Fear pounded in my chest as I stared at the empty stage, lined with Guardians. Harvey could walk out at any moment but the anticipation was driving me insane. We’d been staring silently at the podium for minutes, unable to speak. Each moment that we waited caused my heart to beat faster and faster.

I should have known. I should have seen it coming and expected that Harvey would do something terrible but I didn’t. I never thought that he’d be cold-hearted or evil enough to use Gem’s death like that. To lie and try to claw back some illusion of kindness after everything he’d done. I should have known but I didn’t. I really did not expect it.

I just didn’t think he was cruel enough. I knew that there was a possibility that he’d bring her up, Andy had warned me that he might, but I didn’t think he’d do it like that. I should have. I should have considered the way that he’d manipulate her death to further his own ridiculous campaign but I didn’t. I was too wrapped up in grief to even think about it.

But the moment he walked out onto that stage, wearing his stupid mourning clothes, it hit me so hard it left me shaking and furious.

He walked slowly, his black waspsilk suit and white armband perfectly tailored. His head was down as if he couldn’t bear the weight of the tragedy and the sight of him filled me with anger. He paused as he approached the podium, looking out over the most likely meagre crowd and shook his head softly.

“I’m sorry,” he said in a rehearsed voice, dripping with false sadness. “I feel unprepared to be here with you today.”

He heaved out a sigh and stared out over the crowd.

Nausea rolled within me as I realised that he was about to bring her up.

“I was expecting to come out here and give a speech about strength and unity in the face of a fight but… I’m going to talk about something else.”

He paused again and my fists slowly clenched into fists.

He’s going to talk about her, I warned my crew softly.

What? Gem? Cory answered immediately. I’m coming now. Let me know if he starts before I get there.

I should have stopped him.

Okay, Cas replied before I could.

“Like many of you, I did something that I probably shouldn’t have and I watched Gemini’s funeral,” Harvey admitted. “I know, there was no legal stream but still, I had to do it. I wanted to pay my respect to someone who was once a great Weaponry Expert for the Space Corps. And, as beautiful as her funeral service was, I feel like it was incomplete.”

I’m in the lift, what’s he saying? Cory demanded.

He said he watched her funeral, I thought back. He said it was incomplete.

There was no reply to that.

“Gemini was much more than they gave her credit for. She fought tirelessly as a member of the Corps, joining a crew at the age of fourteen and completing no fewer than one hundred and forty-three missions. A very impressive number for one of her age which further shows her commitment to the Council and our cause,” he added.

Fearful and furious anticipation started to grow within me. He was changing things. We did complete that many missions but we didn’t do it for the Council or for their cause, we did it because we had to. They were assigned to us and it was never really a question of if we could refuse them.

I’m coming down the corridor now! Cory updated.

“She had a strong sense of justice although, at times it could be misguided. Naively, she took part in a mission where she did not know the full picture and due to technologically faults and inexperience on the side of her crew, she made some bad decisions which led to a painful injury. However, with the support of the Council and our doctors, she was able to make a full recovery and went on to become a tutor on the base she grew up on,” Harvey said, rewriting history with a proud smile.

A soft beep came from the screen by the doors and I managed to rip my eyes away from the screen for long enough to see Aquila frown and open the doors.

Cory burst in, his chest heaving with exertion. His eyes were immediately fixed on the screen, watching Harvey and waiting for him to speak again.

He didn’t need to wait long.

“Despite doing very well as a tutor and enjoying it a lot, her crew once more made a misguided decision. They chose to leave their home on the base and instead, joined the rebels known as the fighters which ultimately lead to her death.” He paused and sighed again, shaking his head with mock sadness.

Want to come sit here? Peggy asked.

Cory shook his head, unable to look away from the screen.

“It was an avoidable tragedy and I’ve already started considering what we could do better to help protect children against these vigilante groups who clearly don’t care about protecting underage children like we do,” he said, passion growing within his voice.

I forced myself to breathe slowly, fury coursing through me.

How could he make it sound like it was the fighters’ fault? This was all his fault, he caused her death, not us. His power-hungry and unrelenting crusade had caused it.

It sickened me to see him try and turn this against us almost as much as the way he was talking about Gem did. He made her sound like a stupid, ignorant child who just went along with whatever she was told, not someone who consciously made the choices she did to protect others.

“We need to do better to protect our children. We need to do more to ensure that they are safe and so I have decided to announce that today will forever be dedicated to all of the children that have lost their lives to the horrors of war,” he announced gravely. “In honour of Gemini and her sacrifice.”

The tension in the room was palpable. No one spoke or reacted in any way.

I wanted to scream, to hurl something at the screen or even to fly down to Nova and beat him to death with my bare hands. How dare he?

I couldn’t believe that he was doing that. That he had the audacity to pretend that he hadn’t been the one who ordered her death, who chased us and tormented us and pushed us to join the fighters. If he’d just left us alone and let us stay on the base, none of this would have ever happened and Gem would still be alive.

Hell, we’d probably still be on the base! We’d probably still be training, maybe even still teaching.

Cas reached for my hand under the table and I forced my fist to unclench before lacing my fingers through his. He squeezed twice, waited for me to look at him and then tilted his head towards Cory.

He was still standing near the door, his body practically vibrating with rage. His fists were clenched and his jaw was tight.

You okay, Cory? I asked carefully, already knowing the answer.

He shook his head in a twitchy movement, too overcome with anger to even think a reply to us.

“As a result of that last attack, the one that ended poor Gemini’s life, the Council and I have come to a conclusion. We have decided to officially enter into a war against the terrorist organisation known as the fighters. We will not stand idly by whilst more of our children die at the hands of those criminals!” Harvey’s voice had risen into a shout to be heard over the Council music and applause that blared from the speakers.

My hands trembled as I watched him smile at the crowd, the perfect picture of confidence and decisiveness, but I wasn’t sure if it was due to fear or anger. I think it was both.

Finally, Harvey held up his hands, shushing the imaginary crowd.

“Thank you for your support in this matter! It was not an easy decision but a necessary one!”

More cheers erupted from the speakers and a smug expression briefly flitted over his face.

“But, in light of this announcement, there is something else that I would like to say,” he said once the cheers had quietened down again. “And it is directed at the remainder of Crew Seven Six One.”

My heart clenched within my chest and Cas’ hand tightened around mine. Whatever he was going to say, it was going to be bad.

“I understand that you think you’re somewhere safe and you might even think that you’re doing the right thing but you’re not. You’re stuck where you are, trapped with a group of violent criminals who will stop at nothing to win and they clearly don’t mind sacrificing you and your crew. You’re not part of their team, you’re prisoners of war. They won’t let you escape. But if you do find a way out of there, to get away from them, Nova will open you back with open arms!” he announced with a wide smile and somehow more cheers were played.

I don’t know how people didn’t guess that these were not live applauses but a recording. I think they must have known, it felt so obvious.

“If you do find a way back to us, you’ll be able to return home to your base after you stand trial but most importantly, you’ll be safe with us! No more children need to die for the fighters’ cause. Now, I would like everyone to bow their heads for a moment of silence,” he said abruptly before ducking his head and closing his eyes, a practised look of sadness on his face.

No one in the room reacted. We sat there staring blankly at Harvey until Cas finally snapped.

“Turn him off.”

His voice was shaking and Aquila didn’t hesitate to do so, knowing that nothing else would be said in that press conference.

The silence stretched over the room as we all struggled to process what he’d just said and how to move forwards from there.

I’m not going to lie to you, my initial impulse was to return but it wasn’t for the reasons that Harvey had said. I knew that if I went back and if he let me return to the base, I’d be able to protect Sammy and the other kids. It was tempting. It was really tempting but I didn’t trust Harvey. He would never let us return to the base. I had no doubt that he’d wait until we got to Nova and then make up some excuse about us dying in a car accident or something and lock us up in some Council prison where he could torture us for the rest of our probably quite short lives.

“So,” Elliot started with a smirk, breaking the silence. “Should I ready a ship for your return to Nova?”