The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy



Jackson hesitates when he and Rafe turn the corner on the upper floor where the Captain's office is. He looks both ways, trying to decide which direction to go.

"What's wrong?" Rafe asks, turning towards him with a frown.

"I'm supposed to meet Hank this morning," Jackson murmurs, looking down the hall to where their normal meeting room is. "I know the Captain wants to meet with us, but...if Hank did come, it would be rude to just let him sit there."

Rafe smirks a little and nods to him. “It's fine - go let Hank know what's going on. But you know you don't have time for a full meeting with him, right?" "No, I get it," Jackson says, running a hand through his hair and starting off down the hall. "I'll just go apologize and say it will have to wait." "I'll stall the Captain," Rafe says, nodding seriously to his friend and starting down the hall to the office. "Come as soon as you can."

Jackson returns the nod and exhales, long and slow, before striding down the hall towards the usual door. When he turns the handle and pushes it open, he's not surprised to see the smaller man sitting in his chair, his laptop open before him, waiting.

"McClintock," Hank says, nodding towards the chair. "Nice to see you today."

"I'm afraid I can't stay long, sir," Jackson says, quietly closing the door behind him and moving to the chair, taking his seat. "We've had some news." "No worries, you're not breaking any secrecy pacts," Hank says, looking seriously at the young man before him. “The Captain told me this morning that my visit today is a bit of a wasted effort. Thank you for taking a moment to stop by, though."

"I'm sorry," Jackson says seriously, "I wouldn't have wanted you to waste your time like this."

“It's all right,” Hank says with a shrug, nodding towards the computer. "I've got enough here to keep me busy. All that's lost is a couple of wasted hours on a helicopter, which isn't a big deal, all things considered. I'll get a nap in on the way back."

Jackson opens his mouth to ask if there's anything that Hank needs to know in the meantime, but then he pauses, his eyes falling to the floor. "What is it, kid?" Hank asks, gentler than usual.

Jackson takes a moment, staring hard at the floor, before raising his eyes to the doctor's.

"I've been giving you as much information as I can, sir,” he says quietly. "But do you have...other sources as well? Information about...inside?"

Hank turns his head, curious now,

because so far Jackson has basically interacted with him as a kind of incomplete encyclopedia on Community knowledge. Jackson answers every question that Hank asks as best he can, with complete clarity, but rarely - if ever shows any emotion about the answers or asks for anything in return.

At the heart of it, Hank knows, is Ariel: that Jackson is answering the questions because Ariel would want him to, because it helps her people, a group which includes the Community as far as she and the Sinclair family are concerned.

But this? The way the boy is hesitating today, asking for news?

Today, it's something else.noveldrama

"I have people working in the North," Hank says, perfectly transparent. "The Community itself has been hard to breach but we've had some short success. We have more information than we had at

vel.n

Midwinter, but what we have is incomplete. Why?" He turns his head, watching Jackson carefully for his reaction. "What do you want to know?"

Jackson pauses again, clearly at war with himself.

"It's all right, Jacks," Hank murmurs, deliberately calling the boy by Ariel's pet name, leaning forward and stretching an inviting hand across the table. "You're...allowed to ask."

The boy sighs and doesn't look up. "Do you have...names?" he asks, almost in a whisper. “A census, or anything of sort? Of who's in there, who's alive?"