Ember sat alone at a long table in the dining hall. There were a few friendly faces after the incident with Karik. She couldn't tell if it was because they saw her as some kind of savior or just that she was mostly unharmed. She ignored them. She wasn't going to be here for long no matter what she did. She could feel it in her body, the drain on her organics where they were connected to her augments.

The food in front of her amounted to little more than gruel. It had everything the human body needed but it was odorless, tasteless, and completely unappetizing.

Ember shoveled it in as fast as she could go preparing to take her usual spot outside on the bleachers. She could escape there, no one bothered her anymore. With luck, she could continue that trend... However long she lasted.

After all, sunsets were still pretty and she didn't want to miss the one beautiful thing she had left.

She'd just popped the last bite into her mouth when two more trays dropped in front of her with a loud clatter. Inwardly she groaned as she glanced up, recognizing the man who'd spoken to her yesterday.

Red plopped down in front her with a nod and a wry grin, followed by a tall man with dark skin, a silver arm, and a ready smile.

His glance was warm welcoming, while Red's was...probing. His eyes narrowed at her as he dissected her. She shuddered as she met his gaze with her own vapid stare.

"What?" She snapped feeling more threatened than she should have.

"Nothing," he looked down at his bowl as if it was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen in his life, his face flushing.

"This is Dag..."

"OK," Ember replied in low voice. She was, his stare was intense as if he could see right through her. She doubted that was the case but it didn't make it any easier to look him the face. He didn't like her, she got that.

His glances made her skin crawl.

She didn't want or need another show of emotion like yesterday. She was about to get up when a little strawberry blonde boy suddenly popped up at the table next to Red. Whatever show Red had intended for Ember was completely ruined by the appearance of the little boy. He enthusiastically wrapped his little arms around Red's neck. "Red!"

It was Red's turn to be startled. "T-man! What's going on?" He gave Ember an embarrassed glance and shrugged his shoulders before turning to the younger boy and giving him his full attention.

T stayed attached to him grinning from ear to ear. He'd lost a few teeth recently and had the adorable smile of a young boy who had so much life left to live.

Except he was here, which meant he was going to die in this prison alone.

Ember studied the boy Red was roughhousing for a minute. In seconds he took Red's walls down and Red genuinely smiled at him, ruffling his hair.

It was such a startling transformation to see him smile that caught herself staring, mouth hanging open.

The little boy smiled bursting with energy. He had managed to hold onto a little bit of innocence here. Red and Dag had kept an eye on him to make sure. "Hal tried to start a fight with me."

"Did you cream him?" Red asked focused entirely on the kid for a moment. Ember watched the interaction with interest. Red wasn't entirely an ass apparently. There was some humanity left in him when he wasn't plotting his escape.

"Of course!" The boy flashed a grin around the table, noticed Ember for the first time and flushed crimson.

"Get outta here, rug rat." Dag reached around Red and affectionately tweaked the boy's nose. T shot off like a bullet towards the doorway with a few backward glances at them.

Ember watched the scene with delight. The prison wasn't as bleak even that moment in time provided a bit of hope. Red's interaction with T was a welcome change, he was genuinely concerned for the boy's welfare. Something in his demeanor changed... He was protective, she noted. It made sense, he had military augments after all. High-grade ones.

As soon as T ran out of the cafeteria Red straightened and turned his gaze back to her again.

The whole world stopped.

She inhaled sharply as his eyes raked over her. The piercing look was unmistakable, there was a heavy-handed judgment there. He blamed her for the boy being here. He blamed her for a lot of things.

And yet, that was understandable she thought. He knew what she was...

"You have a fan," Red flicked his eyes down to his bowl again, which remained untouched.

"What's his story?" Ember asked relieved that her voice hadn't betrayed her emotions, but her curiosity was piqued. "He's just a kid. Why is he here?"

Red's face snapped up and he met her eyes with disbelief. His fists clenched on the table. "Are you kidding me?"

Ember recoiled slightly at the force of the glare. What did I do? "No, I--"

"Degenerative tendons in his spine," Dag interrupted with a yawn, reaching over he shoved Red. Red lost his balance, turning to Dag and then settling down again after meeting Dag's gaze. There as a warning in the gesture. Red's jaw ticked and he made an effort to calm himself. Ember wondered about the sudden burst of anger but Red turned to her and answered her unspoken question.

"He's had surgery to repair it, his spine is part machine, which wouldn't have been a problem before now..." Red trailed off and stared at the table for a moment. "If I could get him to New Elysium... Things would be different. He could grow, the spine would be adjusted as he aged, and not be an issue. Here..." He waved a hand. "He doesn't have a chance."

"I'm sorry," she whispered meeting his eyes. He turned away first, flicking his gaze back to his untouched bowl of food again.

Dag shifted in his seat and changed the subject with another warning glance at Red. "So, what's your story?"

"My story?" Ember squirmed under his gaze, and then lowered her voice. "Didn't he tell you?"

"He tells me, but then I want to hear from the source. Is it true you are a Vesper?" Dag had dropped his voice low and scooped a spoonful into his mouth.

"Maybe..." She squirmed in her seat, fists clenched. Her stomach growled loudly in front of both of them.

Dag froze his spoon halfway to his mouth. He put it down and studied her for a moment, his concern evident. He shoved his tray in front of Ember, "Eat. All of it." He reached over and grabbed Red's bowl and added it to his. "This too."

"Hey!" Red protested.

Dag blocked his hand from taking the bowl back and shot him a look that told him he'd better leave the bowl where it was.

The hum continued around them unabated but Ember noticed several people staring at them across the room, their faces turning away when she turned to look at them.

How she longed to be connected to her own vessel again. But it was under lock and key at home, that would never be home again.

She closed her eyes and tried to focus on eating and getting away from these two. Dag, she thought she could trust... But Red, he was a different matter entirely. She didn't think he intended her any harm but she wasn't sure what to make of him. Man or monster? Kind or savage? Was he both? He might have had to be in here to survive.

She tried pushing his bowl back to him in gesture but Dag put his hand down cutting it off. "You need to eat, all of that, Ember. I told you there would be signs, Red, look at her."

And just like that Red was raking her down again. "What am I looking for?"

"Look at her eyes--"

"They're augmented."

"--the bags under them, sorry Ember, you do have them." Dag was apologetic. "You're also pale, even for a spacer, almost translucent... How long?"

"Three days," she said letting her voice give way to how tired she was. So what if these two know? It won't matter soon... Maybe I can go out with a bang...

"Eating will slow it down, not stop it... I'm sorry."

She met Dag's face. "You are familiar with Vespers."

Dag nodded solemnly, "I lost a lot of good friends that day. I used to fix those ships. I was better than your fellow Neo-" He stopped glancing around and lowered his voice again. "Let's just say I was pretty good at what I did." He reached across the table and picked up her hand. "Anything I can do, you name it..."

She smiled at him and withdrew her hand. "Thank you." Her voice shook this time, not in fear but at the measure of his kindness. He knew what was coming and he didn't lie to her about it.

Red glanced at her. "So, the biggest problem we have right now is getting out?" He stared at her, and Ember couldn't get past the look she saw there.

Hope. Hope of all things. He either missed the part where Dag had read her eulogy or he really was an idiot.

He didn't make any sense to her. First, he was put off by her, but she gave him hope, ideas of escape. Maybe... She began thinking of her options, what did she have left that could get them free? Shocking someone would only go so far...

"So how long?" He hadn't meant to be callous and she saw that as soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to take them back.

Incensed, Ember shook her head as she looked at him and then started spooning the extra food from Red's bowl into her mouth. "I just met you...and I still think you are full of shit."

Dag laughed suddenly when Red's jaw dropped. "I like her." He nodded approvingly. "I've known him a little while, and yeah he usually is." He flexed his silver arm which seamlessly connected into his shoulder. It was the same size as his other arm, but Ember suspected it was 10 times stronger.

She mulled over Red's question. It was a fair one, she decided, in the logical sense, better for him to know what he was using to escape. Better to know all of the tools he had at hand.

Even better to know if it was worth the effort.

"Am I alone in thinking that it's a bit of a stretch to hope they didn't destroy all the ships out there?" She asked.

"Not really," Red said. "Vespers are supposed to be dead. No one else would be able to pilot them, and it would have cost even more to retrofit them. So, how did you get here?"

"I'm being punished." Ember pushed the empty bowls away. Red stared at the bowls for a moment, his own stomach growling. His eyes flicked towards her face. He leaned forward.

"Punished? Why?"

"Because," Ember eyed both men. She shrugged. "If I gave up everything that I have in me, every system, I'd be stuck inside my own body. No sight, I wouldn't be able to walk."

"You were born crippled," Dag repeated Red's words from yesterday.

"And blind?" Red asked, he'd seen her eyes but he didn't think to ask.

Dag studied her face. "Damn," he said solemnly. "Who was asking you to give everything up?"

Ember remained silent. They didn't have to know everything about her...

"Right," Red remembered, "No names, nothing from your past life..."

"So, they just put you in here to punish you?"

"To make me change my mind."

Red shifted in his seat. "And, why haven't you?"

"I'd rather be dead." Ember stood. "If you excuse me, gentlemen, I think I'm going to catch some sun while I can."

"Can we come?" Dag asked also standing. He looked meaningfully around the room. There were several sets of eyes on them. Most were curious but a few were leering at her in a way that suggested being alone right now was a huge mistake.

She gave the only answer pride would let her get away with right now. Who were these men after all?

"I don't care. It's a free prison." Ember turned away leaving the bowls on the table. She needed a break from that stare. Everything else... She could handle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~