Victor sat and watched the screen as it hissed and cackled. His father, a robust man with an angular face, wore a sour expression on the other end. He looked older than when Victor had last seen him.

"Victor. What did I tell you before you left Aurora?"

Victor was silent. He knew well that his father needed no responses to have a conversation.

"I gave you simple instructions. Pass your exams and come home a winner. Someone worthy of the Vance name. Like your brother, for example."

Victor forced himself to continue looking at the screen. If he looked away he knew his father would accuse him of being a coward. His fingers dug into his knees as he sat and took the torrent of his father's rebuke.

"I should have had you forcibly enhanced. You'd have been less human, but at least you'd be more useful. Do you know why I am so mad?"

Victor shook his head. He didn't really think it mattered. What influence did his father have over a secret military station while he was an unfathomable distance away? And Victor certainly had no intention of returning to Aurora, though he missed his homeworld dearly. The only reason he came to the ansible when his father called was because he didn't want a drop in his Social score. And there was always the chance that he could be forcibly sent back. Strategically, grinning and bearing it was the best way to go at the moment.

"I'm mad because I had to give you special treatment. I received notice the other day that you were to be put in hyperbolic suspension. Through some political sacrifice I was able to avoid this."

The news hit Victor like a dagger. The only reason he had escaped and Alex hadn't was because he was from the E socio-economic class of planet Aurora and his father had connections. He'd been saved by the person, by the family name, that he had grown to hate so much. His father nodded, satisfied with Victor's reaction, though Victor doubted he knew what was really being thought.

"That's right. You've embarrassed yourself by depending on the help of others. You're a Vance. Act like it. The next time I hear about you infringing on forbidden ground I'll have you sent back in hyperbolic suspension myself."

The ansible turner dark.

The conversation with his father made Victor think twice about going to meet Najar. He eventually decided to go, anyway. If unknowingly walking onto forbidden ground got him into so much trouble then nothing would save him now that he had taken the cube. He might as well go through with it. If he was walking onto forbidden ground, he might as well do so intentionally this time.

The Information Room still had a few people milling about when Victor arrived. Among them was Lucas and group of other students that Victor recognized as some of Alex's other friends. They seemed to be deeply involved in a conversation and Victor took advantage of this to get to Information Room 5 unnoticed.

Inside, he saw the red light that indicated an active panel blinking. Victor hoped Najar was able to do something with the encrypted file and the data within. If he was smart enough to make contact with this side unnoticed then surely he could unlock an encryption done by a student. He took the holo panel out of idle mode with a wave of his hand and read the text box:

Are you there?

He summoned the keyboard:

Yeah. Sorry I'm late. But I got my hands on something.

?

It's a data cube from the Reactor Club room. Should I send the information to you through this terminal?

NO!

Victor was a little put off by the response. After all, they'd been able to talk securely through the same room. Najar's explanation came moments later:

This is a simple unencrypted text conversation. It's easy enough to go piggy back it on the A.I.'s monitor network. A file of that size and, I'm guessing, encryption level will be marked with a red flag by the A.I. You'd have to decrypt it on your side and send it in small chunks. Isn't there anyone on your side that can do it?

Victor thought for a moment. Did he know anyone in the System Club? Not well enough to put them in danger, he didn't. Anyone who looked at that cube was as good as frozen if they were discovered.

I'd prefer not to drag others into it. You and I are already in it. We should both be trying, anyway. In case one of us is caught.

Agreed. Get it finished as quickly as possible.

The text box shut off.

On his way back to the dorms, Victor began to wonder if he shouldn't just ignore the whole thing. It wasn't like Alex was dead. He was in hyperbolic suspension. And it wasn't like anything Victor did would change that. Maybe the logical thing to do was destroy the cube, keep his head low, and graduate - though no one on board knew exactly what 'graduating' entailed other than a match with the other side of the station.

But there was a foreboding feeling in the pit of Victor's stomach that spurred him on. Something wasn't right with the station. Something huge that the adults were hiding from them. Victor couldn't shake the feeling that he and everyone on board the station were in some sort of life or death situation that they didn't understand. A rumble shook the station, as if agreeing with his thoughts.

"Hey Vance, how about a rematch buddy?"

Roger Nettleton was standing in front of him with his arms crossed. T.J. Pinbrick was standing next to him. Victor smiled. There were two drones in the hall facing in their direction.

"No thanks," Victor said simply. But when he tried to walk around the pair they blocked his path.

"Woah there buddy," T.J. said.

Victor actually laughed. He considered pulling the same thing he had done to Dixon. While his Social score was hardly the top of his class, it was sure to be better than theirs. A fight out in the open had a pretty good chance of putting at least one of them in the box. Despite everything, however, Victor decided against it. He had done what he had done to Dixon because he feared for his own life and that of his friends.

"Listen guys. Do you really want to end up like Dixon?"

Roger and T.J. just laughed. What was going on? Any mention of Dixon by Victor usually destroyed his mood.

"He still doesn't realize, does he?" T.J. said.

"I guess not. Just goes to show you: Mental scores aren't everything."

What the hell was Roger talking about?

"Guys, if you don't back off --"

Victor felt a hard fist in his stomach before he could finish his sentence. Roger caught him after the punch as he doubled over.

"Take it easy little fella. We're gonna go for another little walk outside."

The punch had stunned him totally. Roger was among the highest Physical scores on the station. Victor waited for the drones to intercede, but each one continued it's course down the hall as if nothing was happening. The hall was otherwise empty. There was no one to help Victor as he was carried over Roger's shoulder toward the airlock. He realized that if he struggled and they killed him, they wouldn't even be put on ice. Was this how Dixon had gotten away with it?

They neared the airlock and Victor realized he was going to have to make a choice. Play along and race Roger once again, or fight back. He took deep breaths as his stomach recovered from the sucker punch, and waited for his chance.