The Genesis Saga

“I’m already helping you,” Tassie said. “I don’t understand.” She was on the ship, talking with Irric. He’d contacted her and asked for a private discussion. Tassie opted to lock herself on the bridge while she took the call. A large screen floated in front of her, Irric’s face dominating the image.

“You are, but I need help on something else,” Irric said. “The Elders have given me a new task, one that takes priority over the work we’ve been doing.”

“How does undoing the corruption stop being a priority?”

“It still is a priority, only not our main one.”

Tassie crossed her arms. Irric had been evasive the entire conversation and still refused to explain to her what was going on. “What’s going on, Irric? What are you not telling me?” A gamut of emotions played out on Irric’s face. Hesitation and reluctance shone through, followed closely by resignation. Tassie studied him.

Irric sighed. “I was hoping that you wouldn’t find out about this, but since I need your help, I guess there’s no helping it. Your clearance level is about to massively increase if you listen to what I have to say.”

“Out with it, already,” Tassie urged in a frustrated tone. Irric launched into an explanation about what they had discovered. Tassie caught him glossing over what the chemical compound actually did. He only mentioned that they had video footage of what the substance did and that it was enough to make Tribunal order them to drop what they were doing and shift their attention elsewhere. “You have video evidence?” she asked. “I want to see it.”

“I can’t let you do that.”

“Bullshit, of course you can.”

“No, I mean I literally can’t. The videos are sealed. You would need an even higher clearance to view them. That or special permission from the General herself. Reya and Adrian’s videos are sealed for a good reason.”

Tassie’s eyes narrowed. “You mean to tell me that there are videos about Reya?” She knew Irric was in a position to uncover more secrets than her given that he was actually on site, but she didn’t realize that he would keep quiet about his findings.

Irric’s eyes went wide, and he knew he’d messed up. “We found videos on Reya’s torture during her time with the gru’ul,” he admitted. Tassie jolted at the news.

“Why is this the first I hear about this?” she said angrily.

“High Command didn’t want Reya’s teammates to see what they actually did to her. A gag order was placed on me. Until now, I couldn’t tell you about the existence of the videos, but now that you’re involved in this aspect of the mission, I’m allowed to talk about their existence. I have no say in whether you can view them or not, however.”

“What did they record?” Tassie asked in a low, menacing voice. “Tell me!” she cried, her emotions getting the better of her as she unleashed them on Irric.

“Everything, Tassie. They recorded everything except for when they left her alone. And sometimes that too. There’s a lot of footage. You can actually see a time lapse of her living through her time here. The before and after images are truly startling.”

“Of course they’re startling! I remember what she was like when we found her.”

Irric shook his head. “But you never saw how she got there. It’s sickening. Quite frankly, I’m surprised Reya is still alive. She’s so weak in the videos.”

“What kind of sick bastards record something like that?” Tassie fumed.

“The kind that perform experiments on their captives,” Irric said. “Tassie, it was decided that nobody on your team should see Reya’s torture videos and for a good reason. They don’t know how you’ll react to them. What are you going to do after you see them harm your friend?”

“I can’t just leave this be!”

“These videos are highly personal and invasive. It’s not something we have any business viewing. I would go and ask for permission from Reya and Adrian before you watch the videos. This concerns them, after all.”

“I don’t need permission from them to do my job!”

“In this case, you’re better off getting it,” Irric said, a heavy look in his eyes. “You don’t understand because you haven’t seen them. It’s one thing when it’s a movie. It’s another altogether when you know that what you’re watching actually happened.”

Tassie hesitated. “They can’t be that bad,” she said, unsure of herself. “You’re fine.”

“No, I’m not. I just keep it well hidden. Those videos are disturbing. It’s not something I want you watching if I can help it. There’s no going back once you do.”

The seriousness of Irric’s tone gave Tassie pause. “They’re that bad?” she asked. Irric nodded. Chewing her lip, she mulled over what to do. A part of her needed to know what she was dealing with in order to properly do her job. Another desperately wanted to be able to understand what happened to her friend. A smaller, well-hidden part secretly wanted to know out of morbid curiosity. “Fine, I’ll ask them.”

“You need permission from the General first. Wait until you get that before doing anything. No need in alerting Reya and Adrian about what we’ve found if we don’t need to.”

“Am I even allowed to discuss this with them? They won’t have the proper clearance.”

“Tassie, they’re the subjects of the classified videos. They already know what’s going to happen when they watch it. It’s not news to them. If you’re still worried, call up the General and ask for permission to speak about it with them.”

“I think I’ll do just that,” Tassie said. She ended her call with Irric and took out her data slate. Waiting nervously for an answer, she tapped her foot to bleed off some of her energy. Finally, Nessah’s face appeared onscreen.

Tassie explained the situation to her and asked for permission to view the videos. All of them. Nessah’s face darkened when she heard what Tassie wanted. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Nessah said. “Those videos aren’t for the faint of heart. What are you going to do once you’ve seen them?”

“I need to know,” Tassie pleaded. “You’re making me search for something that’s apparently so important that everything related to it is classified, even to the people working on the project! I have to know what it is I’m looking for. I won’t help Irric out until I know.”

“Fine,” Nessah said, giving Tassie a long, searching look. “I give you permission to view the videos. I can’t afford not to have you work on this.”

Tassie couldn’t believe that her ultimatum actually worked. “Irric said I should ask for permission from Adrian and Reya to view their videos. Is this really necessary?”

“Not strictly, no. I’m sure they would appreciate it greatly if you did ask them, though.”

“Will they be able to watch the videos alongside me? They might want to after learning of their existence.”

“I suppose they can,” Nessah said after a moment’s thought. “It’s not like they’d be learning anything we don’t already know. Nobody else in your entourage is permitted to view the videos apart from Reya and Adrian,” she ordered.

Tassie saluted. “Understood, ma’am.” The call ended and Tassie let out a sigh of relief. Slumping back into her chair, she suddenly felt very tired. Forcing herself up, she left the ship and went searching for Adrian and Reya. She was certain she would find the two of them together. They always were these days.

She found them lounging in the chairs placed in front of the fire pit, talking. Their conversation paused as they took in her arrival curiously. “There’s something I need to talk to you both about,” Tassie said, fidgeting where she stood, uncomfortable thinking about what was to come.

Reya gestured towards one of the chairs. Tassie grabbed it and placed it in front of Reya and Adrian, who were side by side. With her back facing the fire pit, Tassie recounted what she herself had just come to learn.

Reya and Adrian’s shock was palpable. “You mean they have information about my experiments that they’ve been keeping from me?” Adrian asked, uneasy. He didn’t like the idea. It gave them power over him, especially if he remained in the dark about any developments that occurred.

“They only have the one video of you, Adrian. Apparently it was enough to warrant redirecting our efforts.”

“What about me?” Reya asked. “How much does the military have on my time in captivity?”

Tassie hesitated before being honest. “Almost all of it, I’ve been told.” Reya didn’t speak for some time after hearing the news. She stared into space. Tassie grew concerned until Adrian reached over and placed a hand on her leg, the physical contact snapping her back to the present.

Tears welled up in Reya’s eyes. “So they know,” she whispered. “What was the point of having me tell them then,” she said, anger creeping into her voice as she spoke. Reya remembered how recounting her tale so soon after she’d been freed had almost broken her.

“The discovery is recent enough, I’ve been told,” Tassie said gently. “They wouldn’t have known at the time they asked you to talk about it.” She remembered that day in the hospital. Forced out of the room, she and Rann had had no choice but to wait nervously while Reya dealt with the General alone. When they had returned, Tassie remembered Reya somehow being an even bigger wreck than when they’d left her alone.

Tassie had always wondered what it was that happened that caused such a reaction in Reya. Her eyes were dead when she and Rann had entered the room. There was no life to them. Only well-hidden pain. Tassie noticed the same expression on Adrian at times and wondered the extent of what was buried beneath their façades.

“Why are you telling us this, Tassie?” Adrian asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. “If I’m to understand correctly, this was classified information.”

“I was advised to ask for your permission before viewing the videos, by both Irric and the General. In order for me to do that, I needed to tell you that the videos exist. I got permission to discuss this topic with you.”

“No!” Reya cried. “Don’t look at them,” she said, trembling. “Please. I don’t want you to see what they did to me!”

“I already know what they did to you,” Tassie said.

“This isn’t the same. This time, you’re going to know exactly what happened in ways I can’t properly explain. I don’t want you seeing me that weak and in pain,” Reya pleaded.

“I need to know in order to do my work,” Tassie said, frustrated. “I need to know what it is I’m looking for, and the only way to do that is to view your videos.”

“Please don’t,” Reya begged.

“What do you want me to do then? I can’t work blind.”

“View mine instead,” Adrian said quietly. “But I want to be there when you do. Surely, that’s allowed?” Reya gasped at the thought.

“But you don’t want anybody knowing what happened to you!” Reya breathed. “Why would you want Tassie to watch?”

“She’s going to watch anyway. I can see how important it is to you to keep your videos hidden from her, so if she absolutely has to view one, she can view mine.”

“You’d go that far for me?”

“Of course,” Adrian said reassuringly. Tassie watched the scene play out impassively. She’d gotten her permission, even if it wasn’t exactly what she’d been hoping for. She should be happy that everything worked out in the end, yet instead she felt dread.

Reya placed her hand over Adrian’s, which was still in her lap. “Can I watch, too?” Reya asked hesitantly. Adrian tensed up as he considered. He gave her a long, searching look before slowly nodding.

“Only if you’re sure,” he said. “I don’t know what they’ve found, but I know it isn’t going to be pleasant to watch.”

“I’m sure.”

“Touching moment aside,” Tassie interrupted, “this means that I have your permission to view your video, Adrian?”

Adrian turned his head towards Tassie. “Yes. I’d still prefer it if you don’t, but I know that it’s only a matter of time until you do. At least this way you won’t have any inclination to view Reya’s.”

“Then let’s go.”

“Now?” Reya asked in surprise. She’d been expecting to view the video tomorrow or perhaps after dinner. Tassie appeared to be in a rush.

“Yes, let’s go.” Tassie insisted. The three of them got up and made their way towards the ship. As they approached the ramp to climb in, Jyn was making his way out. He scowled. “What you are doing near the ship?” he asked, his eyes never leaving Adrian.

“I’m bringing them onboard,” Tassie answered for him. “There’s something we need to do.” No specifics were given as to what, exactly, they were going to be doing. Jyn narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“Are you escorting them to the med bay?” Jyn asked, seeing no other reason for Adrian and Reya to be on the ship. While he wasn’t sure where Kell was, there was a good chance he was in the med bay.

“No, we’re going to the bridge.”

“Like hell you are! I’m coming with you.”

“You can’t Jyn. What we’re doing is strictly classified, even to you.”

“Bullshit!” Jyn said. “I outrank you, how do you have access to classified information that I don’t? My clearance level should be higher than yours. Besides,” he pointed towards Adrian and Reya, “they have no clearance whatsoever.”

“I’ve got special permission from the General for this,” Tassie said seriously. “Call her up yourself if you don’t believe me. As for security clearance? Mine just got upgraded so yes, it is in fact higher than yours now.”

Jyn lifted the data slate in his hand and dialed the general. She was not please at being interrupted. “What is it?” Nessah asked. “Did something happen?”

“Yes. Adrian and Reya are trying to view classified information that not even I know,” Jyn said.

“I’m aware,” Nessah said. “They have my permission to learn about this.”

“I’ve also been informed that it is beyond my clearance level. I request the right to accompany them for whatever it is they’re trying to do.” Jyn was sure Nessah was going to accept his proposal. After all, he was the Captain. It wouldn’t do for his subordinates to know military secrets he wasn’t privy to.

“Denied,” Nessah said, shattering Jyn’s confidence.

“Why not?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“Because I said so. You are not to learn the classified information that I’m permitting them to view. That’s final.”

“General, with all due respect, it makes no sense that—”

Nessah cut him off. “I said that’s final, Captain,” she said firmly, stressing Jyn’s rank. “Is that all?” When Jyn didn’t speak, Nessah took that as an affirmative and ended the call, leaving Jyn staring blankly at his data slate.

Tassie pinged Beor on their comms and had him come to the ship. He showed up rather quickly, having been in the kitchen. “What do you need me for?”

“You are to keep an eye on Jyn while I handle highly classified information. He is not permitted to be near the ship until I return.”

“Classified information?” Beor asked. He looked between the group assembled. “And them?” he asked, pointing at Reya and Adrian.

“They are permitted to accompany me. Jyn is explicitly not. I mean it Beor,” Tassie warned. “The General just told him herself. I recommend against calling her right now, by the way. She didn’t appear to be in a good mood.”

“Alright, I get it,” Beor said. “Come on Jyn, let’s go.” Jyn allowed himself to be collected without fuss and soon the pair left the ship. Tassie turned towards Reya and Adrian and motioned for them to follow her. She brought the pair to the bridge. Adrian looked around curiously but refrained from touching anything, much to Tassie’s relief.

From her workstation, Tassie closed the doors to the bridge and set the lock, protecting it with a password. “This way we’re sure that we won’t be interrupted,” Tassie said. She called Irric, waiting for his face to appear onscreen.

Irric immediately spotted Adrian and Reya standing behind Tassie. “So you’ve decided to watch the videos anyway?” he asked.

“Yes, but only the one relating to Adrian.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Irric typed away at his data slate. “There, all sent. Destroy the file when you’re done. If you want to view it again, and I’m sure you won’t, then I’ll send it to you again. I want no part in this.” Irric shifted his attention to Adrian. “Adrian,” he started, catching Adrian’s attention, “for what it’s worth, I found this entirely by accident. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to release this footage of you to the world.”

“I get it, Irric. You were only doing your job. It’s fine, I forgive you.”

“You won’t after you see what we found. I’ll call back in a little bit, after you’re done with the video.”

The call ended and Tassie brought up the video to the screen. The image was paused and showed a picture of Adrian with a much shorter hair and beard than when they’d found him, being strapped to a table, terrified and surrounded by gru’ul. Adrian took a step closer towards Reya subconsciously. “Do you know what the video is about?” Reya asked.

“I think so,” Adrian replied. “I hope I’m wrong. They strapped me to tables often enough, so it’s hard to say what exactly they’re going to do to me.”

Reya and Tassie took in the expression of sheer terror Adrian wore in first frame of the video. They shared an uneasy glance before Tassie finally spoke up. “I’m going to start the video. Is everybody ready?”

“No,” Adrian said. He’d broken out into a cold sweat, knowing that he was about to be forced to relive one of his experiments. It filled him with dread. “But I don’t think I ever will be.” His hands were clammy. He wiped them on his pants, trying in vain to dry them. Reya grabbed a hold of his hand, not minding that they were damp. Adrian took several calming breaths before nodding towards Tassie.

Tassie pushed play.

The video started with Adrian being strapped to a table. He resisted as if his life depended on it, shouting at the gru’ul in English. Reya and Tassie couldn’t understand what he was saying, but they could hear the raw terror in his voice. It took two gru’ul to hold him in place while a third one finished strapping him in. The gru’uls’ sharp claws bit into him while he fought back, drawing blood.

The aliens finished strapping him down and backed away from the table. Adrian strained against the restraints to no avail. A fourth gru’ul approached with a syringe filled with purple liquid.

Adrian’s eyes immediately widened and he began trembling violently. “No,” he choked out. “Please, no. Stop the video,” he begged. “Don’t let it inject me.” Tears filled Adrian’s eyes as he remembered exactly what experiment they were performing on him. He knew what came next. “Don’t make me relive this,” he groveled.

Tassie turned to face Adrian but didn’t react fast enough to his pleas and the gru’ul onscreen inserted the needle into Adrian’s arm. Tassie and Reya watched the purple liquid leave the syringe and enter Adrian’s bloodstream.

His back immediately arched unnaturally and his eyes rolled back. Screams that were the fuel for nightmares tore from his throat. He writhed against his restraints as his body tried anything it could to distract him from the pain.

The real Adrian broke down where he stood, reliving the horrible moment. His whole body shook, wracked by sobs. They were drowned out by the sound of his screams. Reya tore her eyes away from the screen and focused on Adrian. His reaction to the video brought tears to her eyes, and she collected him into a hug. He clutched her like his life depended on it and buried his face into the nape of her neck. Reya stroked his hair, trying her best to calm him.

Reya finally remembered when Adrian spoke about the purple substance. His screams reminded her of her own when she was injected with the neurotoxin right before she’d been rescued. Vivid memories overtook her and for a moment she was back in her cell, cuffed to the table. In her mind’s eye, she watched a gru’ul approach her with a syringe filled with orange liquid. She felt a needle pierce her skin as she offered no resistance. Her own screams overlapped with Adrian’s as they resounded loudly in her mind.

Tassie finally stopped the video on Adrian’s unresponsive form lying on the table, tens of minutes later. The bridge was quiet again, yet its occupants heard echoes of pain resound in their ears all the same.

The sound of Adrian’s sobs filled the silence. Woodenly, Tassie turned around and took in Adrian’s form. He was an utter wreck, reduced to a lowly state. Reya wasn’t much better. They clung to each other, refusing to let go.

Tassie couldn’t speak. Her mind was busy processing the content of the video. It was one thing to see pain depicted in fictional works. It was quite another to do so while cognizant of the fact that what she’d just witnessed had really happened. To a real person. And he was right in front of her.

She looked at Adrian in a new light when she realized that the video they just watched was probably one among many. Not for the first time, she wondered what had happened to him. She hoped dearly it hadn’t all been like what she just witnessed.

Reya and Adrian cried. Adrian, Tassie could understand. Reya, however, was another story. Tassie didn’t understand why she was crying so hard as well. Suddenly, it clicked. She wanted to be certain. “Reya, did they do that to you too?” she asked, unsure if she wanted to know the answer.

“It’s not something I ever want you to see,” Reya sobbed. “Please don’t watch it.”

“That’s what you meant,” Tassie realized, “when you said they gave you something at the end that hurt more than what they’d done to you. This is what happened, isn’t it?”

“Not exactly like this. They used a different chemical on me, I think. But yes, this is what happened to me as well.”

“Why didn’t you say anything about it?”

“Some things you don’t talk about. You don’t understand, Tassie,” Reya sobbed. “What that felt like, living through that. I hope you never learn. Even now, I swear I still feel it sometimes. Talking about it means remembering it, and it’s something I’m desperately trying to forget.”

Tassie stared at her friend blankly. Slowly, her face morphed into one of horror as she imagined what Reya’s screams would have sounded like. Rann had found Reya when she was barely responsive. After seeing Adrian pass out in the video, Tassie was impressed Reya had even been awake at all, even if she was incoherent at the time.

Adrian and Reya took several more minutes to collect themselves. Nobody spoke. The sound of an incoming call cut through the silence. Mechanically, Tassie answered.

Irric took one look at the scene in front of him and immediately turned serious. “You watched it,” he stated. “I was hoping you wouldn’t.” Tassie could only blink, feeling faint. She sat down in her chair and leaned back. “Do you still want to see the rest? What they did to Reya, I mean. We have a lot more footage of her than we do of Adrian.”

“No,” Tassie said, voice shaking. “Just answer me this, Irric. Did they do something similar to Reya?”

Irric nodded gravely. “Yes.” Tassie shuddered and looked back over her shoulder. Adrian and Reya had stopped crying, though their eyes were red-rimmed and puffy. “Adrian, how are you holding up?”

“I’m not,” Adrian said. Reya was holding his hand, her presence soothing while he grappled with his past. “I need to get out of here.” His voice was hoarse when he spoke. Looking around, it felt like the walls were closing in. He couldn’t stand being on the ship anymore. He needed out. Needed a breath of fresh air to remind him that he was out.

There was only so much he could handle.

They’d returned from the ship different. Rann pondered this while she openly stared between Reya, Adrian, and Tassie. Adrian stared into space despondently, not touching his food at all. Rann wasn’t even sure he noticed her looking at him. Adrian could be distant at times, but that was a whole new level, even for him.

Tassie likewise barely touched her food, pallid and ill looking. Only a few bites were taken. Rann would have felt insulted if she hadn’t noticed Reya also not eating her food. Her fork moved her food around on her plate, but that was about it.

Rann was growing concerned. Neither of them spoke unless spoken to, and even then, their replies were short and distracted. Beor had told her that they were going on the ship to view some classified information, but he didn’t have any idea what it concerned. It was big news, Rann surmised. She was confident that they wouldn’t be acting that way if that wasn’t the case.

Jyn was put out that he hadn’t been allowed to view the information and had to be removed from the ship by Beor. In spite of this, even he could tell that something was amiss and that it was related to the information he hadn’t been able to see. It rankled him, being denied in such way, yet he was secretly glad he hadn’t seen whatever it was that was causing this kind of reaction.

“I swear you’re all zombies or something. Would it kill you to say anything?” Jyn asked. When he got no response, his brow furrowed. “Tassie,” he called. No response. He called her again, louder this time. Tassie snapped to attention, as if realizing for the first time that she was seated at the table.

“Did you say something?” Tassie asked.

“I did. What’s wrong with you?”

“Since when do you care?”

“You’re all acting strange. What happened?”

“You know we can’t talk about that, Jyn.”

“You’re worrying everybody. I think we deserve to know.”

Tassie looked around, seeing the concern filled faces of her friends. She shook her head, once again refusing to expand on what was troubling them. She knew that the others wouldn’t understand without watching, and she didn’t want that. Irric’s earlier warning made much more sense now. If the videos he’d uncovered depicted only suffering, she didn’t want to see. Tassie idly wondered how Irric had reacted upon finding the video files initially.

Jyn scowled. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? I’m sure you take great pleasure in disobeying me, don’t you?”

“Jyn, now’s not the time for this,” Tassie said tiredly. “I’m not disobeying you. I’m following the General’s orders.”

“And you’re all looking half dead because of it. What could possibly have happened in there?” Jyn looked towards Adrian. “You’re acting like a puppet with its strings cut. It’s just plain creepy.” Adrian didn’t respond. Jyn huffed.

“I wish,” Adrian said despondently. “I’m not allowed to die. They made sure of it.” It was the most he’d spoken all evening. Reya looked at him in concern but understood the sentiment. She’d wished for death before and knew how sweet the call could be. She would ask him later what he meant by that.

“I’m just saying, you’re acting strange. Even for you.”

“Jyn, stop,” Reya said in a hollow voice, giving the man pause. Her gaze was heavy and unsettling. “Leave us alone.” Her gaze dropped to her untouched plate. She stood up and began collecting everybody’s plates. She stored away the leftovers and put them in the fridge.

Adrian didn’t react when his food was picked up. Kell watched the process, his eyes filled with worry. Reya looked at him. “We’re going for a walk,” she announced. “Adrian, come on, let’s go.” Adrian twitched and mechanically stood up. He followed Reya to the door and put on his shoes.

“You’re going now?” Jyn asked. “It’s after dark. It’s dangerous to go walking at this hour.” For once, Rann agreed with Jyn. She knew that their walks brought them up the mountain. Armed with only a flashlight, if anything happened they’d be near impossible to find.

His words went unheard and Reya and Adrian left the house. Rann called after them and dashed out the door, following.

“Kell, could I talk to you in private please?” Tassie asked. Kell brought her to the med bay on the ship where they could have a private discussion. Not even Jyn would interrupt them during their time there. Kell took a seat behind his desk while Tassie sat in the chair position opposite him.

“Is this related to what you found on the ship earlier?”

Tassie swallowed hard. “In a way, yes,” she said.

“Are you willing to talk about it or is it still classified even for me?” The rules pertaining to the clearance level of doctors was different compared to normal soldiers. Doctors were in a position to learn a great amount of information not only from the patient themselves but from the injuries they sustained as well. As such, they were held to different standards with regards to the information they were allowed to handle.

“I’m afraid so.”

Kell raised his brows. It wasn’t everyday he was denied his request for more information. His brows furrowed. “Really? Then what are we here to discuss if you can’t tell me anything about it?”

“I’d like to try using sleeping pills for tonight,” Tassie hedged. “I’m not asking to take them regularly like Reya and Adrian,” she waved her arms. “Really just for tonight, or maybe a couple of days.”

“Tassie, I can’t just hand out medication like that,” Kell said in concern. “Why do you feel the need for sleeping pills? Was what you found really that bad?”

“It was – Kell, I will never unhear that,” Tassie said with a violent shudder. “You don’t understand. Please, just for tonight. I’m not going to sleep otherwise.”

“I don’t want you to develop a reliance on sleeping pills. Surely, whatever it was that happened wasn’t that bad.”

Tassie looked at Kell. “It was,” she said simply. “Please, Kell. I need this. It’s either that or I knock myself out with liquor.”

“Fine,” Kell said, giving in. “Just for the one night. If you need more, come and see me. We’ll have a talk if it comes to that. Adrian and Reya are already dependent on sleeping pills. I won’t let another team member become the same if I can help it.” Making his way over to the cabinet where he kept the medication, Kell fished around, reading the labels. He found what he was looking for, popped off the cap and handed Tassie a single pill. “Take this twenty minutes before you go to bed.”

“I understand.” Tassie clutched the pill like a lifeline, hoping it would be enough.