Heroes & Ghosts

by SA Payne

  love him. Just don't give up on him, okay? He's an absolute dork but he means well."

  "I'll never give up on him." He closed the bottle of water. "You sought me out to tell me that?"

  Will shook his head. "Not really. Rye, how much do you know about Avalon?"

  He shrugged. "Only what I've learned from you and the others."

  "Great Gods help you than!" Will laughed. "Seriously, Avalon is sovereign and we do things a little differently here. We don't have a king or a president or a prime minister or lead council or any of that nonsense. There are virtually no laws on Avalon. When we have an issue, crime or

  dispute, the community settles it. Even in a city or large village, a community is the

  neighborhood, it normally looks like chaos to outsiders but it works for us. When something

  happens that is larger than the community or complicated, we ask advice of our elders."

  "You're a theocracy?"

  "Not really, see, the elders are priests but no one is required to listen to them. Oh, we do cause they're actually really good at their jobs, a lot of them are very high psi's too, but no one person

  or community has to. They offer advice and guidance only."

  Rye drew a slow breath. "I suppose these elders have suggested I be removed from the station?"

  "No, not yet anyway." Will was a little startled by how perceptive Rye was. "This station is a community, yes, we answer to Avalon but we're our own village. This raid effects all of Avalon,

  we need to consult with the elders. We need to get their input on what to do with Harvick and his

  ship and the pirates and yes, with you and Ichi as well."

  "Ichi will rebuild his collection."

  "Don't worry, we know that, but he isn't from Avalon. And you? What you did yesterday was

  rather impressive."

  "And too dangerous to be allowed to stay."

  "I didn't say that and don't you say that. This community, the people of this station will have final say but the elder's advice will be weighed in heavily. There is a meeting tonight, to discuss things with them. There'll be questions for you, you should attend and answer as honestly as you can."

  Will watched the steady face for signs of worry or anger and saw only set resolve.

  "What kind of questions? I might not remember the answers."

  "They're not looking to nail you to the wall and make you into a villain but Rye you just killed a dozen people without breaking a sweat. I'm not wrong in saying you want to stay near Ichi, I think

  he needs to stay near you, so for his sake, you need to answer their questions honestly."

  "What's in my head is personal, Will."

  "And that will be respected. It'll be myself and Amanda as two we hope you feel comfortable

  around and a third member from the community that you may pick, Mark, Henry, Rose or Mary,

  Annie I know you've at least spoken to. It'll be your choice too, if you want Ichi there or not, I'd understand either way."

  "Mark's fine." He liked the logical engineer. "What kind of questions?"

  Will turned the water bottle around in his hands. "The elders will most likely want to know

  everything you can remember, in detail."

  "I don't like this."

  "I'm sorry, they're going to want to know if you're a threat. They're going to want to know if you're what we say you are and not just a smart pet. I'm not going to lie and say it'll be comfortable or

  easy for you, I know how unwilling you've been to talk about your life before you came here, but

  Rye, unless you want to make Ichi pick between going with you and staying here without you,

  you'll be honest and forthright."

  Rye bent forward, his forearms resting comfortably on his knees. "Will, the things he did, I, it hurts to remember them." He rubbed at his neck, trying to force some of the happy unease from

  his body. "I don't ever want to speak of them."

  It would have been easy to toss out a cliché or empty comforting words but Will sat silent. There

  was no point to mentioning Ichi again, he had no doubts that Rye was very aware of the other

  man. Instead, when Will did speak, it was very carefully.

  "When the Concord came and took over Avalon, we had no military, no way of stopping them.

  We had no means of negotiating with them. They made us into serfs or slaves literally over

  night. It became unofficial policy for the Fleet and the landlords to use rape to break our spirit.

  Just on this station, there are only three people who haven't been assaulted or directly effected

  by being personally attacked or forced to watch a love one be hurt. Ichi's one of those three, I'm

  not." He said very carefully. "Rye, no one is doing this to open old wounds or for sick curiosity.

  The elders aren't fools, they might see something in your words that will help us figure out why

  this was done to you, or maybe be able to offer advice on how to go from here." Will sat back.

  "Even if you were Avalon, no one would force you to speak to them. Think about it, okay?"

  Rye nodded but he still sat, silent and uncertain as Will stood and carefully left.

  Ichi was told of the meeting as they were finishing up the second autopsy. Working with Amanda

  was amazing, they fell into an easy pattern and almost instinctually understood each other's skills and experiences. It made it easier to forget that each of the dead beetles they removed from the

  body had been his baby and Ichi gratefully took the distraction.

  "I'll get these samples to the lab. Leave the bodies, we'll take care of them but we both need showers, we stink." She teased.

  "Amanda," He tried to find a way to say what he was thinking without sounding condescending.

  "Hmm?" She turned as she pulled off the thin gloves she'd worn.

  "Thank you, it was an honor to work with you. I... I'm not used to people understanding." He glanced down to the container of dead beetles, their menace stilled in death.

  It took a moment but she understood what he was saying, it wasn't always easy or comfortable

  being the smartest kid in the class, she knew that. "For me as well, next time you need help, just hollar at me."

  "Will do." He nodded and smiled a little. She was right, time was running out and they did stink.

  He carried samples to his lab and finished up the little details before he went home to clean up.

  At the door, he was braced for avoiding Rye, using the coming meeting as an excuse but Rye

  wasn't home.

  It made the rooms feel empty and lonely. The emptiness surprised Ichi, he thought he'd feel

  relieved. He shook his head at his own confusion and hurried to clean up and change clothes.

  Too much time had already been spent thinking about Will's words and Rye's words and he was

  tired of it. The meeting with the elders was actually welcome, even if the circumstances weren't.

  He wasn't worried about it. Ichi had already been interviewed several times by several elders.

  Avalon was twitchy about letting a Concord citizen onto one of their most secure stations and

  they'd asked him all manner of questions before agreeing to admit him. The mess with the other

  station and the Flossin guard, sabotage and murder, only proved Avalon's point. Sometimes

  being paranoid was a good thing, and Ichi respected that.

  His only worry, the only thing that nagged at his thoughts when Ichi sat down in the communal

  kitchen near the large vid screen, was to worry where Rye might be. The entire station was there

  but not Rye and while Ichi sat and answered questions about reacquiring his swarm, the

  efficiency of his kill switches, his work in general on the station, his thoughts were focused on

  Rye.

  "Thank you, Mr. Vitorui." One of the two elders
said when Ichi finished. "Your understanding and co-operation have always been above criticism." The woman smiled gently. "Now, what was his choice?" She asked of Amanda.

  "For Mark to stay and Ichi as well."

  "Very well." The elder nodded and the room slowly broke down, people shuffled out. Whispers talked back and forth and Ichi glanced to where Will was sitting near him and didn't show any

  signs of leaving.

  "What's going on?" He hissed out in a whisper.

  "It's Rye's turn."

  "What? No one told me that."

  Will glanced over and smiled gently. "You didn't ask."

  Which was a truth that shut him up. It wouldn't have mattered, Rye came into the room as the

  bulk of the station left. He was dressed in somber colors and moved with obvious nerves. Grey

  eyes glanced up and brushed across Mark, Will and Amanda but settled on Ichi.

  Rye wasn't scared so much as extremely uneasy. He had been invited to join them during the

  other conversations but sitting there, knowing what they were going to ask him, would have been

  too much. It seemed easier to be in a mostly empty room when his time came, instead of kicking

  out everyone while he sat there waiting for them to leave.

  His choice to have Ichi stay was one that he'd made at the last moment. He wasn't sure if he'd

  ever be able or want to be able to say some of the things they might ask of him again. Ichi

  deserved to hear it, he deserved to know just what he was taking as a lover. If it ruined what they were building, so be it, it was what was fair. That didn't make seeing Ichi sitting there, looking

  startled, any easier.

  "Hello Rye." The male elder on the screen said with a smile and a bob of his head. "It's nice to finally meet you."

  "Elder." Rye nodded back but kept his eyes lowered on the table. Some how he'd expected the elders to be really old and wizened and while they were older than anyone on the station they still looked vital, healthy and not ancient.

  "Would you like something to drink, water or tea, before we start?" The female elder asked.

  Rye glanced up across the table to where the other's sat and his eyes fell onto Ichi's before he

  dropped them to a point on the table again. "No, ma'am, thank you."

  "Very well, now, Rye, our meaning in this isn't to cause you harm, just to understand. Do you

  believe that?"

  "Yes, ma'am."

  "We've heard about you, about what was done to you and we're very grateful you found kind

  hands by chance and a safe haven here in Avalon space but it is our belief that this attack on

  your station wasn't random and we must learn if your presence might have contributed to it."

  Rye shook his head. "It wasn't random."

  "How so?" Will spoke up, they'd figured he should be the one from the station to speak, to keep as many voices and questions silent as possible.

  "Well," Rye drew a slow breath. "The pirates had no secondary ship waiting for them, which means they must have smuggled themselves on board at some point. That was a lot of people to

  hide with no chance of escape. They knew Harvick's routine as well. And once on board they

  went directly to three labs, no where else. They cloned Will and Amanda's entire computer, took

  all the samples from their storage. In Ichi's they shot away the outer containments, which is

  either very bold or stupid or a sign they had no idea how dangerous the insects inside really

  were. Which suggests someone gave them a list of what to take but not information on just what

  it was. They were more concerned with the profit of selling the crew instead of the more

  profitable items they were stealing." He shook his head. "It just felt like they'd been hired for the job, it wasn't an attack of random chance."

  Looks were exchanged but it was the elder who spoke again. "Very perspective. We've seen the

  tapes of your counter attack, did you know you were able to fight before that moment?"

  "No, ma'am, not until they hurt Ichi."

  "And you've no recollection of how you learned to fight with such skill?"

  "No, ma'am."

  "What's the earliest thing you can recall?"

  Rye sat silent, his eyes never moving from the point he'd picked on the table. "Being cold." He finally said and it was easier than he feared, so long as he didn't look up. "And pain, there was a woman, with brown hair. A lot of pain after she was around, none of it makes much sense."

  "And then?"

  "A room, with white walls and a couple other pets, a trainer. I think he knew I wasn't like the others, they were so empty looking. I tried to fight but the discipline sticks, hurt too much."

  "Elder? We've run some tests on the stick that was sent with Rye here, the paperwork says it will deliver a mild annoyance to gain attention but that isn't quite true. It's quite painful, we've tested it on ourselves and with Rye's nerve endings being doubled?" Will shook his head. "It would be intense."

  "The others were trained until they obeyed instantly, I was only trained until I'd completed each command once. When the trainer tried to get me to present, I refused, fought, they brought in

  others and other sticks. I blacked out, when I came to, I didn't fight the second time or again in

  training." Rye spoke with an empty voice, hollow.

  "How clear are the memories of your time in training?" The elder asked gently.

  "They're not, ma'am. They're hazy, like a dream. It all feels like that until after I arrived here."

  "And after training?"

  "I was put in a box, awake, not storage and moved. I've no idea where but the moving took less than a half of an hour but I was left in the box for hours." He shook his head. "I can't, I'm sorry, ma'am, I can't."

  "Anything, Rye, anything you can tell us? It might be useful."

  He drew a long breath and steadied himself. "I... I think he knew me before. Some of the things seemed personal."

  "What did he look like, your first owner?" Will prodded.

  "Older, white haired, heavy set, five eleven, brown eyes." The description poured out like he was reading it, without thought. "Which is odd because I can't remember what he looks like."

  "His treatment toward you...?" The elder promoted, not wishing to put words into Rye's mouth.

  "Was unkind." He finished.

  "How?" She glanced to where Amanda was giving her a nervous look and hushed the woman.

  "He enjoyed hurting me, having me hurt. He let others use me." The words were empty, there was nothing connected to them Rye felt lightheaded and a touch dizzy.

  "What makes you think he knew you before?"

  The words echoed inside of Rye's head, sluggish and distant. "What makes me think...?" He muttered back. He fumbled after a memory that felt slippery and when he caught it he screamed.

  The memories were there, right there, vivid and real and more solid then the current moment

  around him. Rye stumbled from his chair but tripped on it's legs and landed hard on the ground.

  He gasped for breath and couldn't fill his lungs and the voices around him vanished to be

  replaced by the voices of memory.

  "So, this really is him, huh?" One of his owner's guests questioned and nudged his bare side with a booted foot. "Brave man, keeping such a dangerous toy."

  Rye heard his owner laughing. "My toy to keep, as always, he's just a little more mannerly now.

  Go on, try him out."

  "What?"

  "I know you've thought about it, he's made for it now. Take him to the other room and the lot of you give him a good riding. Nothing like it, I promise, knowing so much death is moaning for your

  cock."

  It hadn't taken much more then that before the trio of guests were leading Rye into the small

  sitting room to the side of his owner's office. They'
d been timid at first but as soon as they saw

  he really was different they'd laughed and used him roughly.

  He remembered when he was first taken from the transport box, thirsty and tired. His owner had

  stood there, watching, silent as Rye had crept to the waiting water bowl. He'd picked it up to

  slake his thirst when he received no direction and before the water could touch his lips a stick

  landed on his shoulders.

  "No! You're an animal, you'll eat and drink like one!" The owner had shouted at him and brought the flexible piece of wood down across Rye's back again and again.

  In the end, when he laid there beaten, Rye watched the tips of the man's finely made shoes hover near his head. "I told them I wanted you aware in there but to do that they said you've

  forgotten everything. Pity, this would be better if you remembered who I was. Just know I

  remember and that I kept my promise." The shoes had stepped back and Rye felt the man spit

  on him.

  He remembered stumbling back into his owner's apartment, his private rooms not his office,

  naked. Trembling, feeling broken, covered in cuts, bruises, coated in his own blood, his hair

  knotted and left with no illusions of what had just happened even if his fragmented mind couldn't

  remember where he'd been. His body was shivering as the come and spit was drying on his

  body, sliding across his skin. He could taste it in his mouth, mixed with his own blood and he

  knew something very bad had just happened.

  He was dazed and felt shattered and knew he didn't want to remember where he'd been. His feet

  crossed the thick carpet to where his owner sat, watching something on the vid screen. Rye drew

  closer when he was called over, he'd learned not to delay or stall and stopped at the edge of the

  man's chair.

  "Look how pretty you are." The man mocked. "You never believed I owned you but I do and always will." He tossed his head to the screen. "Next time, it'll be twice as many."

  Rye glanced uneasily to the screen and the moaning that came from the video. Horror filled him

  as he saw himself being used and beaten by a room full of men. He couldn't see how many, they