Walker stared down the assembled surrogate family of the escaped Halpha. Their faces were a mixture of grief and fury as they looked back at him. No one had yet told them that the extermination had been a failure. It took every ounce of Walker's willpower to speak, knowing that they would be given more hope and defiance from his words.
"Every one of you is guilty of treason to Space Corps," he informed them. "You recovered a Halpha survivor, did not report it, kept him secret, enrolled him in the cadet program, educated and trained him. You are all guilty of aiding and abetting the enemy."
His eyes roved over the group. Angry tears sparkled in the eyes of the Fenton's daughter, and Jack Fenton looked ready to attack him.
"But you have a chance to redeem yourselves now," Walker went on. "Until recently, the plan was to return you all to your former lives, demoted and under security surveillance. But there has been a... development."
He ground his teeth in silent frustration before announcing,
"Last night the Halpha was abducted by an unknown party before his execution could be carried out."
The gathered family's eyes widened in disbelief, many of them gasping softly. Madeline Fenton took a step forward, eyes shining with tears.
"He's.. alive?"
"This was no benign rescue," Walker growled. "Nine of my top men were slaughtered in the operation, along with my second in command, Spectra. I can assure you that wherever your... son... was taken, it's not an improvement."
"Well what do you want from us?" Jack asked angrily, stepping forward to comfort his wife.
Walker looked around at the three of them.
"You three know Daniel, and Halphas for that matter, better than anyone living. You developed technology to mask his radiation signature, learned how and why his powers work, and know how his kind thinks. You are our best chance at finding him and his captor."
"Why would we help you do that? You would just try to kill him again!" Jasmine cried.
"Because I know your family values each other's safety. Daniel was willing to give himself for all of you. I'm confident this is a common trait you all share. To be perfectly honest, I don't need all of you. Madeline has shown the most understanding toward Halpha physiology, so I could get by with just her. The rest of you are disposable. Your lives are all in my hands."
The family drew closer together instinctively.
"But it need not come to that. I believe you all have contributions to make to this project, and would far prefer your willing cooperation."
"What... what did you want us to create for you?" Madeline asked quietly.
"What I need from you is a containment unit that can capture a Halpha and prevent it from phasing through. A cage if you will. We will take care of locating and killing any Halphas, but need a way to hold onto them once found. No one knows Halpha biology like you three."
The family looked at each other, looking torn and pained at the choice. Walker gave them a moment to let his words sink in before laying out the simple truths.
"You are prisoners. One way or another we will get your cooperation. It's up to you how many people get hurt in the process."
Jack and Jasmine looked to Madeline for the decision. She stepped forward, purple eyes hard and angry as she stared at Walker.
"I'll do it," she agreed, fists clenched and face hard as steel.
YOU ARE READING
Split Between Stars
Science Fiction(Sequel to Half Life) Danny has lived his whole life thinking he was the sole survivor of Halpha's destruction. Space Corps has hunted him and his kind for years, making it almost impossible to survive. But after being saved from their clutches at...
