The first few breaths of air were cool and refreshing after being on board for three days straight. Before Cassie began to do her 'duty' she instead glanced at the landscape of the planet. To her amazement, it looked exactly like she had pictured it based on the descriptions Ash had given her. It also confirmed that this was in fact his home planet and while that was good, she felt her stomach and heart aching for his presence.
The town was in the valley of a lush green landscape. All around, large trees, bushy shrubs, and fresh flowers bloomed and the small river running through it was calm and cool. The mountains surrounding them were tall and it looked like it would take a couple of days to climb them, but the greenery on them would make the hike worthwhile. Above, the skies were a deep blue, but the small distant sun lit the valley and made it feel more welcoming than most of the planets Cassie had been on.
Before she could go explore, the act that she and SA had to play to even be here called her back, as the young students began to disembark. Cassie joined SA and helped unload the last little bit of luggage that was still on board. Then as a large floating bus like vehicle approached, they began to gather them in preparation for loading them onto the new vehicle.
The other members of the Sovereign crew oversaw their work while observing and organizing the students. It was nerve racking to be watched so closely, but while on board, Cassie had found a translation chip gun so at least now she could hear what they were saying and know whether she should be alarmed. Everything sounded calm now.
Instructions were being given to the students as to their curfew and duties while here. These students were a mix of soldiers in training as well as scientists and each were tasked to meet and speak with the elders of this planet and learn from their past. They also would be touring the small planet to better understand what type of terrain this was home to, so that later they could potentially choose this for their home should they be granted the reward of retirement.
Once the busses had stopped near the docking station, Cassie and SA promptly began loading the luggage while the students boarded the bus. It was tedious, but they managed to get everything on quickly.
The two Sovereign leaders met with the other set of loading crews first before approaching Cassie and SA. The older man who had thick grey hair stood firmly with his hands behind his back as he addressed them.
"You will now be dismissed of duties until we return here in one cycle's time. Your accounts should have been supplemented enough for you to find decent lodging, although the ones where our students will be, are already full. At ease."
He threw up a salute and Cassie quickly saluted back. Then the two men split up onto the two busses and they pulled away from the docking bay. Cassie glanced over at the other two loading crew members, but they quickly turned away and made to leave without even acknowledging SA and Cassie. She instead turned to him once they had left, letting out a sigh.
"Well should we go out and explore then?" she asked smiling a little for the first time in a while.
SA raised an eyebrow at her. Now that his helmet had been off for a day or two his black hair was starting to become him. "Don't you mean make ourselves scarce? It's already clear to me that they don't trust the two of us and I don't blame them."
"I mean yeah, we should distance ourselves a bit especially since we won't be going back with them, but I still want to explore a little...What's wrong?"
He had opened his mouth as she said this and to her surprised his features tightened. "You can't just go around proposing these preposterous ideas, Cassie! Sneaking off a Governor's planet first of all is hard, but it gets even harder when those said Sovereigns are keeping careful watch over us. But apparently you just want to stroll about town like it's no big deal so why don't we just go turn ourselves in now?"
Cassie had never heard SA get frustrated before. It scared her a little, but she suddenly knew what she needed to do. Looking towards the mountains, Cassie nodded. "You're right. Sorry, first let's get out of here and then I need to explain what's really going on here."
She looked back at him, and SA just nodded and began to march off, Cassie in tow. They carefully made sure that no one was following them as they made their way to the furthest point of the valley. Here a thicker forest of trees began to make the valley denser which was more optimal for private space.
The pair must have walked at least an hour outside of town before stopping and settling on a location. SA stood firmly with his arms crossed while Cassie leaned up against a tree and looked down at her feet. After a couple of moments to herself breathing deeply, she began to relate the entire story of how and why she had come to find herself on that original planet and why she needed to research all she could on Channing's studies and machines.
To his credit, though she expected no less since he was a machine, SA stayed quiet the entire time. He raised an eyebrow here or there occasionally and his eyes began scrolling very quickly when she finally admitted to being from Earth, but otherwise he stayed quiet. When she had finished Cassie now stood straight and waited patiently to find out what his response would be.
It took a few minutes but then SA said softly, "Well wonders don't cease do they? I never thought I would ever get to meet an actually Earthling." Cassie smiled a little at that and looked down at her feet. "You really care about this guy then?"
Thinking about Ash once again made her feel pain in her chest, but she nodded. "Especially after watching that video. I had my regrets about leaving him before because he never struck me as a murderer before, but that video confirmed for me that he still is just a genuinely amazing man."
"He did technically kill her though if I might point out. Ceyona Hollands is gone."
"True, and while I don't know exactly why the options were death or that machine, I know Ash wouldn't have done that just for nothing. It has to do with the fact somehow she thought she was being used as a weapon and as he told her, this was better than death."
"This is why we are here then," SA said nodding. "We're going to find out from the people here what happened to her."
"I don't think they know," Cassie said solemnly. "I mean the picture I saw of her on the space station that had the report of her death was a younger version of her. Somehow the Sovereigns are trying to cover up what they really did to her and told everyone, even her parents that she had just simply been murdered. In truth, Ash would be the only one I would trust to tell me the truth."
SA shook his head. "Then why come here? I mean anywhere would be dangerous, but really, if you are just trying to leave, we could have gone anywhere else with less people following us if you wanted to steal a ship and get back to the outskirts."
She bit her lip and then looked back towards the town. "But there is one thing I wanted to do which is why I asked to come here." She paused and looked back to him, but then said, "I have a guess that since this is her hometown, that it is Ash's too. As a courtesy to him, I want to just see how his parents are doing. I know it sounds silly and ridiculous, but I know he cares a lot about them and wonders a lot about how much he screwed them over by doing what he did. If you can spare just a little bit of time, I would appreciate it if we could just check in with them."
Silence filled the small thicket as a breeze ran through the trees. Cassie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and then waited to hear his response. Surprisingly, he had turned out to be such a good companion through all this that she came to welcome his advice. If he said they needed to go then she would listen. But SA must have recognized her emotions and instead smiled a little.
"Alright," he said quietly. "We'll check on them and then we'll go. If things start getting crazy though we do need to leave as soon as we can or else, they will be taking us back to Napolyon."
"Understood and thanks, SA." Cassie smiled again and then began walking back towards the town.
It was approaching evening as they hit the outskirts. Many people were busying about their houses and leaving their yards to settle in for the night. On the opposite side of the place where they were, large inns were shining brilliantly in the fading sunlight. The buildings themselves were coated in mirrors, which led to this effect, but they made a statement. A few of the students were walking back towards that direction, but Cassie looked North to where a large mansion sat on top of a small hill overlooking the town.
The building itself was grand made of all burgundy brick with white pillars lining the façade. It must have been the governor's house since it was the highest in the town. Cassie looked up at for a minute picturing what the Hollands looked like and how what looked like a pleasant enough girl would run around and act when everyone looked down on her.
When Cassie turned back to SA, he was looking at a holographic map of the planet. Cassie walked over to him and leaned in. "Finding a place to stay?" she asked.
"It appears most of the inns are over there," he replied pointing towards the mirrored ones.
"Anything away from there? I would rather not have eyes following us while we go."
"Well, there is this one," he said zooming in to a spot close to their location. Cassie looked up in that direction and could see a small path leading to a thicker group of trees. "It looks nice."
She agreed and they headed out that way. To their surprise, most of the landscape looked accidental and overgrown. Almost like things had moved and these weedy looking plants had taken over. Cassie wondered why the inn hadn't taken as better care, but when they approached the building, it was in the same sad state. The boards going around it were worn and battered, the paint was chipping off the sides, and the roof seemed to be weathered by hail and dented in many places. Cassie glanced over at SA, but he nodded to her, and they approached cautiously.
When they reached the door, Cassie knocked three times and waited. A few birds in the distance were still humming as they ended their day, but otherwise an immense solitude began to fall over this place. Just as Cassie was going to knock again the lock began turning and very slowly the door opened with a loud creak.
A small-framed women in what appeared to be her early fifties stood there with wide eyes and a small tremble. Her blond hair was pulled loosely back with a few curls falling to her shoulders and framing her face. She had fair skin that had very few wrinkles, but her eyes were a familiar deep blue.
"Can I help you?" she asked quietly.
Cassie held out a hand to stop SA from speaking and then smiled softly. "Please, we are looking for a place to stay. This is an inn correct?"
The woman nodded and cautiously glanced back inside before looking at Cassie again. "Yes, but I'm sure our small little inn won't have the amenities that the others on the north side do. I'm sure they would be more entertaining for you."
"Actually, we were hoping for just some quiet. Please if you have a room available, we will very much enjoy it."
The woman looked hesitant. She again shot a look inside the house and then back to her visitors. With a nod she slowly opened the door and waited as Cassie and SA stepped inside. The entryway was small and barely fit the three of them with a small podium in it. Cassie assumed this is where guests would check in but considering there was a small layer of dust everywhere it obviously wasn't the hot spot for visitors. That was comforting, but only for Cassie and her companion it appeared. The woman was shaking a little as she began to tidy up her skirt and top trying to smooth out the wrinkles in them with her hands.
"W-welcome to our inn," she said quietly faking a smile at them. "As always we are honoured that the Sovereigns would allow us to provide hospitality for them. Please let me show you to your rooms."
She then opened a door next to her and travelled up a narrow staircase. SA followed behind her politely while Cassie just looked around to see two other doorways. No one came through them though and so she continued up the stairs.
The floorboards creaked under each step but once they reached the top floor every so often the creaks would continue along as they walked. The woman paused in front of one door and then opened it carefully.
"Here is one room, comes with a bath and desk for the important work I'm sure you have to do," she said gesturing inside. She then turned to the door beside it and opened it as well. "And here is the other, which is similar but just mirrored." She then stepped away to let her visitors inspect them.
SA glanced in and Cassie was sure he was scanning every inch of it. She on the other hand was more interested in the other rooms around them. There was a total of twelve on the floor, but another stairwell was waiting in the middle of the room to a flight above them. She turned towards the woman and smiled again.
"Are we the only ones here?" Cassie asked.
The woman nodded looking down at the floor. "I'm afraid we don't get many visitors here anymore..." She looked towards the stairwell and Cassie noticed a smaller door there. It was hard to see it because of the wallpaper covering it, but the handle caused it to bubble, and the seams of the wallpaper traced the outline of it.
Suddenly they all heard footsteps coming down the stairs and they all turned to see a man walking down it calmly. He was a taller, broad shouldered man with dark hair. He had a fair complexion like his wife, but he had a small smile on. That was until he landed and looked up at his woman and then saw Cassie and SA. Quickly his face lost any colour it had, and his smile was gone. Cassie quickly began wishing to ditch the uniform seeing how uncomfortable it made them, but instead smiled to try and offset it.
The man turned towards the woman and faked a smile. "Louisa, I take it we have company?"
The woman nodded. "Yes, they asked to stay here of all places, Howard."
Howard nodded and then addressed his customers. "And for just how long will they be staying?"
"Not long," SA piped up. "We are here with an educational tour. We are the loading tour and should be gone in a couple of days."
This information did not seem to comfort the two inn keepers. Instead, they exchanged glances with each other.
"Will the others be coming here?" Howard asked quietly.
Cassie quickly shook her head. "No, they are on the other side of town. It is just us."
A little relief came at that statement and Cassie was hoping that would mean they would be more comfortable with them. She didn't like how apprehensive they were about it. It felt like they were doing something wrong, and she was tired of constantly feeling like they were in danger.
"Well, welcome," Howard said quietly. "We of course are honoured to house the Sovereign soldiers. The meal will be ready in an hour so please join us in the dining room this evening at that time."
He then gently took his wife's shoulders and pushed her down towards the entry way. Once the two had gone, Cassie glanced over at SA.
"Well at least we are the only ones here," Cassie said.
"I'm concerned about why that is," SA said quietly. "Granted it is better than being with the group we came with, but they also are very wary of us and without anyone else here to draw their focus we could be discovered quickly." He then sighed. "Let's just play it cool for the rest of the day. Keep their fears down and maybe make ourselves scarce tomorrow, yes?"
Cassie sighed but nodded. The two then went into their separate rooms to unwind. Cassie began to try and think of a way to find Ash's parents. She wasn't sure where to look and was hesitant about asking should that be some sort of taboo subject. Maybe if this educational group were taking a tour the next day they could find out about where they lived. Cassie didn't know this for a fact of course, but it was a starting place. She lay on the bed enjoying the comfort it gave and looked around the walls. Before she knew it however, she was asleep enjoying the first comfortable night of rest she had had in a long time.
~
When Cassie awoke, she stretched her arms and looked towards the only window in her room. Outside it was bright and sunny which surprised her, but then she felt heat rise to her cheeks, realizing that she had slept for so long. Quickly she cleaned up and then opened her door peering out. Of course, no one was there, and she suddenly felt silly for fretting about people watching her. Instead, she turned towards SA's room and knocked on his door.
A minute passed before he opened it. He immediately nodded and let her in. "You slept for quite a while, Miss."
"Yeah, sorry. I didn't realize how much I needed a good night's rest. What time is it?"
"It's past midday. We can't stay here after tonight, so I hope you have an idea of where we are going."
Cassie sighed realizing she hadn't because of how fast she had fallen asleep. Suddenly a nagging feeling hit her though and she looked towards the door.
"Miss?"
"Sorry, SA," she said looking back to him. "I just was thinking..." It then hit her. She stood up quickly and touched the door handle. She then glanced at SA and smiled. "You said they seemed very wary of us yesterday, yeah?"
"You didn't get that vibe?" he asked raising an eyebrow.
"No, I did, but other families, would they be that scared of us normally?"
SA's eyes began scrolling through information. "Most people are usually excited and delighted to house Sovereign soldiers, no matter the class. It is a sign of profound respect."
"Right, but what if you had done something wrong? Or more like your son did?" Cassie asked feeling her heart begin to pound. "Wouldn't you be wary of Sovereigns especially if they have come before and shamed you or threatened you over what he had done?"
"Are you really implying that this is this guy's house, and those people are his parents?"
"He told me that his parents did run an inn. He met lots of people growing up because people would always be passing through. Of course, now if he is considered an enemy of the Regime..."
"Most wouldn't want to stay in the house of a traitor. It would make sense. But how do we prove it?"
Cassie opened the door a crack and peeked out at the hidden door beneath the stairs. She then closed the door and said softly. "We need to get into the room they are hiding. It's his or else it's all his old stuff. That would be proof enough I think."
"And just how are you going to do that?"
"Let's pretend I am still asleep, and you go downstairs to keep them on their toes. I'll sneak into the room and find out what I can."
"Alright, but here's a warning for you," SA said sitting down. "In about two hours there is going to be solar flare activity."
He paused but Cassie just stared at him before shrugging. "What does that mean?"
"It means all communication and electronics will not be working properly. Meaning I need to stay out of sight until then so that these people don't assume I'm not human when I stop working. It also means they might be more apt to act should they see anything wrong, and you would be on your own to keep safe."
That made the butterflies in her stomach reappear, but then Cassie was getting used to this feeling. She nodded and then said quietly, "I'll try and be quick then."
SA sighed but nodded walking over to her. "Be careful, Miss."
He then opened the door and began to make his way to the lower level of the inn. Cassie took a couple of deep breaths to ready herself and then quietly made her way to the centre of the hall. The creaking floorboards made her anxious, so she traced her footsteps back to her room and waited a bit. Hopefully, they would think she was just getting more prepared to be with her partner and wouldn't consider it weird that she was pacing. Or hopefully they weren't even listening.
After a few minutes passed Cassie again walked outside and stopped outside of the secret door. She carefully took a fingernail to the outline of the door and gently trimmed around it. The paper split from its large piece but stayed on the door thanks to expert application. Cassie felt relieved and then carefully touched the doorknob. As slowly as she could and as gentle as she could she began to turn it, feeling the paper crumple around it. But it didn't rip as the handle turned enough for the door to open a tiny bit. Cassie then grabbed the edge with her fingertips and gently pulled it open.
There was another stairwell inside leading downwards, but as it was dark, Cassie couldn't see much save for the first few steps. She walked inside the small space and carefully pulled the door closed leaving her in absolute darkness. She gently touched the side of the walls and then carefully made her way down feeling for each step first before touching down on them.
It took several long minutes for her to reach the bottom. The small staircase led to another door and Cassie opened it only seeing more darkness around her. She started feeling around the wall for some sort of a switch and instead found a small metal panel. It warmed to her touch and then light began to filter into the room.
Around her, Cassie saw tables filled with various electronic equipment and scientific instruments. She felt her eyebrows rise as she began examining some of them and tried to not let her failure cause her too much anxiety. Nothing on the tables made any sense to her and quickly she looked around for anything else. To her surprise another small door waiting in the corner. Cassie made her way over and opened it seeing a small bedroom set up.
The room was small, and the bed inside would hold only a child based on its size. There was a bookcase that Cassie walked over to and let her fingers trace the titles. She stopped on one though and pulled it off the shelf, blowing off the layer of dust that had encompassed it. It was the same book Ash had given her when they had stopped on the mining planet. She felt her heart lift as she opened the cover. The book was much older than hers, but the stories were the same. Before getting her hopes up though she set it down and continued examining the smaller objects.
Little balls and figures dotted the bookshelf, sitting in between some of the books or hiding them. Many seemed odd, but like any other children's toys. Cassie paused seeing a small binder. She took it off the shelf and opened it seeing pictures inside. The first was of the woman although much younger with a full radiant smile on her face, her husband next to her with not as much grey hair and a smile also on his features. Between them a small boy stood, arms folded across his chest and looking embarrassed to be taking the picture.
Cassie then looked on the inside cover and found the answer she had been hoping to find. It read 'Property of the Reece Family.' Cassie carefully sat down on the bed and smiled to herself. She stared at the little boy and felt pain in her heart again. If only he could be here now telling her about his childhood. It felt wrong to be viewing it without him.
She flipped through the pictures quietly. Most were of Ash and his mom, his dad she assumed was taking the pictures. Ash had smiles in more of the informal ones and he looked like any happy little kid. He also saw him sitting with his dad while it looked like his dad was sharing stories. Cassie remembered Ash telling her about that and the thought pained her. At least his parents were all right now, but they weren't happy like they appeared to be in all these pictures. She wondered how much hardship they had really endured.
Towards the end of the binder, two photos appeared side by side. They both had a young Ash in them, but to her surprise he was playing with the same girl in both. The girl had curly blonde hair and green eyes and Cassie knew this had to be a young Ceyona. The girl looked happy and joyful even though Ash looked shy and awkward in the two. She sat there with a heavy feeling in her chest. They had been friends for an exceedingly long time. Longer than any of her own friendships and she had a tough time picturing herself being able to do what Ash had done for Ceyona. He really cared for her.
A tear escaped her, and Cassie felt it run down her cheek. There were so many questions she wanted to ask. She closed the binder and put it back now looking upon the small room with new eyes. This wasn't where his room had originally been, but it still felt strangely comforting to be in a place where he had once stood.
"I'm coming back, Ash," she said quietly into the space. "I am coming back to you."
Without staying there any longer, she quietly exited back into the room with the strange equipment. His parents were scientists before they retired but this was proof, they still pursued their interests. She wondered then why they were keeping it hidden.
Before she could ponder this for too long though, she heard the door above her opening and shutting quickly. The sounds on the steps sounded formidable and she wondered what was going on, quickly backing towards the furthest table before the door swung open.
Both Howard and Louisa stood aiming pistols at Cassie who quickly raised her hands in the air, her heart suddenly pounding. Howard's forehead was knitted, and his gaze was narrowed towards her. Louisa on the other hand was trembling next to him yet holding the pistol as firm as she could to get a clear shot.
"What do you want here?" Howard barked. "What more can you possibly want here? Haven't you lot already shamed and stripped every shred of dignity we have ever had? We've been loyal to you since the incident and yet here you are further spying on us!"
Cassie felt her breathing growing shallower but then said as calmly as she could, "Please give me just a bit of time to explain. I swear I am not with the Sovereigns."
"Liar!" Howard yelled. "You wear their uniform and you travelled here with them!"
"Yes, but that was to find you, honestly."
"And what would a non-Sovereign want with us? Stop lying!"
Cassie felt uneasy and wondered where SA was, but then recalled the Solar Flare activity he mentioned. She hadn't been that long, had she? "Listen I would feel a little better explaining this to you if my companion was here."
"We knocked him out as soon as the Solar Flares began, you won't be getting to him," Howard said smirking a little, but Cassie noticed a twitch on his eye and knew he was just as scared as Louisa was. That began to give Cassie strength as she slowed her breathing a little.
"Please, Mr. and Mrs. Reece," she said still holding her hands up. "I promise to you that I'm not Sovereign and before arguing that point, please let me explain! I came here because I know Ash. He's a trader on the outside ring of the solar system and I promise I am loyal to him and not the Sovereigns like you think I am."
Both Reeces' eyes widened when she said this, but neither dropped their weapons. They looked to each other and Cassie waited quietly to regain their attention praying they wouldn't shoot her. It felt like a few minutes passed before they did look back, Louisa no longer as terrified, but instead looking a little hopeful. Howard however still frowned.
"If what you say is true, how can you prove it?" he asked quietly.
Cassie felt a little scared by that question. She looked around trying to think of how she could prove it to them that she was being honest with them. She didn't have anything of his of course to prove it, nor a way to tell them a secret code word or something. The room didn't offer any clues either and looked down at her feet, her heart pounding.
"I know it is a tall order to believe, trust me I do," she said softly. "I can't give you any physical proof, but I am his friend. He's an amazing captain and the most amazing man I've ever met, and I wouldn't be here if I hadn't of sneaked onto a Sovereign ship obviously having to look the part. I mean I even got this uniform from Ash. He has a whole storeroom full of them to help with the work he does from time to time. Him and his crew that is. His ship is called the Keimei which I'm not sure helps, but I can tell you everything he has ever told me if that helps."
They again looked towards each other but still wouldn't lower their defences. Cassie felt hopeless and was just rambling she knew, but she didn't know what else to do.
"Please," she again. "All I wanted to do here was see you two. Even though he doesn't like to admit it, I know he worries about you two. He assumes he had completely messed you up by what he did and regrets it every day. He even assumes you don't care about him or shouldn't after what he did to you. I wanted to see you and find out for sure so he could stop worrying. Especially since it is obvious both of you love your son and have endured so much trying to live with the fact that no one else here wants him even though you two do."
With that the two parents lowered their guns and stared at Cassie with surprise. They both looked absolutely shocked by what she had just said, and she knew it was something they had never heard before or considered.
Louisa was the first this time to speak. "You really do know Ash?"
"He's my best friend."
Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. "And he really thinks that of us?" Cassie only nodded lowering her hands. "How could he think that? He's my baby..."
She began to shake more and put her hands on her face. Howard gently held her shoulders and watched his wife for a moment sharing in her sadness. He then looked back to Cassie with a softer expression. "How much has he told you about us?"
Cassie relaxed a little and began to explain what she knew and how she got here. They were more relieved to hear her speak about the inn and the memories Ash had shared with her as well as the projects they had worked on that had impressed Ash the most while in the Sovereign service. They also were calmed when she led them back upstairs and showed them, they had not needed to knock out SA since he was an android. That confirmed for them she wasn't a Sovereign since Androids couldn't be part of the army force.
The two parents also began to ask her all they could think about concerning Ash and hearing some of Cassie's stories brought smiles to their faces. Cassie shamefully left out the biggest part though concerning her relationship with him which is what prompted their final question.
"Cassie," Louisa said softly holding her husband's hand. "We can't tell you how relieved we are to hear about our son. So many years now we have been concerned about him and to hear he is alive and well in such good company is more comforting than you could ever know. But I wonder why you aren't still with him and why you came to Sovereign space in the first place. Can you tell us?"
Cassie had to look down feeling that pain in her chest again. She held back tears and sighed. "It's complicated. I made an unwise decision on one of our missions and got lost out here. I'm sorry to say I haven't thought through the consequences though and regret leaving so much. I-I can't really tell you the details about why because they are personal, but I can tell you my next step is to get out there and find the Keimei again."
"How do you plan to do that?" Howard asked quietly.
"Well," Cassie began. She paused thinking and looked over at SA. "When he and I met he helped me off the planet I landed on by stealing a ship from one of the locals. I don't know if it would work again considering it was his former master, but somehow, we could pull off something like that again. That is if we could figure out where we could find such a vehicle."
Louisa and Howard looked towards each other, and Cassie instead focused on the ground. They would help her out and tell her where they could find such a vehicle. That would help. But it surprised her a moment later when Louisa touched her hand. Cassie looked up into her blue eyes and saw a small smile on her face.
"Cassie, we would like to help. That is if you could do us a favour."
"Of course. I would be happy to."
Louisa smiled brighter and looked at Howard who was also smiling. "We know where you can find a vehicle to take and how you might do it. All we ask is that you please take us with you. We would do anything to see our son again and there is nothing left for us here."
Cassie raised her eyebrows and watched both to find the catch, but they suddenly reminded her of her own parents. She could just picture her mom approaching a friend who knew where she was and asking to be taken to her. She could see the pain and the sadness of not being able to see their offspring and realized just how much she hoped her friends would help her parents if they could. Tears came to her eyes, and she just nodded.
"I would more than happy to," she said quietly after the two adults looked so relieved.
But then they tensed up looking up towards the lights which were starting to flicker. Howard then turned to Louisa and said, "The flares are quieting down. We will try and pass information through writing later, Cassie. I'm afraid our house is still being constantly observed and we can't be too careful anymore."
Cassie felt suddenly guilty. "Then I must ask if we can move out tonight. I didn't realize you two were being bugged and we may have said enough to raise alarm."
Both parents' eyes grew wide as they looked towards each other again, but they quickly nodded to each other and back to Cassie. They then went into a drawer and grabbed to pads of paper. They handed one to Cassie and gave her a pencil while taking one for themselves. SA groaned from behind her, and she looked over to see him standing up and holding his chest. She looked back to the Reeces' briefly and gave them a nod before walking over to SA.
"I can't ever remember solar flares causing me that much pain before," he said looking up at Cassie. "They must have been bad."
"Must have," she said quickly. She then grabbed the pencil and began jotting down a message. He watched her as she held it out to him. It read:
'The Sovereigns are listening. We are leaving tonight. The Reeces are coming with us. They know where we can steal a vehicle.'
SA's eyes began scrolling quickly and his mouth hung open briefly as he read it, but he met Cassie's gaze and then nodded with a small smile. He stood and then looked back towards the Reeces who were writing their own message, but they seemed to be at ease. At least until they enacted this crazy plan of theirs.