Our Time Bomb

Chapter Thirty - Two ~ Beginnings

The next day, still Erika's pov

I haven't slept or let my mind be at rest since Jefferson left with his warning. I'm wondering if it is the next day yet or if it's only been a couple hours. It seems like it's been an eternity. My mind is a soup of restlessness. Some of my people may die no matter what decision I make.

I have decided to determine if the questions I might answer are worth death when I hear them. Perhaps I can find some way to answer them as carefully as possible. Perhaps I will lie about the important things.

Whatever I do, I must be smart.

A little later...
I am sitting, tied to a chair. (Again)
Jefferson has brought in five Shadow Nation prisoners. I see a woman that used to be my friend. She looks fearful but at the same time, seems to be trusting of me. That I have some sort of plan.

I give her an apologetic look.

"Erika." Jefferson says, "Look at me."

I narrow my eyes on him, "Whatever questions you have, get it over with."

He nods, "I will; So you know the conditions. You don't satisfy me... They die."

Kenrik, a shadow nation scout, shudders slightly, but squares his muscular shoulders. He trusts me too.

The fact that so many lives depend on me, it makes me feel so incredibly incompetent.

There is a guard or two for every prisoner. Jefferson stands before me, his feet shoulder length apart, his arms crossed. I see that everyone at the Guild fears him. He seems to just radiate authority. I wonder if he was always this way and he just acted differently around me at home. A memory flashes before my eyes. A memory of the good times. We were walking through the forest, just the two of us, husband and wife. The air chilled my spine, but my hand was warm in his. His heat seemed to warm my heart, making it beat faster, causing me to no longer shiver. Oh how I miss his gentle touch and soft words towards me.

Now my memory of this face drifts into the reality of his rigid expression before my eyes. There is a cold draft down here in the stone prison and it brushes over my skin, causing uncomfortable tingling. My fingers are numb.

Nevertheless, I straighten my posture and look him in the eye, "I will judge whether or not to answer your question when you ask it."

"alright, first of all," he says, "you'll tell me... What is the likelihood that we will be challenged by Shadow Nation, now that they know that you are alive?"

I sigh, this question I can deal with. "That is a tricky one, and I cannot have any way of being perfectly certain, but I've got a feeling that the current Heir Commander will not make any attempts to save me, as he will want to keep his title. My coming back would threaten him. Do you understand?"

He frowns, "I suppose so... Your leader is greedy huh?"

"You could say that." I say, "And I wouldn't count on them coming here, not unless they all agreed to risk everything and storm this place."

"And will they do it?" he asks.

"Doubtful." I reply, for I am beginning to believe my own words.

"Alright, that wasn't so hard." Jefferson says, "Let's try another one. Where is the location of the compound?"

I stiffen, "Jefferson, you know I cannot tell you that."

"and you know what will happen if you do not." He slips a knife from his belt and holds it to the throat of one of my friends.

"If you could only see yourself in this moment." I say coldly, "See how ironic this is. You don't believe in killing and here you are threatening me with a moral that you've held against my people for years. You arrest me and others for murder, yet here you are, your only license to killing these people is the fact that you are a Gyardican." my words come out with a snarl, "It disgusts me so."

His eyes flash warningly, "It is not your place to decide when it is right to kill someone. This is to protect the planet, now if you want this man to live, you will answer me."

I suck in my lips in thought. I can't tell him about the compound because it would mean harm to both sides. If they tried to attack the heart of Shadow Nation, it would be threatening to our existence. At the same time, it would mean breakout for war, both sides would suffer many lives. I can't risk this. I may be Shadow Nation, but war was never something I wanted.

"Well?" Jefferson's voice cuts into my thoughts. I try not to panic as the Shadow Nation man groans as the knife cuts slowly into his skin.

"Is a war what you want Jefferson?! If you try and attack Shadow Nation, war is what you will get!" I say with exasperation.

He stares at me, no emotion in his countenance. "whatever it will take to make Fantastica safe again from harm."

Suddenly a sense of panic surges through my body.

Jefferson's pov
Erika lurches forward as though she is in pain. I roll my eyes, "What now?"

She half screams, "Agh, Jefferson something is wrong!"

Is she seriously trying to pull this card on me? Trying to get out of my questions?

I turn her chin up so I can look in her face. "So are you going to answer my question or is one of your friends going to die?"

Agony is in her eyes, I notice that all of her body is tensed up. Is something actually wrong?
"Erika..."

She screams in pain, startling me. "What the hell?"

"Jefferson... Please... Something is wrong, I'm not kidding around." she looks downwards with a terrified expression on her face. She is nearly white.

Okay, something is definitely wrong! She can't be giving birth, she's only six and a half months along at most.

I bend down to her level and catch her panicky gaze. "Is it..."

"Yes, the babies are coming." she groans in pain, "This is not... How it is supposed to be. I've only had brief contractions the last few days, I thought it was just cramps or something. Suddenly now, I'm having so many contractions. This feels like it's being sped up."

I feel a cold sweat run down my back. I turn to my guards, "Take the prisoners away back to their cells immediately, and call the Guild medics!"

They do as I say and I turn back to my wife. "Hang in there. How do you feel now?"

"Awful." she begins to cry.

I quickly untie her from the chair. I help her onto the floor and have her lie down with her head in my lap.

"Jefferson." she says breathlessly, "If I die... Make sure none of them do." her shaking hand is on her stomach.

I clear my throat, swallowing back a knot has taken place. "don't you dare think like that. You will survive, and so will all three of our children. Do you understand?"

She looks up at me, fear in her beautiful green eyes. I've never seen her so afraid. This isn't like her. Obviously she isn't afraid for herself, but for her babies.