Sasha had no answer for the AI. She felt strange talking to a computer as if it were a person. She closed her eyes against the shining brightness, waited a few seconds, and then blinked them open as a sharp wind snapped against her.
She was on top of Preor Tower, the afternoon swiftly moving toward night. The wind was cold and fast, the sky slowly filling with deep shadows. That was when she heard the mob screaming down below. She hurried through a nearby door and headed down the stairs to find an elevator.
Even though Sasha wasn’t familiar with Preor Tower, she was used to being in new and strange places for her various shoots and interviews. With a bit of hunting through the top floor, she finally found the elevator and headed for the lobby.
Her stomach clenched on the way down, tightening and squirming as she traveled closer and closer to the impending confrontation. Standing up to her mother always had this effect on her and today was no different. She knew she had found something worth fighting for, and this time, she could not stop. No matter how much it scared her, she couldn’t—wouldn’t—back down.
She heard the roar of the crowd as the doors opened into the lobby. The people she usually addressed were happy, excited, and content. They cheered for joy and expected to be entertained and made to smile or laugh.
This mob howled for blood. They didn’t even know whose they craved. Every person out there ran on rage, and it wouldn’t take much to set them off into a frenzy of fighting. The two sides were very clear as she approached the podium, shoving each other as they tried to get closer to the platform that had been erected. Melissa and Jarek stood before them, holding hands and speaking gently into the microphone.
As Sasha took long, firm strides across the tile in her high heels, she took a deep breath. She flipped her wild hair over her shoulder and summoned her biggest smile. This would be her greatest performance ever.
She walked out into the flashing of cameras, and the screaming of the crowd cascaded around her like a physical being. She came level with Melissa and Jarek and put a hand on each of their shoulders. They jolted and looked around in surprise, both of them visibly relieved when they recognized her. As Sasha stepped between them to take the mic, she noticed her mother right at the foot of the stage.
She clutched a big megaphone and shoved herself against people to maintain her position. It was only a matter of seconds until punches would be thrown. Sasha reached for the mic and pointed at a nearby cameraman. He immediately trained on her and Sasha saw her face appear on all the screens in the area.
“Hi, everyone.” She beamed. “I’m back!”
The crowd let out a collective shout of joy and she breathed a sigh of relief. This was going to be easier than she thought. Both sides had been drawn together in solidarity the second she spoke.
“Sasha!” her mother screamed. She climbed the stage and threw her arms around her daughter. Sasha wanted to peel her mother off, and even though she managed not to recoil, she didn’t return her mother’s embrace either.
“Where have you been? What did they do to you?” Jenna shook her arm roughly and peered over Sasha’s shoulder at Jarek as if he was the cause of all of humanity’s problems.
Sasha smiled and tilted her head toward the cameraman. She made sure her mouth was close to the mic so her voice would carry to the crowd. “I’m perfectly all right. I was just taking a tour of the ship.” She waved to the crowd, displaying the carefree happiness that was her trademark. People knew Sasha Dane didn’t act a certain way to create a good image. She was genuinely kind. All her fans knew about her charity work and her dedication to others.
“Nonsense!” her mother snapped. “You were kidnapped. I have the footage.”
“Whelon was simply helping me into the shuttle, Mother.”
“You’re under an alien spell. We need to get you to a doctor.”
Sasha sighed and turned away from her mother’s angry face to address the crowd. “The Preor do not ‘choose’ a mate out of a hat. It’s a process beyond emotion. The bonding that occurs means you will be together forever. It’s true love in a way humanity has never known. It makes them humble and gives them humility. It has made all of them incredibly disciplined and patient. In the absence of the mate bond, a Preor—”
“Shut up!” her mother hissed low, for Sasha’s ears only. “What is this fucking shit? You’re selling fairytales? This is pathetic, Sasha. You’re using the weakest possible argument to fuel your own agenda and I won’t have it.”
Sasha stared at her mother in wide-eyed, cold disbelief. Her mother had never spoken to her like that before, and she was utterly astounded Jenna could accuse anyone of something she herself was clearly doing.
Does she really think I’m that stupid? Sasha thought with despair. Does she think she could get an argument like that past me?
They glared at each other, Sasha not backing down. Her mother stared for only a few seconds, and Sasha spied the tic at her mother’s mouth that meant she was about to unleash hell on Earth. Her eyes crept to the crowd and back to Sasha once more, realizing she couldn’t tear Sasha apart in front of her audience.
Jenna’s features flashed confidence again and as she stepped forward to the mic, Sasha knew she was going to work the crowd as her weapon. Sasha’s stomach twisted, but she stayed put, waiting for the next onslaught from her mother.
“If this is as you say, Daughter,” her mother began with some flair, “then you will come with me and leave the tower—of your own free will.”
Sasha pulled her lips into the biggest smile she could
