No Second Chances (Remus)_The Hidden

"Stata, slow down," I call after her as she storms down the hallway towards Vulcan's airlock. I can catch up with her easily, but I choose not to use that speed. Part of being an elder is projecting a calm demeanor so others don't panic. If I run after a storming dragon in an apparent panic, then the people who are already on edge in this hall will panic as well.

So instead, I walk calmly down the hall, greeting everyone that I pass. It isn't las if Stata can actually get away. I know where she is going and she is unlikely to start without me. Sure enough, she is pacing the middle of the hall when I round the corner. I walk up to where she is pacing, and then I wait. She will start this conversation. One we have had a thousand times on the merits of giving people second chances.

She is a firm believer in second chances. I'm a firm believer in killing people after the first betrayal. The only reason Vulcan is still alive is because we haven't had time for a trial yet. I have every intention of killing him before we begin the evacuations.

He doesn't deserve to be saved, he deserves retribution for all those he has hurt and killed. Cory, the only other dragon who knew what Vulcan had done, is currently on the run. He won't even be brought in. The team I have after him are under orders to decapitate him, destroy the body, and bring me the head.

There are no second chances.

Sure enough, it is only a few more minutes before she rounds on me. "He did what he did to save the dragons. My people. His betrayal was a failure of imagination. He deserves a second chance."

"Loki, the master of double speak, codes, and lies; literally stayed with him for two days after he had already betrayed everyone. Are you telling me, Vulcan, an elder who is almost five thousand years old, couldn't figure out how to pass a note to someone who always looks for codes naturally? Especially when we have procedures in place and code phrases for this exact kind of scenario? Codes that he knew Loki knew?"

Stata looks like she's been slapped. Her mouth opens and closes a number of times as she looks for a thread to prove this wasn't as malicious as it seems. Wasn't as deep of a betrayal. I can see in her eyes she is coming up with nothing.

"And, are you saying, that in the months that he has betrayed us, there was no way he could have told you? After the humans found out, he made no moves to limit your race's exposure. He made no attempts to contact anyone."

"He never would have betrayed us if the humans hadn't found us first." Her argument rings hollow, even to her own ears.

"So he's an opportunist. That is almost worse, don't you think? He didn't betray us because of some conviction or fundamental difference, he betrayed us because he couldn't think of a reason not to, and the opportunity was too easy to pass up. What does that say about his character? And what he said last time, is he really an opportunist, or did he believe humans don't deserve a chance and decided to prove it to us this way."

"Shouldn't we find out. He did confess everything."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"He confessed after he was already caught. He also knew we had all the footage of his betrayal and his written confession matches the tapes exactly. He gave us nothing that we didn't already know, which could be a red herring. You are aware of espionage tactics, tell me this doesn't reek of espionage. He could be working for anyone."

"You think he might be working as a sleeper for Ra?"

"It doesn't matter what I think, just like it doesn't matter what his motives are. The only thing that matters is his actions. And his actions have caused the confirmed deaths of at least 18 people as of this morning."

She finally deflates. As often as we have had this argument, it always ends the same way: she interrogates the prisoner to find out their motives and any more information they may have, and I kill them so they can't betray us again. I don't doubt this time will follow the same pattern. It doesn't matter that the prisoner is an elder who, until a few days ago, was one of our most respected leaders.

She turns from me and stalks to the end of the hall where the airlock actually is, and punches the button that allows us to communicate with Vulcan in the airlock. He looks even worse than the last time we saw him, and I find myself wondering if anyone brought him any food. He doesn't even stand when the glass clears on his side. He just looks up and sends us a glare that looks more pathetic than scary, especially with the way his breaths come out in short pants as the oxygen in the airlock is only enough to keep him from entirely suffocating.

"What do you want?" He says slowly, panting between each word.

"Do you have a way of communicating with Ra?" Stata asks a question I did not think we were going to even broach.

"What if I did?"

"When's the last time you communicated with Ra?"

He smiles, a cruel smile. "Humanity was never going to grow up. They never deserved to, that's why I stayed behind. To ensure their failure."

"When's the last time you communicated with Ra?"

"I'm surprised you figured it out. Was it Loki? I've always had to be careful around him. I think he suspects me of burning down the library of Alexandria."

"Did you?"

"Of course, those fucking apes were about to figure out how to get along. Burning the library set them back a thousand years."