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“Here. Take the rat bait.” The monster orders, shoving him at a woman.
The woman enfolds him in her arms.
The monster walks away, and Brody looks up at the woman. “Can you help me?” He says. “Maybe we can escape—“
“No, child. There is no escape.” The woman kneels, so she looks him in the eye. “Now. Tell me your name.”
“Brody Romano.”
“Good. Remember your name, Brody. Tell it to yourself every night, before you sleep. That way they can never take it from you.” She stands. “Come now. I will show you our quarters.”
“Who’re you?” Brody asks.
“Call me Mother.” The woman says. “All the little ones do.”
#
Hayley takes him down to the police station.
“Contact Lightspeed.” She says, her tone brooking no argument. “Now.”
“Ma’am, he might be a criminal—“ One of the cops says, hand drifting gunward.
Brody steps in front of Mick and Redbot. He remembers guns. A coward’s weapon, his father always said. If you cannot bear to kill them with your own hands, you should not kill them. Ever.
He still knows it can kill him as surely as any weapon ever made, and wonders what the end of his life will feel like.
Hayley bursts into tears.
Brody goes to her side instantly, drawn by—what, he doesn’t know, but some impulse. The officer looks taken aback.
“They’re in trouble,” Hayley wails, “And you won’t help them!”
The officer almost runs off.
It takes a few more officers, but finally a blonde-haired man and woman step into the room they’ve been taken to. Hayley stands up and firmly says, “This is Brody Romero. He was kidnapped ten years ago by Galvanax. These are his friends, Mick and Red Robot.”
The man looks them over and clasps a fist to his heart, bowing. “Ryan Mitchell. This is my sister Dana. She’s a doctor, she’ll look you over.”
“Doctor?” Mick asks.
“She fixes people.” Brody explains. “Like we fix Red Robot.”
“Close enough.” Dana Mitchell says cheerfully. “Now let’s take a look at you.”
#
Mick is a teenager when Brody first meets him, angry and sullen, but he looks at Brody and nods. “C’mon, squirt. Let’s go find something for you to do.”
It’s hard, physical work, but Brody loves seeing what Mick does. Mick’s hands dance like ballerinas, building circuit boards and cameras and all sorts of tiny gizmos. Mick sends Brody up to replace stage lights, asking jokingly, “Afraid of heights?”
Brody shakes his head. He wants to be big and brave like Mick. So he climbs up the ladder into the rigging and starts replacing the lightbulbs, shouting down each one to Mick so he can test them while Brody shields his eyes and looks away.
They’re almost done when Galvanax bursts in, demanding, “Are you done yet, prisoner?”
“Give me a few fucking minutes!” Mick snarls. “I’m gonna finish when I finish! You don’t want this going dead on you, do you?”
Galvanax hisses, and slaps Mick in the face. Mick goes flying, and Brody darts down the ladder, running up and shoving out his breath like his father taught him as he punches Galvanax in the nuts.
Galvanax whimpers and clutches his injury, bending in half.
“You little brat!” Galvanax shouts, and picks him up and throws him into the wall.
Everything is dark for a second, then Brody starts puking. Mitch is helping him sit up, so he doesn’t puke on himself. Brody shudders as he finishes, tears welling in his eyes. He wants his dad. Wants him so much he can barely breathe around it.
“I see.” Galvanax says, and he sounds cold.
Then he picks Brody up and throws him to the ground again.
Brody tries to get up, to fight back, but Galvanax is bigger and stronger, and all of Brody’s wild punches are ineffective. Finally it ends, and Mick is screaming. How long has Mick been screaming his name?
“From now on, if you don’t obey, the brat gets it.” Galvanax snarls, and marches out.
Mick somehow teleports to Brody’s side, sobbing. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry, Brody…”
Brody reaches up to hug him, and he cries too.
#
“The TBI meds will make you feel a little dopey for a few hours.” Doctor Mitchell says. They’re in the hospital now, in a room painted brown instead of white, but the sheets are the right color.
It feels safe.
“TBI?” Brody asks.
“Traumatic Brain Injury.” Doctor Mitchell translates. “You’ve been hit on the head a lot, and it’s messed with your brain.”
“Oh.” Brody shrugs. “I feel all right.”
“You’ll feel better after this.” Doctor Mitchell says firmly, and gives him a shot. It doesn’t hurt like Brody remembers, just a little pinch. Maybe he’s gotten stronger.
“Okay. All done. Go ahead and rest.” Doctor Mitchell says, heading for the door. “We’ll get you a place to stay, too.”
“Thank you.” Brody says. It’s more than he ever hoped for, like a dream coming true, except he hadn’t even known to dream of this.
Doctor Mitchell smiles, but there’s something sad about her eyes.
Mick comes in a few minutes later. “You okay?”
Brody shrugs. “I feel okay.”
“You have permanent damage to your bones and brain.” Mick says bluntly. “You could have died.”
“For you.” Brody says. “For your freedom. I would have gladly, don’t you understand—“
“I didn’t want you to!” Mick snaps out, because it’s an old argument, because it’s no less painful for being that. “I want you safe, you dolt, you’re all I have and you—“
Mick breaks off and wraps himself around Brody, sniffling. Brody holds him. He doesn’t cry as easily as Mick—a species difference, probably—but he understands, and he buries his face in Mick’s shoulder.
“We’re free now.” Brody whispers. “We never have to choose that again.”
“You never chose it, I did.”
“No, Galvanax did.”
Mick falls silent, and Brody scooches over on the bed. “Come watch TV with me.”
#
Galvanax wasn’t lying.
Every time Mick mouths off, or fights back, Galvanax beats Brody. Brody starts learning how to fight back, what attacks work best, how to get at least blood out of the monster torturing him.
Mother tuts over them and soothes Brody’s injuries, and tells Mick to be patient, and makes them food to eat. “You need to grow big and strong. Eat, eat.”
Mick takes Brody to a garden one day. It’s Madam Odious’; they have to be careful not to get caught.
“Is this what Earth was like?” Mick asks.
Brody looks around at the plants, the poisons and deadly uses and cosmetics, and shakes his head. “Earth was better.”
#
Brody is laughing at the antics of the Power Rangers on TV when Redbot comes in.
“Brody! Look at me, I’m functioning better than ever!”
Brody gets up, stumbles, and drapes himself over Redbot. “That’s great, Redbot! I’m dopey. That’s what the doctor said. She gave me medicine and now the Power Rangers are hilarious.”
“I don’t get it.” Mick says, in the tone of someone patiently humoring a little sibling. “What’s so funny?”
Redbot deposits Brody on the bed. “Well, look at them.” Brody explains. “They’re shouting. And announcing their moves. That’s not what a ninja does!”
“You were eight.” Mick says gently, teasing. “What do you know from ninjas?”
Brody gives him a Look. “Excuse me,” He teases back, “I am a ninja.”
Redbot laughs, and all is right with the world.
#
Redbot is sold from a man who…collects things.
“What a nice chance to stretch my circuts!” He says over and over. Brody gets the feeling he’s missed moving around, being a person instead of a slightly bigger action figure.
Brody would take him home to meet Mother, but she’s been…moved on. Not sold. Slaves are sold, and Galvanax is quite clear: They are prisoners, not slaves. Slavery is illegal. Not imprisonment. She was just handed off to someone else’s custody, and if money changed hands, why not?
Brody lights a candle for her that night, stolen from Madam Odious. It burns with a noxious flame, and Brody sputters and puts it out, cursing that even this ritual is stolen from him.
But Brody and Mick are all that’s left, and so they take in Redbot. They make sure he has enough electricity, enough maintenance, and keep him away from Galvanax. Redbot seems fascinated by the game show.
“Someday, do you think I could go on there?” Redbot asks. “I could be champion warrior of the galaxy!”
“No.” Brody says firmly. “You don’t want that. The whole thing’s a set-up to get at the Ninja Stars.”
Redbot desists, but he still dreams. Mick and Brody know it, and share worried looks when Redbot isn’t looking.
Finally, one day, Redbot screws up. The fights are getting fairer and fairer; Brody is growing into a big boy.
But he loses. He always loses.
Redbot seems to understand then. He helps tend Brody, and says nothing more about the show. He is quieter, more reserved.
Brody looks at him and swears that someday, somehow, they’ll escape. He’ll bring the light back to Redbot’s eyes, the fire back to Mick, he’ll find his father and his brother.
He’ll save them all. A ninja would do no less.
#
Brody doesn’t mean to fall asleep, but he does.
He dreams he is back on Galvanax’s ship, being punished for running away. Mick and Redbot scream as Galvanax tortures them, too—
Brody can stand pain. But he cannot allow them to die like this.
He gathers himself, gathers the Power within him, and leaps—
He wakes silently, but Mick is already there, wrapping himself around him, and Redbot follows suit.
“It’s okay.” Mick whispers. “We’re free. We’re free now. We’re safe. It’s going to be okay.”
Free.
The word sings through Brody, and maybe it’s just his healing brain, but he suddenly realizes it in a way he hasn’t before. Free. They’re free and safe and it’s over. Galvanax will never beat him again. Mick can snark off to anyone he likes. Redbot can look for glory safely, in the right way.
“Free.” Brody whispers back.
“Free.” Redbot adds.
“Free, free, free…” They whisper.
They end up silent, absorbing this. Absorbing the wonder of it all.
It’s okay, Brody realizes. It’s okay now. They’ve done it.
Slowly, they fall asleep again, and this time Brody dreams of something sweet and wonderful.