A knock at the door caused Rixie to look up with a start. She turned and saw Pryvani standing in the doorway.

 

“I just wanted to see how you were doing and if you needed anything?”

 

Rixie shook her head silently, gently brushing her fingers across the small cylindrical object in her hand.

 

Pryvani swallowed the lump in her throat. “He’s going to be okay, Rixie.” She said softly.

 

Rixie nodded and looked down at Alex’s form, frozen within the cryonic tube she held in her hand. Her heart ached to see him like that again, but it had been the only way. They’d all agreed that this was the best possible course of action, even Alex.

 

As soon as they’d been able, Pryvani had requested a house call from the best veterinarian they could find in the area to treat Alex’s wounds. Alex, of course, had had to be sedated so the young man could do his work. Afterwards, the doctor had told them that he would be physically fine, eventually, though he may have trouble walking without support for a few weeks.

 

He’d also expressed concerns over Alex’s mental well-being, but Pryvani had assured him they had everything under control and not to worry about it.

 

After the doctor had left, Rixie and Pryvani- through the use of holographic avatars- had a long talk with Alex. They eventually reached the conclusion that Avalon was the best place for him to recover, and that the only way to get him there would be to put him in suspended animation again.

 

Rixie recalled watching as Alex climbed into the massive coffin-shaped device.  Zhan closed the lid on him, and as the cryogenic mist filled the chamber, Alex had looked her in the eyes and mouthed the words I love you.

 

Rixie had placed her holographic hand against the glass window, and told him she loved him too.

 

Then his eyes had gone dark, and he fell into the suspended animation.

 

And now as she held his form in the palm of her hand, she reflected on the fact that this was how he looked when she’d first “met” him. She had no idea then how much he’d come to mean to her.

 

Pryvani bit her lip. “Have you got your travel arrangements all sorted then?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“And… after you’ve returned from Avalon…?” Pryvani persisted gently.

 

Rixie shrugged. “Who can say?”

 

Pryvani shifted her weight uncomfortably. “I… Rixie just promise me you won’t do anything rash…”

 

The former Imperator looked up, straight into Pryvani’s eyes. For the first time Pryvani was allowed to see the steel core that Rixie often kept hidden from the rest of the world, the diamond-hard edge that made the woman in front of her the highly trained, very deadly officer that she was.

 

“Like what, Pryvani?” Rixie snapped. “Killing Vasha, perhaps?”

 

Pryvani frowned, her eyes narrowed and she summoned a little steel of her own. “All right. Since you’ve brought it up, yes. Something exactly like killing Vasha.”

 

“And why the hell shouldn’t I?” Rixie snarled, rising to her feet and clutching the cryopod that contained Alex to her chest. “She deserves it after all the vile loathsome things she’s done- not the least of which what she did to Alex!”

 

“Perhaps. Actually, no, she does. No doubt about it.” Pryvani admitted, her tone softening slightly. “But she isn’t… She has connections, Rixie. Powerful friends.”

 

“As if I haven’t killed ‘powerful’ people before, Pryvani.”

 

Pryvani faltered a bit at the bold confession. She’d been aware, of course, of the sort of work Rixie had done in the military… but to hear Rixie just proclaim it like that… it was a little jarring.

 

“That was under the auspice of your military service, Imperator Tam.” Pryvani reminded her. “You don’t have that any more. This time it would just be plain old murder.”

 

Rixie snarled softly, but didn’t respond.

 

“How do you think it would make Alex feel, Rixie…” Pryvani continued, stepping further into the room so she could lay a hand on the other woman’s arm. “If he woke up on Avalon, and he had no hope of seeing you again because you’d been sent to some penal colony out on the border? You think it’ll help, knowing you did it ‘for him’?”

 

Rixie deflated, sitting back in her chair again. “You’re right, of course.” She whispered softly. “I just… I can’t…”

 

“I know.” Pryvani knelt down and put a hand on Rixie’s shoulder. “And she will pay for what she did, I promise. I’m just asking you to leave this to me, please?”

 

Rixie let out a shaky breath, which Pryvani took to be an assent.

 

“Okay.” The heiress said, pushing herself back to her feet. “I’ll leave you to finish getting ready.”

 

Pryvani rose back to her feet and left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

 

Rixie shook her head and examined the cryopod in her hand. She knew Pryvani had a lot on her plate at the moment. It really wouldn’t be fair of Rixie to add one more thing onto the poor woman’s shoulders.

 

The former Imperator gently stowed Alex in the pouch at her hip and stood, grabbing her bag.

 

First things first. She would see Alex safely back to Avalon…

 

And then they would just have to see what happened from there.

 

*.*.*.*.*

 

Sam looked up at the sound of the door opening. A moment later the lights popped on as they reacted to the movement of someone entering the room.

 

He was relieved when it turned out to be Renna, making her usual rounds. For a moment he watched as the titanic cleaner struggled to pull her cart of supplies through the door behind her. He had a moment of dark amusement as he pictured himself trying to assist her.

 

Eventually, she managed to haul the cart in behind her and then shut the door.

 

Renna took a moment to stretch her back and massage her neck. Fortunately, Lady Fand’s office was the last stops on her route and as soon as she finished it, she would be able to go home.

 

“Hey little guy!” Renna greeted warmly. “I’m glad to see you.”

 

“Renna!” Sam pressed his palms against the glass. “So you decided to take the second job?” He was, as always, willing to play the pet act for her if it meant he got to keep seeing her. It was preferable to the cold indifference, at best, that he received from every other titan.

 

“Yes I did sweetie.” Renna smiled and gently tapped the glass next to where his hand was. “I decided that the extra income would be worth the extra amount of work.”

 

“Why do you have to work so much?” Sam asked.

 

Renna blinked, surprised at the question. Then sighed as she began to dust the shelf his cage sat on. “Oh well, that’s a little complicated. Basically, I borrowed some money from some people and I have to pay them back.”

 

Sam narrowed his eyes as he read between the lines of what she was saying. “I see.”

 

“Don’t worry too much about it.” Renna chuckled. “It’s complicated big people stuff.”

 

Sam winced and bit his tongue. It was tough enough having to play the dumb pet for her, without her saying things like that. Still, he knew she meant well, so he was willing to cut her some slack. After all, whether he was willing to admit it or not, her kindness the past few days had gone a long way towards keeping him sane.

 

“I wish there was some way I could help.” He called out to her, as she moved towards Fand’s desk to empty the waste bin.

 

“Aww thanks sweetie.” Renna gushed. “It’s too bad you’re not one of the racing humans. You look like you’re in pretty good shape, I’d bet on you any day.”

 

“Racing humans?” Sam asked, although he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

 

“Yeah. I guess down in the casino they have humans compete in races or something, and people bet money on the outcome.”

 

“I see.” Sam muttered, distractedly. Well, that did explain an awful lot about his situation.

 

Renna quickly finished cleaning the office, idly passing the time in conversation with Sam. Eventually, she was packing up her cleaning supplies.

 

“Well, looks like I’m all done.” She sighed tiredly. “Time for me to go home.”

 

“Are you working tomorrow?” Sam asked.

 

“Yes, but I might not get this floor.” Renna shrugged. “We’ll have to see. But I’ll see you soon, I’m sure. Okay?”

 

“Okay.”

 

She waved to him cheerily as she exited the office.

 

The door closed with a thud behind her and Sam was left alone. He sat on the floor of his cage and leaned up against the glass wall. For the first time in what felt like forever, he was able to be concerned with something besides his own situation.

 

It made him feel almost human again.

 

Then the lights clicked off.

 

Sam sat in the darkness for quite some time. His mind began to wander and eventually he dozed off, curled up in a corner of his clear glass prison.

 

Eventually, the door to the office opened again, the lights dutifully coming back on for the Titan interloper. Sam’s eyes opened and he sat up groggily. A young man entered the office and marched right up to Sam’s cage.

 

Sam sighed and climbed to his feet. He knew exactly what was coming. Yvenna must be busy with some errand for Bosslady if one of the flunkies was here to collect him.

 

The lid to Sam’s cage was opened and the giant hand invaded his space to snatch him up. Sam didn’t bother to resist, there wasn’t a point to it, not anymore.

 

Into the traveling cage the human went, and on the usual route out of the office, down the floors of the hotel complex, through the casino, through back hallways and dropped unceremoniously into the sand pit.

 

Sam stood up and casually dusted himself off, shaking the sand from his increasingly untidy mane of hair.

 

He peered across the sand to the other side of the Arena.

 

His opponent for today was a tall man, with the build of a heavyweight boxer. Sam rubbed his face and wondered if the man was going to try and fight him like one. He had to give whatever Titan was supplying his opponents credit, they had adjusted to Sam’s skill fairly rapidly.

 

Sam spared a moment of pity for his opponent. He tried not to lose sight of the fact that these men, and occasionally women, were as much prisoners and victims as he himself was.

 

Still, Sam knew that anything more than those thoughts was a luxury he couldn’t afford. He assumed, and hoped, that these people got the same medical treatment that Sam himself did. It went a long way towards assuaging his guilt.

 

There wasn’t any further time for contemplating the morality of fighting for his survival. With a feral roar, his opponent lunged towards Sam with a powerful right cross, which he barely avoided.

 

Sam came out of the duck with a one-two jab at his opponent’s midsection. The man grunted in pain but retaliated by grabbing Sam’s wrists and slamming him backwards onto the ground, before landing on top of him.

 

Sam gasped as the wind was forced from his lungs. His head spun and then he realized his opponent was trying to get his legs in a lock.

 

“All right.” Sam gasped through gritted teeth. “If that’s how you want to play it.”

 

He twisted and broke the lock, climbing back to his feet and throwing himself on top of his enemy in an attempt to pin him. He wasn’t fast enough and the other man rolled away.

 

They both quickly scrambled to their feet and squared off again, eyeing each other up as they both took a moment to catch their breaths.

 

This time, Sam broke the stalemate. He charged forward, ducking under a retaliatory blow before coming up with an uppercut that jarred his opponent and sent him staggering backwards.

 

That didn’t last, a moment later Sam’s opponent was back. Sam momentarily saw stars as the man’s fist connected with Sam’s jaw. On the second swing Sam was able to grab his wrist and throw him over his shoulder and onto the ground.

 

The man lay there for a moment winded. He shook his head slightly and refused to get back up again. Sam nodded, acknowledging the surrender.

 

His losing streak had been broken.

 

*.*.*.*.*

 

“So he’s become afraid of Titans?” Zara peered intently into the frosted glass viewer on the side of the cryopod that showed Alex’s unconscious form.

 

The trip back from Grelau to Avalon had been uneventful. She’d arrived at Valhalla station and had been greeted there by Zara. They were now back in Pryvani’s compound and Rixie had just finished explaining Alex’s situation to her.

 

“It’s not that he’s afraid, exactly.” Rixie explained. “It’s just the sight of a Titan triggers a panic attack in him.”

 

“So in other words, I should let Nick and Lysis be the ones to unfreeze him?”

 

“Please.” Rixie sighed. “And you really shouldn’t be anywhere near him, not as you normally are. He’s okay with holograms… I think it’s when we, well, loom over him that causes it.”

 

“How horrible.” Zara muttered sympathetically. “What… what are you going to do?”

 

Rixie bit her lip, and hesitated in responding. She knew exactly what Zara was asking, but she didn’t really want to answer the question, or even contemplate it. She didn’t want it to be real.

 

“I don’t know.” She finally sighed. “I’ll do whatever I need to, whatever he needs me to do.”

 

She stood up from the table they’d been sitting at and stretched.

 

“Where are you going now? Are you staying here?” Zara asked apprehensively.

 

“No.” Rixie shook her head. “I think it’s better if I’m off-moon for a little while. Knowing Alex, he’d try and come see me and I don’t think that would be a good thing for him at the moment. I’m sorry about that, I’m sure you could use the help with Atlantis.”

 

“You do what you need to do Rixie.” Zara smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “We can handle Atlantis.”

 

“Good.” The taller woman nodded. “Because I do have some business to take care of.”