Born of starlight and shadows

~Part six~

Had it always been this dark? He wondered as he strode down the hallway. Surely not.

But though he didn't know for certain, he kept his gaze trained ahead as he'd always done before. It was the easiest way to avoid looking at the numbers on the wall-the numbers that marked each new cell.

And the guards that patrolled the hallway.

They were a constant reminder of what had changed. He still didn't understand how it was possible-or why this had happened.

But he kept his head down. Didn't ask questions. Simply did as he was told.

In the dark corners of his mind lay the memories he had buried, the fleeting remnants of the life he had led before. Those were a reminder of what had once been-and could no longer be.

They showed him that this was no way to live.

Yet he knew this was the only way to survive.

Once, it had been, at least.

Sometimes he told himself otherwise. That he stayed because someday, someone would have to expose this place. Show the world what had been done here.

He knew such a thing would never be possible, not when betrayal was the worst possible crime to be had.

But when lies were infinitely better than the truth, there was no question about whether to tell them or not.

The Star Children were as dangerous as they were made to seem-lie.

Once he did this, he would find a way to fix everything-lie.

Truth, a voice in the back of his mind whispered.

He pushed it away. He fought it.

Truth, the voice insisted. You mustn't believe the darkness. There is a way.

"Hey," one of the guards said, shaking him out of thoughts. "Are you all right?"

He nodded. "Yes, of course."

And he continued forward, ignoring the pain that gripped his skull.

Through the dark, seemingly endless corridor. Through the somewhat lighter but still claustrophobic hallway, where there were few windows. The sublevel. Where, unfortunately, his destination was.

He came to a door.

He knocked.

A man opened the door. "Yes?"

"I...I've changed my mind," he said. "I'll do it."

"Very well," the man replied. "You know how much time we'd like this completed in."

He nodded. "I do."

"Then I'll see you back in here in a few days," the man said.

He turned to go, but the man stopped him. "Carter?"

Technically speaking, he wasn't supposed to be addressed by his first name while within these walls. But since it had been some time since he'd heard it, he didn't object.

"Yes?" he asked.

The man smiled-not a very pleasant sight.

"I'm so glad you've changed your mind. If you need anything at all, you know who to ask," he said.

Carter nodded.

"Very well, then," the man said. "Don't let me keep you."

Silence would not be tolerated.

So, Carter replied, "It's no problem. Sir."

The man nodded, satisfied, and shut the door.

Carter hurried back the way he came.

Now he had a deadline to meet. That certainly made things interesting.

A few moments later, he stepped outside for the first time in-he couldn't remember how long it had been, actually. The sun had once been comforting and warm on his skin, but not now. Now it burned, icy and cold.

The metal band he wore around his finger seemed especially cold. Almost like a warning. Or a reminder.