Notes: Aaah, we're moving into the final showdown! So exciting! Also, warnings for gross body stuff here.

Title: Hadrian's Colony: Interlude: Carlisle

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Interlude: Carlisle

Photo by the National Cancer Institute 

Her knees hurt.

They weren’t the only thing that hurt, but they were theworst. It had been a very long time since Carlisle had been able to use Regen fornon-essentials, and knees were decidedly non-essential for someone in GeneralHadrian’s army. You toughed up and gutted it out and if you were bleeding todeath, you got Regen. Otherwise, you shut your fucking mouth.

Carlisle knew when to shut her mouth. She’d made an art ofit growing up, perfect actions accompanied by perfect silence. Don’t speakunless spoken to. Don’t be the one to reach out. Never, ever say something softaround the General, because he’ll take it as a weakness. She’d only everlet herself break that rule twice—once with the man who’d gotten her pregnant,and again with their child. Carlisle had hoped that she’d never need to be softagain when she got Kieron off the colony.

Then he came back.

He came back and was so frustratingly difficult for her tolook away from. It wasn’t his competence that drew her in, as much as it wasnice to see that his early lessons had stuck despite the time and distance. Herson was a competent man, and that was a testament to the teaching he’d gottenhere. He could fight, he could shoot, he could lie, he could steal. He couldbrawl and fly and give as good as he got, and he was a survivor.

Thank the stars he was a survivor. That was what she’d beencounting on to save him when she told him to go the last time. When it becameclear that she was only going to slow him down with her own weakness. Shehated, hated that the General was her weakness, but she didn’t deny it.Denial was as good as death, and Carlisle was determined that at least Kieronwas going to live to see another day. She would make a target of herself tosave him, and live out her last moments with the man she loved and hated morethan anything in the universe. It was a fair way to go.

But it hadn’t worked out that way.

“Five minutes left,” Jakes murmured. “You think they’regonna go for it?”

“Oh yeah,” Trapper replied with a bravado Carlisle was surehe didn’t fully feel. “With Mama here in hand? They’ll go for it.” He slappedthe back of Carlisle’s head, making her sway. “Look at you,” he taunted. “Notso tough when you’re all fucked up, huh?”

At least she wasn’t literally fucked. That had been apleasant surprise. Beatings were one thing; forced time in the comfort roomswas another. Carlisle had had enough of that as a young women to know it wasnever the way the General had promised. There was no comfort at all in thoserooms, just selfish need.

She was tempted to speak, but held her tongue. She knewbetter. She knew the safety that lay in silence.

That didn’t keep Trapper from running his fucking mouth,though.

“Yeah, not so tough now. Should have known the second we sawhim that he was yours. He’s got your look.” Trapper sneered at her. “Too prettyby half. Not a real man, that one—you know who he’s with?”

Someone who loves him.

“Another man, that’s who! He’s one of them.”

In a universe that had largely given up demonizing peoplefor who they preferred to sleep with, Hadrian’s Colony was a detestablethrowback to a more hateful era. Same-sex relationships were adamantly notallowed, not between women or men. In the beginning that was because creatingchildren had been the priority, but as time went on the General let his own hatefulnessseep deeper into the fabric of the colony. Anyone different was dangerous, anychallenge to what he deemed the norm, was to be eradicated.

“Useless little fuck, just like his mother.”

Says the man nursing five broken ribs because my son ranyou over. Idiot. Her cheek started to itch. She was tempted to bend herneck and try to scratch it against her shoulder, but that would only makeTrapper more interested in her. Better to ignore it.

“I wonder if his man will object if we end up having alittle fun with him.”

“Um, boss…we’re making a deal, aren’t we?”

“What kind of deal can we make with outsiders?” Trapperdemanded. Now that the General was well and truly gone, he was doing his bestto take up all the air in the room. “They don’t have any sense of honor. We can’ttrust them to hold to an oath. No. As soon as we have confirmation that they’vepulled back their ship, we fire on ‘em.”

“But—”

“If they had the kind of firepower they say they do, we’dalready be dead,” Trapper said like he was speaking to a child. “The storms areas big a problem for them as they are for us. I’m not gonna wait around withthem on planet until they leave and take their tales with them, making moretrouble for us. No, we…”

He had more to say, but Carlisle stopped listening. She hadto; she was suddenly aware of a rising nausea in her stomach and a dizziness inher head so intense that, entirely against her better judgement, she suddenlypitched forward. There was just enough time for Trapper to start shouting ather before she turned to the side and vomited up the minimal, bile-coveredcontents of her stomach.

“Fuck!” Trapper yelled, letting go of her and dancing backout of firing range. “What the fuck?”

“She looks sick, boss.”

“No shit she looks sick, she just puked all over my boots!” Carlislelooked up at him through bleary, wet eyes, not really caring if he was going tohit her because her stomach was cramping so hard she wanted to pass out. She threwup again, and it was awful, pain traveling through her like a wave and leavingevery muscle jumping with agony.

“Shit, we can’t let them see her like this, they’ll neverget in range. Take her to the old man’s office.”

“Me?”

“I’m not doing it, shithead!”

A second later, tentative hands grabbed Carlisle under thearmpits and began to drag her away. She was too weak to protest or put up anykind of fight, not that she would have anyhow. She let him pull her, twitchingand trying not to choke on her own mess, until they got to the General’soffice. He dropped her there, not even inside but at the threshold of it, halfin and half out of the door. “Gross,” Jakes muttered, then stomped away.Carlisle was left alone, clutching her stomach with her bound arms and wishingit would just end, please, end it please, I can’t take any more…

And then it ended. When she was able to open her eyes, she foundherself looking at a floating head with a very determined expression on hisface.

“Damn it.”