The Tale of Tara and Emiko

XXXIII

"So, you are the one they unearthed last week," the woman standing over Jay said. It's clear her wrinkle-free, navy blue suit is uncomfortable, as her speech is as stilted as her steps. She tilted her head to the side, her galactic purple eyes narrowing. They remind Jay of someone, although she can't tell who.

"Yes," Jay replied.

The woman readjusts the pin on the front of her jacket, the silver insignia of the Rebels. Swirling silver lines, merging into a bird's wing. "I truly am sorry you were left in that sad little cell block for so long, but I am a busy woman, and another little scrap was last on my list of priorities. I can see why no one can trust you. "
"I-what?" Jay asked, confused.

"However," the woman continued, "I do. What do we call you, my dear?"

"...I'm Jay," Jay said. Something about her name sounded odd and foreign in her mouth, although she couldn't tell what it was. She held her hand out.

"Emrys Park. Nice to meet you, Jay," Emrys said, firmly accepting the handshake. I've got a lot to do today, but meet me tomorrow in my office for tea, alright? You can safely exist for now in the living quarters. Make a new friend, if you know how to." She pointed down a hallway.

Jay returned to her aforementioned cell block, which was really not as bad as the title suggested. It was simple, a small living space with a bed, a desk, a chair, and a tall lamp in the corner that was probably bolted to the floor. She sat down on the floor with her back to the wall, tilting her head up towards the smooth, gray ceiling.

Ah.

Tara remembered it all, now that she was away from Emrys. There really was something about that woman that unnerved Jay, and now that Tara was back in her own mind, she realized what it was. Tara thought back to the week before Selene and Reed set her off.

"Reed's a sort of telepath, if you can understand that," Selene had explained. "He'll hide who you are in your mind and give you a new identity of sorts, so it'll be harder for you to end up revealed."

"Why?" Tara had asked.

"We suspect there are more like him on the Rebel's side who are trained in interrogation. We can't have anything go wrong here, you understand? Reed's very talented, he should be able to word the illusions in a way so the only times you'll have to be Jay are when being anything other than her would result in death."

"Wait, what? Who's Jay?"

"Who you'll be for the next few weeks or so. Don't worry, I'll come collect you before you get yourself into any real trouble. Plus, I did some quick hacking and it seems that sister of yours you were telling Reed about might be on the same ship I plan on having you infiltrate. You collect the info we need, and you might have some extra time you can use to make sure she's still alive, 'mkay?" Selene smiled as she jabbed a needle into the side of Tara's neck.

"Hey! I-what?" Tara murmured drowsily.

"Sorry about this, but illusions work better when the victim is unconscious. I'll see you in a bit, kiddo."

Then the world went black, and instead of Tara, Jay woke up in the cargo bay of the Rebel's ship, her left arm stuck under a few hundred pounds of distilled water.

Tara pinched the bridge of her nose. No wonder the things she'd been doing recently didn't seem right.

Later the next day, a soft rap came from her door. "Miss Jay, are you there? Her Excellency Emrys Park is waiting for you in her office."

Jay groaned. "Alright, fine." She waited until the guard's footsteps faded out to dash down the hallways, eventually finding her way to the door clearly labeled The Grand Office of Her Excellency Emrys Park. "Nice to see you again," Jay called as she walked through the door.