I did not know!
Please.... someone.... believe me....
I can see his anger. He was furious, barely restraining it behind a mask of civility. I have seen the same thing in our warriors, just before they go into battle. It is the death rage.
'Why did you not tell me?!' he roared.
Tell you what?
'For God's sake, why didn't you tell me? I might have been able to do something. Maybe.... if I'd known.... But....
'Why didn't you tell me?'
Tell you what?
'You know. You must know. I'm going to.... I've done.... terrible things. Horrible things, but this....
'Never this.
'I've never done this!
'Why didn't you tell me?'
What? What is happening? What is wrong?
And then he told me, two simple words that shook me.
I did not know. Please, believe me. I did not know.
'You're pregnant.'
This said, his anger did not abate. He continued, pacing up and down. I could not move, bound as I was My muscles were aching, but I did not feel it. All I could hear was his voice.
'You're pregnant.
'The medical tests showed that. That was one of the first things they discovered. They aren't finished, but they thought it best to wait for further orders. The doctors.... they know what is going to have to happen. They're practically champing at the bit. This is.... a unique opportunity, after all.'
What will happen?
'Don't be so stupid!
'Can't you guess?'
Can I?
'You are going to be put on trial for war crimes. It will take.... time before....
'Before the trial can be prepared. Months. By that time.... it'll be obvious to everyone....
'Assuming your pregnancy is the same as a human one. It.... seems as if it is, so far....
'Ah! What does that matter? Listen, it'll take months before you go on trial, and it'll be obvious by then that you're pregnant. We can't exactly say we've been overfeeding you in here and you've put on weight!
'God, you might even have given birth by then.
'Pregnancy.... well, that happens to normal women. Human women. Normal people.
'It doesn't happen to war criminals, alien freaks of nature....
'I'm sorry.... I didn't.... You're not a freak.... You....
'Damn!
'Anyway. Pregnancy happens to normal people. If you go on the stand pregnant.... well.... you're not a war criminal or a.... whatever.... then. You're a normal person. You're just like over fifty percent of the human population then. You're not a murderer, you're a.... woman.
'The bleeding heart liberals are going to get hold of that and start bleating on about human rights and so on....
'It'll muddy things too much. This has got to be straightforward and simple. You're a murderer, a war criminal, an alien.... a monster.
'The.... the thing in your body is going to complicate that. It's going to complicate too many things. Fortunately.... as with any complicated situation, there's a simple solution.'
What are you going to do?
'We're going to kill your baby, of course.'
What?
'We're going to kill your baby. Well, the technical term is abortion, but I really don't care about semantics at the moment. We're going to murder your baby, and then pretend it never happened. You were never pregnant.... because how can you be pregnant?
'That's a thing that happens to normal people.'
You can't.
'Do you think I have a choice?'
We all have a choice.
'Damn it! Listen to me! I've spent every single minute of every single day since you came to Earth doing horrible things for the good of humanity. Now maybe they weren't all necessary, but I wasn't the one to make that choice!
'I obey my President....'
Please.... you said....
You said you had a plan, allies.... you could do something.
'What? Rescue you? Do you honestly think that is an option?
'Do you think I haven't thought of that? Don't you think I'd rather do anything at all than go through with this?
'I'm not ready. We're not ready. If I'd known before.... if I'd had some warning, a chance to prepare, if we hadn't found this out so late, then maybe....
'Maybe....
'But I didn't, and there is no good at all worrying about maybes.
'Clark knows about this. He got a copy of the medical report the instant I did.
'He's told me in no uncertain terms. Your baby is going to die. You were never pregnant.'
And if.... if anyone finds out?
'No one will believe it. No one wants to believe it. People are stupid, brainless, selfish morons!
'They only believe what they want to believe, and they want to believe that you are a monster, that I'm a hero.... that....
'They don't care what happens to you. I'm probably the only person on this whole planet who does.... and I can't do anything.'
Help me.... please....
'I can't do anything....
'I'm sorry.
'I'm so sorry.
'I can't do anything.'
Wait!
'What?'
My baby....
Is it.... a boy or a girl?
'No.
'No, don't ask yourself that question. It's a mass of cells. For God's sake, don't start thinking of it as a real person, or it'll break you.'
A boy or a girl?
'No!'
