me about the exo-skeleton."

Freya frowned. "She shouldn't have done that."

"I'm wondering why you didn't tell me actually." Julian said, the smile slowly leaving his face.

"Because I haven't figured out if it's possible, if it will work." Freya said. "I didn't want to get your hopes up and then have to crush them if it turned out not to be feasible."

Julian nodded. "Okay, I get that." he said. "But I'm still optimistic."

Freya merely nodded and resumed the exam. Still no feeling, no surprise there and yet every time she hoped it would be different, like he would miraculously recover. Freya pulled up his chart to give herself something to do and somewhere to look. "You'll be discharged in a couple days. We'll have to make a few arrangements for your quarters, to make things easier for you. I'll talk to Andy and Dex about it." she closed the chart and turned from him.



"You know that's not very fair." Julian said to her back.

"What?" Freya said, not turning to look at him. She wanted to tell him about the Sons, or maybe find out if Andy had told him but she didn't want to argue with him.

"Walking away from me when I can't come after you." Julian said.

Freya swallowed and blinked several times. "I have to work Julian." she said finally. "I'm not walking away."

"Are you sure?" Julian persisted. "I think you're holding back actually. And walking away is the easiest way not to face it."

Freya turned around and faced him. "Holding back what exactly?"

"You're still mad at me. For what I said, before..." Julian said. "Or you're hurt. And you're using my injuries as an excuse to avoid the issue."

"I'm not mad. Or hurt." Freya said and realized as she said it that she was lying again. She had been hurt by what he'd said that day. If she weren't, if she believed he was sincerely sorry and had just been saying the wrong thing, she would have told him about the Sons of Liberty and the request. "I have to work Julian, we can talk about it later." she turned away from him again and heard him sigh just as her eyes locked on a visitor.

"Aunt Theresa." Julian said, with little enthusiasm in his voice.



Freya looked at the Council member and Julian's aunt. She'd been raised to respect the Council members and the Council and the rules but here, in this moment, she felt nothing but anger toward the elder woman. Freya nodded to her and scooted past her to escape.

Freya sat at the computer looking over the archive on the exo-skeleton and tried to tune out the conversation she could hear between Julian and his aunt but words such as "unacceptable", "inappropriate" and "low-bred" trickled out from the back of the ward. As soon as Nurse White arrived for her shift, Freya stepped out of the ward to put a thick wall between her and the disapproval of the visitor.

Without realizing she'd made the decision, she walked toward the primary bridge. As she waited for the lift to reach the top of the ship, she thought about what she was planning and almost changed her mind but at that moment the doors opened. Her eyes landed on the scalded center console where a trio of engineers were working around the feet of Rob Jamison, who was piloting from a make shift panel. Bonwick was standing by with a familiar scowl on her face. Freya could feel Bonwick and Andy's eyes following her as she moved to the Captain's side. "Ah Doctor Ryan, what a surprise." Captain Hunt said although he didn't sound surprised.



Freya steeled herself. "I wanted to give you an update on Mr. Ice." she lied quickly, realizing that the people here probably didn't know about the Sons' request. "He's doing well, probably won't be back on duty for a few days yet but his spirits are improved..." she turned to look at Andy disapprovingly for a second.

"I'm glad to hear it." Hunt said.

Freya caught his gaze and nodded, hoping he'd understand. "I'm going ahead with it." she said with another nodded. "With his discharge. I'll need to talk to you later about certain arrangements" she added for the others.

"Very good Doctor." Captain Hunt said with an understanding nod. "We'll work out those arrangements as soon as possible." he said.

"Right." Freya said with another quick nod. Andy watched her curiously as Freya left the bridge. She was sure the Captain, at least, had understood what she was trying to say. She leaned against the back wall of the lift as the doors closed and it slowly began it's descent.

End Chapter

Project Unity

Chapter 10

Freya stared at the old book through the glass and tried to follow the scrawl of the late Captain James Hunt. He had entered all his official logs into the computer, even then, but his personal notes he'd written by hand in an old diary of sorts. Freya had seen the book every time she'd been in the captain's office; she'd seen images of it in school as well but she'd never taken the time to truly study it. She was so engrossed with deciphering the script that she didn't hear the door slide open and the current Captain Hunt approach. "Can you read it?" he asked.

Freya jumped and spun around to face him. "Wow, I didn't hear you come in Captain!" she exclaimed.



"My apologies Doctor." Captain Hunt said. He motioned to the book, "My predecessor had horrible hand writing don't you think?"

"I'm not sure any of us would have much better hand writing sir - given that we don't take pen to paper in the same fashion anymore." Freya said.

Captain Hunt nodded and moved toward his desk. "Fair enough. Would you like something to drink?"

"No thank you." Freya said, sparing another glance at the book and then taking a seat across from him.

"You didn't answer me, could you read it?" Hunt asked as he settled into his own chair.

Freya shook her head. "I picked out a few words but most of it was fairly illegible."

"'We are of the stars now; we have no where to call home save the walls of this vessel. It will ferry us through this life as it will ferry our children and our children's children. The fear which brought us together has been replaced by friendship, love and a kindred sense of family. We, all of us, need each other to survive, to thrive, to flourish. We should be returning to Earth now; having grown as scientists, presenting a unitied front to people, giving them hope for the future. But we cannot return, not now, not ever. I pray for those left behind and I pray for those I brought along, my family.'" Captain Hunt stopped and seemed to be studying his coffee cup. "That was written about a year after they fled. The original mission, of course, was only supposed to be for a year - before the Quuvarii came." he smiled. "Unlike you, I've had plenty of time to study it."

"It's both sad and hopeful at the same time." Freya observed. "Leaving behind their home and yet forging newer, stronger bonds between each other the farther they got from home."

Captain Hunt nodded. "That it is Doctor, they became more than a crew then; they were family. They felt every death keenly and celebrated every birth with triumph. Pity that couldn't have lasted." Hunt said, in thought.

"There were only twenty-five people then Captain, hard to look at fifteen hundred people and see them all as brothers and sisters." Freya pointed out.



Hunt merely nodded but didn't seem to necessarily agree with the assessment. "Are you sure about this Doctor?" he asked changing the topic.

"Yes." Freya said, hoping to sound more sure than she felt.

"And do you think you can be impartial and neutral? It won't do any good to send someone in who is holding a grudge - which you'd have fair reason to be holding one." he said.

"I think I can be. To be honest, Captain, I am conflicted. I don't think violence is ever the answer so first and foremost, I want to end that if possibe. But I understand their motives and their desire for change. On the other hand - I wouldn't completely be opposed to see them on the other side of a forcefield..." Freya said with a small chuckle. "As I said, conflicted."

"I can understand that; perhaps that's why they selected you. Naturally they won't give me any real information except to assure me of your safety - which I can't say I entirely trust. This could be a huge risk on your part Doctor." Captain Hunt said.

"I know, believe me I know. I can't honestly explain why I'm agreeing to this because I made the decision without even realizing I was making the decision but it's the right one - that much I know." Freya explained.

"Alright, well, this is what I do know." Captain Hunt started to explain the single message he'd received from the Sons as well as the thin Security file that was mostly filled with conjecture and very little proof or progress.

-------

"What are you thinking?!" the man exploded in Meng's direction. "Inviting one of THEM for talks?! This isn't a time for talking!"



"Dr. Ryan is not one of them" Meng said simply, without response to the man's outburst.

"Well she surely isn't one of us!" he spat. "This is a bad idea!"

Meng watched, with apparent indifference, as the man stormed away from them.

As the door hissed closed behind him, Lana closed the gap between them. She was silent for a moment but Meng knew she was there, waiting to say something. "Out with it." Meng said, not looking at her.

"Maybe...I don't know about this. I'm sure Ryan has a lot of anger for us Meng. She'd just as soon see us floating in space..." Lana said.



"Perhaps." Meng said, still not looking at her. "But my instincts haven't failed me yet."

"Are you willing to bet our lives on instinct?" Lana asked.

"Everything I've done has been based on instinct Lana. I've been betting our lives for months." Meng finally turned to look at her. "It's gotten us this far."

-------

Andy had been talking for a few minutes when she realized her friend hadn't responded with so much as a grunt. She stopped talking and looked at Freya. "Freya? Freya are you listening?"

Freya clicked several times and Andy watched as her eyes darted quickly from the left side of the screen to the right.

"Freeeeeeee-yaaaa" Andy stretched her name out trying to get a reaction.



Before Andy could slam her hand down on the desk to get a response, the doors to the ward hissed open behind her. Andy turned to see Dr. Hapsberg walking in. "Doctor." Andy acknowledged her with a nod.

"Hello Lieutenant." Dr. Hapsberg gave her a friendly smile. She turned her gaze to Freya. "Hello Doctor Ryan."

Andy cringed as Freya immediately looked up at Hapsberg and smiled at her. "Hello Doctor." Freya said standing up and coming around the desk. She didn't so much as look in Andy's direction. "Everything is in place and ready for Mr. Ice's release, I was just finishing up the final discharge."

"Very good." Hapsberg said. "You will ensure he gets to his quarters safely yes?"

Freya nodded. "Of course." For the first time Freya looked in Andy's direction, although briefly. "I think Lt. Kawolski is here to speak with you about the exo-skeleton." she said as she quickly returned her gaze to Hapsberg.



Hapsberg looked between them, momentarily looking confused but nodded. "I'll prep Mr. Ice for discharge." Freya said before leaving Andy standing there feeling confused and hurt.

Less than an hour later, Freya wheeled Julian into his quarters. He'd been silent during the discharge proceedings and the trip from the medical ward to his quarters. In the passing week, his optimism had slowly started to break down.

Freya suspected he'd hoped the exo-skeleton would be done before he'd ever left the ward, so he could walk out on his own two feet - in a matter of speaking.

"Engineering has been here, they added a few support bars, lowered the gravity some to make it easier for you to move from the chair to the couch, bed, whatever..." Freya trailed off.



"Yes, Andy explained it all to me, you explained it all to me before, Dr. Hapsberg explained it all to me. I know." Julian said, his voice verging on angry.

Freya took a steadying breath and followed as he started to wheel himself further into his quarters. "Do you need anything? Are you hungry?"

"I think I can take care of myself Freya!" Julian snapped. For a second, he looked at her, his eyes full of rage and then he turned away from her. "I'll be fine thanks." he said quietly.

Freya nodded. "Okay. Um just use the comm if you need anything. There's always someone in the medical ward..." Freya said.



She knelt in front of him but he stubbornly kept his gaze on the table, away from her pleading and pained eyes. "Or you can call me." she said softly. He didn't look at her, even as she lingered beside him a moment longer. Finally she stood and left the quarters with a heavy sigh, collecting her data pad as she left. She knew that it would take time for Julian to come to terms with things; she knew that he'd go through a range of emotions. Intellectually she knew all that - but it still stung.

Once the door was closed behind her, she stopped in the hall to try to shake off the feeling of rejection. She was about to turn and leave when she heard the clink of heels on the metal deck. She turned to find the source of the sound and briefly wished she hadn't.

"Freya..." Andy said sadly. "Look, I'm sorry okay? I probably shouldn't have told him..."

"Probably?!" Freya practically shouted. She pinched her eyes closed for a moment and quickly lowered her voice. "He was sure he'd be walking out of the ward...walking Andy! Because of you!"



"I'm sorry! I didn't think he'd...." Andy's words were cut off.

"You're right about that, you didn't think! You got him seeing visions of himself running and swimming and fighting with the best of them; and then I had to come in and give him a dose of cold, hard reality! IF! IF the exo-skeleton works - it's still only going to give him the ability to walk, slowly." Freya swallowed back more angry words.

"There's nothing wrong with giving him hope!" Andy retorted, now feeling angry herself.

"Hope for something possible yes...even if there is a chance of failure but at least it's possible. You don't understand Andy....He will never be the same person he was before. Never. We don't have the technology, we don't have the means." Freya's anger fell apart into the same feeling of sadness she'd been coping with since Julian had been hurt.

"I'm sorry Freya." Andy said simply.

"I'm sorry too." Freya said softly. After a few minutes of silence between them, Andy finally just nodded minutely and left.

Freya started in the opposite direction when the lights in the cooridor shut off; she could see lights in the adjoining corridor though. She walked a couple steps more before she was seized on either side by strong arms. "No need to struggle Doctor." one of them said as a blindfold was slipped over her eyes and tied firmly.



Freya dropped her data pad on the ground as she was roughly pushed through the darkness. One of her captors was more rough than need be considering she didn't resist or struggle. The other held her so loose that she probably could have gotten away from him if it weren't for his partner.

-------

Andy was walking quickly from the Freya - she was sorry for what she'd done and she hated being at odds with Freya but still...what was wrong with a little hope? She stopped and vowed she'd go back, catch up with Freya and continue their discussion through - even if it turned into another argument. She didn't turn but did start walking again. "Oh crap!" she said, turning back. She practically ran back to Julian's quarters. The whole reason she'd been there was to see Julian but seeing Freya had made her forget.

She came to an abrupt halt when she saw the discarded data pad on the floor. She looked around curiously, as if the owner would materialize suddenly and then remembered seeing Freya holding a data pad before. She stooped to pick it up, and sure enough it was from the medical department.



"Freya?" she called out. She looked into the adjoining corridor but saw nothing to alarm her. She glanced at the data pad again curiously and then shrugged and resolved to return it to Freya when she saw her again. She returned to Julian's door and rang the chime.

End Chapter

Project Unity

Chapter 8

"We do not negotiate with terrorists!" Hisham Basara shouted in the Captain's direction.

Captain Hunt said nothing in response but met the Council member's gaze for several seconds. "You don't, I do - or I will if it saves the lives of everyone on this ship."

"You are out of line Captain." Theresa Ice, another Council member, said more calmly than her counterpart.

Another chimed in quickly, "And you don't have the authority."



"I have no intention of making them any promises I can't keep - but the violence has to stop and the only way to do that is to get them to the table to talk." Captain Hunt said. "Unless you want them to target our chambers next? Or your quarters?" He looked at each of the silent Council members for a moment. "I don't think they aim to hurt people - but it doesn't mean they won't. They have eluded incredible security and even with names, we can't find them."

"It's a ship, there's only so many place they could be!" Tobias Bohm said exasperated.

"And yet....Commander Bonwick has nothing, no leads, no tangible suspects, no clues...surely you can see that it's time to take another approach." Captain Hunt said. "Unless you have another idea?" he looked at each of them again, meeting their critical gazes with an unreadable face. He nodded. "As I thought. Good day." he concluded and left the temple.

Rob Jamison was waiting for him and nodded in acknowledgment. "You've received an encrypted message Captain."

"From?" Hunt asked taking a data pad from him and glancing over it as they walked. "Ah, very good. Please have Commander Bonwick meet me in my office."

"She's already on the bridge sir. Her security team is....uh...crowding the engineers and the bridge crew as they attempt to investigate the explosion." Jamison said.

Hunt nodded knowing all too well how much Bonwick liked a show of force. "I'll meet her there then. How is Mr. Ice?"

"On his way to the medical ward now. Stable I think, but his injuries were extensive given his proximity to the explosion." Jamison reported sounding worried.

"Has Doctor Ryan been briefed?" Hunt asked, still skimming the data pad as they walked.

Jamison was silent for a moment; one moment too long since Hunt stopped walking and turned his full attention on him. "Um, well no sir."



"Why not? She is the acting chief medical officer and the only doctor we have available." Captain Hunt asked.

"From what I overheard - she's in custody." Jamison said reluctantly. "Commander Bonwick brought her in for questioning and then there was the bridge explosion....." he trailed off.

Captain Hunt narrowed his eyes at Jamison and the man wisely stepped back. Hunt, clutching the data pad, started for the bridge; walking so fast Jamison had to jog to keep up with him. As the doors to the bridge swept open, Hunt immediately summoned Bonwick to his office and led the way with no other address to the crew. Bonwick glanced at Jamison quickly before going into the office.

"Captain, the engineers aren't done yet so I have nothing to report regarding the bridge explosion." Bonwick said.

"Do you have evidence that suggests Doctor Ryan is involved with these explosions or the Sons of Liberty?" Hunt asked, giving Bonwick the same calm, poker face he'd used with the Council.

"Well Sir, she is dating Mr. Ice - an ancestral - as you know relations between ancestrals and embryotics are forbidden without permission from the Council." Bonwick gave the only thing she had to hold Freya.

"True, do you have a confession or evidence that they have had physical relations then?" Hunt asked.

"No, not yet. But Ms. Ryan..." Bonwick was cut off by the Captain holding his hand up.

"Doctor Ryan, if you please." Captain Hunt said and then motioned for her to continue.

Bonwick tried to suppress the scowl from her face. "She and Mr. Ice have had a falling out as I understand, I have no doubt that I will have testimony from Mr. Ice soon."



"Except Mr. Ice is in critical condition in the medical ward without a doctor. If he dies, you won't have anything; you're assuming of course you can get him to turn on her, which I find unlikely." Captain Hunt said. "Release her from custody."

"But Captain, if she is..." Bonwick started to protest but Captain Hunt narrowed his eyes at her and cut her off again.

"Release. Doctor Ryan. From. Custody. Now." Captain Hunt said. "Unless you have some other, real, evidence and intend to charge her with something."

"Yes Sir." Bonwick said with a great deal of resignation.

"In fact, I'll accompany you to the security office. Now. After you." Captain Hunt said with a barely perceptible smile.

-----

One....two...thee....four....silent. Freya was laying on the bench in the cell, staring at the ceiling and listening to the thrum of the ship. It amazed her that she'd never really listened to it; but then usually there were other noises to make hearing the faint noise impossible. How long had she been here? She glanced over at the open door. No one had come back to the security office or surely they would have seen that it was wide open so it couldn't have been that long. The emergency red lights had turned back to the standard white some time ago - or it seemed some time ago at least. Was it an hour? A few hours? She glanced at her watch and realized it was pointless, she hadn't really paid attention to what time it was when she'd been escorted from the ward. Couldn't have been more than an hour or two though.

"Why is this door open?" Commander Bonwick asked. Without receiving a reply she turned to someone else with a look of triumph on her face. Freya craned her neck to see who it was and was pleased to see Captain Hunt and opted to sit up. "You see Captain, she attempted to escape. Surely..."



"And yet she's still here - waiting patiently it would seem. Surely if she were trying to escape she'd be gone." Captain Hunt said. "Come along Doctor. I think Commander Bonwick is finished with you." he said.

Freya got to her feet and ran her fingers through her hair quickly. She bit the inside of her lip to resist the impulse to say something to Bonwick or look too triumphant as she passed by her and followed the Captain. Bonwick was scowling; Freya bit down harder.

"You're needed in the medical ward." Captain Hunt explained as they walked. "The explosion on the bridge...." he placed his hand on her shoulder to stop her for a moment. "It's Julian Ice."



Freya felt as if ice cold water had been thrown on her. She stared at the Captain's face but didn't even see him. She could only see the painful and panicked look on Julian's face the last time she'd seen him that day in the rec room. Finally she felt herself nodding although she couldn't remember making the decision to do so. She turned from the Captain and practically ran to the medical ward. There was chaos everywhere as nurses hurried about. It was a full minute or more before someone saw her standing there. "Doctor! Thank goodness!" the medic exclaimed. He thrust a pair of scrubs into Freya's arms and grabbed her by the arm; dragging her further into the ward. Without thinking, Freya moved aside and put on the scrubs and then washed her hands. Meanwhile the medic was giving her the details about Julian's condition. "...plasma burns on his lower legs and possible spinal damage..." Freya had to force herself to focus on the medical details instead of the fact that it was Julian. "....he's currently stable but the internal...." A nurse put gloves on her hands and she kept her eyes locked on the medic as they walked toward the surgical bay.

There were several images displayed on the screens showing the damage the explosion had done to Julian's body; and then there was Julian, laying sedated on the table. Freya dragged her gaze from his face to the images to start making plans. Freya pointed to the the image of Julian's spine. "There." she turned back toward the surgical table and waited as a mask and cap were tied on. After several steadying breaths, she was able to push Julian's face from her mind. "Let's get to work."



Freya instructed a medic and a nurse in how to treat the wounds on Julian's legs. They were ghastly and deep but not life threatening. She could hear the metal clinks as they extracted pieces of console from his flesh and dropped them into the tin. The more pressing matter was his internal bleeding...and his spine. 'Can't think about the spine yet.' she reminded herself as she picked up the regenerator she would need to repair the internal damage.

-----

Freya pulled off her mask and gloves after hours of surgery. "Lot of good it did" she muttered, blinking away the tears threatening to spill over. Tears of anger, tears of fear and tear of exhaustion.

"You should get some rest Doctor." Arabella said putting a hand on Freya's arm. "You did everything you could."

Freya shook her head and pushed herself away from the wall, walking into the main ward. She watched the rest of the medical staff transfer Julian to another bed and then shooed them all away and sat down on the empty bed next to him. She watched his chest rise and fall just to reassure herself.

One...two....three....four....her eyes fluttered and she laid down, never taking her eyes from Julian. And then she slept.



Andy shook her friend by the shoulder and then jumped back as Freya nearly smacked her jumping out of bed. "Woah! Sorry, was just trying to wake you..."

Freya blinked away the sleep and check the time, three hours; she'd slept for three hours. She looked over at Julian and took several steadying breaths in time with his own breathing.

"How is he?" Andy asked when Freya seemed to be awake and calm.

"Alive." Freya said trying to sound thankful for that much.

"Well that's a good thing. I saw how he was right after the explosion and it took the team so long to get him transported here...." Andy trailed off as Freya dissolved into tears. "What? Why are you crying? You said he was fine."

"No" Freya said as she tried to stop the flow of tears. "I said he was...." She hiccuped "Alive." She looked over at his still body and had to close her eyes tightly to collect herself. "He won't be able to walk." She saw Andy look over at him and watched the shock hit her face. When Andy looked back at Freya again, Freya swung her legs over the side of the bed and walked toward the front desk.

Andy followed her closely. "He won't be able to walk? Ever?"



"No, probably not." Freya said as she sat down at the computer.

"Probably - you mean there's a chance?" Andy pestered.

"I don't know!" Freya exclaimed making Andy jump back a bit in surprise. "I don't know Andy. Medically there is a 99% chance he will never walk again. Not under his own power anyway."

"His own power? What do you mean?" Andy said sitting on the edge of the desk.

Freya suppressed a yawn. "About twenty years ago, the ship encountered a species that used these sort of exo-skeletal devices due to the atmosphere..." Freya saw Andy's attention perk up at exo-skeleton but then her eyes wandered away as Freya got to the reasoning. "Anyway, it could be adapted but I'm not sure - I haven't had a chance to research it. I just remember reading about in the archives about five years ago."

Andy looked at her curiously. "How do you remember stuff like that?"

Freya just shrugged. "I have a good memory." From deeper inside the ward, she heard a groan and looked at Andy anxiously. "I'll talk to you later" she said quietly and took a few moments to calm her nerves. When she first saw him, she had to suppress a sob. "Don't try to get up." Freya said moving to his side and gently helping him sit up some.

"Freya!" he reached out and grabbed her hands. "Oh I feel horrible!"

"Physically or mentally?" Freya asked trying to smile a little.

Julian chuckled and then his face creased with pain. "Ow, that hurt...and both." he said. "I'm sorry about what I said...I was...I don't know, stupid I guess. I'm sorry."

Freya blinked back tears and squeezed his hand. "You just had surgery. I should examine you." she said but didn't move from his side. She didn't want to let go of his hand. "The explosion on the bridge....it was your console. Your legs took a lot of hits from debris and, from what I've been told, you were thrown pretty far and hard. You had some internal bleeding which I took care of."

"Pays to know the best doctor on the ship." Julian said with a grin. Freya nodded and gave him a small laugh. "What haven't you told me?" he asked. When she only looked away from him he squeezed her hand. "Freya, just...."



Freya pulled her hand from his and stepped to the end of the bed. She reached under the covers and ran her finger along the bottom of his foot. "Julian can you feel this?"

"Feel what?" Julian asked. She did it again, and again, each time hoping he'd feel something but he just looked at her confused.

"Okay." she said tucking the blanket back over his feet carefully. "When you were thrown....your spine...it was damaged and..." she struggled to stay some what calm. "You're paralyzed Julian. From the waist down." Julian's face was a mix of shock and concentration. Freya knew he was attempting to move his legs even now. "I'm so sorry." she said quietly.

End Chapter

Project Unity

Chapter 7

"Pena was in the temple!" a woman exclaimed, her eyes darted around the small, darkened room. "Master Pena was in the temple when the fire was started!"

"Did he die?" one of the men asked coldly. Truth be told, he'd be thrilled to hear of the religious relic's death - Pena had no love for almost half the population of the ship because of their birth or lineage.

"No! Thank goodness!" the blue skinned woman replied. "Ryan found him and went into the burning temple to pull him out."

The cold man rolled his eyes. Freya Ryan was one of the only people of 'lesser birth' to have ascended; she seemed to the support of the Captain but was too concerned with following the rules to serve their cause. "She should have let him burn." he replied finally.



The woman and the other man turned their gaze on him once more. The woman looked shocked and appalled but the man seemed to be calculating. "We're not trying to hurt people." the man said with an air of power, everything he said carried weight and authority whether he meant it or not. He hadn't set out to lead a
revolution but people were drawn to him and listened.

The cold hearted man backed off a fraction and his eyes lowered for just a second before he rallied himself and looked into the leader's eyes. "If you carry a gun, you should be prepared to fire it."

"Prepared, yes; not start a massacre." the leader replied. "Our goal is not to hurt anyone." The other man merely shook his head in reply and turned away from the leader and the blue skinned girl.

--------

Meanwhile, in sickbay, Freya looked over Master Pena's injuries once more. He'd received a few minor burns and must have fallen while trying to escape the fire because he had a nasty head wound. Freya was sure he'd be fine but was still anxious for him to wake up. She was not a particularly religious person but the man laying in the bed was a religious icon for many on this ship.



Half the medical staff had shown up for duty early it seemed once word had spread that Master Pena was there. No one could really do anything else for him so everyone loitered around - a little nervous to leave the ward as a crowd was growing outside to pray for him. Freya looked around the spotless ward in search of tasks to give them but there wasn't much to be done as Pena was their only patient.

She tried to tune out the growing clamor of noise both inside and outside the ward as she glanced over the chart again. She had it memorized, it's not like the letters had magically rearranged themselves, but she had to keep herself busy somehow while waiting for him to wake up.

One of the nurses approached and tapped Freya on the shoulder after failing to get her attention. "Dr. Ryan? You should come see this."



Freya looked up, startled. "Hmm? Oh of course." she said and followed the nurse, not sure what it was she needed to see. The ship wide communication monitor was on, showing three people. Freya didn't think she recognized the men but the woman was certainly a descended Quuvari.

The man in the center was speaking calmly; his voice was even and commanding even though Freya had no idea who he was.



"...those that remember the Earth of Old history, may understand why we call ourselves the Sons of Liberty..." he said. Freya loved history but still had to think hard to find the reference as it was almost 300 years before Unity left Earth. "Those considered to be of lesser birth will rise from the bowels of the ship, demand the same rights to live, to marry, to work and to flourish as those who claim and ancestral right. Together we have formed this community, together we add to it with each passing year and together we can live - in harmony." he paused a moment and stood straighter, if that was possible. "I am Meng Asada; my father was a second generation embryotic; my mother was a first generation embryotic - that means I can't marry who I choose, I can't work where I choose, I can't live where I choose. And that is unacceptable. This is Lana..." he gestured to the blue skinned woman. "She can clearly trace her lineage back to the half human, half Quuvari twins born to one of the original crew, as all our blue-skinned shipmates can. In blood, they are ancestral but because they are part Quuvari they have fewer rights tha...." his words were cut off and replaced by the ship symbol before going black. They'd been cut off by security finally.

Freya stared at the blank screen trying to process what was happening. "Did you hear the opening Doctor?" Annabelle asked quietly. When Freya didn't respond she nudged her. "They claimed responsibility for the fires, the explosions - everything."

Freya raised her eyebrows, clearly she'd missed a few minutes of the speech but she shouldn't be surprised. "I'm going to take a break. Call me if he," she turned to look at Master Pena, "if he wakes up. I'll be back." Annabelle nodded and watched Freya walked to the doors. As they slid open, the noise from the praying crowd grew louder and Freya almost changed her mind. With a sigh, she pushed through the people - many of which shouted questions at her or looked to her for some word. She tried not to look annoyed by them but said nothing until she was free of the crowd. She wound her way through the throng of people, most buzzing about the broadcast. She caught a few curious looks before she slipped into the rec room. She was happy to see that it was fairly empty. She was thrilled to see Julian there. "Hey you." she said joining him at the table.

"See the broadcast?" Julian asked as he dropped the ball back into the table.

"Yes, have you ever heard of these Sons of Liberty?" Freya asked, narrowly catching the ball and sending it back the other way.




"No." Julian asked. He let an easy save slipped by him and Freya looked up at him curiously. "Have you?" he asked looking at her intently.

"What? No." Freya narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice. "Why? Would it be a problem if I had?"

"No....it's just...." Julian ran his hand through his hair and leaned over the table toward her. "They're terrorists, all the talk about rights and liberty...they're still blowing the ship to pieces little by little."

"And you think I'm part of that?" Freya asked.

"Well no...but you are a..." he trailed off and she could see the panic cross his face as he tried to figure out how to change what he'd been about to say.

"I'm an embryotic. Yes, I know that well enough." Freya said with an eye roll. "I didn't think that bothered you Julian Ice!"

"It doesn't! I love you Freya...I'm just....oh I don't know!" he exclaimed.

"Right, I get it. I have to go back to work." Freya said and left without another word. She saw several new security personnel had taken positions along the deck as she made her way back to the ward. She braved the crowd of people again but this time made no effort to hide the look of annoyance from her face until she was safely inside the medical ward.

-----

Master Pena woke up a few hours later and with his departure from the ward, the crowd of praying people left as well. For a few days the only sign that the Sons of Liberty existed was the increased security presence, particularly around the communal areas.

Commander Bonwick was questioning anyone she could remotely tie to the explosions and with each day, her frustrations grew because they had nothing to go on. If any of the people she'd questioned knew anything, they hadn't given anything away and even though they now knew exactly what three of the Sons looked like, and even had names - she couldn't find them.

Freya knew they were coming before the door opened, she'd known for days that they'd come. She hoped, rather than believed, that it wouldn't be the case and yet there they were. Commander Bonwick, flanked by four security officers, made an imposing force as they entered the medical ward. Two of them took up posts at the door and Freya marveled at the thoughts that must be swirling in Commander Bonwick's mind to make such a show.



"Five people? Really? For little ole me?" Freya asked. She knew she shouldn't use humor, Bonwick would take it as some sort of admission of guilt, but she couldn't help it.

"Please come with us Ms. Ryan." Commander Bonwick practically sneered at her.

Freya felt two of her most supportive nurses move closer to her, as if they were going to keep her from going with the security team. Freya waved them off and nodded to Bonwick. "After you Commander."

Freya noticed more than a few looks as she and her armed escort walked from the medical ward to the security office. Bonwick dismissed the other security staff to other duties and led Freya into a small room to ask question.

"I'd never heard of the Sons of Liberty until the broadcast." Freya said before Bonwick even asked a question.

"Really?" Bonwick asked, sounding unconvinced.

"Yes really." Freya said.



"I find that hard to believe." Bonwick said.

"Believe what you want - do you have any real reason to suspect me of anything?" Freya asked coolly. Bonwick didn't reply so Freya knew the answer already. "Well then, can...." she was cut off as the lights flashed red and security officers started scrambling.

"There's been another explosion Commander, on the bridge!" one of them called and ran by quickly. Bonwick grabbed Freya roughly by the arm and thrust her into a cell. "Stay!" she said and sealed the door before leaving.

Freya considered protesting but seeing as everyone had pretty much rushed off to the new emergency, she didn't see much point in it. She sat down on the bench and decided she might as well relax. Not more than 10 minutes later, she heard footsteps and looked out into the darkened office, bathed in red emergency lights.



"Come on." a male voice said. She heard the electronic beeps of buttons being manipulated and the doors slid open.

"Who are you?" Freya said trying to get a look at the person's face.

"Not important, come on, you weren't meant to be wrapped up in this." he persisted and offered her his gloved hand.

"Are you crazy? If I leave here, she'll think I'm guilty." Freya protested.

"She already thinks you're guilty." he argued.

"But she has no proof. She can't hold me forever with nothing, but escape attempt sure screams 'Guilty!'" Freya said remaining on the bench.

"Fine!" the man sounded annoyed. "Your choic...." he was cut off as they both heard the familiar sound of Captain Hunt's voice. They turned toward the office to see his image on every monitor.



"To all residents, we are instituting a stricter curfew and several precautionary security protocols. Please check your consoles for all details. To the Sons of Liberty; your grievances have been heard, your might has been seen but for there to be progress, the violence needs to stop. I offer my time, my ear, my voice, to you in order to resolve the differences that fracture our home. Every attack on the ship, is an attack on your home as well as ours and your grievance is not with the majority of the ship. Let's talk now." Captain Hunt's image was replaces with the ship symbol after he relayed the invitation. Freya turned back to the man but found he was gone. The door was still open.

She sat back down on the bench and waited. And hoped she wasn't making a big mistake.

End Chapter