Chapter Text
“Do you expect we will just take care of you the rest of your life? You need to forge your own path, find your own way. Where else but in the Alliance can you do that?”
Anger, nearly as red and raging as that not so distant day on Gagarin Station, burns through Kandra Alenko, simmers just beneath the surface of her skin at her father’s words. Always the same … never another way to see things …. Why do I just have to take this?
She shoves herself to her feet, tosses her napkin onto her plate and turns away. She’s done with it; the chastising, the critical evaluations, the idea that only his lifestyle and choices for the future will work for her simply because he says so. It takes every ounce of willpower inside of her to bite her lip and keep from screaming back at him, but she manages. For now.
“You haven’t been excused from this table!”
She glares over her shoulder at him, eyes glittering. They’ve never gotten along well; too much alike, mum says, but Kandra doesn’t believe it. Not when he’s trying to force her hand like this. Not when he has no respect for her choices and decisions! Why can’t you see this isn’t what I want?
Gold-flecked brown eyes focus on him, but she directs her words to her mother. “May I be excused?” It’s a power play move, she knows it. The way his eyes narrow at her lets her know he knows it too, but she is just as stubborn as he is; she will not give him any advantage over her. His blood may run through her veins, but that isn’t her fault.
“Konstantin, please,” Kathryn murmurs, reaching her hand over to cover his. Looking over at her daughter, she nods.
Kandra is almost to her room when she hears her twin’s voice quietly echo the same request. She waits a long ten count, reaching her door in the process. She counts again. When his hand slides gently over her shoulder, offering reassurance, she rests her forehead against the barrier. “I can’t keep doing this,” she whispers, her voice tight. “He is never going to understand!”
“We can leave.” He pitches his voice just above a whisper for her to hear. “Pack a bag, just the necessities. We will leave when they think we’re asleep.”
She looks up at him, tears trickling down her cheeks. “Kaidan, I can’t ask you to …”
He drops his forehead, lightly touching it to hers, his hand resting on her shoulder. “We go and we do this together. You’re right; he isn’t going to understand, not unless we make him.”
Her lips curve into a watery smile; a hand rises to his cheek. Even from before birth, he’s always been there for her. Constant companion; the other half to form her whole. Whether to ward away a bully at school or help her sneak back into quarters past curfew at BAaT, or now, run away from home. “When?”
“Tomorrow night. Or the next, whichever proves to work out best. Just pack your bag and have it ready.” He releases her and steps away in the direction of his room, but hesitates. That’s when she realizes he must see the trepidation in her eyes. It’s the right thing to do, she knows this, but that doesn’t mean it comes without concerns or fear. Or guilt. His smile is as instantaneous as it is reassuring. “We can do this, Kan-Kan. You trust me, don’t you?”
Without doubt, without hesitation, she nods once. “Always.”
~
The next night as she sits on her bed, knees drawn up to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around them, she stares at the bag sitting at the end of her bed. This is insane! We won’t make it as far as the bank, let alone the spaceport before we’re caught. He’ll know … somehow find a way … send someone after us. Why are we doing this?
She sighs heavily and tosses the long, thick, dark braid she’s been toying with over her shoulder to hang down her back. She knows why; just as she knows her twin is right. This can’t continue. Drawing her lower lip between her teeth, she worries it back and forth. Panic. Worry. Yeah, that’s all this is. That they’ll get caught. That he’ll find out they’re rabbiting. After all, technically they are still minors; but that doesn’t mean they don’t have rights, too. Her eyes slam shut; a lone tear leaks out of the corner of one eye. This has to stop! “We can do this,” she whispers, half prayer and half in an attempt to reassure herself.
When she opens her eyes again, she jumps to her feet, grabs the bag and slings it over her right shoulder. Outside her bedroom window, the moon is rising, weak rays illuminate the room. Their window of opportunity is diminishing; it’s time to go.
She opens the door and peeks her head out into the darkened hall, listening carefully for a long minute. Nothing but silence greets her. Only then does she slip out and pull it closed behind her. Five steps bring her to a second door. Here, she slides up and taps lightly, fingertips only, in a rhythm as old as they are. Their code, their communication. The faintest movement can be heard on the other side, soft booted steps approach. The door opens and she meets his gaze; he nods his agreement. Together, they continue down the hall.
Accessing the main door is trickier. They are fortunate; their parents’ room is on the other side of the open living room and tonight their door is shut. With slow, cautious steps, Kandra inches toward the entrance. She pulls her heavy jacket from its hook and tosses Kaidan’s to him after he unlocks the door. Within moments, they stand in the hall outside. Freedom, such as it is, is only a few flights down and through the main doors.
The main doors …
On the elevator, Kandra hisses, “What about Lewis?” Lewis is night security for the building. If he sees them leaving, he’ll likely raise the alarm to their parents.
A hint of a smile plays at Kaidan’s lips. “Don’t worry, I’ve got something in mind.”
And he does, she discovers. The lift deposits them in the lobby, but before Lewis can look over in their direction, the persistent beep of some kind of alarm goes off. Kandra has no idea what it is, but Kaidan clearly does. It isn’t a surprise really – he’s always been interested in tech stuff; it just gives her a headache. Whatever it is he’s done, the alarm’s warbling echo fills the lobby. With a grunt of disgust and a muttered curse, Lewis ambles into the main office behind his desk to investigate, which allows she and her twin to slip out onto the night streets of Vancouver. They don’t start running until they are three blocks away.
The central business district isn’t too far from their building, about ten city blocks away. It forms the heart of Vancouver, home to the largest banks and businesses in the city. There’s a risk going there at night, of course, but waiting for daylight isn’t an option. Every corner has strategically placed security cameras, ever watchful for threats or trouble. Though active around the clock, during the day it would be easier to blend into the crowds of people who wander the streets here. But daylight isn’t an option; leaving then will only give their father a better chance of finding them, and if they wait for morning, they lose the few hours they have to flee. Better to risk being caught on camera and recognized later. If they time it just right, they’ll be well off-planet before their parents rise for the day. Kaidan insists he has a plan and Kandra believes him. She trusts him like no other. It’s a risk worth taking. The intergalactic spaceport is only a few blocks beyond the business district. If they can get that far, they should – will – be home free.
The visit to the bank’s machine goes smoother than Kandra could ever have hoped. Standing next to Kaidan, she shuffles from foot to foot, teeth chattering slightly even though she’s bundled in her jacket now. “Hurry,” she whispers only once, eyes darting around furtively.
He steps back a moment later and motions her to trade places. They each have a trust account their grandparents set up for them years before. Thankfully, they have limited access to the funds. It isn’t much, but it will get them each a ticket on the next shuttle off world. Kandra withdraws the amount they agreed upon and leaves the rest in the account.
“Ready?” His voice is a barely audible whisper. Those cameras can pick up sound, too.
She nods as they walk away from the bank, slides her hand into his while barely breathing, “Let’s go.”
They walk a couple of blocks before running the remainder of the way to the spaceport. The building is always a hive of activity. Flights come in and out around the clock. They make their way inside and to the main desk where they each purchase a ticket on the next ship leaving off planet. It doesn’t eat up all of their savings, but it comes close. Spaceport security moves quickly during off hours, and they head to the proper docking bay shortly thereafter.
An hour later, tickets in hand, the ship starts boarding. The ticketing agent said it was headed to ‘the colonies.’ At the time, it was all they needed to know. Boarding now, they discover they are headed to Terra Nova. Kandra bites back nerves as they pass off their tickets and take their seats. While the rest of the passengers board, she looks over at Kaidan. “They’ll know where we’re headed.”
He nods. “True, but Terra Nova is huge. We will find a place to hide, somewhere they’ll never think to look for us and we’ll stay out of sight.” He turns to stare out the windows at the dark Vancouver skies.
“K?” She pulls her lip between her teeth again. “What if …?”
His hand wraps tightly around hers and squeezes. “It’s a bit late to have second thoughts,” he says gently.
Feeling silly, she huffs, but the edge of panic doesn’t leave.
The doors to the ship close and a moment after, the passenger cabin lights dim as they back away from the docking bay. Looping her arm around her brother’s, Kandra rests her head against his shoulder. “I’m just … I’m sorry it came to this. It’s my problem, not yours.”
He turns back toward her and tips his head until they touch. “Your problems are my problems,” he insists. “We had to. I couldn’t stand around and watch you two fight anymore. It isn’t right.”
Drowsiness stalks her, but she nods against his arm. “Do you think they’ll come all the way to Terra Nova to look for us?”
He is quiet for a few minutes in which she almost falls asleep. “I think they’ll try.”
There isn’t much else to say after that. The flight will take a while, the better part of a day’s travel even at FTL and relay speeds, and Kandra is exhausted. Between the stress of arguing with their father on a near constant basis and not having any idea of what they’ll face at the other end of this journey, it’s better to rest up now while they can. Please, just let us catch a break this time …