Sigma/Star: Aftermath

Chapter 144: Siege of the Rockley Mansion

Porter stared at the wall across from him. He had memorized the detail on each painting, knew the lines to follow behind every decoration and piece of trim. He had been observing them for hours now, sitting in the foyer of the Rockley mansion. Sigma was beside him, eternally quiet during this process. There would be little hums or clicks from his body every so often, something Porter had learned about recently while traveling with Sigma. Sometimes, the android would pretend to sleep with him in a separate bed.

"This is the kind of cost I have to pay," Porter mumbled. His eyes dropped down to his fingers, playing with them in his lap. "Yet I'm not paying it."

One of the doors hissed and opened. Porter's eyes shot over, but it was just another servant of the house going through. It was nobody to Porter. And yet, that person's whole world was here in this mansion. This was all that they knew, every day, and much of what they relied on. What would it be like for them if this building burned down tomorrow? Is that what the Breach meant to Porter? Is that what the massacre on the island was about?

"We all pay the cost for human error," Sigma said, softly. "But calamity is always inevitable. Even when you choose inaction to avoid reaction, you won't escape it. You just won't be able to direct the forces that apply to you. The question always becomes, do you want to let terrible things happen to you, or do you want to be a part of pushing back against them?"

"It seems easier to let them happen, if that's a guarantee."

"I didn't say it was easier not to."

And the conversation was over again. This had happened for hours now. But it wasn't like they could do anything else. Ardwen was working, was speaking with the Rockleys, was paying off his immense debt to them. It was a debt Porter hated, that he wanted to grab and throw into the sea next to them, but it was also a debt that gave him Ardwen. Without the Rockleys actions, as well as the actions of others, Ardwen would be dead.

It was this realization that had brought Porter back down from his prior excitement at meeting one of his old friends. This might be the only one of his friends that remains, simply because the rest are dead. That thought circled around his head over and over. Ardwen had been lucky enough to escape, and he wasn't a frontline fighter. So, what fate would befall those engaged in combat at the time of Alpha's attack?

Raul's bones could be buried in that crater. Nami's could be next to them. Riya's...

"Porter?" The young man blinked, very long and hard, at the sound of his name, refocusing on what was in front of him. It was Mrs. Rockley, matriarch of the estate and family. She had passed through the mansion several times while Porter was waiting.

"Yes? May I help you?" Porter began to stand, trying his best to be polite around everyone now, but he was waved down.

"You're friends with Ardwen?" The woman lowered her voice as she spoke his friend's name, glancing about as though spies were waiting at every corner. Porter just nodded. "What happened over there sounded terrible. This was the least we could do to help someone in need."

"Yes, thank you very much for doing that." Porter balanced on an edge between appreciation and anger. These were rich people. How much could it cost to give someone working legs again compared to the wealth they gathered every day? Did they really need to attach a bill to saving someone?

"I hope you understand why there is money involved," Mrs. Rockley continued, catching Porter off-guard. Everyone else in the house was so formal and polite, always dodging discussing anything of importance.

"Yes...well...not really, to be honest." Porter slumped forward slightly in shame and defeat.

But Mrs. Rockley only laughed, a scoff really. She adjusted the tight bun of brown hair on her head before returning her hands to her lap, folding them over her summer dress. "I'm sure you recognize we don't need more money. Though, biotechnology surgeries are extremely expensive, being how rare and mostly outlawed they are in places. The debt over Ardwen's head is just a tiny fraction of the actual cost." Porter gaped slightly before snapping his mouth shut. He had never dealt with the wealthy before. Riya and Nami were the closest he got and neither of them behaved like rich people or even had money to spend. This woman's warm, blue eyes held so many more mysteries behind them than he had first envisioned.