Flynn stands slowly. I can see no signs of hesitation or nervousness. I’d rather stare down a line of loaded weapons trained on my face than this council, but he gazes back at the row of men and women arrayed before him without fear. Without uncertainty.
“Thank you,” he begins. Though he pauses before continuing, it’s a pregnant pause, not so much a hesitation as an invitation. It makes me want to lean closer, to hang on what he’s about to say. “My people and I are called a lot of things. Rebels and Fianna; terrorists and patriots; criminals and martyrs. And all of those things have been true at times over the last ten years. But if this long journey has shown us anything, it’s proven that we are fighters.”
His eyes sweep across the representatives from the Galactic Council, lighting on each of them in turn. “We fight for our home with whatever weapons we have. And if you let us, we will fight for it with hard work and passion, and devotion to this planet. You could not ask for a people more dedicated to making Avon what it was destined to be. If we’re only given the chance, we’ll prove to the galaxy we’re worthy of it.”
It’s a struggle to tear my eyes from his face, but I glance over at the Council representatives as he continues to speak, laying out a vision for the Avon he’s always dreamed of, the planet he believes in. They’re well trained by galactic politics to maintain their granite-like expressions at all times, so it’s impossible to tell whether Flynn’s passion is reaching them at all. But while I watch, I see a tiny, nearly imperceptible shift—as though the man at the end is nodding to himself, just a little.
It’ll take weeks of deliberation before the review board makes a final decision about Avon. And there’s nothing to do until then except wait. Wait, and rebuild; because decision or not, it’s a new Avon beginning here, and this is the chance we’ve been fighting for.
I find myself lingering when the board adjourns for the night, gathering up my papers slowly, watching as the soldiers and locals and government officials and reps from TerraDyn and the other corporations all mingle on their way out the doors. I keep my eyes on them, though I know they’re not the reason I’m hanging back.
An arm snakes around my waist, a voice murmuring in my ear, “Are we still on for tomorrow morning?”
I don’t fight the foolish smile that creeps across my features as I turn to face Flynn. “I had something else in mind. Can we do breakfast another day?” He’s still careful to avoid brushing my arm in its sling, and I can see his eyes lingering on it. A few inches over and the bullet would’ve perforated my heart instead of passing through my shoulder. As it is, I’ll be out of the sling in another week.
“Sure.” Flynn’s head tips to the side, his curiosity piqued. “What’s the new idea?”
“You’ll see.”
I meet him just before dawn the next day—with every hour we’re not at the hearing tied up in reconstruction meetings, this is the only time we can steal. We head out together, taking it slow as we move across the muddy base compound. I still have to remind myself that I don’t need to watch for anyone who might recognize Flynn, blow his cover, realize I’m harboring a fugitive—because he’s not anymore. And I’m not either. I thought it would be impossible to connect Jubilee with Captain Lee Chase, to merge the two into one life, but more and more it doesn’t seem like they’re different people after all. At least now I have time to figure it out.
I nod to the guard at the north gate, and we pick our way over the spongy ground beyond. It’s not as wet here as it is elsewhere, but water still collects in the dips and wallows of the land, making the footing treacherous, especially in the dim light of the predawn.
Half a klick away I can see the new construction site, where the town hall and the school are coming together. Sean’s taken us through the site twice already—Flynn jokes that he wants to supervise every nail that’s hammered into his school, but we both understand. He’s part of the group who will create our classrooms and teach our history. And for now, it’s a place for him to pour in enough effort every day that he can sleep every night, while he waits for his own healing to begin.
It’s about ten minutes of hiking after we leave town to reach the start of the hills and find more solid ground.
We trek up, and I pause to look around and get my bearings—then head for the one landmark I know, the one the soldiers on the base used to call Traitor’s Bluff. I don’t tell Flynn that, though. Instead, I come to a halt, and he comes up beside me.
“So why here?” he asks, looking around as if half expecting me to have prepared some kind of picnic or other surprise.
I take a deep breath, slowly turning until the breeze is at my back. There’s a faint hint of orange to the east—anywhere else, the last stars would be disappearing overhead. Instead there’s only the dim inky blackness of Avon’s overcast skies.