longsufferingly

PART ONE

*

Jared's second day is much the same as his first. He follows Alona down to breakfast, which is the only provided meal, and meets a few of the other people working. Like Alona said, most of them are orphans, and they work here out of desperation, out of other ideas.

He learns from the others that the people who come here aren't famous, but they are infamous; the kinds of people whose names are whispered, but no one really knows what they look like or where they go.

It makes Jared realize just how out of his league Chad was, trying to be one of them.

The baths are the same as ever. There's a steady stream of people interested in being massaged and flirted with, and Jared lets himself zone out. It's hard, strange work, and he doesn't enjoy it, but it at least it doesn't leave him too much time to worry about things.

He's cleaning out the bath an hour before closing when he hears someone come in, and then Jensen saying, "You can go, 71455. He'll be taking care of me."

Jared swallows hard. Alona gives him a look, all concern, but he knows she can't disobey. He gives her a nod and smile anyway, trying to look worried instead of--kind of anxiously pleased. It's not how he thought Jensen would find him today, but he isn't exactly upset.

"Yes, sir," says Alona, and gets up to leave. Jared straightens, gives Jensen a slight bow.

"Close the door," Jensen says, not taking his eyes off Jared, and Alona does so.

As soon as they're alone, Jensen visibly relaxes, and starts pulling off his shirt.

"Sorry," he says, giving Jared an apologetic smile. "I was going to come find you on your way to sleep again, but I've been called in for a meeting with the family tonight. So--feel free to say that I made advances on you and you demurred and walked away with your honor."

Jared flushes, looking away as Jensen gets naked. He's had men come in before, but none of them were attractive, and they were all so dismissive and condescending that he couldn't imagine any of them ever being appealing.

Jensen, on the other hand--well, Jared might have dreamed about kissing him last night.

"You can turn back now," says Jensen, sounding vaguely amused. When Jared looks back, he's in the tub, body disguised by bubbles. He smiles apologetically as Jared comes over. "You don't have to wash me. Jim's the only one who can see us here, and he already knows that I'm invested in you."

"Oh," says Jared, unsure where to go if he doesn't have to bathe Jensen. The room has no chairs, and Jared's been standing all day; he's tired.

"Sorry," says Jensen. "I didn't--I mean, I don't like lording my power over anyone, exactly," he says, sighing. "Especially you. I just--didn't know how else to get in touch."

"I don't mind."

"You could get in here and relax, but then everyone would assume we'd had sex," says Jensen, making a face.

Jared is pretty sure if he got into a bath with Jensen, he would have sex with him. "It's okay," he says. "I'm just gonna sit on the floor, take a load off."

"Yeah," says Jensen. There's a pause when neither of them says anything, until Jensen clears his throat. "I've got you in the arena tomorrow. One of my friends in there, Aldis, will come in to pick you up tomorrow. He doesn't know what's happening, but he knows I've taken an interest in you."

"Is that common?"

"What?"

"Taking an interest."

There's another pause. "In general, yeah. Not for me."

Jared can't help smiling at that. "So, any idea what I should be doing?" he asks. "Once I find Chad."

Jensen sighs. "Aldis knows I'm--interested in ending the arena," he says carefully. "I think he'll figure that you want that too. Tell him you have a friend to bust out. Hopefully get some more information out from him."

"Okay," says Jared. "And if I don't?"

"I've got some leads," says Jensen. "I'll see what I can tonight and tomorrow and check in when I can."

"I've said thank you, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, thanks again, anyway."

"You don't deserve this," says Jensen, after another pause. "No one does. And I can't save everyone yet, but--I think I can save you." He licks his lips. "Look, I just want you to--if you get a chance to get Chad and get out, you take it. They won't follow you, it'll be too risky. You and Chad aren't worth blowing their cover for."

"Really?" asks Jared.

"Jared," says Jensen, carefully. "I--don't take this the wrong way, but I get the impression you aren't a huge deal out there. Do you have anyone you could tell that would believe you?"

"No, you're right," says Jared. He sighs. "I want to help."

"I know," says Jensen. "But you can get out, and I'll keep working on it here."

"Alone," says Jared.

"For now." He pauses. "I--appreciate your concern. Really. And much as I'd love to have you around to help me out and provide eye candy, it's not worth your friend's life. Or yours. I hate what happens to people here, but most of them come of their own free will, knowing what's happening. People volunteer for the arena, did you know that?"

"Really?" asks Jared, stunned.

"If you win, you get money, gifts, become one of the elite of Hyperion. There are advantages. Some of them are even old workers from the resorts and casinos."

"But if you lose--"

"You die," Jensen agrees. "They have 36 fighters per round, and only one victor. I wouldn't like my odds."

"I wouldn't want to kill anyone," says Jared.

"That too," Jensen agrees. He ruffles Jared's hair. "Avert your eyes, I'm getting out."

"So modest," says Jared, laughing a little.

"Hey, you looked away," says Jensen, laughing too. "If you want to watch me get dressed, go right ahead."

"I'm good," says Jared. "This isn't really that romantic for me."

He hears the sound of fabric as Jensen puts his clothes on, and then hears, "Okay, I'll leave first. I guess you have to clean the tub?"

"Yeah."

"Sorry."

"It's okay. It's my job."

"Get a good night's sleep," says Jensen. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night," Jared echoes, and when he turns around, Jensen's gone.

*

Alona's waiting with dinner and a worried expression when Jared gets back.

"What happened?" she asks.

Jared shrugs, a little jerkily. "He took a bath. Same as anyone else. Said he'd--taken an interest."

Alona raises her eyebrows. "Wow."

"What?"

"Just--impressed," says Alona. "Jensen doesn't do that, really."

Jared licks his lips. "But you said I was his type."

"Yeah," Alona agrees. "But--he doesn't usually look within the staff. Not like a lot of them do. He's strict as hell, but he doesn't abuse it that much."

Jared nods. "So he--"

"Before he was adopted, he had this guy," says Alona. "This was a little after I got here, like--eight years ago? He and Tom were close. Jensen got promoted, Tom got sent to the arena and lost, I haven't really seen him with anyone since. Not seriously."

Jared feels awful for Jensen, feels like it explains all kinds of things, but more than that, he feels guilty. Like this is knowledge he's not supposed to have. That Jensen should be the one to tell him that.

"Wow," says Jared.

"Yeah," says Alona. "He hasn't been a monk, but he's never taken an interest before. I didn't think he would, not really."

Jared shrugs. "I can't explain it," he says, and that much, at least, is the complete truth.

*

Aldis finds Jared at breakfast.

"64162?" he asks, and Jared gives him a nod. "I'm Aldis. Mr. Montana wants you to spend the day at the arena. He thinks that area might be more suited to your skills."

Alona raises her eyebrows. "He's being taken from me?"

"Just for the day, Tal," says Aldis. "Don't worry, I'll give him back."

"You better. He's the best partner I've had so far."

Jared grins. "Already? I'm flattered." There's a vaguely sick feeling in his stomach at the idea that he's abandoning her here.

"He'll be back tomorrow," Aldis assures her, and Jared gives her a smile as he gets up to follow him. "You do have a good build for it," Aldis notes, looking Jared up and down. "Wow."

"What kinds of things do you usually have to do in the arena?" asks Jared.

"It's a subdivision of security," Aldis explains. "Things get hairy down there a lot. The arena itself, it's pretty much anything goes. There's plexi that separates the area from the spectators, after we had some incidents of fighters trying to take out the crowd." Aldis doesn't sound like he thinks that was a particularly bad thing. "So it's mostly just keeping the patrons from getting too rowdy. But don't worry, first day, we wouldn't make you try to discipline the fighters. Honestly, even I don't do that."

Jared licks his lips. "I don't think I'd be any good at it," he admits.

"Yeah, you don't seem like the type," says Aldis. He looks at Jared, thoughtful. "He said you'd be interested in seeing all the fighters for the next round."

"I'd be interested, yeah."

Aldis looks around--the corridor where they are is deserted, and he stops.

"Okay, if I'm gonna help you, you gotta tell me what's up. I know you're not just Jensen's new boytoy."

Jared licks his lips. Jensen trusts this guy, he thinks. He's pretty sure lying isn't the answer here. "Yeah," he says. "Um, my buddy--he got picked up to be in the arena. I want to bust him out and get out of here." He swallows. "Jensen too."

Aldis's eyes widen. "You want to spring Jensen?"

"Yeah," says Jared. "I do."

"Wow," says Aldis. "Man, you've got balls, I'll give you that." He sizes Jared up, as if he's reevaluating his entire opinion. "Does Jensen know about that?"

"Not really," Jared admits. Jensen probably thinks the idea has been dismissed and forgotten.

"Didn't think so." Aldis nods. "I am able to look the other way and divert people in case of prison breaks. But you'd have to get out. I can't help you there."

"I have a ship," says Jared.

"Wow," says Aldis. "You are just full of surprises, man." He nods. "What kind of timeframe are you working on?"

Jared bites his lip. "Jensen said there was a week before Chad went up? Or a few days less now, I guess."

"Oh, the scrawny blond one," says Aldis, nodding. "Yeah, sounds right." He rubs his chin. "And you'd have to get Jensen's tracker bomb out, right?"

"Right," Jared agrees. "I would prefer Jensen didn't blow up."

"Yeah, I dunno--man, that's tough. Getting fighters out, it's been done before. Getting someone like Jensen out, that's a whole other ballgame. I'll look into it, but that's gonna be a lot harder."

"I know," says Jared. "I should probably tell him about it, huh."

"He's the one who might explode," says Aldis, which is annoyingly logical. "Anyway, we're almost there. Come on."

*

The day at the arena is a lot more varied than at the bathhouse. Aldis runs Jared through the schedule when they get there--the arena doesn't open up for the patrons until later on in the night, and when they arrive, there's cleaning staff getting everything ready.

"The first thing we'll have is the parade of the new competitors," says Aldis. "That's right when we first open up. Then the two who are the headlining fight today warm up for a few hours, and the patrons get to have a look at them and make their bets. The main fight can go for as long as three hours, but usually it's over in one or so."

Jared nods. "What if it isn't over in three? It's a draw?"

"Wouldn't that be nice?" says Aldis. "No. There's a panel of judges that decides on a winner, and the loser is shot. Usually causes a lot of upset and some violence in the audience, when the person they bet on gets declared the loser. It's ugly."

Jared swallows hard. "Oh."

"Yeah," says Aldis. He sighs. "Anyway, we can go check on the fighters now--it's not something I always do, but I haven't seen too much of this group. And no one else'll be down there this early."

"All right," says Jared. Aldis said they couldn't speak as easily with the others around, and Jared is being careful to remain respectful and remember not to ask about Chad or do anything suspicious.

The area where they keep the fighters is dark and cold, and Jared feels increasingly worried for Chad as they pass between the cages. There's a good range of fighters--some large and muscular and confident, others undernourished and terrified. Jared feels sick looking at them. He wonders how many they could fit on the ship.

"Part of you dies after a while," says Aldis, softly. "Not all the way, I guess. You just learn--you can't do anything, and you try to ignore how shitty it makes you feel."

"I wasn't judging you," says Jared, swallowing hard. "I mean, I just--I know you do what you can."

"Which is a whole lot of nothing," says Aldis. "I know there's rebels around somewhere, but I can't find 'em or get the time of day."

"Is it--safe to talk about this here?" Jared asks, dropping his voice to a whisper.

Aldis pauses in front of one of the cages, one with an angry-looking woman inside. "There's soundproofing on the door. Plus, see that on her neck?" he asks, and Jared can see a faint blue light, blinking on a thin collar. "Keeps them from talking," he says, shrugging. "Some of the fighters a few years back started yelling at the patrons, telling them they were monsters, so they decided they shouldn't be able to say anything."

"Oh," says Jared. He feels bad, but it kind of explains a lot. If Chad could talk, he'd probably have blown Jared's cover already, without even knowing there was a cover to blow.

"Yeah," says Aldis. He checks some panel by each of the cages before moving on, and Jared feels guilty for having escaped this, and guilty that he can't save them all. "Lucky 13," says Aldis, and Jared looks up to see Chad.

He's not looking at them, curled in the corner, maybe catching some sleep. Jared glances at Aldis.

"He looks like he might be injured," says Aldis, giving Jared a shrug. "If anyone asks, we're making sure he's not."

He opens up the cage and Chad turns, looking surprised, and then runs over to hug Jared.

"Wow," says Aldis. "He's subtle. Boyfriend?"

"No," says Jared. "Just--my best friend," he says, hugging Chad back. It's kind of nice, when he can't talk. "Hey," he says. "I'm gonna get you out before you get killed." He smiles, feels himself tearing up. "I mean, I know you're an invincible badass and all, but I don't want you hanging out here. So--don't worry. I've got this. I won't even say I told you I knew this was a terrible idea."

Chad pulls back and gives him a glare, and Jared laughs, a little messily. He's not the most graceful crier.

"Okay, that was me telling you so. But you owed me."

"Hey, Jared, we gotta go. Staff meeting in ten."

"Okay," says Jared. "Just--don't do anything else stupid, Chad," he says. "I mean it, man. No more stupid." Chad nods, and Jared gives him a final squeeze. "See you soon."

Aldis gives him a moment to compose himself, and then a smile. "I can see why Jensen likes you," he says.

Jared glances over. "That's a good thing, right?"

"Yeah," says Aldis. "Definitely a good thing."

*

Jared spends the rest of his day at the arena scouting--nothing too blatant, of course, but finding out how the doors to the cages work--it's pretty simple, and Jared would be surprised by the lack of security, except that in a way, it makes sense. To get out, you'd need a lot more than just to release someone from the cage--you'd need somewhere to take them, a way to get off the planet, and the security guards in your pocket. In a way, what surprises Jared the most is that he has all those things.

That he might actually be able to do this.

The staff at the arena seems to be divided into two types--the types like Aldis, who are resigned, but unhappy, and those who must have been assigned to the arena because they're large, mean, and generally without any kind of redeeming features. Jared's at least glad he's larger than most of them. It makes him feel smug.

The patrons themselves are disgusting, which doesn't surprise Jared. He recognizes one or two from the baths, and likes them even less than he had before. After the parade of the fighters, it gets worse, because the conversation turns to them, as if they're livestock, and Jared has trouble keeping his food in his stomach. By the time he's dismissed, he's about ready to stage a rebellion all by himself.

Jensen isn't in his room when he arrives, which disappoints Jared more than a little. He hasn't seen Jensen at all today, and he feels out of sorts. Jensen's the only one he really trusts.

He sleeps restlessly, plagued by dreams of Chad being killed, of Chad killing others--of never escaping, of having to be here forever.

He doesn't realize what wakes him until he spots the smoke outside the window, and he's climbing out before he's thought things through.

The ship is small, must be just for one person. No one else has gone to investigate, and that's what convinces Jared it must be Jensen--because that's Jensen's job, isn't it? To keep watch during the day.

Jensen went somewhere, and now his ship is wrecked, and he might be hurt.

Once Jared's on the ground, it isn't long to get to the ship. He doesn't know what to do when he gets there, of course--he can't very well move it, and if Jensen isn't in there, he might be killed. Or thrown into the arena. Or any number of other things.

Luckily, if he can call it that, Jensen is in there, bright red bloom of blood on his forehead from where his head has hit the windshield of the ship.

"Jensen," Jared mutters. "Shit, shit. What were you doing?" He tries to pry open the ship, but his fingers slip, and he finally has to find one of the places the plexi is cracked and hit it, throwing punch after punch until it finally breaks.

Hopefully no one will ask him what happened to his hand.

He gets Jensen out and drags him the only place he can think of, finds Jim asleep in front of the monitors. Jared has to wonder if he ever walks.

"Jim," he hisses insistently. "Jim!"

Jim stirs awake, looks singularly pissed until he spots Jensen, and then he looks up at Jared, shock in his eyes. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know!" says Jared. "I woke up, and there was smoke outside, and I saw his ship, and--"

Jim stands and kneels by Jensen, looking him over. He flips Jensen's arm, and there's a mark carved there, blood oozing out around the blinking light Jensen showed him before. Jim swears.

"What does that mean?" asks Jared.

"It means, he's an idiot. He went to go see the goddamn rebels."

"The rebels?"

"Miss Montana, she's the one you went up to meet your first day? She had a sister. A few years back, her sister decided she didn't like this, didn't want to be part of everything here. She took off with a few of her buddies. It was an open secret they were still on the planet, since they couldn't get off as long they still had their imbeds." Jim looks at Jared. "Me, I think they must have figured out a way around that by now, but they're still around, breaking people out. Jensen must have gone to them looking for help, and they decided he was a spy."

Jared swallows. "So--"

"So if we tell anyone what happened, they'll know he was sniffing around the rebels without permission."

"So, how do I save him?" Jared asks.

Jim sighs. "The rebels use a slow-acting poison. They must have left something with their demands--if we complete the demands, they'll send the antidote."

"But the demands will be for the Montana family," says Jared. "Shit." He cards his hand through his hair. "Where are the rebels?"

"How would I know? I don't know how Jensen found them."

Jared sighs. "I'll see if I can salvage his ship. Can you make sure nothing happens to him?"

"I can keep him safe and comfortable and patch up his head and arm," says Jim. "But I can't save him from this."

Jared nods. "I know. That's all I ask."

*

Luckily, years of being mostly broke and traveling with Chad, who has all the mechanical skill of a rock, have forced Jared to learn a good deal about ships, and it doesn't take long to figure out that the damage on Jensen's ship shouldn't keep it from flying. It won't be pleasant at high speeds with the hole in the plexi, and it'll be useless to go off planet, but the auto-pilot still works, and it will take Jared back to wherever Jensen was before.

He has no idea what he'll say to them, but that's to be dealt with later. If the rebels don't help him, they're pretty much all doomed anyway. He doesn't have another plan.

The trip across the planet is cold and miserable, and the ship still smells like Jensen's blood. It makes Jared want to cry. Jensen can't die. Jared has to rescue him.

The ship lands in what seems to be the middle of nowhere. Jared has no idea how Jensen got to this place, but he must have found something here. And Jared's going to find it too.

He gets out of the ship warily. In a way, it feels like he shouldn't be frightened at all; there's nothing as far as the eye can see, so anything that might attack him should be readily apparent. But it gives him the creeps. He's on the other side of the planet, and the clouds are covering the sky, so thick the sun can barely get through. It's cold, and dark, and empty, and if Jared can't find something out here, Jensen is going to die.

He almost wants to cry with relief when he gets out of the ship and finds that the terraforming hadn't come with wind, and he can clearly see footprints. A lot of footprints, like maybe Jensen got in a fight, and it took a few of them to take him down. Jared feels a little flare of pride.

The trail goes off into what looks like more of the same nothing, but not for very long. The tracks start in an arbitrary spot, as if the group had just dropped out of the sky. He guesses they could have. Which means that everything here, everything he's looking at, is useless. Jensen didn't find the rebel camp. They just came to him.

He kicks the ground in frustration. He doesn't know how slow the poison is, but he knows it's counting down, and he doesn't think he could live with Jensen dying to help him. He can't.

"Hands up, in the air," says someone, behind him. Jared obeys instantly, raising his hands over his head and feeling a rush of incredible relief. He should be frightened, but it's hard when there's a person, and he might actually get some answers. "Turn around."

Jared does, and there's a small group behind him, four people covered head-to-toe in black, all holding guns pointed right at him. He can't see their faces, or any details. He's a little amazed he can see them at all, with how dark it is.

"Montana seriously sent someone else?" one of them asks. "They're getting stupid. Or desperate."

"We haven't even done anything recently," another points out. "What do they have to be desperate about?"

"Montana didn't send me," says Jared. "And they didn't send Jensen."

"Right," says one of them, with a snort. "Mister Montana just decided to visit."

There's a pause as all four of them cock their heads to the side, probably hearing something on a comm, and then the leader looks back at Jared. "Okay," he says, with a jerk of his head, "come with us."

Jared bites his lip, considering for a moment, before he realizes he really doesn't have a choice. "Lead the way."

The leader pushes a button on the panel of his arm and part of the ground rises up.

Well, that explains why he didn't hear a ship drop them off, anyway.

Two of the rebels get behind him, and Jared feels the press of a gun against his back as they start herding him down into the tunnel. It's low, and dark, and Jared has to stoop to even make it in, but at least it's a start.

*

Jared is pushed and prodded down a winding path of tunnels, until finally he and the rebels come out in a large cavern. It looks mostly natural, which surprises Jared--he'd thought this would be just one more part of the terraforming, but if it's not, that explains why the Montanas haven't found it. Hyperion was never explored that extensively.

"Well, well, well," he hears, and turns to see a girl who looks exactly like the one who hired him. It's eerie. "So, you're Montana's new errand boy?"

"No," Jared says, insistent. "I'm not. I'm just another slave of theirs, and Jensen was trying to save me. He came to you to help me, and he doesn't deserve to die for that."

"That's a new shtick," says the girl. She stands and walks over to Jared. "Kevin, hold his arm out."

One of the guys behind Jared takes his arm, rolling up the sleeve to look at Jared's forearm.

"Nothing there, Miley," he says, and the girl leans over to take a look, and then looks back up at Jared, eyes drifting over the place on his chest where he's got the number.

"What do you do?" she asks, a little warily.

"I'm a smuggler," says Jared. "My buddy heard he could make some bucks at the casino here, but he didn't really get the full story, and he got thrown in the arena. And Jensen got me a job in the bathhouse so that I could get him out. He was looking for you to help us."

"Why would he want to do a thing like that?" Miley asks.

Jared wishes he knew. "He said I reminded him of someone," he says, Jensen's own excuse sounding weak to his ears. "And he clearly doesn't like what the Montanas are doing. But, honestly--I don't know. All I know is my friend is going to have to fight to the death in only a few days, and I can't do that without Jensen. And you poisoned him."

Miley clucks her tongue. "The Montanas don't know he came?"

"No."

"Where is he?"

"With his friend, the security guard."

Miley's eyes widen. "Jim?"

Jared wonders if he's made some horrible mistake in trusting Jim, and he's going to come back to find Jensen dead. "Yes," he tries, warily.

"He's legit," Miley says, to the guys behind her, and the gun stops pressing into Jared's back. She looks back at him. "Jim helped me escape when I was trying to get away," she says. "Either you're telling the truth, and I should help you, or you're lying, and I need to go kick some ass and save him."

"I'm not lying," says Jared. "I just want to save Jensen." He pauses. "And if you wanted to help me bust my friend out too, that would be great."

Miley looks at him for a minute, and then nods once. "Why don't you come with me and tell me what happened. One more time."

*

When Jensen had first mentioned the rebels creating a diversion, Jared assumed there would be some kind of explosion, some dramatic act to divert everyone's attention.

"No," Miley says, flatly. "You don't know Hannah."

"Hannah?"

"My sister. The one who hired you, probably. She won't kill me. She's convinced I'm misguided. Just get me back in that place with a bomb in my arm and I'll be all better."

That gives Jared pause. "You got the bomb out of your arm?"

Miley shrugs. "Not entirely. But we managed to neutralize them."

"Then, uh--no offense, but why are you still here?"

"Because I can do more good here than elsewhere. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be out there making a difference, but I'm an 18-year-old girl. Yeah, I'm damn smart, but no one knows that. They wouldn't believe a word I said."

"But you could neutralize someone else's bomb," says Jared, slowly.

"What'd you have in mind?"

"I want Jensen," he says. "I want to take him with me."

"You're going to steal a Montana?" asks Miley. "You got guts, I'll give you that."

"Can you do it?" Jared asks.

"I can give you the stuff for it," says Miley. She glances down at her arm band. "But you have to get back. You don't have much time before someone notices Jensen is gone, and we don't have much time to get set up to save your friend."

Jared stares. "We're doing it today?"

Miley gives him a condescending look. "Unless you had other plans," she says dryly.

"No!" says Jared, quickly. "No, I--so, you come into the arena, everyone gets distracted, I let all the prisoners out, me and Chad escape in the confusion, meet up with Jensen, and bust the hell out?"

"You forgot the part where my men will be helping you," says Miley. "No offense, but I don't know you, I have no idea if you're any use."

"I'm starting to think no," says Jared.

"Well, don't be so hard on yourself!" says Miley, cheerfully. "After all, you got Jensen Montana to melt. Now that is something to be proud of." One of the other rebels comes up behind her, handing over a device Jared doesn't recognize. "Excellent," says Miley, nodding. "Thanks, Nick." She gives it to Jared. "There."

"Is this part of the diversion?"

"You got all of the brawns and none of the brains, huh?" says Miley, shaking her head. Jared makes a face, and she laughs. "You use that, and it'll deactivate the bomb in Jensen's arm." She roots around in her pocket and gives him a small vial. "That's for the poison. He'll be groggy for a while, but if you go now, he should have time to recover and go get your ship." She nods. "We'll be there in two hours, just before nightfall. Think you can handle that?"

Jared smiles tightly. "I'm all over it."

"Great," says Miley. "Don't screw it up."

Jared doesn't feel completely comforted by that.

*

A few of the rebels patch up the ship enough that Jared doesn't have the wind blowing in his face as he speeds back to the resort. It's still day, sun high in the sky, and no one seems to have noticed Jensen isn't around. It's a lot of trust they place in him, Jared can't help thinking, and he's a little smug that Jensen takes such advantage of it. That he does.

The smugness fades entirely when he gets back to the security room. Jim is dozing, no surprise, and Jensen is on the ground, looking cold and almost dead on the floor, but Jared feels a faint pulse under his fingers.

He uncaps the antidote with surprisingly steady fingers and tips it into Jensen's mouth. The effect is almost instantaneous, Jensen's breathing becoming more even, some color returning to his face, and Jared wants to weep wit relief.

"Guess you found them," says Jim dryly.

"Yeah," says Jared. "We have an evil plan and everything."

"Great," says Jim. He leans down to look at Jensen. "He looks better," he says, with approval. "I was the one who recommended him to get adopted," he continues, fondly. "Not because I wanted him more involved, just wanted him taken care of. He was on the road to get promoted to head of Arena Security. Would've killed him."

Jared smiles. "Glad it didn't." He finds the device Miley gave him--it looks vaguely like a gun, but the barrel ends with a blunt end, no hole for a bullet. "You can use this to deactivate the bomb in his arm. I have to go get ready. Check the ship, load my things--is it dangerous if I leave Alona a note?"

"Not all by itself," says Jim. "Just be careful what you say." He regards Jared, looking a little bit impressed. "Anything else I need to do?"

"Send all your security to the arena when the rebels show up. Tell Jensen to get my ship ready. And pray."

Jim laughs. "Is that all?" he smiles, looking pleased. "Good luck, kid."

"Yeah," says Jared. "Thanks."

*

The rebels are only about ten people, Jared discovered--they've smuggled out various other people, more and less obviously, but the core group is small, and generally relies on the Montana's unwillingness to harm Miley. Jared thinks it seems--risky. But as he keeps reminding himself, he also doesn't know what else to do.

Four of them are going to the arena with Miley, to start making trouble, and the rest of them are with Jared, in the cells, ready to take out whatever guards remain and release the fighters.

"We can expect some resistance," one of the rebels, Selena, is explaining. "Some of the fighters don't want to be saved. They think if they catch one of us, they'll get a reward." She pauses. "Okay, so they're right. Anyway, don't worry about us. You get whoever you're getting, and get out."

"Why are you helping me like this?" asks Jared, a little warily. It's not that he minds--of course he doesn't mind, he's being helped--but he doesn't quite understand. He feels like he's benefitting from far too much kindness, given he's stuck on a corrupt planet ruled by a family of criminals.

"Miley thinks Montana can help us on the outside," says Selena, shrugging. "Getting him out to start working to bring the rest of his family down? That's important to her."

"Well," says Jared, "I'll do my best."

Selena gives him the kind of wary, unimpressed look that he's getting used to. It's pretty clear that she doesn't have a lot of respect for his best. Before she can say as much, her wristband beeps, and she nods. "That means we have one minute before Miley shows up in the arena. You get to your friend, you get out. You're at least big enough to be scary, maybe no one will figure out you're useless in a fight."

"I'm not--" Jared starts, but Selena shakes her head.

"No time for you to bitch at me. Get in position. You fail this, you, and your friend, and your uptight boyfriend are all gonna die. Got it?"

"Understood," says Jared, moving into position outside the door of the arena. They're carefully situated out of sight of the cameras, even thought they have nothing to worry about. It's plausible deniability for Jim, if anyone asks why he sent all his men to the arena instead of into the cells.

There's another beep from Selena's arm only seconds later, just as alarms start blaring, rousing anyone who was asleep and getting the night guards mobilized. Selena waits an agonizing five minutes before letting them charge into the cell area. Jared doesn't know why it was so important he be in position if he was just going to wait, but he doubts Selena would react well if he asked her about it.

The guards have all left the cell area, and Jared notices with some dread that some of the cells have been emptied too.

"It's fine," Selena calls to him. "They take the biggest, meanest ones to help with security in times of crisis. Just stick to the plan, idiot!"

Jared doesn't need to be told twice. He takes off down the hall, back to where Chad is. This time, he's awake, looking at the door, and the look he gives Jared is pure Chad--half what took you so long and half I am so done with this. Jared wants to hug him, but he can hear Selena in his head, telling him not to waste time. He swipes his barcode over the lock, watching the door slide open. Chad still can't talk, so Jared doesn't have to tell him to stay quiet, just jerks his head and gets him to follow.

Jared tosses the barcode to Selena when he sees her, and she gives him a nod and starts releasing the other fighters. It's clear this isn't new for them, and he's pretty sure he'd just get in the way if he tried to help.

"Jensen--that's--" he pauses, trying to figure out how to explain Jensen. "My friend," he finally settles on. "Jensen's going to get us out of here. We should still have enough fuel to get to Eos, and then we'll--well, first I'll kick your fucking ass for this whole thing, and then we'll figure out what the hell to do."

If Jensen isn't out here, with his ship, Jared is pretty much fucked. He doesn't have a back-up plan. If Jensen has been lying to him, or humoring him, or--what Jared is most afraid of--doesn't actually want to leave, then he's done. He could probably go with the rebels, but--he doesn't really want to get away. Not without Jensen.

He gets out and there's a heart-stopping moment of nothing--no Jensen, no ship, nothing but the clouds rolling in, and he thinks they're going to die here, after all that.

Then there's a whoosh of landing gear, and Jensen sticks his head out of the door of the ship. "You had like no fuel left," he says, giving Jared a gorgeous smile. "Seriously, worst escape plan ever."

Jared laughs, running over and sweeping Jensen up in a hug. "You're alive!"

"Not if we don't get out of here," says Jensen, but he gives Jared a squeeze of his own. "Of course I'm alive. You saved me."

Chad hits Jared in the arm, his expression half make out later, we have to go and half get this fucking thing off my neck so I can make fun of you.

Jared thinks he might just leave the collar. At least for now.

"Come on," he tells Jensen, grinning. "Let's get the hell out of here."

*

Jared claims he can't remove Chad's collar quite yet, and it's pretty clear Chad knows he's bullshitting, but he accepts it. Of course, he also clearly thinks Jared is going to go get laid, which might be part of it.

Jared would be lying if he said he wasn't hoping Chad was right.

"Hey," he says, giving Jensen a hesitant smile. "How are you feeling?"

Jensen smiles back, looking exhausted and a little overwhelmed. "I haven't been off Hyperion since I got there. And I'm not exploding. This is all pretty new."

"I probably should have told you I was planning to steal you," Jared admits. "Or asked."

Jensen shrugs. "The only reason I was still there was that I couldn't leave. Honestly, Jared, I wanted to leave."

"Do you have anywhere to go?" Jared asks, and Jensen looks kind of stricken.

"I, uh--no, I kind of thought, I'd--stay with you?" he asks, sounding unsure.

"Oh thank goodness," Jared blurts out. "I mean, uh--yes, you can stay. I just--there's not a lot--it's not a lot of fun."

"Yeah, because I'm leaving a real good time," Jensen says dryly. He looks up at Jared with a shy smile. "I, um. I wasn't totally honest about why I was helping you."

"My dashing good looks and charming personality?" Jared asks, a little hopefully.

Jensen laughs. "That too. But--you know how I said you reminded me of someone?"

"Yeah," says Jared warily.

"Well, I wasn't--I'm pretty sure I knew you," he says. "Back in the orphanage. You were on Ganymede, right?"

Jared blinks. "Um, yeah. But I don't--"

"I was still using my real name back then. Before I got adopted." He smiles shyly. "Ackles. You used to call me Jen."

Jared stares, and--wow. He was on Ganymede for two years, until he was ten, before he got shunted off to another facility, and he remembers the older boy who used to look out for him when the other kids bullied him. And--yeah, now that Jensen mentions it, it's there in the curve of his smile, the green of his eyes, the ridge of freckles on his nose.

"Oh," Jared breathes.

"Yeah," says Jensen. "I should have told you. I just--" he laughs a little. "I kind of looked out for you back then, I thought it would be creepy if I started hitting on you after that."

"You haven't really been hitting on me," says Jared, feeling a smile tugging on his lips.

"Yeah, well, then I realized it would be creepy to hit on you when I was your boss and trying to save you from my evil adoptive family, so--"

Jared leans over and kisses Jensen. "I totally had a little kid crush on you back then anyway," he says, smiling. "And I saved you from your evil adoptive family, so we're all set on that."

"And I can stay," says Jensen.

"And you can stay," Jared agrees. "But only if you promise to hit on me. Like, a lot."

Jensen laughs and leans in for another kiss. "Yeah. That can be arranged."