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The Sixth Line of Defense

Book One of the Forgotten Children Series

By Shiva Winters

Copyright 2012 Shiva Winters

Smashwords Edition

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This book is licensed for personal enjoyment only. This book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this e-book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, please return to Smashwords and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author and the dedication of the Smashwords staff.
Chapter One: Cloudy Skies

It was a fairly typical classroom, at a fairly typical high school, and it was fairly typical day at a place that could be considered to be a common every day sight. Set in the middle of the dense urban tangle of buildings, store fronts, and slums. It was not a very nice neighborhood, filled with gangs, prostitutes, drug dealers, junkies and users. Ninety-nine percent of the homes, apartments, and buildings had once been or soon would be the scene of a crime, murder, robbery, or sexual assault. It was the heart of a culture of self destruction, violence, and death, and it was fully and completely reflected in the high school and the young adults that had grown up in those very same neighborhoods. And it seemed that they were more than ready to pick up and carry that legacy of pain into the next stage of an endless cycle violence. In terms of the school, she could be all but certain that there were prisons with a less stringent security systems. With weapons detectors on every door, bullet-proof glass in all the windows, a minimum of three cameras in every classrooms, guards patrolling the halls in full riot gear, and bathrooms that wouldn't let more than one person in at a time. She couldn't be sure, but she had a strong suspicion that most of the teachers came to school armed and some few wore bulletproof armor openly. It almost seemed like that school existed solely to prepare its' students for their future roles filling the cells and yards of the world's prisons.

At the approach of four such prime examples of future inmates, Shiva barely needed to look up to know that trouble was shifting in her direction and that she would most likely be in more trouble in the very near future. The class had already ended and the teachers would never put themselves at risk by doing something so stupid as lingering nearby to try enforcing discipline unless they had armored troops to back them up. Most of her classmates had either already escaped out into the halls or were hurrying away before they might get caught up in the trouble that was brewing around her. Shiva, of course, recognized these four in so much as she usually made an effort to know who would possibly cause her trouble in the series of steadily worsening situations that she had found herself enduring during the last two years. In a school filled with future criminals, Uru was in the running to be valedictorian of the class. The leader of one of the local gangs and a vicious individual by most accounts, only the fact that he was not yet 18 had kept the courts from letting him graduate to become someone's 'girlfriend' in a big boy prison. The fact that he was said to have left a trail of bodies along his path to glory and fame didn't seem to give him the confidence he needed to confront even one girl half his size, all by himself. The fact that their were four of them was honestly of little concern to Shiva, in truth she didn't even care enough to pretend that she noticed that she was being surrounded by the much larger boys.

"Hey!" Shiva looked on with supreme unconcern as Uru swept his arm across the desk and sent her school books and notepads spilling across on the floor. "Listen here new girl!" He barked as the room quickly and quietly emptied of the last people still lingering near the fringes. "This is how it works, you live on my turf, you gotta pay me for my protection one way.." He leered at her and his cronies gave a cruel set of laughter while Shiva picked up those items that she could reach without having to move closer to anyone of them. Uru slammed his palm down on top of the partially reassembled stack pinning to the books to the top of the desk. ".. or another." He finished much to the delight of the other insects that looked to him for leadership. "Otherwise you don't get to see the next morning, do you get me new girl?"

"I hate to burst your bubbles, boys, but I'm no one's pet." Shiva murmured back to him able to see that once again she was going to be given only two choices, to either defend herself or to roll over and let bad things happen to her. Uru's hand came up and began the long sharp motion of a back handed slap, and Shiva watched it coming and wished just once that every school experience wasn't nearly the same as this one. She wished that just once she would be allowed to live peacefully and quietly through the days, and that she would not have to be surrounded by the stupid and the violent. In some part of her mind she wondered if the human race was even capable of anything else. The blow landed across the right side of her face, blurring her vision for just a moment as an easily ignored pain blossomed across her sharp senses. Uru seemed quite pleased with himself as he saw the results of his many ringed fingers making contact with her face, but as Shiva's eyes came up he knew all at once that he had just made a mistake that he would regret in the very near future.

Shiva's movement was far faster, and many times more accurate, aimed for the soft spot of Uru's throat just above the place where his collar bones met. Almost wishing she could use the kind of force she knew herself to be capable of, she nevertheless held back and used just enough force to produce the desired effects without crushing his wind pipe and sentencing him to a well deserved slow choking death. Barely able to lift his arms with two shattered collar bones Uru nonetheless tried to clutch at his throat as his throat muscles were temporarily paralyzed by the blow and he slowly began to asphyxiate and stumble backwards out of the fight. It took the other three teen criminals a total of 30 seconds to realize that she had done something to put their boss out of commission before they were turning on her as a group. The first to react was the boy that was behind her and to the left, with the odds three to one, Shiva decided that punch he aimed at the back of her head was well deserving of a little education. The fingers of her left hand snatched up the thick math book on the top of the stack, spun and planted the spine of the book across the right cheek of the much larger boy's face. The sound of breaking bone and shattering teeth accompanied the softer sounds of the crony being spun violently away to strike a nearby desk on his way to the floor.

The second one attacked and Shiva easily dodged his slow moving punch, even as her right hand came up and around to slam into the point where they boys shoulder connected to his left arm dislodging the joint in a flash of pain as the arm all at once went limp. She took him out of the picture with a vicious stomp to the arch of his right foot that broke bones and quickly had him collapsing to the floor. That movement spun her around to the last boy even as he lunged forward to attack her from behind, with none of his friends able to back him up, Shiva caught his fist and clamped down hard. The sound of cracking bones changed his angry scream into one of pure pain as his eyes glazed over as his knees gave out. As his arm went limp, Shiva slammed his hand backwards planting the back of his wrist into his own face breaking his nose and splitting his lips before his eyes rolled back and his body went limp. Satisfied that she had made her point she gathered her remaining books even as she saw and heard the alarms sounding through the classroom and parts beyond. Shiva was calmly returning her things to her bag when the riot police burst into the room aiming their stun rifles at anyone inside. One was even bold enough to stick his weapon right up in her face as they screamed for her to get on the ground, at least until Shiva's eyes flashed upward to meet his. Whatever it was he saw in her gaze was more than enough to make him step backwards in fear.

Within the hour Shiva was installed in the waiting area of the Principle's office under the careful watch of one of the security guards and under the fearful eyes of the office staff. Amused and annoyed, Shiva sat there silently throughout much of the remaining school day, quietly doing her homework and waiting to be summoned forth so she could be yelled at for the damage she had done to the local gang members. As the hours ticked past more than a dozen other groups of trouble makers were escorted inside and shown into the inner sanctum, leaving her outside and waiting. It was almost amusing to her that they might be attempting to punish her with boredom as the final bells rang and the school quickly emptied of students. This thought held her quiet for the next hour before the outer door opened and three pairs of highly polished shoes stepped into the room, now knowing what she had been waiting for, that amusement went cold and a high level of resentment and anger replaced it.

"Well, well, well.." That cool condescending drawl came a voice that was guaranteed to ruin any good feelings she might have had the moment that it touched the air, and was accompanied by the sharp strike of his heels as one pair of polished shoes cracked across the floor in slow unhurried steps that brought him across the space to tower above her. "This is a record even for you Shiva, you've been here only a month and they are already talking expulsion." His snide expression fixed upon his overly handsome face ducked down into view as he hunkered down in front of her far too close for her own personal comfort.

"They attacked me first." Shiva hissed at him, already feeling ready to do even worse damage than she already had. As if that was somehow amusing to him here words added a smug sense of self satisfaction to his already pompous face.

"What are we going to do with you?" He sneered back to her, insuring that Shiva would simply no longer care who might overhear their soft conversation.

"Why don't you try sticking me back in a freeze for another 100 years?" She hissed back at him as her anger released her tongue from the reins that would have normally kept it in check. His own anger rolled up to the surface of his face well aware that there were many now watching this little scene quite closely. His arm surged forward to grab at her arm angrily, but Shiva was not in any mood to humor him that day. With a movement far faster than his own, her arm surged upward and her much smaller hand viciously grabbed two of the reaching fingers twisting them almost to the point were the bones would snap under the pressure if given just a little more of a twist. "You forget yourself too easily Hornton.." She growled at him in low dangerous tones as his eyes widened in pain and surprise. ".. maybe I should break two of them this time so you don't forget the rules so quickly in the future." To his credit he made neither a pained sound, a protest, or movement to free himself from her painfully sharp grip.

"Keep this up and they won't have any other choices but to shove you into that freezer once and for all." He hissed back at her angrily, but after two years of being put into the same bad situations over and over again that hardly amounted to much of a threat in her eyes.

"They assaulted me first." Shiva reiterated before shoving his hand away, bruised but otherwise undamaged. He backed away as Shiva shoved angrily out of her seat and crossed the floor towards the outer door of the office.

"I am not done with you yet, young lady." The Principle barked somehow certain that he still had some kind of authority over her as her hand clamped down around the handle.

"Yes, you are." Shiva snapped back at him as she shoved out into the hallway.

"Watch her, Ceasa." Hornton snapped just before the door slammed closed. More angry in that moment than she had been back in the classroom, Shiva's quick steps carried her through the now silent hallways almost too quickly for the one assigned to watch her to follow. She practically lunged outside onto what was laughingly called the 'garden' at the side of the school. It more or less amounted to a swath of concrete walkways scattered with litter and cigarette butts overshadowed by sickly looking trees with tufts of grass growing everywhere except where it supposed to be growing. With a temper that was surging dangerously and a landscape as bleak as just about any other she had seen in the last two years, Shiva dropped down onto a half broken bench with a frustrated noise. In her background the man dressed in a business suit conducted a quiet conversation on his cell phone that was too quiet for her to overhear at a distance.

* * *

Lieutenant Hornton was almost surprised to leave behind the Principle's office and find Shiva still waiting around out in the unappealing landscape set to one side of the school. She must have known by that point that she was fast approaching that time when another black mark would be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. In many ways he almost felt as if it might be better for her if she was indeed removed from this existence like a package marked 'return to sender'. It might somehow be considered a blessing as much for him as it might be for her. He knew without question that she was repeatedly getting a raw deal even as his command shrank day by day as it was undermined and under funded right to the edge of extinction. It was not a new thought that occurred to him that day as he stepped outside with an angry voice barking in his ear. Ceasa almost stood at ease as he watched the silent angry figure as she sat close by staring out across the bleak sight of the open patio and the city scape beyond. There had in fact been many days when he had thought that he and his command were being set up for some sort of spectacular failure, and this day in particular this fact seemed all too glaringly obvious.

On any other day he might have been convinced that the fault of this was resting squarely on Shiva's small shoulders, as if she had consciously been trying to sabotage him right from the start. On any other day he might have resented being summoned away from the base and sent across a few hundred miles to deal with yet another incident involving that contrary, angry, and mean-spirited young woman. Far too many times he had received calls to do that very thing disturbing what was supposed to be a quiet existence pushing papers across a desk. But on that day he had seen something that had made him question every other time that summons had come, made him wonder if he hadn't really been seeing what was happening.

"No, sir." Hornton murmured back across the phone to a question he had barely heard. "I have it on good authority that four boys involved were members of a local gang." When he looked back at the formidable shadowy figure at his back, Gregor nodded reasserting his opinion once more. When Shiva had been placed at this school, he hadn't been aware that his second in command had lived in this area through his childhood, and the tattoos they had booth seen on the security tapes had provided enough evidence for his second in command to to recognize the symbols and problems of his youth.

"Did the Principle confirm this?" The Colonel demanded in annoyed tones. In truth the Principle had vehemently denied this fact, but their had been fear in his eyes when he had done so as if he was trying to cover up those facts. It would not have been unprecedented in that day in age for the authority figures of some schools to court allies from the criminal elements inside their domains.

"Not in so many words, sir." Hornton stated diplomatically, far more inclined to trust the large dark skinned male in his background that the recriminations of a scared little white man eager to side with four dangerous individuals over one small girl. "There were four of them sir, all of them twice her size. It seemed self-evident that she used only the force necessary to subdue them. She would have had plenty of time to kill all of them before the school's security forces arrived if that had been her intent."

"And what about this report that she made threatening gestures towards you?" This time Hornton found himself glaring over at Ceasa who was the only one who would have had time to speak with anyone since their arrival. The much younger man had the good sense to look extremely guilty under that gaze.

"That was a misunderstanding, sir. I forgot Shiva's rules and she was subtly reminding me of them." Hornton stated calmly while inside his mind he was already devising terrible punishments for a certain junior officer under his command.

"And what was the school's decision." The Colonel demanded, clearly upset that Hornton choose not to back up the accusations.

"She was expelled, and before you ask, I do not believe that it was by any means warranted, sir." Hornton had to work hard to keep that 'sir' polite and feeling almost ready to pull a page out of Shiva's book and making that word an insult. "I believe our best course would to be remove her from the city and find a better place for her to start over."

"Oh.. really.." The man on the other end drawled back to him, clearly thinking that Hornton was somehow overstepping his authority in that statement. "Fine then.." This was growled across the distance, as if he couldn't quite bring himself to render the decision he truly wanted to make without Hornton to back him up. "I will leave her resettlement in your hands, but this time its' your head on the chopping block Lieutenant. Another incident like this one and we shove her back in Anslaw and you will be up in front of board of inquiry soon after."

"Yes, sir, I understand, sir." This time he couldn't quite keep back the burning dislike from shifting those words into something less than respectful and ended the call before he could get called on the implied insult. With his temper nearing its' limit, Hornton practically slammed the phone closed and tossed it back to Gregor before he was tempted to slam it on the ground in front of him. Ceasa almost seemed to back up a step as Hornton turned his eyes on him, and he tried very hard to keep his tone even and light as he spoke the words that followed, lest Shiva see some kind of weakness and become even more uncontrollable than she already was at times. "You do not report an incident until I do, is that understood?"

"Yes, sir." Ceasa muttered back to him. Gregor made a soft sound of annoyed agreement, a hint of a reprimand for his own junior officer. Hornton turned away and forced a calming breath through his lungs as he moved towards the small still angry figure in the distance.

"Let's review, shall we?" Hornton murmured as he lowered himself down onto the bench. Shiva almost growled as she shoved herself away to the far end of the bench absolutely refusing to let him get close. If it had been anyone else he would have thought that this was a curious gesture of defiance, but for her it was just the sort of reaction he had come to expect.

"Save it." She hissed back at him, her expression was angry, her small body was tense and she clearly thought that her very limited amount of freedom was coming to an end. Hornton wished deep down in that moment that he could return to the past and start over with her. A long silence stretched out between them as he again thought about all the other times when he had been summoned away to deal with this small figure. After some time that head turned away from the distance and those sharp silver eyes shifted to look at him as if wondering if she had finally managed to break his stone like exterior.

"Let me show you something.." He murmured out of instinct deciding right then and there that anything that might break the repeating patterns of these reoccurring encounters was worth any price. As he slid closer she almost moved to draw further away until her eyes caught the movement that drew up the sleeve covering his right forearm revealing the bar coded tattoo that had marked his skin for a very long time. Her eyes crossed it almost out of instinct and that sharp gaze seemed almost to soften by an imperceptible amount in the seconds that followed.

"Series 3.." She whispered across the short distance, almost as if she didn't quite believe what she was seeing.

"Yes." Hornton agreed watching her closely as he drew the sleeve back down to hide that marking. "This time we are going to try things a little differently, all right?"

"What do you mean?" She asked with deeply entrenched mistrust as she shifted to the extreme end of the bench to avoid sitting directly next to him.

"I've been put in charge of finding your new school, this time.." He told her, no longer trying to decrease the distance between them. "I am as tired of giving you lectures as you are tired of hearing them. If I told them how you were really behaving, I don't think I would have to tell you what would happen to you." Her eyes narrowed knowing exactly what he meant by those words.

"You'd have to take me down first." She whispered with the dark words of a very real threat. In truth, hearing that was easily enough to make him smile. Her unrestrained honesty had become something of a hallmark to him since he had taken command over the rapidly shrinking group, and it served to remind him of just when things seemed to have made their turn for the worst.

"I have always admired that brutal honesty Shiva." Her eyes again snapped up to his as if that was the last thing she had expected to hear from him was something even vaguely complimentary. "In truth, it is quite refreshing considering the others that I have to deal with on a daily basis. And I believe I have always known what would be the result if that day actually came." Her surprised expression was one he had never really seen from her before, and for a moment he almost let himself believe that he had managed to find a chink her thick emotional armor. "Tell me, did you encourage those bullies in any way?" Her expression quickly hardened once again.

"If I was going to encourage them I would have done it out past the parking deck." She hissed back at him as her eyes snapped back to the distant scene.

"Off.. of school grounds." He murmured back to her, there was a cold humorless smile at that.

"I'm not stupid." She growled back at him as her bad mood seemed to return in that moment.

"No, you're not." Her shoulders jerked with surprise and she almost turned to meet his gaze once again, and deciding to drive his point in a little deeper he continued. "Do you think I have been misjudging you all this time?" This time her true emotions rushed up to the surface as she snapped around with a look of unrestrained surprise, she corrected that expression within a heartbeat and looked away just as quickly.

"I make a point of never correcting someone when they are right." She growled back at him not exactly answering his question, but not about to deny him either. He felt almost encouraged by her deeply ingrained adversarial attitude and nodded as his thoughts turned towards what exactly he needed to do next.

"Let's go get your personal belongings, before they start locking up the doors." As if eager to get away from him and still more than a little angry, she thrust up to her feet and moved towards the doors that would take them inside. Almost like a child on the cusp of a temper tantrum, she stomped her way through the silent halls and past the great many lockers that surrounded her own. With an evil little smile and a glance that could almost be described as defiance as she reached the locker she had been assigned the door was ripped from its' hinges. Extracting the lock forcibly from the frame and sending that crumbled mass of steel flying across the hallway to dent the lockers on the far side. It would have taken very sharp eyes to note that as the framework of the locker door dented outwards and the door was thrown away her fingers never actually touched it. She sorted out her things in silence leaving behind her textbooks and gathering what little personal items and notepads that were contained in the interior. As she moved to leave a group of armed security guards came rushing down from a side hallway.

"And that is what she could have done to those boys." Gregor rumbled across the distance as the three of them passed by the stunned looking men, and Hornton caught the tiny fringe of Shiva's backwards glance that could almost be seen as moment of gratitude as just a touch of the tension in her body seemed to leave her.

"Ceasa, return to the base, I might need you there in a few hours." Hornton murmured as they left the scene behind and moved towards the front entrance of the school in Shiva's wake. Still more than a little annoyed with the Private's well intentioned betrayal, Hornton knew without question that his continued presence would only encourage Shiva's darker instincts if he stayed. Realizing that he was in no position to complain, the younger man ran off ahead giving Shiva a wide berth as he passed out ahead of her. "Shiva you will not break anything when we leave this school, is that understood?" Knowing this would perhaps only encourage her into further destruction, Hornton decided that he was just angry enough to offer her a more cathartic action if it would make the next hours easier on all of them.

"Stop right there!!" Perhaps only too unwisely the Principle was there in the lobby of the school when they arrived. He came prepared for a confrontation as there were at least 20 armed men standing behind and to either side of him. As ill advised as it was to even think of confronting Shiva, it was even less intelligent to bring armed men into the conflict. Additionally, the Principle could not have picked a worse place in that building to choose to have his showdown. With dozens of bullet proof glass display cases packed full of generations worth of achievements and trophies he could not have picked a more 'target rich' environment for her if he had seriously tried to do the dumbest thing possible. "We aren't done with this matter and I am not going to let.."

"I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!!!" Shiva screamed twice as loud as him and with a force that nearly drove the frightened security guards back towards their hiding places. As her voice snapped across the room every cases inside the sizable space went from clear to opaque as the impact resistant glass shattered into crazed mosaics. The sound of that much breaking glass in one enclosed space was quite something to hear first hard as it echoed like the sudden crack of thunder throughout the halls of the school. "How dare you.." Shiva's low voice growled in that shocked silence that followed and instant before all that cracked glass literally exploded outward filling that large space with fast moving cloud of glass shards that obscured the view between their two parties. As that cloud fell away to cover the tiled floor with a wash of sparkling shimmering iridescent shards Shiva finished her rather bold 'statement' in an even more spectacular fashion as all the previously untouched trophies lunged up from the open cases and were fired with tremendous force out through the bullet proof wall of glass that made up the front entrance to the school, shattering all the windows and sending another cloud of shards out across the sidewalks and steps outside.

"I understand, Lieutenant." Shiva growled back to him as more of her inner tension seemed to flow out of her as she began to walk with slow silent steps through the sea of broken glass now spread in every direction. One of the armed men jerked his weapon in her direction as she moved towards the shattered doorways and Shiva's head snapped around towards that half seen movement. With another sharp snap the mens' stun rifles exploded into a cloud of parts, disassembled all at once and in a heart bit before the now useless pieces fell harmlessly to the floor around them. Shiva almost seemed to giggle as she jumped through the broken frame of an empty window at the last second before reaching the nearest doorway.

"Come along Shiva." Gregor rumbled in a low soft voice as he started moving while Shiva shifted about as if unaware of anything being wrong as she picked her way through the broken glass and scattered trophies. She stopped for just a heartbeat to scoop up one of the scattered statues, from the distance Hornton could just make out her name carved in the stone base while the metal plaque told of her accomplishment of achieving the highest honors in the freshman entrance exams. As Hornton moved to follow in Gregor's wake and leave the school under the stunned statue like gazes of Principle and his men. As Gregor stepped past her, Shiva crushed the stone base of the trophy into a sprinkling of dust leaving behind only the beautiful statue that had once been at it's peak before following along in his wake. Hornton was well aware that this incident was mild compared to the level of destruction Shiva could produce but was pleased enough that both of them had been given some measure of revenge as he followed a much calmer young woman down the stairs and towards their waiting car.

"You'll hear from me when I start making my arrangements." Hornton called over to a stunned motionless Ceasa nearby as Shiva climbed into the back of the car without being told where to sit. He received an acknowledgment and a salute as Hornton moved towards the open rear door where Shiva had entered.

"Feel better?" He asked her as he interposed himself in the open doorway while Shiva settled there with the golden statue almost posed in her lap, smiling with deeply satisfied amusement.

"A little.." She mumbled, trying hard to not look pleased by the wake of her destruction.

"Good, because this is going to be a long trip." He stated back to her as he closed the door and was a bit surprised to look down and find her smiling up at him through the window. Gregor was already starting the car as Hornton slid into the front seat and with Shiva glaring out the window they pulled away. Behind them he was pleased to see a taxi arrive to take Ceasa away from any confrontation that might follow from the security forces of the school.

* * *

Despite that satisfied smile he had given her, Shiva had expected to get reprimanded the moment that the car had left the school behind. She had all but expected some sort of confrontation during the ride through the tiny trash covered streets. She had expected another pointless lecture back there in the garden, she had expected some reprimand filled with veiled threats at some point during the interim. But she honestly had never expected Hornton to say things were different this time and when those words had touched the air she would never have expected him to actually mean them. For as much she might find it odd when comparing this most recent incident to all the others, she hardly expected things to really change this time. Hornton might be trying different tactics but she would never let herself be fooled by that, she had spent far too many days and months being bounced from one horrible situation to another to ever let herself think that anything would ever change. It had seemed perfectly clear that she had lost her one good chance to an accident and she would just be continually put into slowly worsening situations in the future just as she had been for the past two years. The bleak landscapes flowing past her window were like so many other scenes of desolation and desperation that her senses were becoming so very jaded from those long ago days when all of them had dreamed of a life on the outside free from the lives they had been forced to live.

The car drew to a halt a short while later pulling up in front of the half ruined brick building with dirty windows that had greeted her home almost every day for the past month. Tiny filthy rooms, walls infested with rats and insects, the front steps littered with drug addicts and trash, hallways filled with graffiti and carelessly discarded items, and roofs that leaked foul smelling water every time a polluted rain started falling across a city that had long since stopped caring about the people packed into its' borders. When Shiva reached for the car door to get this repeated scene of departure over with yet again she discovered that the door had been locked. Hornton seemed almost amused by the fact that she was trapped inside, but his smile disappeared the moment she raised her fist to punch out the glass.

"Don't you ever." He growled as he hastily pulled open the door.

"And don't you ever test me Hornton." She drawled back at him with a glare as she extracted herself from the back seat.

"You're right.. I'm sorry." Those words were a bit surprising, but she covered that reaction and started up the stairs.

"Whoa.." She heard the dark stern man murmur in her wake as they both turned to follow.

"That was her being playful the last time someone did that to her, she punched out the window and went right through the hole after the man who thought that was so funny." Hornton murmured back to him as they entered the dingy entrance of the aged building. "Pay the landlady next month's rent and tell her that she can list the apartment as open." He added as Shiva waited impatiently for the elevator to arrive. With the two of them inside, it started its' ascent up towards the top floor. "Sorry to see this place go?" He murmured as if he actually might want to start a conversation with her.

"It's just a place.." She hissed back to him darkly.

"I would have thought that anything would be better than that tube." He commented in return.

"Not when you are shoved from one bad situation into another every couple of months because someone else got you into trouble with your keepers." She growled back at him as a small piece of her bad mood loomed up once again. She didn't give him a chance to make any sort of retort as the elevator drew to a halt and she practically launched through the doors before they were completely open. Just this once and for whatever the reason he didn't try to argue her out of her point as he followed her in through the open door of the dark apartment. In truth she had never even really bothered to unpack this time, most of her few things were still packed away in her luggage and within a dozen minutes she was moving back to the door almost before Hornton could find some light source to illuminate the dirty floors, water stained walls, and half broken furniture that were packed into the tiny space. As she neared the outer door he reached for her again and out of instinct her hand snapped up to grab his wrist in a grip that could snap his bones like dry sticks.

"Let me help you the bags." He murmured down to her seemingly perfectly calm. Almost grudgingly she let go of his wrist and passed over one of the pieces of luggage into his keeping. With the keys dropped on the entrance table and the door shut firmly behind them, the elevator doors at the end of the hall opened almost as they reached them with Hornton's subordinate waiting on the far side.

"Took you long enough." Shiva half growled at the figure as he stepped back to let them get inside.

"Leave him alone, Shiva." Hornton reprimanded gently as the button was pushed and they were soon descending back towards the streets below. Almost against her will, uncertain, and off-balance with the sudden change in his behavior, Shiva shifted just a little closer to his side to slide her free hand under his arm and half leaned into his side. Not entirely sure why she did it, Hornton gave no outward sign that he was even aware of the tentative gesture as the metallic box dropped down.

"Where are you taking me this time?" Shiva whispered up to him as her eyes drooped half closed and her head moved to lean against his upper arm. "Another rat infested slum filled with junkies and the criminally gifted?"

"I would not have put you in any of these schools had I been given a choice." He murmured back to her seemingly somehow calm in those somewhat surreal moments.

"Prison Academy?" Shiva half joked, feeling far out of her comfort zone and unsettled by the day's odd events.

"No, I wouldn't want you to have a bad influence on the inmates." He murmured back without pause and somehow proved that he wasn't completely without a sense of humor. Shiva almost fought back the small smile his words brought to her expression. "The plan for the moment is to get you out of the city before that boys cronies decide to take revenge for what you did to their boyfriend, outside of that I still have phone calls to make." He added as he lead her off the elevator and back out into the foul smelling air outside. The back door was opened for her and her bags were tossed into the back seat before she was added inside. As they loaded up in front of her on the far side of sound proof partition, Shiva looked at Hornton's face uncertainly as she formed a small nest out of the soft sided packs, pushed her sunglasses up her nose and put her headphones on to drown out the sounds of the road as they pulled away from the corner and start their retreat from the city.

* * *

"We are heading that way now." Devin murmured back across the phone line, trying hard to keep his voice low. The sun had long since fallen and the city was far behind them, Shiva had been asleep for hours as if to prove that she wasn't as immune to stress as she might want them to believe. Gregor was as tireless as ever watching silently as the roads stretched out into the far distance across the mostly empty rural landscape between the small towns they had been passing by for sometime as a light steady rain fell across the fields and forests.

"Sir, that is classified material.." Ceasa reminded him softly and unnecessarily, making Hornton wish he could reach across the void now separating them to smack the younger man.

"Just send it, Private." He reprimanded sharply and increasingly annoyed with Ceasa's lack of faith in his leadership. "The Dean is doing me a big favor, and I'd rather her know what she is dealing with. Just send it and keep your mouth shut, 50 years ago she would have been authorized to see it and so much more, so you let me worry about what is classified and what isn't." Hornton growled back at him, wondering if there was some way to break the Private of these bad habits. Gregor glanced back at him as if his sergeant was thinking the very same thing at that moment.

"Yes, sir." Ceasa agreed quickly and left the matter at that for the moment. Gregor's eyes turned back to the road with a nod as Devin ended the call and slipped the device out of sight. As the phone was put into his pocket he found himself looking down at a sight he would have been certain he would never see on any other day, the image of Shiva curled up in his lap and sleeping peacefully. He had been all but convinced that it would have taken something extreme for her to ever show him the least little bit of trust so he had been very much surprised that she had chosen to lean against him back on the elevator. And he had been hard pressed not to give away that surprise or to overreact out of the fear he might soon have broken bones in the near future. After their rest stop some distance back down the road, Hornton had decided that they had a long trip ahead of them and had climbed into the back to try and get some sleep. He could not have been more surprised to have her come crawling out of her nest to settle into his lap not long after. Moving as cautiously as he could, he shifted trying to find a more comfortable position without disturbing his unexpected passenger, but it seemed that his efforts weren't quite enough. Even though there was no dramatic signs of anything being different, there was a slight tensing from Shiva that was a pretty clear sign that something had changed.

"Easy there, Shiva.." Hornton whispered down to her. "You crawled over into my lap." He added before her mind could jump to the worst possible of conclusion and would feel encouraged to wound him as his arms rested around her slim form.

"Did I?" She whispered back to him sounding quite sleepy in those first moments as she shifted just a little against him. "Please.. let me go.." She added in the next moment sounding uncertain and a little uncomfortable. Hornton pulled his arms away and watched as she shifted out of his lap and retreated across the small space to lower herself back into the fortress of luggage that was formed in the other seat. There almost an uncertain innocence in those sharp silver eyes as they watched him across the back seat as he shifted in the seat to find just the right spot and kicked off his shoes. "I'm sorry.." She whispered a moment later as she looked away from his gaze.

"Nothing you would need to apologize for.." He murmured back to her as he decided to go a step further and push his luck to breaking point, he reached across the short distance to spread a blanket over her. "Here.. there's only enough in the travel budget for food and fuel."

"I have some money if you need it.." She whispered back to him sounding very much unlike the person he had thought he knew all that time. He smiled at her as she failed to break his arm and watched her settle in under the folds of the blanket. "Why.. are you being so nice to me?" She asked watching him closely as if he would give her answer she might not like.

"I suppose.. because you are letting me." He murmured back after some thought.

"Liar.." She accused promptly without pause or preamble.

"Well.. that is part of it.." He corrected smiling over at her. "We were watching the security tapes.. any other time, I would have been busy trying to convince the Principle to look the other way. But it seemed obvious that he was going to kick you out no matter what we might have said, so I let Gregor do the talking. Maybe that's the reason I actually watched it.. the reason I thought about what I was seeing.. and I found myself asking what you were thinking when that guard put that stun rifle right in your face." He whispered over to her and there was a small smile on her lips at his not quite question, but he knew there wasn't really an answer coming his way. "He wasn't a threat to you.. you could have killed him without even lifting a finger, took out the rest of them and would have been out of the city long before we got our first call." She made a noise of agreement and looked almost as if she was ignoring him. "It made me wonder if I had missed something like that all the times before this one, that I might have seen something important back then if I had looked just a little deeper."

"What if you had?" She whispered back to him now just a little curious.

"Than maybe I would owe you more than a little." He whispered back to her, this seemed to make her attention focus on him more than just a little. "In the months after you were released, 3 of the Series 6 individuals sent to Earth committed horrible crimes. Two of them basically mentally unzipped and another was a crime of passion. The only time you ever showed remorse was with Jaclyn.."

"That was an accident." Her voice rose up to interrupt him, staunch in her defense since the very beginning as she looked away from him hurriedly. And for just a moment he let himself believe that she might actually be on the edge of tears.

"She said you were having a nightmare.." He commented to her, he had only learned this from the retired army officer herself, first hand and months after the inquiry had taken place. Far too late for him to have done anything to help either of them.

"She.. grabbed me.. I.. didn't mean to hurt her.." Shiva's choked voice made it all too clear she was about to start crying.

"Well, it came at the worst time it was right after the third incident and when the paranoia among the generals and admirals was at it's highest. And it wasn't my call I didn't take over the department until months after that, if I had known you a little better I would have fought a little harder." Hornton whispered back to her, wishing once again that he could turn back time and correct the mistakes of the past. "Do you still have nightmares?"

"Sometimes." She admitted reluctantly.

"Well I have been put in charge of placing you this time, so it will be my hide on the line if something goes wrong. Now I know I haven't done anything to earn any warm feelings from you.." He whispered to her softly.

"That's not true.." She sounded almost as surprised to speak those words as he was to hear them. ".. n.. not many men.. will let me hurt them.. without pressing charges." She whispered to him, refusing to meet his watching eyes. Taken a bit by surprise, he chuckled back to her drawing a sideways glance his way.

"And not many girls are strong enough to able to test my limits when dealing with a pretty face." He agreed with a smile and was intensely pleased to see her trying hard to hide a blush in the darkness. "Considering your past history, some might think I am going pretty far out on a thin little branch.." She gave him an intense look as her curiosity was given a target. "In Ciato province there is a private academy, Lady Felini's school for girls." He paused almost expecting her to object, but if anything she looked even more interested. "It is very expensive, very exclusive, and holds its' students to a high academic standard. All of your problems have been with boys.." She nodded and seemed to have not found any reason to object to anything he had yet said. "Don't screw this up Shiva, this place is high security for a reason.."

"High security?" She asked suspiciously.

"To protect those inside, not the other way around." He told her chuckling down to her as she relaxed just a little bit more. "This is an exclusive academy built for the elite of society, most of the students are either from rich families or were simply too skilled to go to a public schools. So the price tag for a single semester is more than the annual budget of my department."

"Then how?" She whispered back to him suspicious once more.

"A favor from a friend, and if you are good enough, a scholarship. If I had been given a choice this is the one I would have made from the beginning, and this is the school where I would have brought you." He told her softly, she was watching him closely now, still not quite ready to trust him or possibly not quite ready to trust that good luck might still exist for her. "But.. if something happens this time.. I'll be court-martialed.. and you'll.."

"I understand." She whispered back to him for once shying away from the outright statements of reality so often heard from her.

"I want you to promise me, that you will try very hard not cause trouble." He ordered softly.

"I'll try.." She promised softly in return and actually meant it.

"Good, now try to get some more sleep, we have a long drive ahead of us." He whispered as he once again risked pain by reaching over to tuck the blanket around her feet as she settled in. After a short time her soft breaths became steady and she slipped easily into sleep, and with a small prayer that this had a chance of working he settled back and closed his eyes and tried hard to settle into sleep.

Chapter Two: Clearing Horizons

"Hey there aren't you a cute little thing." The voice was an unwelcome drawl accompanied by some foul smelling breath and a presence in very real danger of facing some serious bodily harm very soon in its' future. While stopping had been a necessity, Shiva could help but wonder if there had been a more upscale kind of convenience store that could have served their needs.

"Back away if you want to keep breathing." Shiva growled back at the unseen figure as she contemplated one of the ten dozen ways she could end this foul smelling figure hovering behind her.

"I would do as the lady says before one or the other of us decide to end you." Gregor's deep bass rumble was most welcome at that moment and the figure casting a shadow over her quickly found a reason to retreat quickly away from her.

"Thank you." Shiva whispered to him cautiously as he slipped in next to her at the drink fountain.

"You get that a lot?" Gregor asked giving her a surprisingly gentle smile.

"Often enough.. but being certified as lethal makes it a lot harder to prove 'reasonable force'." She whispered back to him, he gave a happy chuckle as she slipped away and moved to pile her armload onto the counter on top of what Hornton had already put up there.

"Hey!" He complained a few seconds before Shiva held out a 100 credit bill over to the chuckling clerk. "Fair enough." He agreed as he too laughed. With everything bagged up, Hornton almost seemed playful as he offered his free arm, and feeling just a little guilty about how she had acted towards him the previous afternoon, it was hard not to take the offer. As they slipped outside Shiva was struck by the sight of two police cars parked nearby something that stirred up a serious dislike within her programmed instincts. "It would take more than a couple of street cops to make me feel comfortable about hauling you in." He whispered to her, surprised that he had noticed at all, she looked up to find him smiling down at her.

"Sorry.. habit.." She mumbled uncertainly as they reached the car.

"Training." He corrected without hesitation. "But since you were trained to kill on sight, I am just as glad that you are breaking that training." He murmured as he helped her into the front seat. "Gregor, I'll drive the next part you get some rest." He called back to the approaching figure before he closed her door.

"Thank you sir." Gregor murmured as he climbed into the back seat.

"How much further is it?" Shiva asked as Hornton took the driver's seat next to her.

"We should be there by tonight." He told her with a smile as Gregor got comfortable in the back seat and they moved back out onto the road.

"Do you think we should wake her up?" Gregor's voice murmured from the front seat. It was the slowing motion of the car that had unsettled her from her dreams, but it was his voice that set her towards waking. Still tired and not entirely sure if she was ready to wake herself up completely, she was nevertheless surprised to discover to find herself curled up once again in Hornton's arms. Though her first instinct was that he might not be so blameless in this, she was too comfortable in that moment to really decide to get angry about it.

"No, let's hold off on that until we get where we are going." Hornton murmured as the car came to a complete stop and a moment later she was aware of flashlights washing across the two of them as several figures moved around the exterior of the car. The sound of the electric motor of the driver's side window came next and there was a subtle shifting of paperwork being passed about.

"Lieutenant Hornton to see the Dean, he is expected." Gregor murmured as a wash of cooler air drifted back over them.

"It's late." Another man murmured disapprovingly.

"Hence she wouldn't thank you for delaying us any further, she is aware of our expected arrival time." Gregor stated with authority and rumbling disapproval.

"Take the first right turn, go straight past the fountain and take the first left turn past that." The other man wisely relented and the car was soon moving. A moment or two later Hornton's arms shifted around her as the comforting warmth moved away much to her unintentional disappointment.

"You can stop pretending, sweety." He whispered down to her, surprising her with his sharp perception and stunning her with a nickname that she would never have expected him to use for her. Shiva shifted up and then reluctantly away from that embrace not certain if he had been the one to gather her up or if she really was the one crawling over to curl up in his arms. It was hard to make out much of anything against the dark of the night and beyond the street lamps that illuminated the small streets, but soon enough there was a massive glowing fountain of light and dancing water 30 meters tall surrounded by a beautiful gardened square. At the promised next turn, the softly glowing building glimpsed in the nearby distance seemed to recall Hornton's words about this being the school for the elite. All at once and completely against her usual nature, Shiva found herself trying to comb out her hair with her fingers. "You look good, Shiva." Hornton murmured touching her arm gently, giving her a warm smile when she looked up at him with surprise. "But you are so pale, don't you ever get some sun?" He teased surprising her once again with the change in his attitude.

"We were designed to survive in the harsher light present before the nanite dispersal of 2082, the ones that reseeded the ozone layer." Shiva murmured, he gave her a thoughtful expression and nodded back to her perhaps having forgotten that point of far off history. The car soon drew to a halt in front of the truly beautiful grand entrance to a mansion. It was a very large building, far bigger than any she had seen close up and it was most certainly an impressive structure with all the 'classical' taste of a previous age and all the sculptural elements to make more like a work of art than merely a building. But between it and that all too impressive fountain Shiva was certainly getting the first clues to back up that she was indeed finding herself on the fringes of one those schools for the elite. Hornton slipped out into the cool night air long before Shiva felt quite ready to follow him and Gregor stepped out of the car leaving her little choice but do the same. Truly was she was more than a little worried what events might follow since Hornton had seemingly told her nothing but the truth, for as much as she would never have 'fit in' at the normal high schools she had attended she wasn't sure if she wouldn't stick out even more prominently in an environment so entirely different than the ones she had seen before.

"Devin!" A truly beautiful older woman called out as she emerged from the front door and came jogging across the distance towards him. She was certainly dressed for bed and her graying hair was left loose to fall over her shoulders and dance in the air as she ran up to throw her arms around Hornton in a very affectionate hug.

"Devin?" Shiva murmured teasingly up to Gregor who chuckled and gestured her for to be silent as he unloaded her luggage from the back of the car.

"And you must be Shiva." From one moment to the next the beautiful older woman was standing over her and reaching out towards her. Surprise and her own uncertainty about the situation produced an over reaction as she stepped back quickly and nearly slammed into the side of the car as she tried to back away. "Well at least your first instinct wasn't to hurt me." She murmured with a good natured chuckle and a warm smile as she moved close enough to reach out and touch Shiva's cheek. "Come.." Her order was given even as her hand ghosted down Shiva's arm to tangle their fingers together. As much as this behavior was extremely unacceptable to her unsettled senses, Shiva couldn't quite force her many objections to the surface as if some outside force was able to push aside her instincts and training. Even as her right arm extended out to take Shiva's fingers it was almost easy for Shiva's sharp eyes to spot the Series 3 tattoo that was inked permanently into the older woman's skin. "Devin, be a dear and take her bags up to the guest room. I can assume you'll both be staying for a bit, so just park the car somewhere out of the way."

"As you wish, my lady." Hornton murmured sounding uncharacteristically playful as Shiva was lead up the front steps and into the beautiful shadowy interior of the grandly appointed spaces beyond. As she was lead along past and through any number of richly appointed rooms, Shiva had a hard time not feeling even more out of place and emotionally off balance.

"I won't ask if it was a nice trip, after all two days in the car with two men.." She chuckled as Shiva was lead through the dark house and into a softly lit kitchen. "Would you like something to drink?" She asked softly touching Shiva's shoulder as her hand was released near the stools sitting around the island. She nodded uncertainly and that confusing stranger stepped away to dig into cabinets and retrieve certain items to fulfill Shiva's half hearted request. As she climbed up onto one of the stools as she could not help but see her own serial number emblazoned across the files and pages spread across the counter top. She couldn't quite help herself but to shift some of the pages where she could reach them and read through some portions of her Earth Defense force personnel file. It seemed obvious that this was Hornton's doing since he was one of the few who had access much less motivation to put those top secret and unredacted documents into this woman's hands. "They didn't include your psychological profile if that's what you are looking for." The Dean commented to her having easily caught her snooping as she returned to a nearby stool. Looking away guiltily, Shiva accepted the cup of cocoa and shifted uncomfortably on her stool. "It would be illegal for any school to have that kind of information, not that I should have any of this.." She chuckled softly at that.

"I'm still top secret.." Shiva agreed with a small little nod.

"Clearance 3-A and above actually.." The Dean agreed as if she actually knew about that sort of thing, much to Shiva's surprise. "If some of the things Hornton has told me about some of the others is true, they wouldn't want anyone in the public sectors to know about you." She added with a sigh as she picked up one of the pages and glanced over it. "Was that what you were looking for?" She asked pointedly fixing Shiva with a piercing look, not quite able to meet her gaze, Shiva nodded in return. "Trying to find out if all of this told me that you have a few problems?"

"Yes.." Shiva whispered back to her feeling very uncomfortable and just about half convinced that this was a very bad idea, and wishing she hadn't let her heart be swayed by the idea of going to a school without any gangs.

"Devin would never have asked me for a favor if there wasn't a problem." Shiva felt her heart sink at those words, exhausted and left feeling uncertain by the previous two days, she could almost feel her emotions ready to spill over. "But he wouldn't have asked for a favor if you weren't worth it." Shiva's head snapped up to look at her, the Dean smiled and rubbed her knee encouragingly. "What did you get into trouble for?"

"Fighting.." Shiva whispered back to her.

"Did you start those fights?" She asked, Shiva shook her head. "But you finished them?"

"No.." Shiva whispered back to her, looking away as a ghost of her anger surged upward. She made an interested noise in return, making it clear she expected Shiva to finish the rest of that answer. ".. had I 'finished' those fights, all of them would be dead."

"Twelve altercations total, all with older boys all of whom had long histories with violence." Devin murmured as he entered the room having kicked off his shoes and taken off his suit jacket. "And one accident." He added with a small smile for Shiva as he dug something out of the refrigerator. "Despite the less than perfect circumstances, Shiva has a perfect gpa, her test scores are through the roof, and she has an IQ that probably can't be calculated by our most modern tests. As is only fitting for someone who shares the legacy of Series 3." Shiva gave him a curious look. "We were altered to be the greatest scientists, cryptologists, and analysts ever known, kiddo."

"Well I understand that all of these occurrences of violence involved boys, but you make it sound like girls never find a reason to start fights, Devin." The Dean murmured over to him sounding just a bit annoyed. "Well I can tell you that they do, and it seems to me this happens more often when their aren't any boys around." She added coolly, glaring over at Devin who smirked back at her.

"I.." Shiva murmured softly not entirely sure if she should interrupt the ongoing conversation. ".. don't care what people think or say about me, I never have. I don't starts fights, because I take no joy in combat." The Dean gave her a cold measuring look and it didn't take Shiva more than a heartbeat to decide she didn't like that look and met that look with a burning glare of her own.

"Stop it, Shiva." Hornton ordered warningly, her eyes dropped back down to the floor though the desire to defy him was strong. "This is her last chance, Seila. She got misjudged right out the gate and has been taken from one bad situation and put into another for the last two years. She has not once used excessive force.."

"Hush." The Dean murmured bringing his words to a halt. "Come on, Shiva let's get you up into a proper bed, we can talk about the rest of this later." In truth Shiva was starting to have trouble keeping her thoughts focused on the shifting conversation and was in no mood to argue with her on this issue. With a nod her glass was set aside and the Dean captured her hand to lead her up a staircase and into a mostly dark room. Feeling just a little uncomfortable, Shiva stripped out of most of her clothes before sliding under the covers the Dean drew back at her approach.

"Shiva, I don't think I can ever truly understand what it is that you are going through.. and I know I don't even want to try and imagine what you've already gone through." The Dean whispered softly to her as Shiva was tucked under the covers. "I don't know if Devin is right and all your problems have stemmed from boys, and I don't know if this is the right place for you but.." She smiled at some thought she didn't seem ready to share. "Series 3 were recreated from people selected from the new recruits during that war, an experiment in making people smarter. We knew about the outside world long before we were released into the public, but you didn't have the benefit of that experience. So.. I'll make you a deal.. I'll just pretend that you are just like any other student if you promise me that you will do your best to stay out of trouble."

"What happens if I do get into trouble, you stop pretending?" Shiva asked softly, having problems keeping her eyes open at that point but only too aware of how important this conversation would be later.

"That depends on what kind of trouble it is.." The Dean murmured back to her. "Fighting, hurting someone.. destruction on a massive scale.."

"Rape, torture, murder?" Shiva suggested hiding a small smile at that.

"Don't tease." The Dean gave her half a glare, but with just a hint of playful amusement sparkling in her eyes and tugging the corners of her lips into a smirk. "I find myself debating how much I should tell you, I honestly don't want to discourage you."

"Discourage me?" Shiva asked, not liking the sound of that at all.

"Yes.. well.. most of the girls at this school have lived lives of privilege, some might even say that they have been spoiled. Many of them are used to having their way and they can be most persistent if they feel that there is something that they deserve. I worry what might happen if they decide that they don't like you, and how you might handle that." The Dean explained softly reaching up to caress Shiva's hair as the younger woman slipped closer and closer to falling to sleep.

"I don't know.. scare them.. just as long as they leave me alone." Shiva whispered back to her.

"Just don't hurt anyone, finish out the semester here and if you decide you don't like it, I promise to help you find some place you like better." The Dean murmured down to her.

"Deal." Shiva agreed before being overtaken by a yawn.

"Sleep yourself out, I won't make you face them with too little sleep." With a sleepy smile, Shiva watched her retreat across the room to turn off the only light source. They said their good nights and the Dean departed before sleep could take her completely.

* * *

Seila returned with a small yawn sometime later, looking a bit calmer and just a little bit annoyed with him for having organized just a little bit of the scattered information that covered much of the kitchen counter. She sighed and decided to say nothing as she poured herself another cup of coffee and moved to take a nearby seat. She looked older than he remembered her being all those years ago when they had first met at the inception of the program that had changed both of their lives. The war had raged for nearly 5 years before they had met as the Alliance tried to bring an end to separatist movement that had been launching terrorist attacks and creating chaos behind the scenes of the planetary governments. With thousands of people dying every day, the genetic alterations had seemed a small price to pay to try to save lives. With the major corporations backing the separatists, they were well armed and well equipped even when compared to the Alliance fleet, it had seemed a logical step that there one and only advantage had to be the people who were serving on either side of the conflict. Series 1 and 2 had been more of an experiment, conducted in secret to test the theories that would be later applied to Series 3. The first large scale attempt to further human evolution through the application of genetic manipulation.

All of them had become smarter, that much was certain, with the information Series 3 supplied through the remaining war efforts the Alliance was slowly able to shift the tides of that conflict, and destroy the attempts of big business to recreate the colonies into their perfect image of a consumer driven reality. But it was the unexpected side effects that had almost prevented them from returning to the general populace and the friends and families that they had left behind when they had joined the war efforts. For his part Devin seemed to have avoided most of the side effects that others had reported after many of them had under gone the procedures, but he knew that Seila hadn't quite been so lucky as he had been. While scientists and science fiction had agreed that such things might exist, until the Series 3 projects had begun there had never been any hard evidence that empathy, telepathy, telekinesis, pyrokinesis could ever truly have existed. Those first weeks and months some of them had woken up at the end of their procedures and had been able to sense things, been able to do things they had never imagined. In the experiments that had followed the ones that had created them, the Alliance had tried to make what had been side effects into a whole new class of weapons.

"I knew about Series 4 and 5 before the war ended.." Seila murmured softly to him as if her own thoughts had echoed his own during those first moments of privacy. "But what could have possibly possessed them to make a Series 6?"

"Fear." Devin told her, she gave him an intense studied look that would probably make one of her students crack in only a short while after being fixed with such penetrating gaze, not even Shiva had been completely immune to it. Seila's empathic gift had been acknowledged early on and she had even spent some time helping to interrogate the captured separatist prisoners, but Devin was hardly moved by that gaze having known her too long to not know she was ultimately a gentle soul. "The corporations might have fallen, the armies might have been brought to an end, but with a group as fanatical as they were there was never a way of knowing if they had simply gone underground to start planning a new offensive in ten or twenty more years. At least that's the only answer I can come up with that makes any real sense."

"After seeing all of this spelled out in plain lettering, I was almost ready to believe you were somehow bringing me a monster, somehow trying to pawn your problem off on me." She murmured gesturing to the files spread out in front of her. Having had plenty of time to review that same information, he had almost been inclined to believe that very same thing. "But deep down under all.. that psychological mess they pawned off on her, there is a scared uncertain little girl isn't there?"

"I honestly don't know if there is any fear in there, at least nothing like normal fear.. but uncertainty, loneliness, the desire to be accepted and loved.. most certainly. Some might call me heartless, but I've seen just enough of those things leak through the cracks of that practiced exterior of hers to know that to be true." Devin corrected softly. "It will be a day or two before I can get all of her school transcripts gathered up, but.. this is the first time I have been allowed any sort of decision as to where I could take her after one of these 'incidents'. For two years they have been bouncing her around Earth to some of the absolutely worst schools you might name. All of which have had serious problems with violence, putting her into positions where she has been all but guaranteed to remain socially isolated and at risk. They made her a killer long before this reclamation project was ever attempted, and have consistently put her into a position where she would have to defend herself."

"Are you trying to say, that the brass is trying to sabotage your command?" She asked with just a touch of doubt in her voice.

"In so many words.. Yes. The reclamation projects off world have brought 20 of them out of stasis and have seen little to no trouble, but were the Earth reclamation efforts were to fail.. what would happen?" Devin murmured, she gave him a dark look as if she could easily guess the answer to question. "Perhaps the only reason it hasn't folded already is because of Shiva.."

"She's been expelled, what 12 times?" Seila countered quickly, Devin nodded and smiled at her.

"She's broken bones, knocked out teeth, torn muscles, but not once has there been an injury that was even close to life threatening. With her they made a conscious, focused effort to create a weapon that could be lethal on a massive scale, but a weapon incapable of spreading death against an army of thugs and criminals?" She nodded thoughtfully to that and then sighed as her eyes drifted up towards the ceiling. "I have never once been given a reason to think that Shiva can not or would not be able to raze a few cities to the ground, but not only has she failed to do that.. she has never once used the excessive force she was designed and programmed to inflict. If you look at it in terms of what she could have done, she rendered just enough damage to insure her enemies would not be able to threaten her for a considerable time period without causing permanent physical damage."

"I'll take your word for it, for the moment.. but do you really think that there is some conspiracy in place against her?" Seila asked with a bone deep sigh as her eyes refocused on him.

"I hope not.. maybe they just want to forget what their predecessors tried to do, lock up the rest and just let the stasis tubes collect dust for centuries to come, I don't know. But even if there is some kind of greater conspiracy, I feel almost certain now that after seeing all of that, they were expecting someone other than who Shiva really is to come out of that tube. That she was selected specifically because there was a high probability that she would fail." Devin murmured softly back to her. She looked down at the file and nodded as if only after a short while in Shiva's presence she was just about ready to believe that it was not really Shiva who was being analyzed in those scientific facts and figures.

"This is her last chance?" She asked of him after a long silence

"Last chance for both of us, she screws this up, and I'll be in front of a board of inquiry probably even before they are able to track her down." Devin told her honestly, she gave him a significant look. "Unless I decide to run with her, get her off-world and to some place out of their reach."

"You'd do that for her?" She asked with no small amount of surprise.

"She deserves a chance at something better." Devin reaffirmed now convinced of this, those three days in her company had given him his first real insight into what Shiva was really like behind that angry mask she put on when facing the world.

"I'll do everything I can." Seila agreed softly as she lifted up one of the pages to re-read it. "For both of you."

* * *

Waking up in the morning proved to be difficult, there were no scratchy military blankets, no sounds of the city streets, no alarm clocks, nothing that really made it impossible to simply roll over and fall back to sleep. It was perhaps the most peaceful awakening that Shiva could ever remember in all the years since her first conscious thought, which only served to make it more surreal as she shifted in the bed to discover that large luxurious bedroom filled with things of serene beauty. Those sights made it even harder to stir up the vague memories of her late night arrival and the few lingering images of the unseen landscape that now surrounded her. Eventually the memory did return and she was soon extracting herself from under the silk sheets in search of clothes and a much wanted shower. Even as she emerged clean and dressed for the day there wasn't any real sound to disturb the comfortable sense of silence that had been unknown in the few short years of experience she had gained from being on the outside. It was not until she descended to the first floor of that amazing house that she caught the first clues that she wasn't quite alone in that palatial building. Drawn towards the kitchen by the soft sounds of distant voices, Shiva couldn't bring herself to simply make her presence known in the face of an unknown voice.

"I don't know.. it sounds like a big risk. I mean.. Series 6? There were only supposed to be five.." The unknown voice was stating, sounding worried and uncertain.

"Series 5 is restricted exclusively to military service and even then there are only a few of them active at any one time. Of the 21 of her series active all of them are civilians, 20 of them are all off-world. After the first three incidents his budget was cut by 85%, and even their own internal documents for the four subjects selected for the Earth reclamation program were listed as being 'high risk'. It seems almost obvious to me that the Senate or the military is trying to sabotage their own efforts here on Earth." Seila murmured back to her sounding more than annoyed and all but certain of what she was saying.

"How long have you been at this?" The other woman asked with concern.

"Since yesterday afternoon when the documents arrived." The Dean told her in return.

"Seila.."

"Oh, hush, I am not so old that missing one night's sleep is going to put me into an early grave." Seila countered sounding good natured in that moment. "I needed to know, and the more I think about it, the more I am convinced that Devin is right, that this girl has been sabotaged at every turn. Bad decision after bad decision, and the girl I tucked into bed last night was not a monster.. misunderstood, scared of herself and what she could do, but not a monster by any means."

"All right." The other woman relented. "When do I get to meet her?"

"I told her to sleep herself out, but let me go check on her." The next moment the swinging kitchen door popped open and nearly struck Shiva where she was standing in its' shadows as Seila launched from the room on a course for the stairs. Not entirely sure she could bring herself to admit that she had been spying Shiva watched the older woman cross a short distance down the hallway before something stopped her, and she turned with a smile to find Shiva lingering uncertainly in her wake.

"I'm sorry.." Shiva whispered embarrassed and guilty and even more so now regretting the decision to wear a skirt that morning. It was something she had never done even before she had been brought to Earth and an outfit worn only rarely since that time, and on that strangest of all morning it felt awkward and strange as she was watched by the smiling stranger who would play a role in her future. Smiling just a little brighter Seila approached to a short uncomfortable distance and ducked down in front of her to tug on the hem of the skirt as if she knew it was some small source of discomfort for Shiva.

"Were I in your position I feel all but certain I would have done the same thing." Seila told her with a small smile. "Come on." She half ordered taking Shiva's hand to lead her into one of the nearby rooms. The older woman settled down in one of the empty waiting chairs and drew Shiva down to perch on one of her knees making her feeling even more uncomfortable and nervous at the unexpected gesture. "I think Hornton knew how I would react to you." Seila commented softly as she reached up to brush a few stray lilac strands of hair away from Shiva's face, who looked up uncertainly at the smiling woman's face. "Still plan on going through with your promise?"

"Yes." Shiva agreed quickly and quietly.

"I want you to try staying in the dormitories with the other students, but you'll come to me first thing if you think there is even a potential for a problem." Seila told her rubbing her arm gently, trying to encourage her away from the surge of nervousness she felt at the idea. "I want as few people as possible to know about your special circumstances, but if you even suspect that it isn't working, you'll come back here to live with me, all right?" Shiva nodded quickly finding that a far better idea, and just enough of an incentive to get her to agree but only under those conditions.

"Sounds logical.." Shiva agreed pushing aside her dislike to at least try to appease Seila.

"Good, now.. let's get this over with. Cami is a bit naive and a tad too young, but she has a good head on her shoulders and I feel certain she will be able to find someone who won't be intolerable for you to live with." Seila told her as Shiva shifted to her feet. Seila took her hand once again and drew her back across the short distance to push through the kitchen door. The woman who turned to look up at their arrival was indeed young, perhaps no more than a decade older than Shiva herself, and her expression was one of deep all encompassing surprise as she took a very long look at Shiva. "I realize that you were expecting some hulking amazon Cami, but truly it is very rude to stare." Shiva couldn't help but smile with her amusement as she was lead over to one of the waiting stools. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Yes, please." Shiva replied as she picked up some few of the pages still scattered around the counter top.

"Reviewing your old class schedule?" Cami asked, clearly trying to be funny and severely missing her mark, much to Shiva's deep annoyance. In fact that top page was indeed the long brutal list of all the training courses she had undergone before the Series 6 project had been brought to an abrupt end.

"Fact checking.." Shiva murmured darkly, unamused in the extreme. "Seila.. I'm pretty sure that they didn't make me go through Advanced Torture Tactics." She added across the room, Seila undoubtedly guessed the point of that comment and hid her smile from the horrified and stone sober younger woman.

"I'll bring that up with Devin and see if he can correct that mistake." Seila agreed with well hidden amusement. "Though he might be a bit upset that you got the chance to look at your file."

"Seila, doesn't it strike you as odd that my existence is classified, but I don't have the authorization to know anything about myself?" Shiva asked the older woman almost playfully.

"Which is why I haven't stopped you." She whispered back with a smile as she caressed Shiva's hair in passing. "How often do you have the nightmares, he warned me about?" Shiva's expression fell, not wishing to talk about that then, later, or any time in the future. However as much as she might have wished Devin had kept her confidence and not said a word to anyone, she also knew that Seila was asking about this for a very good reason. Even if she would have wanted to keep her mouth shut, she never ever wanted to have anyone else hurt because of the bad dreams that would likely never go away.

"Every couple of months, unless I see something.. or if.." Shiva answered awkwardly.

"Hopefully, you'll see that you are past such things now. I trust you to pick the right someone Cami, be sure to be discrete when you warn whomever you pick." Seila stated rolling over Shiva's words before the young woman could be completely banished from her previous good mood. "The dangers of waking her up if she's having a nightmare, grabbing, sharp aggressive movements, raising your voice, any other problems sweety?" Once again startled by the gentle nickname, Shiva shook her head silently after some thought.

"I believe I already have the perfect someone in mind." Cami assured them with a smile. "I'm guessing you overheard some of what we were saying?" She asked with an uncertain and worried expression.

"I didn't hear.. anything you need to apologize for." Shiva told her quickly. "But I wanted to thank you for what you said Seila."

"Actually, I hoped that you hadn't overhead me say any of that.." Seila murmured with a bit of disappointment in her eyes. "I wanted to maintain some sense of authority just in case you did decide to misbehave."

"If I misbehave.. you won't catch me, and if something.. goes wrong, you won't ever see me again, one way or another." Shiva told her with a darkness in her eyes.

"Fair enough." Seila agreed with a sense of laughter dancing just beneath the surface. "Devin's comments about your brutal streak of honesty are starting to make more sense now." She added with a chuckle. "But let's do our best to make sure things don't come to that, all right?"

"I don't have to read all of this to know what's at stake." Shiva agreed with just a hint of a smile.

"You lived it." Seila agreed surprising Shiva once again as the older woman leaned over to kiss the top of her head. "Devin's a lot more clever than I ever really gave him credit for.." She added with a chuckle at some hidden thought before she changed the subject and started to talk school business with Cami, leaving Shiva to eat her breakfast in silence.

"Would you like a tour of the grounds?" Cami asked of her even as Seila took her empty plate away.

"I don't want to bother anyone.." Shiva murmured uncertainly.

"It's all right, I have just enough time before my next class, and I am sure you can find your way back here when you get bored." Cami quickly assured as if eager for the opportunity as she slid to her feet. When Shiva moved to her feet, Cami was there waiting to offer her hand. Not entirely certain about this, Shiva nevertheless accepted the offer and questioning when this trend had begun since it seemed to be happening a lot lately.

"It will take another day or so for your academic records to catch up with you, so take your time about looking around." Seila assured her with a smile, as Cami drew her towards the kitchen door.

"Just as long as you promise not to back out when they do get here." Shiva agreed with a small smile, Seila's smile grew as she nodded in return as she watched them depart.

"She wouldn't do that." Cami assured her as they followed an unfamiliar hallway along the length of the house. They left through a beautiful glass sun porch and moved out past a stone patio and the small perfectly manicured gardens of the side yard. A thick hedge wall marked the border between the Dean's house and the school grounds, and a wrought iron gate allowed them to pass that vague sort of border between the two. Shiva was far too wrapped up in looking around to really listen to Cami's enamored lectures on the histories of the illustrious school, its' famous alumni, or just about anything else. The shadowy expanse of grassy fields spread out between the brick walkways that criss-crossed the groomed orchards of beautiful old trees that spread out in every direction was more actual 'nature' than she had seen in two whole years and something utterly beautiful to see for the first time. The lampposts glimpsed from the roadway the previous night were dark as they stood at the borders between the paths and lawns that filled in the middle ground. The last of the summer winds carried the still distant sounds of the huge fountain across the serene landscape as they moved at an unhurried pace towards the main areas of the school. Cami seemed to have drifted off into a world of her own as she recounted stories of her own education at the school and added on the more official histories to her wandering thoughts. Shiva listened on occasion as more big beautiful buildings began to move closer, with their classic architecture and well maintained appearance. Cami began to add insights into their functions and purposes in among the tangle of less needed insights into why and when they had been built.

Much as the grounds had been, the entire school was far too beautiful and quiet to really be ignored as statues of the founders and gardened plazas spread out around them, resting within sight of the gorgeous and well aged buildings. There was just a hint of the great many students and teachers who spent their days there, but there was no sign of litter, no graffiti, nothing to indicate that this place was anything like the many places Shiva had spent most of her most recent years. Despite Seila's warnings, despite her own uncertainties, it was almost possible for Shiva to imagine living a peaceful existence in this kind of place. There had been many times when such a small dream had seemed far fetched, and to be confronted with such a place where such a hard to obtain a thing might actually be possible, made her tour almost hard to take in as they passed quietly beneath the shade of the trees.

"The bell is about to ring.." Cami commented down to her after nearly an hour of quiet wandering as they came within sight of a truly grand courtyard around which several of the larger buildings were gathered. "Unless you feel ready to get caught up in the stampede you might want to retreat a bit and wait for things to quiet down." She added with just a hint of laughter in her voice as she squeezed Shiva's hand encouragingly. With a smile and nod for the older woman, Shiva watched her move off towards her next class before she took that bit of advice and launched upward in powerful telekinetic shove. In a matter of a heartbeat Shiva caught a second floor ledge with one foot and used it to launch even higher crossing the remaining three floors to catch the edge of the roof and swing up to that height where she could settle safely out sight. The large brass bells housed in the distance chapel tower began to toll sending a wave of sound across the far distant reaches of the immense school grounds. Within two dozen heartbeats as the first echoes began to fade into the distant hillsides, the first girls began to appear below as the chaotic swirl of people moved towards their next classes.

It felt odd to see this scene repeated in such a different format, all the other schools had been single continuous buildings built on a massive scale connecting all the wide spread classrooms together by wide maze like tunnels. To see people her own age able to enter such an amazing landscape in the middle of the day seemed strange. Though Cami had explained that many of the buildings were connected by underground tunnels for the times when the weather turned for the worse, on that cool calm early autumn day few seemed to think those tunnels an option as there was soon an army of girls ranging from small children to near adults moving in chaotic swirling patterns below her perch. The school uniforms were pretty enough to attract the eye though the skirts seemed a tad too short for Shiva's personal comfort, but the rules did not seem so strict that variation and a touch of individualism was not clear even from her gargoyle like perch above the courtyards. Though it was easy to catch signs of many of the same social dynamics that she had observed at the other schools, it seemed very odd to look down and not see any boys in the mix save for the occasional professors that joined in the chaos below. Even those few signs of bullying and other less noble dynamics seemed far more benign and contrasted by the lack of testosterone. By the time the massive shifting was over and the school was again settling down in quiet at the sound of the bells, Shiva was almost looking forward to learning more in depth what it would be like to join that tangle of people.

Already out of sight and in a position to travel by less conventional means, Shiva decided to take a far less guided tour of the school along the paths no one else nearby would be able to follow, leaping between roofs and nearly flying through the tree tops. Getting a far more clear lay of the land by this means, she easily crossed the considerable distances of the school and was soon down near the edges of the large blue lake that separated that school from another school on the far side, the Academy's 'sister' school for young men or so Cami had told her. It was the sound of activity at that far distant point that lured her out of the trees and down to ground level when her curiosity got better of her. There was a large wooden building nearby and large clearing where a sizable group of girls were gathering. It was easy to guess by their changed uniforms that she had wandered up to the edges of self-defense class teaching one of the many forms of karate. Interested enough to linger in the shadowy fringes for a time, Shiva didn't hear the approach of some unknown figure until his large presence impinged on her senses.

"I don't let anyone observe my advanced class without permission." He rumbled from behind her. Disliking the fact that his silent footsteps had allowed him to sneak up on her and disliking his attitude even more, Shiva glared at him as she turned to walk away. It was a motion that was caught out of the corner of her eye, a momentary flash of his effort to try and stop her. Instinct took over and with a speed far greater than his own, Shiva snatched that hand away from grabbing her. With a strength he might not be able to match, Shiva heaved his large form around, twisting the arm in her grip behind his back as she slammed him forward into the trunk of a nearby tree.

"Telling someone to leave and then trying to grab them sends a mixed message, you might want to be more clear next time." Shiva growled at him, no longer in the mood to be compliant or nice about it. He grunted unable to break her grip or find the leverage needed to counter his pinned movements. Shiva almost decided to hurt him before calmer instincts took hold and giving him one final shove forward and herself the seconds needed to get out of his reach. He spun towards her as she backed away, glaring as he met her eyes, but when enough distance separated them she spun away and disappeared into the shadows.

Her good mood now ruined beyond repair and certainly feeling less than ready to face anyone else, Shiva wandered closer to the walled borders of the school, as much interested in seeing what kind of security lay between her and outside as anything else. Her long circling course wasted time and took her out to the far edge of the school grounds and the promised lake in the distance. Curiosity and a desire for her solitude to last a little longer, Shiva quickly and quietly crossed those blue waters and wandered over the larger footprint of the boy's academy taking in the full layout of the local area before sneaking back across the borders to move past the dormitories and cottages that served the teacher's on her way back to Seila's house.

"Shiva?" Spotted almost as she reached the fringes of the outdoor patio, Seila's call came just as she reached a point where she could see the teacher who had tried to grab her. Knowing she was already in trouble, Shiva half froze with uncertainty as Seila moved to cross the distance between them.

"Sorry.." The word came bubbling up to the surface almost as the older woman moved to duck down in front of her, much to her surprise Seila chuckled.

"It's all right, Dominic told me that he tried to grab your arm.. he was just surprised is all. And that's okay, I haven't had a chance to warn the faculty about what they shouldn't do around you." She murmured back reaching out to rest her hands on Shiva's hips. "Were you done looking around?"

"I think being around people is only going to get me into trouble today." Shiva whispered back to her, unable to really find something to say other than the truth.

"All right, how about you go to my office and find something to read while you curl up someplace nice and relax for a while?" Eager to find any excuse to escape that situation, Shiva nodded quickly, Seila smiled and rubbed her sides before nodding her in towards the house. It was easy enough to locate the 'office' and it was even easier to see why Seila had been working out of her kitchen through much of the night since the space had been overrun by bookshelves and overwhelmed by books. So many books in fact that they had even begun to accumulate in piles on the floor and stacked high on the few pieces of furniture not necessary for sitting. It was easy enough to find unknown titles that could be used to pass the time as she settled down on the floor to read. Sometime later, there was the sound of soft footsteps that warned of an approaching figure through the slight vibration of the floor boards.

"Still looking?" Seila asked with a smile as she appeared in the thin aisle between the shelves of the overcrowded room.

"Kinda.." Shiva felt relaxed enough to give her a small smile in return.

"Would you mind taking a test for me?" Seila asked gently.

"Sure." Shiva set the book to the side and slid easily to her feet, as if some kind of trend had been started without her knowledge she took Shiva's hand to lead her out of the office and through the house to another room. There was another older woman already there sitting in the shifting light of the large windows reading as they entered. She smiled at their approach as Shiva was lead across the calm, well decorated space to yet another desk and the computer that had been set up there.

"This is just to help us place you in the right classes. So don't worry if you don't know the answer to something." Seila told her as she made sure Shiva knew how to work the programs already loaded up and waiting for her. Once sure Shiva would be able to manage it on her own, she slipped away and Shiva got to work on the comprehensive test and through it's slow rise in difficulty. It was fairly easily to ignore the watching eyes of the room's other occupant as she worked her way through the test. After about two hours the last question was done and with a sigh, Shiva slipped to her feet, stretched, and wandered away.

"The bathroom is the second door on the left." The woman murmured as Shiva moved to pass back out into the hall.

"I'm fine, thanks." Shiva stated in return as she left the room on a return course to the library. She soon settled back to former position and the book that had been set aside. She was almost at the last few pages when Seila reappeared with a brighter smile than before.

"All done?" Seila asked gently as she ducked down nearby.

"She could have just asked me that herself." Shiva told her pointedly.

"Didn't fool you, did we?" Shiva shook her head with a small smile. "Well don't stay locked up in here all afternoon, it won't be long before it's too cold to enjoy the touch of the sun."

"I just wanted to finish this book before I found something more entertaining and moved out there." Shiva agreed letting herself relax just a little more under the older woman's amused smile.

"Dinner won't be for a few more hours if you wanted to get something to snack on before then, you know where the kitchen is I am sure." Seila suggested to her gently before she moved off to whatever she was doing that day. Just as she promised, Shiva quickly finished the last few pages of the first book before she shifted to her feet to return it to the stack where she found it. It was a bit harder to find something not filled with facts but it wasn't too long before she was able to move outside to settle beneath the flowering trellis and the bench swing it had to offer. Focused less on memorization and more on enjoyment Shiva was reading through the book and settled comfortable on the padded bench swing outside when the sounds of voices caught her ears. She was just in the right position to see Cami and a few of the other teachers moving off towards the school proper.

"It must be strange to be the focus of all this attention." This voice was accompanied by the mild impact of his weight against the back of the swing was even less welcome than before. Once again his approach had been silent and the fact that he was hovering far too close made her intensely aware of how little she wanted for more of his company. Glaring across the short distance as his arms came to lean over against the swing, halting the gentle swaying that Shiva had enjoyed until that moment, she decided to ignore him as she returned to the pages spread out in front of her.

"What makes you think that?" Shiva growled back at him when it became clear he wouldn't simply take the hint and make himself scarce completely on his own.

"I'd know how I would feel if our positions were reversed." He commented back to her.

"Than clearly sir, you and I have lead far different lives." Shiva murmured back to him as her resentment and dislike started to grow by small increments. That feeling peaked in an instant as another half seen motion caught out of the corner of her eye. Feeling far less forgiving this time, Shiva's lightning fast movement snapped her hand hand around three of his fingers. Yanking him forward and twisting hard, he was very quickly incapacitated as his arm was over-extended and his joints locked in position as he tried to keep her from twisting those digits right off of his hand. "Are you learning impaired or something?! Or just unable to recognize a point when someone already tried hard to make it clear to you?!" Shiva demanded of him angry enough to risk getting into more serious trouble. He tried to keep his pained noises quiet as he tried hard to look at her face with his body twisted out of position. Just barely able to back off from her instinct to do him some kind of damage, Shiva shoved his arm away as she pushed hard out of the bench sending it backwards to collide with his chest as she moved some distance away to settle in the shadow of a nearby tree.

"Men obsess over what they can't have, sweety." Seila stated from nearby, how long she had been standing near the back door was unclear, but she was clearly displeased with one of them. "I warned you to not try and touch her Dominic." She added as her dislike was given more focus.

"You're right.." He murmured darkly. "I'm sorry Shiva."

"And if you were here to suggest that she join your judo team.." She gave him a truly dark look that made Shiva glad that Seila seemed to like her. He had the good sense to excuse himself right then and make a quick escape from the scene. With a sigh Seila crossed the distance and slid down next to Shiva drawing her slowly to lean against the older woman. It was warmer than the cooling air of the afternoon and oddly comforting so Shiva had a hard time trying to object to the unexpected gesture as the book was left forgotten for the moment. "Don't judge him too harshly, sweety. He is a warm kind hearted man who cares as much about his students as he cares for his job, and he is very good at taking excellent care of both. It may just take him a little while to understand that you are not someone who responses to kindness through physical contact from just anyone." Seila told her softly after a long comforting kind of silence. "It would of course serve no one for you to be on his after school team or for you to take his class. It would only raise too many questions with your classmates, and he is probably the only one who could give you a real work out."

"It far more likely end up with him being seriously hurt." Shiva murmured back to her in return.

"This is true." Seila agreed with a warm chuckle. "Right now my department heads are about ready to riot over you, the average person finishes that test in 5 hours. I have the feelings that you'll end up in our advanced courses, though I think it might be hard for us to challenge you for very long."

"Maybe.." Shiva murmured letting her eyes drift closed. "I think Hornton is making me wait for a few years to establish a public record for me before I am allowed to do much of anything. As boring as it gets doing the same things over and over, I can usually find ways of entertaining myself without disturbing anyone else."

"I am glad that it won't cause trouble, because short of giving you a private teacher, I don't see how they will be able to keep up with you without leaving everyone else behind. Devin told me that you would be able to keep up with any of my other students, I see now that he has also has a gift for understatement." Seila chuckled as she hugged the younger woman closer to her side, Shiva sighed feeling at peace for the first time that day. "I think you could probably pass graduate level courses at the best universities."

"Probably." Shiva agreed with a bright smile.

"Well, that's the future, right now let's concentrate on this semester, and see what comes from it." Seila murmured down to her.

"If you say so." Shiva mumbled feeling no real need to enunciate her words.

"I do say so." She chuckled gently as she rubbed Shiva's side. "Dinner will be ready soon, though I am not sure if Devin will be back to join us. After that think you would want to meet a few of the girls?"

"Are you screening roommates then?" Shiva asked waking up enough to speak the words clearly.

"Better cautious now, than regretful later. And I don't want your room mate to end up resenting you for invading a room that they would have had to themselves until now." Seila told her with a soft chuckle, leaning over to rest her cheek against the top of Shiva's head.

"Is that even possible?" Shiva asked doubtfully.

"Cami assures me it is.." Seila murmured back to her. ".. and I have never had a good reason to doubt her."

"If you think it's for the best, I'll go meet them." Shiva agreed reluctantly. "But can we just stay like this for a while?" She asked reluctantly and not even entirely certain why she would ask that.

"Gladly." Seila agreed warmly hugging her just a bit tighter to her side.

Chapter Three: The First rays of Sunlight

"Vala?" Cami called lightly tapping on one of the many dozens of doors in that oversized hallway on the 10th floor inside the largest dormitory on campus. While it had been impressive from the outside, being huge, well built, and with somewhat charming architectural features, the oversized lobby that also doubled as a public gathering area had been packed with strangers and no few of them had been staring. That coupled with the sheer number of people that could logically be held in a place as large as that one seemed to be from the outside, really made Shiva question the wisdom of placing her there. This doubt was reinforced by the large mixture of girls lingering in the nearby doorways or in the hallway close by looking with interest at Shiva. It felt almost as if they were trying to decide that she was fresh meat or a new student, Shiva couldn't be sure which. It wasn't so late that people weren't awake and moving about, but it was probably close to curfew or lights out, or whatever it was called there. Shiva turned about to match those watching eyes, feeling just a little bit defensive and wondering if this was such a good idea after all as her dark gaze sent no few of them into retreat. There was a soft reply from the far side of the door and Cami was quick to lead her inside.

Whatever Shiva had been expecting from the rooms what she found she left her pleasantly surprised by both the size and overall quality of the space and furniture. It was clean, warmly decorated, and looked very much comfortable with two huge windows looking out over the park like landscape below. Whatever Shiva had been expecting from this 'first choice' in room mates, Vala most certainly did not match up with her expectations. The girl sprawled across one of the two beds was perhaps a year or two older than her, and if Shiva was being honest she looked like a goddess. Dressed in a bare minimum of clothing, Shiva's ability to speak was instantly compromised by the sight of her. Even though she was more or less covered, her dark blue-black hair, amazing sapphire eyes, long limbs and lightly tanned skin made her perfect body all the more appealing. Her men's boxer shorts and tight fitting t-shirt made her seemed very casual and relaxed, and the smile she gave them was more than enough to make Shiva feel awkward and uncomfortable, very much aware of the other girl's presence and her great beauty. What made an already awkward situation entirely worse was there wasn't even a flicker from her senses and instincts that might let her believe that this girl was hiding one of those horrible vicious kinds of personalities that would have made it easier for Shiva to dislike her or ignore that instant surge of attraction stirred up within her.

"Shiva, this is Vala." Cami stated with something akin to laughter in her voice as if only too aware of how Shiva had reacted to the sight of a near naked young woman, as her fingers jerked within Cami's hand at that first appealling sight. "Tida never gave me a straight answer, so I am going to go talk to her for a minute or two." These words were almost enough to make Shiva cling to the older woman's hand, certain she wasn't at all prepared to be left alone with this beautiful stranger. As Cami slipped away it seemed somewhat obvious that her motivations weren't entirely what she had stated as she smirked at Shiva's worried gaze following her back through the door. When the door closed firmly behind her Shiva couldn't honestly think of anyway she could have felt more awkward or out of place than she did at that exact second. Trying hard not to meet those amazing sapphire blue eyes watching her or stare blankly at everything that was attached to them, Shiva's gaze wandered over to the opposite side of the room and the other bed. It was covered in a large afghan and nearly overflowing with pillows and stuffed animals with a extra blankets folded up at the foot of it.

"I wanted a room mate this semester.. but I.. got stuck in here by myself, that seemed like the only thing I could do to keep it from looking empty." Even for Shiva who wasn't fully versed in such things, it wasn't hard to hear a certain level of pain and bitter disappointment in those words. For as much as she might want to understand why that was the case, Shiva didn't feel quite comfortable enough to ask why.

"I.. might not make the best room mate.." Shiva told her softly, a bit surprised that her voice even worked long enough to get those words out as she nervously crossed the hard wood floor and the large colorful rugs that covered large portions of it to settle uncomfortably in one of the waiting chairs beneath one of the windows.

"Maybe." Was agreed between them quickly. "You might not like living with me, but.." Vala murmured back to her with a smile that Shiva couldn't help but catch as that soft warm voice drew her attention before she again forced herself to look the other way. ".. I know I would very much like it if I had someone around to talk to at this time of night." She added as she slipped up from her bed and moved to sit in the chair next to hers. With a slow movement she reached over to cover Shiva's hand with her own, for her part Shiva couldn't stop herself from staring at those perfect delicate fingers covering her own marveling at both the warmth of that touch and that odd almost tingling sensation passed between them. Shiva was only intensely aware of how close they were actually sitting, her mind locked onto the fact that their hands were touching, and her brain working furiously to find some flaw, some hint of something wrong that might let her write this girl off or reject her from her life.

"Most.. room mates.. probably aren't as dangerous as I can be." Shiva told her feeling even more awkward as that magnetic presence grew even closer making it far harder to ignore. In all truth Shiva knew herself to be plagued with any number and manner of trust issues when it came to dealing with people and even more so when those people were strangers. But as she sat there only too intensely aware of this other girl she could feel even stronger instincts trying to draw her even closer to this beautiful figure. For all that she might have dreamed of a life on the outside as a child and wished for things to be different during the past two years, almost never had she put any kind of actual thought into an intimate relationship much less a close friendship with anyone. But for the very first time in her life she found herself wondering if such a thing was possible for her and if it was she wanted it to be a possibility with this person and she could not comprehend why she felt this way.

"I was hoping I could ask you about that, Cami was pretty evasive about your nightmares and not touching you." She murmured in a soft sweet voice as she leaned in just a little closer making her just that much harder to ignore.

"I see something out of the corner of my eye.. or someone does something I don't expect.. and I react out of instinct. If I am distracted, or not quite awake, I could really hurt someone." Shiva told her feeling truly uncomfortable by that point, Vala made a soft noise and rubbed her arm encouragingly.

"Well, that makes more sense now." Vala agreed softly and for a long time there was silence. "Most of the other girls don't really like me.."

"Why?" Shiva's surprise was hard to contain and her disbelief was more than enough to snap her eyes up to meet those watching blue eyes. Her attraction to this mysterious person was quite intense and she couldn't quite understand why she wasn't the most popular girl in the school.

"Some of them found out last year that I am an empath.." Vala informed her and it was only too easy for Shiva to see that Vala expected an unpleasant sort of reaction from Shiva at those words. ".. so they decided that I somehow couldn't be trusted." Finding that sort of attitude extremely unfair, and completely without sense, Shiva was given just a little insight into that sadness that she had glimpsed before. "You might not want to live with me.. if you act too friendly towards me, some of them might decide to treat you the same way."

"Would you really want to live with someone who could break your arm by accident?" Shiva asked back, worried that she hadn't made herself clear about the kind the threat she could represent.

"Shiva, I grew up with two older brothers.. I am tough girl." Vala told her with a warm luminous smile. "Besides, I can sense that you don't want to hurt me.. in fact you are scared that you might." She added with soft tender words as she squeezed Shiva's hand.

"Yes.." Shiva agreed reluctantly.

"Would it bother you, that I will be able to know what you are feeling almost all the time?" She asked in the next heartbeat, Shiva really didn't even have think about her answer.

"No." Shiva whispered back to her. "Maybe.. it will help you know.. when.."

"I am certain it will." Vala interjected gently.

"There would be some things that I won't be able to talk about." Shiva told her quickly trying to avoid the awkward questions that might come later.

"I think I could tell that.." Vala giggled back to her as she leaned still closer to rub Shiva's back, easing away some of the tense muscles and found it really hard to find that touch objectionable. When there came another tap at the door, Cami's return felt almost unwelcome. But Shiva couldn't quite bring herself to tell the older woman 'no' as she was told that there were a few other girls to meet before she could render her final decision.

* * *

It had become something of a tradition for Vala to escape the more populated regions of school during the long lunch break and go find some place where she couldn't be disturbed, and wouldn't have to face the hatred of her classmates. Armed with a selection of the healthier snacks from the vending machines scattered across the campus and enough homework to occupy some of the time ahead of her, Vala wandered out past the more distant buildings and slipped into the shifting shade of the landscaped grounds. Every once in a while she would see some of the other outcast from the larger society of the school, or a few of the couples sneaking away for a little time alone, those scenes were ones most likely to stir up her rarely seen moments of jealousy. Almost at once her line of thought turned back to the previous evening's encounter with Shiva. Never one to be attracted to just any girl she might encounter, her rather intense attraction to that beautiful uncertain girl had only grown once she had been pulled away, leaving Vala all the more lonely for that brief glimpse of something special. Even though she had said that Vala being an empath didn't bother her, Vala couldn't quite let herself believe that she had truly meant it. It seemed likely that she would pick someone else's room rather than risk being ostracized by the whole school. And that made it more of a shame since she had been so very cute trying not to look at Vala's thinly clad form. The signs that Vala's intense attraction was anything but one side where Shiva was concerned could have only been a good thing in Vala's way of thinking, and made her wish that perhaps there was just a small chance that something might come from it. The school she had so loved during the previous two years, had been filled with nothing but pain and loneliness since her secret had been exposed by a girl who Vala had thought was her friend. That betrayal had destroyed their relationship, ended many of her friendships, and made Vala the most widely known outcast in the school. Even though she was seventeen if her professors weren't already recommending her for early admission to college the following year she probably would never have returned to the academy for the fall semester.

It was just a tiny twinge in the back of her mind, a familiar feeling caught in a passing moment that made her turn her head off to one side and her thoughts refocus from their internal circling. When she looked off in the direction of that strange momentary feeling she saw a sight that made her heart race and skin feel warm. Settled in the shade of the trees further out than most people were willing to go during the lunch break was Shiva, looking even more beautiful in the daylight than she had in the soft shadows of Vala's empty dorm room. In truth she looked almost fragile sitting there in the grass beneath the dappled shade of the trees, her pale perfect skin almost glowing in that shadowy light. Her lilac hair left unbound to fall down her shoulder and across her back, dancing in the warm breeze. She sat with her legs curled up next to her, half hidden in by the fabric of her skirt spread around her as if she had just dropped down unknowing or uncaring of the 'lady-like' thing to do. Her expression was gentle as her intensely silver eyes focused on the pages of the book spread out in front of her, seemingly unaware of anything else as the pages flipped past perhaps too fast for any other person to read them. Vala couldn't quite stop her feet from turning and allowing her legs to carry her across that distance, knowing it might be a mistake but not quite able to resist that unknown force that seemed to draw her in.

"Hello, again." Vala called gently, remembering Cami's warnings of keep her voice calm and even. And almost to prove how true those words had been, Shiva's whole body jerked at her soft call as if she were a wild animal hearing the sound of a predator's approach. She was if anything even more perfect and beautiful up close, while Vala's curves might be the 'in' look of the models and celebrities popular at that time, it was Shiva's slim athletic and graceful body she found more attractive. Perfectly proportioned and beautiful formed she looked even younger than Vala might have guessed if it wasn't for that hint of age and wisdom in that studied silver gaze. Her head snapped around to find Vala standing just a little bit away from her, and a demure little smile changed her expression from surprise to one of gentle beauty as her eyes were immediately turning away. The whispering feelings of Shiva's chaotic emotions of unsettled embarrassment, deep attraction, and sudden shyness made Vala very much want to tease her just a little. However she somehow knew that if she gave into that mischievous need Shiva wouldn't even know how to handle it and Vala would only succeed in driving her off, which was the last thing she wanted right then.

"Hey.." Shiva whispered back to her eyes not quite looking in Vala's direction, but her every sense intensely aware of Vala's presence nonetheless. Her soft almost breathless voice was lilting and pleasing to the ear, as if there was never a reason for her to speak a harsh word. But Vala could sense a pitch black shadow lingering just out of sight where the eyes could not see it, as if this girl no matter how pretty or young knew what true darkness could mean.

"Would you like some company?" Shiva eyes almost snapped upward in surprise at Vala's question, but her cheeks colored a very subtle shade of pink as she looked away just as suddenly as she nodded almost too little to be truly seen. Vala moved to settle in the grassy niche between the roots of the massive tree, dropping down onto the soft grass so that she was just within her Shiva's reach. There was a passing sense that Shiva wasn't quite satisfied with even that short distance and almost seemed the lean closer as if she wished to close the gap between them. "So what are you doing all the way out here?"

"Seila.. she asked me to sit on some of the advanced classes to see if I thought I might learn something." Shiva murmured with annoyed sounding sigh as she slowly closed the cover of the book resting in her lap. The fact that she called the Dean by her first name wasn't entirely lost on Vala, but somehow with Shiva it just seemed right, as if she only looked like she was the same age as the rest of the girls in the school. "And.." But even as Vala found herself wondering if somehow Shiva was older than her, that uncertain girl seen for just a few moments the previous night returned making it even harder for Vala to not be aware of how very attractive she found this person to be. ".. well I decided I'd rather be far away from some of those girls."

"Were they being mean?" Vala asked feeling a sudden surge of concern.

"Mean I can handle.. annoying is another matter." Shiva told her as a small smile crossed her lips. "They were just asking questions that they had no business knowing, or trying to touch me when they really shouldn't.." The latter seemed almost understandable, Shiva looked very much like the perfect image of a doll given life. ".. it was just starting to irritate me so I decided to come out here and see if.." She cut herself off, smiled a little brighter as she shook her head. Her beautiful eyes almost wandered high enough to meet Vala's watchful gaze before they dropped down to small expanse of grass that separated them.

"And I thought I might want to ask you a question.. but I guess it doesn't matter." Vala murmured down to her feeling uncertain and increasingly tempted to learn something about this mysterious girl who drew her in like a moth to the flame of a flickering candle.

"What did you want to ask me?" This brought her gaze up and a tiny smirk to curve her full lips. As her body shifted a little with the movement, Vala caught sight of the edges of a strange beautiful tattoo of flowering vines traveling up her right arm and disappear under her sleeve. That was if anything only made Vala even more curious about her since by all right neither of them were old enough to have that sort of artwork done legitimately by a tattoo artist.

"I wanted to ask.." Vala decided at the last second that she wasn't quite ready to get rejected that moment as she started pulling out her lunch items. ".. how your other meet and greets went last night after you left." Shiva gave a mysterious smile and a uncertain and non-specific gesture.

"Cami says that she has a few more this afternoon before she'll let me make a final decision." Shiva commented a moment later with a sigh her annoyance with another authority figure clearly on display.

"You almost make it sound like you were ready to make a final decision last night." Vala murmured as her heart started to pound and she felt a surge of hope.

"I am pretty sure the decision is almost made.. it's just.." Shiva's emotions seemed to flutter between a strange mixture of nervousness, excitement, uncertainty, and desire.

"What?" Vala asked unable to resist leaning in just a little closer to her as her emotions stirred in response to that fluttery excitement she could sense from Shiva.

"I don't know if I can really trust myself.." Shiva whispered in words that were just barely audible, but the fear and worry Vala felt from her was all too loud and clear. No longer able to resist the temptation Shiva's every word, gesture and expression had to offer for her, she shifted closer, closing that gap between them so she could reach out and gently touch those hands clasped in Shiva's lap. Shiva looked up sharply at that touch and even as Vala once again marveled at how the warmth of Shiva's skin could make hers tingle in the most subtle and deeply delightful of ways, Shiva blushed a rosy shade of pink even as her finger shifted to catch Vala's in a light grip.

"Trust yourself?" She asked of her trying desperately not to feel a surge of hope at Shiva's reactions, unable and unwilling to let herself lose her heart at that moment knowing only too well how easily she might end up getting hurt over this stranger.

"She's.. beautiful.. smart.. understanding.. and I really want to get closer to her.. but.. I worry that something bad might happen if let myself do that." Shiva whispered to her as her emotions began to flip-flop and her eyes seemed unable to meet Vala's watching gaze. In that moment, Vala didn't care if it was a mistake, she didn't even care if Shiva wasn't talking about her, there was a pain in that silent downcast gaze that made her own heart ache. Shifting forward Vala reached across the distance to slide her fingers across that beautiful cheek and bury her fingers in that amazing hair.

"Any girl would be lucky to have the chance to get close to you, and.. I really don't think you'll do anything you'll regret." Shiva leaned into that touch as if she really did desire the touches Vala had been warned away from giving, as her eyes drifted close and her first honest and total smile appeared to show the truth of her amazing beauty.

"I'm worried she might not like me that way.." Shiva whispered back to her, it was the first words Vala had heard from her that seemed to come out without some kind of internal struggle.

"Than she would be an idiot." Shiva's eyes flicked open and then all at once she was shifting across the remaining distance between them. Vala's heart stopped as Shiva crossed that imaginary barrier and their lips touched in that first intensely electric kiss that made her lungs freeze and her body grow instantly warm. She almost did not know how to react even as some small part of her mind commented on the innocence of that inexperienced kiss. Before she was even ready to realize what had happened, Shiva was drawing back much to her intense disappointment.

"You should really eat your lunch before the bell rings." Shiva whispered to her much to surprise of her frozen thoughts. The other girl gathered up her book and was sliding to her feet as Vala watched stunned and confused. "See you later, Vala.." She added as she slipped away across the shadowy landscape as the wind washed up to rustle through the trees that had seemed silent until that moment.

With that cryptic and wonderful encounter to plague her thoughts throughout the remainder of the day, and a kiss that could almost still feel every time she thought about it. Vala felt even less willing than usual to endure her normal everyday routine of concealed hatred and loneliness as the clock seemed to slow to a crawl through the remaining hours after lunch. Before she went to dinner that night she thought for just a moment that she saw Shiva being escorted across the campus, but couldn't quite bring herself to call out across the distance since there were so many people around. The meaning of that kiss was still all too unclear and she wouldn't ruin Shiva's chances of finding friends no matter how strong her feelings might be. Long after dinner and after she had locked herself away in her rooms where almost no one would bother her unless they wanted something from her, Vala found herself staring out the window and across the silent dark campus as her thoughts circled around that strange and wonderful encounter.

Those seemingly small events and the words exchanged between them were even more confused after the hours of classes and the painfully slow hours of another lonely evening than it had been just after it had happened. No matter what she might have felt from Shiva in those intense seconds when their lips had met, Vala couldn't really let herself believe that it might mean what she wanted it to mean. And no matter how hard her heart wanted to and needed it to be 'that way' Vala couldn't and wouldn't let it's soft consistent whisper overwhelm her compromised logical thoughts. It seemed obvious to her after half of day of circling contemplation that it had only been Shiva's way of thanking her for the advice. No one would knowingly choose to be ostracized from their peers by choosing to associate themselves with someone like her, no matter how much Vala's heart wished for these facts to be different. While she wasn't entirely convinced that Shiva was one of those people who would casually use such a gesture in that fashion, her own doubts wouldn't let her believe that had been meant as something like a true gesture of attraction.

Vala had almost always known that she was a lesbian, when her childhood friends had first started to think about boys as more than just people who shared their classes and attended the same school, she found herself unable to understand their feelings. Aggressive, uncouth, and more often than not, awkward, she had honestly tried at first to follow in her friends' examples as they made those first uneducated steps towards something more than friendship. Those first attempts had been disasters, no matter how educated or funny any of the boys turned out to be she simply had not felt anything for them beside a slim desire for friendship. And their own attempts at something more were fumbling and weird as they tried to make themselves seem suave and sophisticated which had only driven the wedge separating them even further apart. Far too young to really understand the problem her friends had just thought her to be too shy to really 'get it right'. It was not until her childhood best friend had spent several nights at Vala's house while her parents were away on a trip that things started to make themselves a little clearer. Of course now nearing adulthood, she knew that a lot of girls were prone to experimentation with kissing and other more daring acts with their friends, but that first time had made all that awkwardness go away and make her realize she found far more attraction for her friends than she did for any boy she could name. Some of those tiny voices in her head almost had her believing that she choose to come to this school because the chances of finding someone who felt as she did became just that much more significant, even though she had told her parents that she had wanted to attend the same school as her mother.

The tiny hard to hear tap on the door barely registered in her confused distracted senses, but thankfully the person who knocked had the good sense to come in anyways. It was the presence that entered that made it possible to shake off her confusion and turn to find Shiva quietly sliding the door closed. She was smiling softly even though she was intensely nervous for an unspecified reason. As she met Vala's turning gaze, she looked almost instantly down towards the floor and shifted about uncomfortably as she clasped her hands in front of her hips. It was the kind of subtle signal that gave her the kind of clue that Shiva was indeed not the kind of person to kiss just any girl, and that gesture that had so confused Vala was very nearly proven to be something that was not something as innocent as a simple thank you for the advice.

"Cami wanted to check with another girl.. but.." She fell silent and shook her head as her smile grew just a little. Almost before she knew what she was thinking Vala was crossing the floor, Shiva seemed to step back out of instinct at her approach, putting her back to the door as Vala drew in close. Sliding her hands under the other girl's chin, Vala couldn't stop herself from lifting her chin and giving her a second kiss, one where all of Vala's previous practice was brought into play. Shiva's earlier innocence was proved to have not been faked as the younger girl seemed almost to go limp, half frozen by surprise even as her emotions spun wildly between a burning desire and intense confusion. Vala reluctantly pulled away after a breathless eternity and looked down into those silver eyes as they slowly drifted open. "Still looking for a room mate?"

"No." Vala murmured back to her as her perverse sense of humor took a burning upswing. "But I do have an opening for a girlfriend."

"Even better.." Shiva whispered back to her as wave of confidence seemed to flow through her.

"Is it.. would you really risk being shut out by all the other girls?" Vala asked as her own confidence seemed to leave her in a rush.

"They aren't going to like me anyways." Shiva told her with a soft mysterious smile. Nervously Shiva's hands shifted upward to nervously touch her hip and to run a finger through her hair, her eyes wandering away from her watching gaze as she seemed to be absorbed by her own wandering thoughts. "Would you really want a girl friend as dangerous as I am?"

"You're not dangerous." Shiva's eyes snapped up to hers and that shadow returned all at once and far more intense than before.

"Yes, I am." She told her firmly as if there was no doubt whatsoever as to that being a fact. Even though Vala caught a glimmer of something she couldn't quite understand, she couldn't truly let herself believe that was the absolute truth at least not where Vala was concerned.

"Shiva.. this.. is probably one of those things you don't want to talk about.. but I.. have done little else but think about you since last night. Dangerous or not.. my every instinct is telling me that I should trust you, my ever desire wants to be near you, and I am willing to take almost any risk just to be close to you." Vala whispered back to her as her confidence returned feeling her heart pound just with the nearness of this angelic creature whose warm body was pressed up close to hers. "There is probably nothing you could do or say that would make my feelings grow any less.. and.. I don't even know what it is I am feeling right now except maybe that you are the most beautiful.. most desirable girl I have ever encountered."

"Really?" Shiva asked surprised and nervous in the next moment as her body wiggled and shifted against Vala's. "I've.. never.. really.. had.. anyone.. I mean.."

"I could tell." Vala interjected gently as Shiva's eyes drifted away as she struggled for words. Her eyes shot back up to find Vala smiling across that short distance. Vala slipped her fingers through that beautiful hair tenderly, only just able to keep herself from stripping Shiva out of her clothes and giving her more than a few of those first lessons. "But that's okay, I get the feeling that you would be a very good student." Shiva blushed and looked away as the remaining distance disappeared as she slipped in closer and tucked her head under Vala's chin. Vala hugged her close and let her eyes drift closed as the beating of their hearts seemed almost to take on the same rhythm. The next knock on the door was not welcomed by either of them, and Shiva almost seemed to growl as Vala drew her away from the wooden structure at the sense it was about to be opened. Even though Shiva seemed ready to shift away from her, Vala wasn't quite ready to let her go as the door indeed slid quietly open to let the professor slip inside.

"Is.. everything all right?" 'Cami' asked with a sudden intense concern for Shiva even as her face failed to hide the intense surprise to find Shiva tucked into Vala's arms.

"We're fine, but someone needed a hug." Vala whispered back to her over the top of Shiva's head. The arms that were circling around her waist tentatively, tightened in a heartbeat of outrage even as a small giggle emerged from Shiva as her body relaxed just a little more. The professor relaxed more than a little at that sound and smiled at Vala as she stepped further into the room and approached cautiously to touch Shiva's shoulders.

"So the decision has been made, has it Shiva?" She asked gently smiling down at the smaller girl in Vala's arms.

"Vala will be able to tell when.." Shiva shook her head and sighed.

"I understand, sweety, do you think you would want to sleep here tonight and move your stuff in the morning?" She asked encouragingly, giving a Vala a warm happy smile.

"I don't have much.. could I just move in tonight.." Shiva whispered back uncertainly sounding very tired all of a sudden, as if the drain of her intense emotions had left ready for bed already.

"You sure?" The professor asked as she too heard that exhaustion in the younger girl's voice.

"Seila's house is too quiet.. it makes me.. uneasy.." Shiva whispered back to her, though Vala could sense that she had changed her words at the last minute.

"Just let me call her and make sure she isn't on her way to bed or anything." The Professor murmured rubbing Shiva's shoulders before she moved closer to the door to conduct a quiet phone conversation. Shiva sighed as she moved to step back rubbing at her eyes with her knuckles only too clear fighting to stay awake..

"You can always do it in the morning.." Vala suggested gently reaching over to caress her shoulder and upper arm.

"Then I won't have anything clean to wear..." Shiva countered softly giving her a lopsided smile.

"Devin?" The noticeable rise in Cami's voice made that half asked question reach them across the quiet space. Shiva's good mood seemed to fade in less than a heartbeat and a darkness swept over her emotions that was no mere shadow this time but something akin to a thunderstorm of turbulent emotions. "That's pretty unusual.. well, yes, I understand that.. All right, I ask her." The professor moved the phone away from her ear. "Vala, Shiva's guardian wants to meet you." Shiva almost opened her mouth to voice a very loud objection, but Vala beat her to the punch only too aware of Shiva's objections even as her own curiosity ruled out any kind of refusal.

"Of course, just let me get changed." Shiva half glared at her as the Professor nodded and stepped out in the hall to end the conversation. Before Shiva could try and voice her objections directly to Vala, she started pulling off her pajama tops and Shiva's intense blush forced her to look away rather cutely as she blushed. "You don't want me to meet your guardian." Vala commented as she shed her outer layer of clothing and reached for something a little better suited to going outside. Caught between trying hard to watch Vala dressing and trying even harder not to look, Shiva shook her head fractionally.

"I don't want him to meet you." Shiva whispered back to her.

"Why?" Vala asked her, a bit confused and more aware than ever just how adorable Shiva was as the darkness retreated for the moment and her nervousness and uncertainty returned.

"It's.. complicated.." Shiva replied after a very long awkward kind of silence.

"Shiva.." Vala murmured crossing the distance between them still only half dressed to lift the other girl's eyes to look up into her own. "I couldn't put what it is I feel for you right now into words if I had a thousand years.. but whatever it is, I can tell you without a doubt or hesitation that I have never felt this way about anyone before. Come hell or high water, I know that I want to get to know you better so that maybe one day I might know what these feelings mean. Because I am absolutely positive there is not one thing that I can learn or hear that will make these feelings change, I know that deep down in my soul. And that if I were to turn away right now, I might never be so lucky to ever meet someone like you ever again.."

"It's just.." Shiva tried to counter uncomfortably even as her own chaotic emotions seemed to ascend in a spiraling dance of joy at hearing Vala's words.

"I mean it." Vala stated firmly to her, not about to let Shiva suffer through the same kind of doubts that had made Vala so miserable throughout that day. "Whenever I am around other people I am filled with voices that echo all my doubts and fears back to me over and over, with you.. those voices go quiet, and all they whisper is that I want to be with you. Maybe you are dangerous, maybe you do have secrets that I should never know about.. but as long as I get to be with you, I don't think that will ever matter, because I know in my heart that you would never hurt me."

"All right.." Shiva relented, giving up the fight as her fingers moved to slowly button up the front of her shirt. Vala smiled down at the tender gesture and leaned in to kiss her cheek, skewing her aim to miss those far too tempting lips. It was only a little while longer before Shiva was half leaning into her side with the fingers of their hands tangled together as they emerged into the hallway. The Professor was still waiting for them as they emerged only to be confronted by an angry Sophia, the RA for that floor and a vicious dictator in the making if there ever was one. She had made it clear in the first week that she thought Vala was a enemy to all 'humans' and that they would never be anything but blood-enemies. So of course she was trying to argue hard about the rules only she really cared about with a Professor who was supposed to be the authority over such things.

"Oh, stuff it Sophia, tomorrow's Friday and I bet there isn't one person in bed yet, curfew or not." Vala growled as they approached, not even caring to be polite about it on this night. She could only too readily feel that burning hatred always present take on a nearly violent edge.

"And I already told you that your protest has been heard and rejected, these are special circumstances and I don't need to explain myself to you." The Professor told her as her voice became far more firm and authoritative. "Good night, Sophia." The door to Sophia's private room almost slammed shut in the Professor's face.

"Oh.. I can just tell that we are going to be best friends." Shiva drawled sounding almost as annoyed as the rest of them. The professor gave her a concerned look to which Shiva gave her a wicked little smile.

"I'll see if something can be done about this before this becomes a problem.." The Professor murmured to them as she moved to lead them out of the building and to the rack of small electric carts that were sometimes used to get around to the far distant points of the school, and on the weekends off of school grounds and into the nearby town. Shiva seemed to have no desire to do anything but sit close to her as they were driven slowly towards the Dean's house. There was still a bit of tension and a faded sort of anger lingering deep down even though she almost seemed ready to fall asleep right then and there, but it seemed to be just enough to keep her from doing that very thing. When they arrived the Dean was waiting for them out front with a smile as Vala drew Shiva into motion. With obvious affection she kissed Shiva's forehead and rubbed her arms before she was sent inside.

"Thank you for coming out here so late, Vala." The Dean murmured to her softly.

"It's all right, I thought maybe if I came somehow a little light might be cast over all the mystery." In the next second there was a sudden almost irrational surge of anger from Shiva that made Vala almost go running in that direction, but the Dean caught her upper arms between her hands stopping her in the same instant.

"Easy there, those two have their own issues to work through." The Dean murmured down to her. Vala's intense concern didn't quite allow her to realize that the Dean had reacted to the very same distant feeling as she had until it was far too late to question it. Shiva calmed down considerably in the next minute erasing the sense of immediate need that might have made Vala pull away from that gentle grip stopping her. "Shiva is pretty much a special case in all quadrants.. and I believe her guardian felt the need to warn you about some of the same things Shiva herself has probably already told you."

"I know she would never hurt me." Vala told her, more convinced than ever that this was the undeniable truth. The Dean gave her an intense measuring look, that seemed to erase some part of Vala's firm resolve to know the truth and made her shift uncomfortably under the gaze.

"Maybe you are right." She said after a long time. "Cami made me think that maybe you were on your way to being more than just roommates." Vala felt a burning rush of warmth color her cheeks as she was forced to nod, to which the Dean gave a warm chuckle. "All right.. I guess that means I shall have to include you in this not quite conspiracy, as long as you promise me that nothing you might hear is ever whispered to another soul."

"I.. don't know why I feel this way.. but.." Vala's uncertainty wouldn't quite let her continue with that line of thought. "I want to help Shiva.. she needs someone, whether or not she will ever say it."

"Yes, she does." The Dean agreed firmly and without a hint of doubt in her voice. "Shiva is a lot stronger than most people in a great many ways, but she is also a lot weaker when it comes to certain things. So.. let's go have our quiet discussion with Devin so we can illuminate just a little piece of the wider puzzle, all right?"

"Please." Vala agreed and the Dean smiled as she turned to lead Vala inside. Shiva was calm as they entered the room, there was a large fairly handsome man ducked down in front of her. He was gently holding both of her hands as the two of them lingered in the soft light coming in through the windows to spill across the shadowy room. His soft words were not quite loud enough for her to catch, but a moment later Shiva was drifting up the stairs mumbling something about being right back. Cami moved to follow her with a smile for the two of them, as he rose up to his considerable height to smile at Vala and the Dean.

"She certainly wants to protect you from me, so that certainly counts for something." He murmured to them as the Dean drew her by the hand to a more comfortable distance for a conversation.

"Is everything all right?" The Dean asked with deep concern.

"I think I managed to repair the damage before I could ruin the progress we made during the last few days. And thank you Vala to coming to speak with me." He told her and then smiled a little brighter over to Vala.

"It's all right, it's just.." Vala murmured, not quite sure how she could get this conversation started.

"You shouldn't hold back the truth with her, Devin, at least not the important parts." He seemed to almost grow a darkness in his shadow for a heartbeat before it was all together gone and he nodded to her calmly.

"Well for starters.." He ducked down in front of Vala making his intimidating size far less apparent, and making her feel just a little at ease. "Shiva's a telekinetic, a strong one." Vala had of course had heard rumors of people with such talents, but they were supposedly supremely rare, bordering on non-existent. Even those who claimed to have such an ability and tried to make a name for themselves with the media seemed to struggle just to bend a piece of silverware. "So I don't want you to be surprised if things start floating around the room, because if she gets comfortable she might not even be aware that she's doing it." There were rumors that the only strong telekinetics existed within the ranks of the military, but there had never been any way to confirm such things.

"All right." Vala agreed, not quite able to question him about this even as she found herself comparing this man against the template she had built up of all the people who served the military she had met over the years.

"Seila told me that you have already been warned of what you shouldn't do with Shiva that might cause something bad to happen." Vala nodded in return getting just a glimmer of a feeling that this wasn't all. "She has had some problems in the last few years, hurt quite a few people, while much of it has been justified there was one accident when someone close to her tried to wake her up from a nightmare. My suggestion.. throw a pillow, yell at her, just don't get close.."

"Right." Vala concurred taking that bit of advice to heart.

"The second thing is.." He murmured before pausing to consider his next words very carefully. ".. due to her.. unusual upbringing, Shiva doesn't really understand how things work out here.. in the real world. For a lack of better words, she is socially inept.."

"I could kind of tell that when I started thinking things over.." Vala admitted to him quickly.

"She.. didn't really mean to let me in on your secret.." He admitted back to her worried about how she might react to his next words. ".. but she admitted that you were an empath." Vala flinched and looked away feeling a small sense of betrayal and expecting a less than pleasant reaction from him. "Which is perfect.. in my eyes." He told her hastily surprising her more than a little. "I have recently come to the conclusion that what Shiva desperately needs is someone who has a chance of understanding her." Vala could help but smile in silent agreement. "Whatever else it will let you know when she is approaching 'dangerous territory'."

"She thought the same thing." Vala murmured back to him. "I am not entirely sure what is going on.. but she and I.. we feel things for each other that go beyond normal every day emotions. Almost like we have an understanding that goes way beyond the kind of connection people feel after even years of knowing each other.." He looked up at the Dean with uncontrolled surprise, she nodded back down to him. Vala wasn't even sure why she told either of them this, for all that it seemed to be the truth and she wanted it to be the truth, she never the less felt somehow compelled to inform them of this strange connection she was already aware of growing between her and Shiva.

"In that case.." He murmured reaching into his inside jacket pocket to pull out a small paper business card. "If something happens and you don't feel comfortable talking it over with the Dean.. you should be able to get a hold of me through these numbers. I've been trying hard to earn Shiva's trust but events in the past have been getting in the way.. if you even get a hint that there might be a problem.."

"I'll come to one of you." Vala promised pocketing the small card. He gave her a deeply grateful smile and a pleased nod even as the soft sounds of footsteps appeared on the steps. With the professor leading an exhausted Shiva down the steps towards them, even warned as she had been Vala was surprised to look up and see a procession of bags hovering along in their wake. Devin caressed her arm as he moved away to duck back down in front of Shiva's approaching steps, giving Vala a little time to recover from her shock.

"Feeling better?" He asked with a voice that was even more gentle than the moment before as he spoke to her.

"A little." Shiva admitted reluctantly.

"Good.." He murmured rubbing her arm gently. "I'll come see you before we ship out, and we'll talk about any last minute things that might come up between now and then. Now you get back to your room and get some sleep and I'll see you soon, okay?" She nodded against Cami's arm and gave him a soft sweet smile. Before he retreated out of sight he smiled back at Vala and the Dean lead her back outside with a smile of her own.

"Don't be afraid to come talk to me, night or day, it means a lot to both of us that we might not have to worry about Shiva so much now that you are in the picture." The Dean whispered down to her as she lead Vala outside in the wake of the floating luggage. Vala nodded as they moved along watching as the luggage was loaded into the back seat of the cart and Vala was handed down into the front passengers seat. Cami lead Shiva right down into her lap before she moved to drive them off, Shiva made a contented sleepy sort of sound before she seemed to give up the last of her tension and fall into a deep sleep. With the Professor carrying Shiva and Vala struggling just a little with the luggage they managed to get her and her stuff safely up into Vala's now shared room in one trip, where Vala was left alone to smile down at Shiva's peaceful sleeping expression.

* * *

"So.." Seila murmured as she wandered back into her kitchen as Devin anticipated her needs and offered silently to pour both of them a nightcap of something strong. She smiled her thanks and she accepted his silent offer and moved to sit nearby. ".. what do you think about all of that?" He chuckled back at her as he moved to settle nearby considering the many things he might say about that unusual encounter.

"I don't suppose, would be willing to return the favor and show me even a little of the confidential information you might have on young Vala." He commented back to her after considerable thought and a slow sip from the cool glass containing the firey liquid.

"Not a chance, because I know you.. you don't like X-factors with anything you are involved with. And if I even gave you a tiny clue to go on, you'd be unwisely investigating her by sometime tomorrow morning." Seila told him to which he chuckled, a bit annoyed by her claims to silence even as she gave him a small clue as to why he should just let the matter be left at that. She had mentioned to him once or twice before that a sizable percentage of the students that attended her school were the children of military officers. With their parents often enough spread across the many bases held by the Alliance or scattered across the stars, the boarding Academy could at least provide the children who went there with a stable environment if not with a stable family situation. If Vala was indeed one of those military kids, it was likely that any investigation Devin might put forth would raise very awkward question with his superior officers. He gave he a significant look, and she seemed to realize her mistake in the next moment as she glared across the distance between them. "Just leave her out of this." She reconfirmed her warning with a touch more intensity.

"Aye, ma'am." He teased and then gave her his best smile, she let herself relax just a little more. "Anyways, I wouldn't dare risk this chance that Shiva has. If Vala is the key to a much calmer Shiva I can't see how that would be a bad thing no matter what else is in the background."

"True enough." Seila agreed with a sigh. "She was certainly quick to get on the defensive back there."

"And from what Vala said.. well I can assume at least one of her parents was involved in the same things we were judging by that talent of hers." Seila grudgingly agreed to that, still annoyed that he could assume even that much. "How is Shiva's class schedule coming along?"

"Slowly." She murmured with a hint of aggravation. "My staff seems convinced if they stall long enough the can come up with a curriculum for her that will somehow keep her 100% challenged without sacrificing their other students. I mean.. I know you told me she was advanced.."

"Yes, well.. Shiva has implied once or twice she wasn't merely research, but she was doing research.." Devin informed her, though there was very little he could do to confirm or deny that.

"Maybe, I should just give her the same schedule as Vala, assuming this isn't just some sort of temporary crush. Vala's pretty advanced herself and is in all honor courses, and as long being together doesn't hurt Vala's education, maybe she can keep Shiva content if not interested." She commented to him thoughtfully. "Speaking of which.. Shiva seemed to be under the impression you were trying to establish a public record for her by putting her into high school.. delaying her for a few years so she wouldn't simply seem to come out of nowhere."

"Smart girl." Devin chuckled thoughtfully rubbing the stubble on his chin. "More or less, yes.. I am not entirely sure my budget for her would let me send her to college is the other reason. And with all her problems.. well I haven't had much luck getting that number to go up."

"Hmm.. as I thought.." She agreed with a sigh. "The thing is.. even if I put her with someone to teach her one on one, I honestly don't know how long I would be able to keep her here and content. If this thing with Vala isn't some fluke.. well Vala is just about ready for early admission into college as well. I could look into it.. make some discrete inquiries."

"That would certainly save me some trouble.. if a Lieutenant starts trying to talk to college Dean's about early admission for a girl not quite old enough to be a high school Junior.. well, those are the kinds of questions I am supposed to prevent." She nodded and smiled in return easily understanding that bit of reality.

"Her math skills alone would probably have the department heads ready to just throw gobs of money her way if the words came from the right mouth." She agreed touching her chest with a smile before taking a drink.

"Shiva isn't exactly a popular subject in most circles, but I'll do what I can to find a few high placed allies." He agreed darkly, feeling almost ready for the fight that might soon follow. "Do you.. think it's a fluke.. with those two?" She looked down as she intently considered her answer. When she looked back up she smiled and shook her head without the least little bit of uncertainty in her green eyes. "I didn't think so either." He agreed with a warm chuckle and the feeling that this time things might actually work out.

Chapter Four: Changing Skies

Shiva had been so very ready to be mad on that second trip across the grounds towards the Dean's house, so very ready to do Devin some serious harm at what she considered a very horrible invasion into what she already thought of to be her most treasured personal matter. But Vala's presence seemed to wash those feelings away, easily and without even trying, soothing away that anger with words that made her heart ache and made her emotions crackle with the intensity of her growing attraction. She had spent the entire afternoon and evening regretting that impulsive and wonderful kiss that had concluded her second meeting with Vala. Her thoughts circling over and over those words they had exchanged and continually questioning that burning desire she barely understood to get closer to the older girl and understand what those feelings truly meant. When Cami had provided the excuse and opportunity to wander in for a third time, she would never have expected that second kiss or the roller coaster of emotions that had followed. Even though all her worries seemed to have disappeared in those quiet perfect moments when some small piece of understanding had first appeared deep down where it started to grow, Devin's name was still enough to make all of it come crashing down around her. Their arrival and the sense that he was close by hiding, made all those feelings return as she left Vala's side.

"She's pretty." He murmured across the entrance chamber peering out the window at the gathering she had left behind. With her temper already boiling just beneath the surface she crossed the distance and a few strides.

"What do you want with her?!" Shiva demanded in an angry hiss. "Is this because she's an empath?!" The sharp turn of his gaze and the light of understanding in his eyes, told her all at once that those words had been a mistake. All at once her temper flared into being and she had to fight the urge to simply break him in half as tears started to well up in her tired eyes.

"Hey!!" He half yelled dropping down in front of her and grabbing her hands. "Seila couldn't tell me that." He told her quickly, easing her personal monster back towards its' cage. "She couldn't reveal that information to me without breaking her word.. but she implied that this girl might be important to all of this working out for the best." His eyes showed her nothing but complete honesty and his deep concern for her as more tears began to force their way up the surface as her anger started to fade. "I'm sorry.. I wanted to meet her because she would be the one at the most risk, and I wanted to make sure she understood that.."

"I'm sorry.. I.. I.. just.." The rest of the words died as her throat closed up and all at once she felt almost too tired to keep going.

"It's all right, sweety." He whispered back to her, reaching up to brush the moisture away from her face. "I meant what I said.. when I told you that I made a lot of mistakes with you. And I know you don't want to hurt anyone without a damn good reason, I just thought it was for the best that I have a talk with her because just like Seila couldn't say things to me, there are things Cami and Seila can't tell Vala without breaking a trust." His hands dropped back down to hold onto her hands as the tears slowed to a stop and her emotions just seemed to drain away.

"I.. I.. don't know what to do.." Shiva whispered back to him as that uncertainty shifted in the background.

"You'll learn." He reassured her. "Seila adores you, Cami really wants to help you, and.. We made a promise, didn't we? That we were in this together no matter what happens from here on in, right?" Shiva nodded reluctantly now feeling as if she had almost ruined this changing relationship. "That means you can call me and talk to me about anything that is bothering you, and I will do absolutely everything I can to make sure things work out. And it means you can talk to Seila about any of your problems, because she knows the truth and will know how to help you. And it means you can go to Cami if something happens and you need advice, okay?"

"Yes, Devin." Shiva whispered back to him.

"Good, because there is nothing we can't handle as long as we stick together in this, all right?" She nodded even as she heard the sounds of people shifting in her back ground. "Now go get your stuff and let me talk things over with Vala, before you go back." With another nod she moved away hastily to get her things and before anyone could see how close to exhausted tears she might be. Even though she might have rather been alone, Cami helped her gather her things back into the luggage and lead her back downstairs when she was completely calm and extremely tired. The moment she felt Vala's arms around her, it was impossible fighting to stay awake any longer and she wasn't even aware of what followed.

The sound of an alarm clock could not have been any more unwelcome in those first few seconds as she was pulled away from the first contented dreams she could ever remember having. Only the fact that it was quickly cut off saved the infernal device from its' immediate and total destruction as the lingering images of a truly sensual dream were gone and already beginning to fade slowly from her senses. Not aware of much more than the fact that she was warm, extremely comfortable and had no desire to really move, it was not until Vala's body shifted and her arms hugged Shiva just a little closer than the moment before gave her any clue of why she felt so very perfect in those first few moments of waking. Stretching out her lethargic muscles, Vala made a sleepy sound before her finger ghosted up Shiva's arm to gently brush her loose hair away from her face.

"Do I have to kiss you awake, sleeping beauty?" The whispered question was spoken in a low sensual voice that made Shiva's heart race and her mind seek out those drifting tendrils of those dreams that seemed so very recent.

"Mm hmm.." The response came almost out of instinct and there was a wicked little giggle from nearby.

"Gladly." Vala murmured back to her as that warm perfumed presence shifted still closer and into a slow unhurried kiss. Shiva's hands clutched wildly at something to hold onto as her already aroused senses made her body ache with the gentle pressure of Vala's talented experienced kiss. That ache grew only more potent as she drew back just a little as Shiva's eyes flicked open to find Vala's watching amused expression lingering so very close in the twilight of the early morning. "I think someone had very good dreams.."

"I.. don't know.. what you are talking about.." Shiva whispered back hurriedly unable to keep herself from flinching as she tried desperately to banish the intense desires lingering close to the surface.

"You are such a bad liar." Vala told her with soft laughter in her voice as her fingers shifted to caress Shiva's cheek. "Stick with the truth, kitten, you are so much better at that." Becoming increasingly aware of how tangled up their bodies had become at some point during the night, Vala' leg shifted upward between hers to press deliciously against the soaked inner curves of Shiva's panties, providing more than enough evidence for both of them as Shiva groaned and her eyes closed against the intense sensations that gentle pressure stirred up from deep with her.

"Did.. I.. fall asleep.. in the other bed?" Shiva asked trying to change the subject as Vala's thigh retreated and she was left panting for breath with her body crying out for more.

"No.. you fell asleep on the ride home, we undressed you and put you in the other bed." Vala whispered back to her with a pleased smile as her hands rubbed Shiva's back and shoulders. "I was just about to fall asleep when you stumbled over to crawl in with me."

"I'm sorry.. I.. thought it was just a fluke.. but.. I guess I've started doing that recently.." Shiva whispered back to her embarrassed and uncertain even if she wouldn't have changed the facts of that morning were such a thing possible. Because waking up tangled with Vala was an intensely welcome, and a warm and wonderful kind of surprise she had never thought possible before that morning.

"No need to be sorry." Vala told her in return as she leaned in closer to kiss Shiva's forehead. "I was really happy to wake up like this.. but.." She smiled even brighter as Shiva's uncertain expression in the next moment. ".. we can't having you hurting yourself in the middle of the night, so maybe its' for the best if we just start out the night in one bed from now on." Her smile was one of mischief as her fingers slid lower to toy with the straps of Shiva's bra not quite allowing her body to reach a state of calm. "That way you have fewer reasons to have bad dreams."

"What if.." Shiva tried to counter.

"I'm not scared." Vala told her firmly before Shiva could even voice an objection. "Whatever this is.. it isn't just me and it isn't just you." Her hand slide down Shiva's arm to slowly guide her fingers between their tangled bodies and to places were Shiva would not have felt confident enough to touch on her own. The silky wet fabric between Vala's thighs felt hot to the touch and even Shiva's surprised and innocent caress was enough to make Vala make some very pleased sounds. "You are the only one who had good dreams, pretty little kitten. So let's try things my way, because I'd rather wake up just like this even if I do end up getting hurt one night, okay?"

"Okay.." Shiva buckled under Vala's logic even as she couldn't quite stop herself from investigate those damp folds just a little further.

"Mmm.." Vala murmured back to her. "We have some options to consider now that is settled.." Vala added as Shiva's finger were drawn away. "We can get up now, take showers before they start to get crowded, and make it down to breakfast before their is a rush. Or we can.. linger.." There was another meaning to that word that made her senses burn just a little more as she giggled back at Vala's mischievous expression. ".. here for a while longer, fight for showers, and make it down to breakfast late before we head to class."

"Do we really have to go?" Shiva whined back at her, finding no motivation whatsoever to leave that bed much less Vala's arms holding her close.

"Yes." Vala told her firmly even as she gave an understanding chuckle. "But there are no classes tomorrow and we will have a whole lot of time to work all of this out here shortly." Even if Shiva still felt ready to debate the logic of those arguments, there was no way she could simply let things sit like that.

"How about.." Her body screaming for things she barely understood and the soft warm subject of her greatest desires tucked in far too close to be ignored, the intense emotions just beneath the surface would not allow those words to be stopped. ".. we linger.. here, go down to breakfast very late.. and worry about one shower tonight. Because.. I can't imagine how smelling like you all day could be a bad thing." Shiva told her honestly, rubbing up against Vala only a few heartbeats away from outright begging.

"Good idea." Vala whispered back to her as she closed the last little bit of distance with a kiss that would banish the need for any other words for the foreseeable future.

Dressed in clean clothes and her body still tingling with the tingling after effects of that morning's deeply pleasing experiments, they wandered down the stairs and outside. Having decided to circumvent breakfast completely and instead find sustenance from the vending machines it wasn't really necessary to see anyone or be seen by anyone else besides each other as they emerged out into cloudy light of the overcast morning. Pleased that they wouldn't have to ruin a perfect morning by including any witnesses, they slipped out into the cool crisp morning air that was showing the first subtle signs of the approaching fall. Leaning in close to each other and with their fingers tangled together as they strolled along the mostly empty courtyards, they quietly ate the sugary treats as they moved past the quiet buildings and those few far flung pockets of people who were far too involved in their own sense of quiet to pay much attention to any of them. Since Shiva did not yet have a class schedule yet, Seila had taken to presenting her with a list of pre-scheduled events to keep Shiva from running rampant across campus or simply hiding away for the entire day. Neither of them had any desire to cross the 'no man's land' between the campus proper to reach the Dean's residence, but Vala convinced her that she could find Seila in her office at the Administration building. Unwilling to argue any alternatives, they wandered slowly in that direction, more or less wrapped up in each others presence whispering somewhat unimportant words on subjects that mattered very little, caught up fully in what had happened between them and something to which neither of them needed to add any commentary.

With some time still to spare before first bell, they settled in a shady spot near the front entrance of the administration building on a low wall of the large planter that waited close by. Tucked in close and having decided that she didn't care who might see or what they might think, Shiva felt perfectly content for the very first time in her life as the quiet easy conversation continued between them. Perhaps motivated a little by the desire to spend as many seconds with Vala as she possibly could and with her own fairly open schedule at the back of her thoughts, Vala gladly told her about all her classes and where she had to be on any given day. This information would hopefully enable Shiva to ensure at least some time during the day to follow to see her and spend time together, even if it was merely the moments between Vala's classes. Like the alarm clock that had seemed so very long ago and oddly enough a part of previous lifetime, the first bell was very much an unwelcome sound as it broke across the quiet landscape, reminding both of them of the obligations she still wished they both could ignore. If it wasn't for the soft passionate kiss that Vala gave her to chase away that hatred, Shiva might very much have resented the interruption enough to take out some form of vengeance against those still distant inanimate objects, before the older girl had to run to reach her first class. It was the soft pleased chuckle that gave her the first warning that they might not had been completely alone during that long walk and quiet conversation. Seila was smiling brightly at her when Shiva snapped around towards the sound, and her eyes danced with sparkling, mischievous amusement as she crossed the remaining distance from where she might well have been hiding.

"I am sorry my dear, I have discovered over the years there are a few relationships between some of my students that I simply do not have the heart to interrupt even if I can't quite ignore them either." Seila told her warmly as the older woman moved to slide down into Vala's vacated spot and her hand reached around to rub Shiva's shoulder's and back soothingly.

"It.. just.. sort of happened.." Shiva whispered back to her uncomfortably feeling just a little as if she needed to defend herself and what had already been shared between them.

"And that's okay." Seila whispered back reaching up to brush the hair away from her face and tuck it behind her ear. "And no few people would say it was a good thing.. for both of you." Shiva looked up at her curious at such an odd sort of statement. "Vala would probably never admit how hard it has been on her since her secret got out, maybe not even to you. In a lot of ways, I would have liked to encourage her to go to another school, some place where she would be able to start over. But another part me was so very proud, to see her stand up look all these children in the eye and not truly care what they thought of her. As for this promising relationship.." She smiled just a touch brighter. ".. a long time ago, people weren't ready to accept that kind of love. They didn't understand it and said it was wrong and while some few still say its' wrong, these days they've become the minority and mostly ignored. Even if I was worried about what you and Vala are sharing, and the possibility you might end up getting hurt. All I had to see was the way you were looking at her just now to know how glad I was that you two found each other." Seila assured her in a gentle voice and with that pleasing smile that made some of Shiva's inner tension disappear. "Anyways, there are many who say that we have interfered with the natural order.. bringing talents like the one Vala and I share and the ones you posses into being. And then again there are some who believe it was the next stage of evolution, whether or not some humans were given a genetic head start. And just like your relationship with Vala once would have been, it maybe a very long before such talents become accepted as being 'normal'." She murmured back at some length. "But ultimately my point is this sweety, with you here now, maybe Vala will realize that her gifts are truly a blessing and not just the curse that has separated her from those she thought were her friends."

"You.. don't think.. maybe it is.. moving too quickly?" Shiva asked fumbling for the right words and in desperate need of a second opinion right then. It was something that had stirred up to cast a shadow over her thoughts almost as soon as Vala had left her side, and as much as she might try to suppress or ignore it, that voice of doubt was a strong one.

"If someone else were sitting there asking me that, I'd probably say yes.." Shiva was quite ready to be very disappointed and very worried. "But it's you and it's Vala, kiddo, so I would have to say no, you aren't moving too fast. Hornton told me last night that the last thing he would want to do get in the way of you finding even the smallest piece of happiness. And the heavens know I was thinking the same exact thing just now when I found myself watching the two of you together."

"So.. Devin knows.." Shiva whispered uncertain what she should feel about that despite his second hand comments.

"He guessed sweety, you might want to start giving him a little more credit for being smarter than he seems at times. You did almost ruin everything by rising up to strike him down in order to defend Vala." Shiva looked away guiltily at that even as the older woman chuckled and rubbed her shoulders. "But it did show us that maybe these aren't just the feelings of just some teenage crush." Shiva looked up at her with surprise. "But that isn't something you should worry about right now.."

"I guess so.." Shiva was forced to agree.

"It seems obvious to me now that with Vala's gifts you two could easily skip over all that awkward fumbling that most couples go through in those first few months. And with you.. I don't think that you would ever be so careless to open yourself up to just anyone whom you are attracted to.." Seila added seeming to sweep away the lingering feelings of uncertainty with those calm words. "For as much as I might regret saying this to you now.. part of me believes that you two are the real thing, actual love at first sight."

"Really?" Shiva asked with surprise.

"Don't make me repeat myself young lady." Seila teased back giving her a wicked smile. "All that aside, I think you should trust what your instincts are telling you and not worry about the future until it arrives."

"Thank you." Shiva whispered back to her moving in to kiss her cheek. Seila smiled back at her for a very long time as a silence spread between them before she shifted her small fabric brief case into her lap as she sought out something from inside it.

"Your schedule still isn't ready, but I do have a few things for you to do today." Seila told her bringing out a list of times and places she wanted Shiva to be during the course of that day. "If they don't come up with something here soon, I'll just photocopy Vala's schedule and send you on your way." This made Shiva smile quite brightly, very much liking that idea. Seila made a face at her happy expression and sent her on her way with a nod, even as the bells tolled at the start of the first class.

As Shiva reviewed her day's schedule she was extremely excited to note that other than being fairly empty it seemed to link up with Vala's on quite a few occasions, and the first such instance was immediate. Hurrying off across the now empty courtyards, Shiva nearly decided to take to the trees to speed her along towards her next encounter, but stopped herself since that would force her out into the open of so many classroom windows. It was the sound of voices that kept her from going inside the correct building, and a moment of curiosity that drew her over to a small shaded clearing at the side of the building. The instinct quickly proved to be correct as Shiva caught just a glimpse of Vala's presence in the circle of figures spread around the grassy space before the moving figure of the teacher passed by blocking off her view. Shiva quickly slipped around the fringes of the gathering and was soon sliding down next to Vala as her schedule was slid over into Vala's keeping. Vala didn't hesitate to slid her arm around Shiva's back and hug her close to her side as Shiva settled in close and rested her head in the curve of Vala's shoulder.

"I don't care what they think about me.." Shiva whispered to her. "I'd rather just ignore all of them and be happy with you."

"You mean it?" Vala asked, Shiva nodded as she found just the right way to be comfortable as she leaned back against the tree and propped her legs up so she could fold her arms in her lap, she honestly didn't care if she was wearing a skirt and was far too happy to just curl up close to Vala. Vala made a contented noise as she leaned her cheek against the top of the Shiva's head. The teacher was perhaps just a little surprised to find her appearing there all of a sudden, was perhaps a touch perturbed by the way they were sitting together, but despite that she smiled just a little at them as she continued her reading and the lecture that followed.

"You must be Shiva." The teacher commented to them as the bells tolled and the class was dismissed while Shiva was left speechless and extremely embarrassed fearing the worst that their inattentive whispers hadn't gone unnoticed, Vala's arm around her waist and confident expression was enough to keep her from total panic. "If you do end up in my class, I hope that next time I will have both of your attentions."

"I'm really sorry Ms. Jones, Shiva and I have.. some personal issues that we haven't had the chance to work out. It won't happen again." Vala told her uncomfortably but calm despite the tension in her voice.

"Well.. I don't suppose you two really need to pay attention all the time to get good grades, but let's try to prevent this relationship from being nothing but a distraction." The professor told them with a sigh that shifted into a warm smile.

"We won't ma'am." Vala agreed quickly.

"Good, there wasn't any homework, except to consider Plato's early plays and bring your thoughts in on Monday." Shiva nodded and couldn't quite to meet her gaze. "I hope we will see you then Shiva."

"Thank you, Professor. I'll make sure to read his plays in case I am lucky enough to come back to your class." Shiva whispered up to her as Vala lead her past the older woman back towards the courtyard and out into the swirling crowds. They walked as far as the library before Vala had to hurry off to her next class, Shiva wandered inside and quickly located a comprehensive collection of the Greek poet. Settling down in the aisle close to where the book was located her body calmed down enough to allow her to focus on the pages as they passed quickly in front of her eyes. That intense focus allowed her to quickly pass through a thick stack and she stopped at the end of the tenth play and shifted to her feet to return the book to its' rightful place. She took note of the older man standing some distance away watching her with an amused expression. "Do you have something you want to say?"

"Oh.. nothing really, but.. that was pretty fast.. did you actually read that?" He seemed like he was teasing, but he missed his mark completely.

"No, I memorized the pages, so I can read it in my head later." Shiva told him honestly, before she turned to move away, heading to the front entrance.

"You can't be serious telling me something like that.." He murmured as he moved to catch up with her. "I mean, that isn't possible.. it isn't.."

"Human?" Shiva asked with a bright evil smile. "Perhaps.. perhaps not, time will tell with such things, now if you will excuse me." He reached to grab her as she moved towards the exit, Shiva snapped around grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm hard, forcing him to drop down to one knee. "Professor or not, you don't have permission to touch me." Shiva growled at him as he grunted with the pain.

"I could report this.." He threatened.

"The Dean will tell the exact same thing, you shouldn't go grabbing after girls. Or maybe I should snap your arm and teach you this lesson.. 'officially' and so you can go to police." Shiva whispered back to him very much tempted to make good on that threat.

"Perhaps not.. an art teacher with a broken arm.." Shiva released him and stepped away before she could think better of that decision. "My apologies.." He murmured as he massaged his aching limb and rose up to his full height. ".. instinct tells me to never let a girl storm off angry."

"Letting me storm off at the time of my choosing is a good way to keep me from getting angry and you from getting hurt." Shiva told him sharply. "You should remember that if I end up in your class, now if you will excuse me." Shiva added before turning away and this time she was able to walk away without interruption. Relieved to reach the outside and the empty quiet campus, Shiva quickly headed towards a place where she could settle and review her assimilated information and wait for the next bell. The thought that Vala was in the nearby building made her wish the Dean had already given her a photo-copied schedule or that she didn't have something to do during the next period in another nearby building and she could just wander in the same direction as Vala and pretend that she was supposed to be there in the class that followed.

When the bell rang she had just about reached the half way point of her review. Vala emerged a short time later being followed quiet closely by a gaggle of chattering girls. Her eyes seemed to find Shiva across the distance of the crowded courtyard and shifted her course with a small smile. Feeling her heart race Shiva slipped to her feet and waited eagerly for her approach. Almost as one all the girls hounding her steps noticed Shiva and seemed to draw back to leave Vala to approach her alone. It felt so very wonderful to feel Vala's arms slipped around her and be immersed in her presence, as if the rest of the world simply seemed to fall away and become unimportant in the heartbeat that followed. Vala made a contented murmured as the curled around each other and let everything else fade into that far distant background.

"There are all sorts of crazy rumors going around about you, and probably about us soon enough." Vala told her half amused, partly annoyed, and just a little bit as a warning, but Shiva could only find that to be a good reason to smile back at her.

"Let them talk.. it's probably the only service some of them will ever provide." Shiva told her with a sigh.

"Harsh but true.. I've got to get moving.." Vala agreed with a soft laugh.

"I know." Vala gave her a gentle undemanding kiss before she slipped away and hurried off towards her next class. With another sigh this time one of annoyance, Shiva wandered towards her next destination and soon found an empty lecture hall. All the seats were empty and that hadn't changed by the time the next bell rang out across the school, the sound muffled by the room around her. Shiva waited rather impatiently studying the vast sweeping high level calculations spread across the dry erase boards. More or less versed in hyper-space theory and the growing understanding that had been evolving over the past 80 years, it wasn't hard for her to see the flaws in the equations and after a while it was far too difficult to simply ignore them. With a sigh, Shiva rewrote the original equation in short hand and added the proof on the board next to it. She was perched up in the tiers by the time someone finally showed up, a relic of a man who looked like he might break if she looked at him wrong as he hobbled inside.

"Accursed woman ordering me about like some pawn of her administration.. Imagine making an old man give up his precious office time to come hobbling across campus. And what do I have to be the one.. hmm?.. why do I have to come all the way here?" He mumbled in a state of high agitations as he moved to drop his briefcase on the desk near the podium. "I am the head of the math department, why do I have to come all the way out here to thump numbers into some dimwitted.." About that time he turned to look up at the board and discovered Shiva's additions. He fell silent as he struggled just a little to get his glass out and in their proper place.

"You forgot Siamora's third law." Shiva whispered 15 silent minutes later. He snapped around and stared at her blankly for a long few moments before a slow smile spread across his lips.

"Law you say, last I check that was a theory." He chuckled back to her as his eyes returned to the board.

"If you say so." Shiva chirped back to him. For the remainder of the time before the next bell the room was left in silence and Shiva was able to finish her review of the pages she had absorbed in the library. He spent the remainder of that time with an eraser and a pen, half convinced that he needed to fix something one second, only to leave everything untouched the next. In last moment before the bells would ring out across the campus, Shiva slipped to her feet and started to move towards the door. "See you later.." She murmured with a backwards wave even as the first echo broke across the silent room.

"Yes you will!!" He called after her as Shiva reached the hall and moved to pick her way through the halls as they were flooded with people. She was just reaching the front steps and the outside where she could move just a little quicker when something blond, tanned into a leather like state, and surgically perfect stepped right into her path with a faked smile and a bat of her false eyelashes.

"Hi there.." Shiva stepped right around her, leap up to the hand rail and slid down the plastic coated metal to reach the stone pathway at the bottom.

"Shot down right out of the gate! Burn, Georga!" Someone squealed as Shiva became aware of three fast approaching figures stomping up in her wake. More or less warned, it didn't take much effort to guess what would follow and bat the anger girls arm away and keep moving.

"Oh snap!" The other one barked loud enough to start attracting a great deal of attention in Shiva's direction.

"You listen here, you little bitch!" Considered empathically 'deaf' it was almost easy to get the feeling of the aggression surging towards her from behind.

"NO!" Shiva spun on her having already endured enough annoyances that day to arouse her temper. "YOU listen!" Catching the intense sense of danger in Shiva's burning eyes all three of them snapped back and didn't approach any further as the entire mass of girls around them came to a frozen halt. "I don't need your pretend friendship! I don't want your false advice! AND I certainly can live without your Fake pathetic presence in my life! Just TRY to touch me again, and I'll STOP being nice, and you will have to go running back to that bad plastic surgeon who botched all that work that you wasted your parents money on to have everything put back into place!" Inside the kinds of schools where Shiva had attended before those words would probably have been enough to start a riot, but the popularity obsessed drama Queen was quick to realize the kind of audience now gathered around them. And was too busy trying to find a way to save face to even take note of the fact that Shiva turned and walked away. The crowd parted ahead of her and no one dared to get anywhere near her reach until she had almost achieved open ground where Cami stepped forward to offer Shiva her hand and a warm smile. In truth she would have much preferred to remain alone and reach Vala's presence sooner, but just for the sake of appearances she accepted the offer and was soon being lead away by the older woman.

"You okay?" Cami asked gently after a few minutes, Shiva nodded just a little still feeling the desire to wound some people fading slowly away. "Want to tell me what just happened back there?"

"I read a book on wolves once.." Shiva murmured softly back to her. ".. matriarchal society.. one bitch leads, the pack follows and all that. So say you take a large predator.. any predator, drop her into a pack of wolves, one of three things will happen. One, the wolves kill the new predator as competition. Two, the new predator submits and becomes part of the pack. Or three, the new predator scares the alpha bitch so much that all the wolves simply avoid confrontation and an uneasy truce is established." Cami chuckled down to her, far too clever not to get where Shiva was probably going with all of this. "Truth is, I've always liked answer number three.. even if I know it isn't the right decision, I almost always want to choose number three."

"Well you didn't have to resort to violence, and that can be anything but a good thing in my book. But aren't you the least bit worried about.. what everyone will think about you?" She asked diplomatically, to Shiva snorted her disdain for that matter.

"They don't like Vala.. and to be honest, she's the one that matters me. Anyways, if they hate me, than they will be too busy saying nasty things behind my back to ever think about trying to get close to me." Shiva whispered back to her.

"That doesn't sound like a very pleasant way to spend your days.."

"Maybe to you.. for me it means those around me are that much safer. Maybe I wouldn't choose to be like this if I was a normal girl, but to be quite frank.. the training that is still running through the back of my head doesn't have room for errors.. only the considerable efforts I put into breaking that training allows me to even be out here in this semi-controlled environment." Cami gave her a dark nod with sadness in her eyes as their course lead them to within sight of Cami's next destination and Vala's presence in the distance. As Shiva slipped away from Cami's side to slide into Vala's arms, Cami told her to take an extra moment or two and slipped inside, giving Vala a chance to make sure Shiva was calm before Vala joined her class just a little late.

* * *

It would've been amusing if it wasn't just so annoying and more than a little personally insulting for Vala. Granted it was pretty unusual for a new student to transfer into the Academy a few weeks into the start of the new term, but it was just a little ridiculous to discover just how over-active the rumor mill had become with Shiva's arrival. Vala was hard pressed to name even one other event that had caused such an uproar, save perhaps for the broken trust that had made her into an outcast. Shiva's appearance in between classes the previous day must have started it, because no sooner had she reached her first class that day than she was all but assaulted with a flock of girls who would never have said a kind word to her even 24 hours earlier, all asking questions about the 'new girl'. Vala had to admit there was a certain perverse satisfaction in being to walk past them without saying a word, ignoring everything they were saying as she walked the halls and crossed between buildings. Her silence seemed to be a source of great annoyance for many, and if it weren't for the fact that they seemed to only want to find out any dirty little secrets she might know she might have enjoyed the opportunity to either openly be friendly with some of them. So considering the selfish motivations at work behind the scenes of the sudden surge in her popularity she could and did took great pleasure of ignoring the words and relishing the frustrated anger of so many who would get not a word from her that day and perhaps any other.

The rumors had started out simple enough, though many of them were still laughable, but they had only seemed to grow disproportionately more ludicrous as the hours of the morning passed and the brief periods of noisy questions were broken up by Vala's schedule. She ignored the notes that were passed her way and refused to acknowledge the girls who tried to confront her outside of all her classrooms, only the fact that Shiva's presence seemed to scare all of them away truly made it possible for her to remain sane through out it all. When the bells rang out the end of the last morning class and at the start of the long lunch break, the numbers of girls trying to drag even one small piece of information out of her shot up considerably. So it was that there was practically an army following her out across the courtyard as she felt even more tempted than usual to escape out into the outer regions of the campus. She was almost instantly aware of Shiva's presence, she knew the second that intense gaze picked her out of the crowd and couldn't help but smile that her own intense and confused feelings were felt in very much the same way by Shiva. She couldn't quite see her through the crowd, but for a presence with as many shadows as Shiva had following her around, it was easy enough to simply head in the direction of the 'darkness' and ignore the squawking flock of girls following close behind her.

"I heard she beat up Sensei.." One of them muttered.

"I heard that she was brought here in hand cuffs." Another murmured darkly, while ten others all added to the growing piles of ridiculous speculation that seemed to grow by each passing minute.

"Jenny said she threatened to kill Georga earlier today."

"Well I heard she was expelled from her last five schools." Vala was just passing close to the large bronze statue of the school's founder when Shiva dropped in like a diving bird of prey to land right next to her. There was a silence so sudden and profound that it almost seemed to echo as Shiva's dark and dangerous presence seemed to steal away all of their hot air in a heart beat.

"Twelve, not five, I was expelled from twelve schools. And I don't make threats, I give warnings, since if I were to decide someone must die, there would be no reason for me make the condemned aware of death sentence they have been given." Shiva growled back at them sounding every inch the predator in those moments. Vala was hard pressed not to ruin it by giggling like a mad woman as she glanced back to see a sea of bleach white faces some few of which seemed a heartbeat away from fainting. As the younger girl turned away from them, Shiva took her fingers into her own and drew Vala where none would dare follow them.

"How do these rumors even get started?" Vala giggled down to her as Shiva's shadowy presence became all at once, one of sunshine and happiness as she shifted in close to Vala's side stirring up Vala's own tender feelings for her.

"Incomplete truths whispered to immature minds." Shiva murmured back to her with a sigh. "Pretty soon they are going to start saying that you have the ability to tame savage beasts."

"I certainly tamed you real quick." Vala whispered to her as they slipped underground and to the nearest collection of vending machines.

"Hence the incomplete truths, theory." Shiva agreed with a giggle.

"Yeah, you are more feral than savage." Vala teased back much to their combined amusement. A few minutes later and armed with a mostly healthy lunch they were wandering out past the main buildings of the campus and down in the direction of the lake. However affectionate they might have acted in public, it didn't really compare how they acted when alone. Shiva seemed almost as if she had simply given up any pretense of being dark and dangerous and leaned in close to let her eyes drift close trusting Vala completely to lead her across the landscape safely. If only to insure that they would not be discovered casually, Vala lead them right to the outer edge of the school where they could settle on the wooden docks that hung out over the serene surface of the lake. Their conversation was light and contained nothing of real substance as they both seemed to vibrate quietly with pure and simple joy of just being there together and separate from anyone else. Vala marveled at how easy everything seemed to be as already it felt as if they had the kind of relationship that would have taken weeks to build up between any other two people. And little by little Shiva was giving her small insights into all the questions that might normally have kept a shadow over her own thoughts, easing away the last bits of tension and making the truth of her feelings that much clearer as time went along.

"Vala?" The voice that called across the distance, was familiar to her and unwelcome for Shiva as her body tensed at the sound. Perhaps a little annoyed on her behalf, Vala glanced back over her shoulder at Professor Isine. A gifted linguist, Vala had been in several of the Professor's classes during her years at the Academy. She was also one of the teachers who were in charge of housing at the school.

"Hello again, Professor Isine." Vala called back as the older woman walked down the dock to stop a comfortable distance away.

"Just when I was thinking about you, you just seem to appear." She murmured with a pleased smile. "I know this might be rather sudden, but there have been some changes in Titania hall this week. Sienna just got accepted for late admission to Eris design school to fill in a position vacated rather suddenly by someone who couldn't handle the pace of the classes there. Another pair of the our residents have admitted that they have an room they aren't using.." Vala giggled back at her playful look and nodded in complete understanding of her subtle implication. ".. and we discussed a little game of musical rooms. I know we discussed your doctor's request for you to have more seclusion, well your new room mate has a similar request in her file. Kiza says she would be more than willing to give up living by herself if you wanted to take over the claim on the 'territory'. So I just wanted to see if you wanted to move, and hear if you thought your room mate might want to do the same." Vala looked down at Shiva who was pretending to be unaware of any interruption and smiled back at the older woman.

"I'm sure she would if I explained it to her.. though.. we'd probably end up using just one room ourselves." Vala told her a bit guiltily and with a bright smile. The Professor's bright mischievous expression was hard to ignore and filled with a bone deep amusement.

"Well that's okay. This is your room mate.." She half asked as she ducked down just a little bit. "Shiva?" Vala patted her side encouragingly, and Shiva turned to smile a touch nervously at the older woman. "You okay, sweety?"

"I'm fine.. just kind of tired.." She told her softly. "If Vala thinks it would be better than I would have no reason to object.. though.. it might not be a good idea to find a third person to join us, to be honest.."

"That's fine, there is a lot of competition for the rooms in Titania hall, but the faculty reserves them for students with.. special needs. We were about to move just Vala into that empty bed.. but.." She winked at Shiva. ".. you can come to." Shiva giggled at her tiredly and nodded gratefully. "Tomorrow?"

"That will be fine we'll get everything packed up, tonight or early tomorrow morning." Vala agreed happily.

"Than I will have a maintenance crew at your tomorrow early tomorrow afternoon." Professor Isine agreed before she moved off with a smile just for Vala.

"And what do you think of that?" She asked Shiva as the younger woman resettled in her former position tucked in close.

"You don't think we are moving just a little too fast?" Shiva asked her, there was just something in her voice that made Vala believe that Shiva didn't feel that way at all, but needed Vala to confirm that this too was a feeling that was shared between them before she could let go of this worrying question.

"Absolutely not." Vala told her gently and automatically, only too aware that she wouldn't have dared change anything about that morning at least where Shiva was concerned. "How about you?"

"I think.. I have been waiting for you my whole life and now that you are here nothing else really matters." It was such a sweet thing for her to say, that Vala was almost brought to tears. The rest of lunch was spent in silence, being far too involved in holding Shiva close to ever ruin it by using words that seemed completely unnecessary.

* * *

With the end of Vala's classes nearing their conclusion for the week and with nothing else on her schedule Shiva settled in the swaying branches of a nearby tree to wait out the last little bit of the official day and anticipating the hours and days of the weekend that would follow. The idea that they would have two days almost completely alone without many concerns besides their sudden move and whatever homework Vala might need to complete was a heady exciting feeling. Though she tried hard to not let the event of the early hours of that morning drift up to the surface it seemed almost an impossible task to not let that happen. Her wandering thoughts were interrupted by the sudden subtle appearance of Devin as he wandered in from behind her and moved to sit calmly on the bench below her.

"Hey there." He murmured softly seeming to be completely at ease as he leaned back against the bench.

"Hey." Shiva called back finding it hard now not to smile. "Still having me tracked?"

"Of course, but this far away from a military server I had to negotiate a private deal with the local services. The good news is, I will be the only one to see those reports now." He told her in return, chuckling over whatever might follow. "Of course, Seila can not authorize you to leave school grounds since she needs signed parental permission, nor can I authorize you to leave the immediate area, but.. one supposes that if you did happen to get out to the nearest town three miles south-southwest of here that security here could hardly keep you from returning through the front gate since they wouldn't want you setting off false intruder alarms." Shiva quickly decided that he was being far too sweet for his own good she rolled off the branch landed on the bench below before moving to curl up against his side. Chuckling he settled his arm around her and hugged her close, no longer trying to hide his growing affection for her. "I am glad that you are calmer today."

"I.. got defensive about Vala.." Shiva admitted reluctantly.

"Oh that was all too clear last night young lady, but that's okay.. it was.. illuminating." He gave here a real honest smile when his choice in words made her giggle back to him. "But just so you know, I will be keeping that bit of information out of any reports I might make now or in the near future. Judging by the way you have reacted to her is a pretty clear sign that this is something out of the ordinary." He murmured back to her gently.

"I think so too, and.. thank you." Shiva whispered back to him feeling a huge surge of gratitude for his quiet support.

"You're welcome, I really only stopped by to say farewell for a little while. Gregor and I are all done here and feel that situation is well in hand for the foreseeable future so we are heading back to base to make all the paperwork look nice and tidy." Shiva was very much surprised to find a bit of disappointed by this bit of news.

"I.. think I will miss you this time.." His honest surprise was no less than hers and was only multiplied when Shiva moved to kiss his cheek. "Have a good trip.. and I promise to stay out of trouble.. for Vala's sake.." He chuckled down at her as the bells rang, seeming all too relaxed now. He hugged her close just once more and kissed the top of her head before sliding to his feet just ahead of first girls to reach the outside. Most of them still had one more class to attend, but Vala had a free-study period next so when she spotted him the two of them stopped nearby to have a brief quiet conversation before Vala hugged him and he wandered off with a backwards smile for both of them. When Vala reached Shiva's side the two of them moved off in the general direction of their dorm without much hesitation, setting a pace that would just a little more brisk than their usual stroll.

"Devin mentioned that you could.. 'technically'.. accompany me out to the town." Vala commented to her.

"I have to sneak out, but not back in." Shiva agreed.

"You could do that?" Vala asked with surprise.

"Why do you want to go?" Vala nodded eagerly.

"Yeah.. I mean.. on Fridays and on the weekends there is something of an invasion from both schools as just about everyone tries to get away from these walls for at least a while.. if we don't hurry we would never get a cart to make the trip.." Vala added with a touch of uncertainty and reluctance.

"Then let's go." Together they raced back to the still empty dorm and rushed inside changing out of their uniforms to race back downstairs at a reckless pace. There was only two unclaimed carts out of the many that were meant to be slotted there, but they managed to capture one before those few disappeared and were soon rolling around the perimeter of the school. Shiva's trained eye could pick out some of the security measures that lined the walls glimpsed through the trees, and just as Devin had implied nearly all of it was designed to keep people out rather than other way around.

"Here's good." Shiva murmured bringing Vala to a halt, the front gate was just around the turn in the road and the wall was out past a few more trees and an open grassy field extending out from the base of the wall.

"You're sure.. I mean.."

"Trust me." Shiva assured her confidentially. "Once you are out of sight from the gate slow down a bit, if you hear any alarms just keep going, I'll be able to catch up somewhere down the road if I don't get caught." Vala gave her a doubtful look, to which Shiva gave her a happy smile a playful kiss before slipping out into the open and disappearing down the forested slope leading down to the outer wall. Fairly certain that there would be no one in the area to see her, except perhaps for a security patrol that she just planned on ignoring anyway, Shiva was able to call up her full speed as she raced through the trees and out across the grass. Forty feet high and formed of reinforced concrete, Shiva could just as easily punched a hole straight through as ascend that sheer mass. As she reached the last half dozen meters, she shoved away with her full strength, leaping 20 feet in a fast moving arc that sent her on a collision course with the sheer face of the wall.

Catching herself with hands and feet like a spider clinging to the face of it she was launched straight upward in the next second to ascend up to the peak of the wall to land with a security camera poking up between her legs as it slowly swept across the open ground and forest out beyond the wall. Without delay she was launching herself out over that middle distance to catch herself in the first distant branches of the nearest trees to start a high speed retreat across the canopy of the treetops. Propelled by telekinesis and with her weight widely dispersed over the large area of tiny branches there was just a few crackling twigs as she lunged across the distance towards the curving road in the distance. She was settled in the branches overhanging the road long before the whine of the engine whispered through the quiet surroundings. Giggling a little at the hard to contain mischief of her escape, Shiva watched as Vala appeared around the curve of the road almost barely moving along. Waiting until she was distracted by her scanning search of the forests to either side of the road, Shiva dropped down into the middle of the road just ahead of the slow moving vehicle. Vala slammed onto the brakes as if she had been traveling a three times her actual speed and halting a dozen feet away from where Shiva was standing.

"That wasn't funny!" Vala accused as Shiva climbed in beside her and moved to curl up against her side.

"It was for me." Shiva murmured back to her unrepentant even as Vala seemingly forgave her and hugged her close to her side. "Anyways.. I wouldn't have any trouble stopping this cart if you hadn't noticed me in time, much less launching it all the way back to the school, though.. it might not survive the trip." Vala growled at her playfully as she eased back into motion and took it up to the slow speed limit of the curving two lane road.

"I don't suppose you could possible explain that to me.. I mean I can guess that is one of those things you might not want to talk about, but.." Vala murmured over to her uncomfortably as they cruised along towards the large town glimpsed in the distance as the hill sides dropped away to reveal the forested valley outside the school. ".. I know you are under a lot of restrictions.. and.." She shook her head and then gave a frustrated sigh. "It's just that aren't any really strong telekinetics that anyone knows about besides in the military."

"The truth?" Shiva asked her as Vala hugged her close and steered with one hand. "I honestly don't want to ever have to lie to you.. but this is a lot of top secret stuff."

"Just between you and me then." Vala swore vehemently.

"I'm under a lot of restrictions because of what I am.." Shiva murmured back to her feeling no real need to hurry the words that would follow just as Vala wasn't exactly racing down the slope towards the town awaiting them.

"And what is that?" Vala asked sounding playful and just a little as if she didn't believe the comments about it being top secret.

"Series 6, model number Xnv004-Rt421-Xx-4561-W." Shiva murmured back to her, recalling the number like it was burned into her brain rather than just etched permanently into her skin. Vala's arm tensed around her as her mind tried hard to comprehend the implications of that simple statement.

"Series..? Six?" Vala asked at a total loss for words. Of course Vala would have known at least just a little about the 'Lilith' projects brought about by the military, they had after all been headline news all throughout the past decades.

"Planetary security act F1412-1312 dated 2057 funded an unlisted, black list project whose goals were to create the next generation of soldiers in the event that the previous Series were compromised and there was a second war. Called Series 6, it was launched with specific aim of recreating human DNA from the basic level all the way up, maximizing the destructive potential for each experimental model. By expanding human evolution past its' current state using the work and research done on the proceeding 5 series of altered humans created during the war. The potential for this project was recognized beginning with Series 2, and whose value grew with each of the following projects as the potential towards these 'desirable' qualities showed marked improvement. So it was that this last and greatest series was funded in secret and under the highest levels of security to create me and those like me." Shiva murmured back to her sounding as if she were merely reciting something she had read rather than offering up anything like her own personal history. "In 2072, the Cold war officially ended with the fall of seperatist economy, and in the years that followed judiciary investigations into the governments military expenditures during and after the war began to uncover the evidence of monies used to fund the Series projects through the Veterans' programs. These eventually lead to the information of what publicly became known as 'Lilith experiments', as they were called later when the public and private scandals followed. In 2074, when the truth about human experimentation became all but common knowledge, and under huge pressure from falling public opinion the first reclamation projects were began to reintegrate the altered humans of Series 1 through Series 3 back into main stream society. By the time Series 3 personnel began to emerge in 2078, Series 6 had became a liability the senate could no longer afford." Vala nodded having probably already know all of this since it was now part of historical records. "We were told that we were going to be transported to a new more security facility out on one of the colonies.. but it was a lie. On January 1st 2079, we were escorted to the cryogenics facility and put into stasis.. the facility was shut down, and then locked around us.."

"It's 2142.." Vala whispered to her.

"June 2080, 104 members of Series 4 were released into the public.. by August 2082 there were 402 dead civilians from 224 separate incidents. It was discovered that physiological conditioning had created a psychosis in all members of that series making the uncontrollable and prone to violence. All 206 remaining members of that series were humanely executed under supreme court ruling MT2032-a78, and their remains were released to any surviving descendants. Twenty-two incidents involving 34 civilian casualties ended the reclamation efforts for Series 5, and they were restricted under Sol Alliance Titan act of 2084. Series 5 would remain in military service from that year forward, after an investigation revealed that their psychological conditioning would never make it possible for them to be returned to society. Pressure from the media implied that with each successive series the aptitudes and inclinations towards violence were exponentially increased with each Series. However the nature of creation taken for Series 6, made it far too risky for the full psychological programming designed for Series 5 to be used on us. In 2122 as far as I know, the first black line-items and back room deals related to Series 6 were passed quietly through the Senate in an effort to determine the truth of that false belief. As far as I know 21 people from Series 6 have been released since then, almost all of them to the colonies, but that funding disappeared almost completely after three incidents involving people brought to Earth. All of them were right about the time I was released in late November of 2139.." Shiva finished just about the time they reached the top of a low hill and the edges of the town appeared in the nearby distance.

"Maybe I shouldn't have asked after all." Vala murmured darkly, deeply confused by everything she had been told.

"I haven't exactly been a good girl since I got out.." Shiva admitted to her. "But.. I thought you should hear all of that from me.. I wouldn't.. have felt right if you didn't know what you are up against." Vala turned her eyes away from the road long enough to look deep into her eyes and then smiled.

"I'm not worried." She murmured before curling up against her just a little more. "But I have the distinct feeling that there was another reason you told me that." She added with a chuckle.

"Before I released out into the public, I dug through a lot of old restricted documents at the military base where they woke me up. As it turns out that in addition to providing the early stages of research into increasing human life spans, the Lilith experiments has also brought about other changes to society. There was a good bit of research into the emergence of gifts, like empathy, into the general public. While telekinetics and other more dangerous abilities haven't appeared, some analysts speculated that intermingling of the altered DNA from those who participated in the Lilith projects is directly responsible for the progression of human evolution noticed in recent years." Shiva told her softly.

"So we are the next step?" Vala asked sounding as if a bit of playfulness was returning to her thoughts.

"You certainly are.." Shiva whispered back to her with a sigh. "I might be.." Vala smiled down at her before sneaking a kiss. As they passed by a convenience store at the edge of town they were noticed by Gregor who gave them a bright smile as he waved a hand at them holding up the overloaded bag of road snacks overhead as they passed by. Hoping Devin would find amusement in the report that would soon follow, Shiva waved back.

"Well, I am certainly going to keep you in line, that way I get to keep you." Vala told her with a giggle and after a few minutes of silence. After that it was easy to forget everything else and immerse themselves in their own little private world where no else really impinged on the sheer joy of being two teenage girls who were madly in love with each other. They toured the entire town, visited many of the stores, playfully shopping for clothes, playing games at a local hang-out, looking at all the gadgets that were popular at that time, and eating a romantic dinner at an out of the way restaurant. Many hours later and long after sunset a slow steady rain began to fall as they drove slowly away from the chaotic town filled to overflowing by the boys and girls from the nearby academies and wandered back towards the distance school at a pace that had other returning vehicles passing them as the limped along. The quiet conversation grew a touch more meaningful as there seemed to be no need for any more secrets between them. As promised the guards at the front gate didn't even really hold them up any longer than it was necessary to confirm they were both students. Even though it was technically the weekend there was still a curfew for those who didn't have written permission slips to stay away longer, and they arrived just a few minutes short of that deadline.

"Oh damn.. I forgot to get something to drink!" Vala muttered angrily peering into the small and empty refrigerator as they settled down in their soon to be changed dorm room.

"I'll get it." Shiva murmured, hoping up to the nearby window.

"You're serious.." Vala commented crossing half the room almost intent on stopping Shiva as she climbed up on the window sill, Shiva gave her a bright playful smile in return.

"Trust me.." She fell backward and into the sheer drop to the roof of the lower floors, catching herself on a telekinetic cushion and capturing the momentum of the fall before using it to launch back out into the open air and towards the front of the building. She landed with ease just out of sight of the front doors and strolled into the lobby and towards the large variety of vending machines waiting there. She seemed ignorant of the large group of older girls that had gathered there as coins and bills were passed into the receptacles and she gathered her supplies. By the time she was done and turning back towards the front doors a large group of angry RA's were gathered around her.

"What are you doing out of your room, it's after curfew?!" Sophia demanded of her in a shrill piercing voice that had the girls around her glaring at her back with barely controlled dislike.

"I'm not out of my room." Shiva murmured back to her calmly as she moved to walk past them, by that point enough people had heard not to touch her that none of them were willing to physically try to stop her. "After all it's past curfew and I am a good little girl. You really should learn to relax a little, all that self imposed stress is driving you right over the edge and making you see things. Yup, you've almost cracked now and are having hallucinations.. poor thing.." Shiva added wickedly as she reached the doors. Once out of sight she wasted no time to get back up to the lower roof and and ascended back to the open window by means of some conveniently placed drain pipe. By the time someone came throwing open the unlocked door Shiva was inside the room and well prepared for the invasion that followed.

"Ever heard of knocking?!!" Shiva demanded angrily spinning around from where she was sitting in front of Vala's vanity. Dressed only in her underwear and combing out her hair there was no 'logical' way she could have beaten any of them back to that room. Sophia stared at her stunned while another RA looked on with deep surprise and the Professor looked pissed as she peered inside still wrapped in towels and a robe still dripping from her interrupted bath. "Dammit can you get any more rude?"

"I.. how.." Sophia stammered incredulously.

"Vala have you two been here all night?" The older woman asked sharply.

"Since before curfew." Vala told her with a straight face and a voice that trembled just a little with her barely contained amusement.

"But I saw Shiva downstairs in the lobby!!" Sophia accused in shrill pitch and with nearly enough volume to shatter glass.

"How dare you make such a vile, untruthful accusation!!" Shiva demanded back, more than ready to play the innocent victim to the dictatorial villain.

"Gina is this the girl Sophia said that all of you saw?" The Professor asked next.

"No.." The other girl murmured. ".. to be honest we were all busy discussing this weekends events, I just took Sophia's word for it.."

"That's a lie!! Their both lying!!" Sophia yelled loud enough that they could all hear doors opening up and down the hall.

"My Office Sophia, Right NOW!!" The professor ordered with barely controlled rage. The door was swung shut against the continued screamed recriminations and almost not quick enough as Vala could no longer contain her outraged giggles. Shiva smiled breathed a sigh of relief and calmly went about combing out her hair.

"That ought to teach that bitch to mess with us again." She added in a low spiteful tone as the screams outside finally went silent.

"Oh my GOD!!" Vala squealed as she moved to settle behind her slipping her legs in around Shiva's and taking the comb out of her fingers. "How did you get away with that?"

"What's more believable, that a girl like me came in from the outside to buy snacks and drinks from the lobby and left the same way, or that we came in, I slipped back outside unseen, bought snacks and drinks, went back outside and still managed to get back in here from the outside without being seen faster than any of them could reach this room? Anyways, someone like Sophia has no real friends, just people who barely tolerate her, so I planted the idea that she was just crazy and that other RA saw her chance to reek a little revenge on someone she secretly hates." Shiva told her with a pleased sound.

"Back up just a little.." Vala whispered in a playfully serious voice. ".. you brought snacks too?" Shiva giggled back to her and gave her a very sober nod. "You are the best girlfriend ever!" She squealed playfully and gave Shiva a passionate kiss eliminated the need for any more words for at least a few hours more.

* * *

Despite their late night, none of which was spent packing for their planned move, they both woke up reluctantly but quite early the next morning for what Vala would call a naughty shower, since there was barely enough room in the stall for one of them, much less two. Afterward they returned for a somewhat frenzied, clothing optional, session of packing. As much because Shiva's gift as because Vala hadn't really brought all that many things from home, they were done about the time people began to stir outside in the hallway. Reluctantly dressed, they went downstairs for breakfast in the mostly empty cafeteria, before returning upstairs for a few more hours of sleep tucked under a blanket on one of the bare mattresses. As promised Professor Isine arrived a short time before lunch was set to start to insure that everything was ready for the moving crew that wasn't far behind her. With her assurances that everything would be in their new room in a few hours, and armed with keys marked with their new room number they dressed against the steady rain falling outside and left her old room behind. They had an even quieter lunch before following the tunnels out to the far edge of their extent. A touch annoyed that it was still raining and just a little worried that all their stuff might reappear wet, they stood beneath a sheltered awning and at loose ends as they watched silently as the rain continued to fall a short distance away.

"We could try to go back into the city if we can find a cart." Vala suggested softly. All the places she could name on campus would probably be filled with other students trying to stay dry and out of the cool fall air without simply being trapped inside their rooms all day, but those weren't exactly places where they would want to wait out their time.

"We could go hide in Seila's library.." Shiva countered gently. "For as much as we could do in town, I'd rather not take the chance that Devin or school security would get annoyed with my constant escape attempts." She added with a sigh as she leaned back in Vala's arms.

"The Dean?" Vala asked again surprised by how Shiva could refer to that person as an equal with such calm.

"She did tell me I could come hang out every once in a while." Shiva assured her, as Vala considered the idea it did occur to her that maybe it was a good idea since the Dean might be the one capable of answering some of the questions that had popped up. Shiva had told her that Seila and Devin were both Series 3 and Shiva's lecture the previous day had given her some insights into her own life and the life she knew felt certain she wanted to share with Shiva.

"I do think I would like to talk to her for a bit.. so let's go." Vala agreed hugging the younger woman before they shifted to walk hand and hand across the unsheltered distance that separated them from that far distant point. Vala was very much surprised when they stepped out from under the stone awning and were not immediately assaulted by the rain. She looked up to find an invisible dome hovering above them catching the rain and shedding it out all around them.

"I don't feel like walking in the rain today." Shiva murmured with quiet amusement as she leaned in close and rested her head on Vala's shoulder. Touched by her thoughtfulness and again amazed by her easy use of her surprising ability, Vala chuckled, kissed the top of her and leaned her cheek against Shiva's hair to walk in loving silence. Unhurried and protected it took them some time to cross the considerable distance before Shiva was leading her through the border that separated adult sanctuary and off of neutral territory. They entered the large beautiful house through a glass sun porch and kicked off their shoes close to the many pairs that had already gathered there. Shiva lead her inside and through the halls like someone familiar with the scene around them, and pushed open the two-way swing door to peer into the kitchen beyond.

"Seila?" All the teachers gathered inside froze and the conversation stopped as a sudden nervous tension struck through the air. It seemed obvious what, or perhaps rather who, had been the topic of conversation just seconds before.

"Yes, sweety?" The Dean called back with a bright amused smile for their appearance as Shiva stood hugged to her side and leaned heavily against her.

"They are moving Vala and I to a new dorm room, can we hang out in your office for a little while?" Shiva asked as if she were completely unaware of the kind of meeting she just interrupted.

"Of course you can." She agreed seemingly even more amused by that innocent question. "We should have your schedule all wrapped up here soon."

"Thank you." Shiva murmured before letting the door swing closed before leading Vala away from the sounds of renewed conversation.

"They were talking about you." Vala commented to her with a nervous giggle.

"That's okay." Shiva murmured back to her with a sigh. They were soon curled up in a warm basket chair in among a chaotic scene of books. Shiva had selected something to read but it simply sat nearby barely touched as the two of them whispered softly to one another about anything and everything that came up. It was more than any hour later that the sound of approaching feet warned them of the Dean's arrival, she gave them an adoring smile as she spotted them in the distance. She pulled a chair over close and leaned back to rest her feet on the edge of the basket.

"Don't you two look comfy." She teased completely at ease and all together unlike the formidable figure Vala had heard about and seen during the previous years..

"I certainly am." Shiva murmured back rubbing her cheek against Vala's shoulder as if to demonstrate that fact.

"Your schedule is all done and as promised it is pretty much the same as Vala's. The fact that she seems able to contain your mischief was a good argument to shoot down anyone's high minded ideals of trying to challenge you academically." The Dean told them with a pleased smile for Vala's nervous gaze. "Though I suppose I should be more displeased than I actually am that you even found a way to get into trouble in the first place. But I guess I can write all of that off as a necessary adjustment period."

"I'm sorry.. mostly." Shiva murmured back to her softly with just a touch of a guilty expression. "Vala wanted to ask some questions if you aren't busy."

"For you two I am never too busy." She assured them with a soft sweet sounding kind of laugh. "Come on Vala, we'll keep this private and let your pretty little girlfriend get the nap she seems so ready to take." Vala was surprised to find the Dean offering her a hand as she slipped free of Shiva's presence. Shiva smiled at them as she resettled and finally opened the half forgotten book in her lap. The Dean lead her back through the house and onto the sun porch where the sight and sound of the rain spread a calming influence without getting either of them wet. "For starters, I don't want any titles from you young lady, it seems to me that when it comes to keeping Shiva out of trouble we are in this together, so call me Seila."

"Yes, Seila." Vala agreed a touch nervously.

"I am glad Professor Isine was able to find you two a spot in Titania house. I know we say that it is reserved for our upperclassman, but in truth we try to get as many of our secretly talented children in there as possible. To give them an environment where they don't have to hide what they are. I know a lot of them expressed concerns over you.." Seila informed her cautiously rubbing Vala's arm and making it hard not to set aside the fact that Seila was the Dean of the school.

"I know a few of them, though they can't really seem too friendly to me without.. you know, risking their own social standing. And it's all right I couldn't get in earlier, chances are some of them would have a lot more trouble with more crowded space than I do." Seila gave her a truly grateful smile at that, proving that Vala's first instinct had been correct on that score.

"If what Professor Sloana told me last night is true, it is perhaps best to get Shiva into a more relaxed environment where she won't cause trouble over rules she doesn't want to follow." Vala couldn't help the remembered laughter that bubbled up at that. She had wondered if their dorm manager had suspected even the slightest hint of foul play in Shiva's little stunt. "That confirms that.." Seila agreed with a warm amused laugh. "Still for as much trouble as she could cause I can guess she has been holding back a bit now that you are here."

"I think so to.. in all honesty that is related to what I wanted to talk about.." Seila gave her a slightly nervous but interested look, perhaps sensing Vala's own uncertainty at some of things she was about to bring up. "She told me.. she didn't ever want to lie to me.. before.. she told about her origins."

"Oh.." Seila's expression became somber as her eyes grew dark with thought. "I had wondered if you might end up hearing some of that.."

"She probably didn't tell me all of it, and she certainly didn't tell me what her life was like before she was woken up. But I heard enough to guess at some things, and see why she does have these problems.." Vala added slowly, working her way towards the real subject of her question. "With all the secrets that she hasn't yet shared.. she probably didn't even think about the fact she revealed one of yours.. the one you and Devin share." The Dean smiled at that as her good mood seemed to return just a little as she displayed her tattoo rather proudly. "She said you were a member of Series 3, and.. well.."

"It's okay Vala, there isn't a lot about my past that I find offensive, and truth be told I have a feeling you are already deeply embedded in this conspiracy of ours." Seila told her rubbing her arm encouragingly when she faltered.

"Even if I wanted to.. I don't think I could ever deny the strength of my feelings for Shiva.. I mean, I can honestly say even after only three days that I love and adore her with all of my heart, and I know she feels exactly the same." Seila smiled brightly at this and gave her an understanding nod. "What I wanted to ask you, is if you remember anyone or heard about anyone from yours or the other groups who reacted to another person like Shiva and I have reacted to each other?"

"Such a good question!" Seila told her with the giggle of a woman a third of her age, even as her eyes became thoughtful. "As a matter of fact.. yes, I can remember four.. no.. five couples that just seemed to look into each others' eyes and just seemed to be madly in love within hours. And now that I think about it.. one of my friends said she did a little research on the subject. Nothing formal, mind you, just interviews, a bit of after hours research and the like. She came to believe that with the appearance of our new gifts, that it created a bridge or opening within our psyches that the right person or perhaps the right talent could fill.." She murmured in slow thoughtful sentences. "Oh.. this very much makes me long for the old days when I could get a hold of just about any classified data I might want when I wanted to investigate something that caught my eye."

"Did.. those couples stay together?" Vala asked adding that concern before Seila's thoughts wandered too far off target.

"The ones I kept in touch with most certainly did.. as a matter of fact a lot of them seem more in love now than they were way back then. Oh.. that makes me so very happy that you two found each other.." Seila murmured with a deep relieved sigh as some of her tension drifted away. "I was so very worried about Shiva when she first came here.. before I was released into civilian life, I did a little work trying to help some of the people from Series 4.. and she so intensely reminded me of those days. But seeing you two together.." Seila smiled as she caressed Vala's cheek tenderly. ".. I feel almost positive that the two of you are going to be all right." Vala let herself relax enough to smile. Sometime later after a few more questions and a far more relaxed conversation, Shiva appeared at the far side of the room and smiled at them as she wandered over to curl up in Vala's lap.

"So tell me, Shiva, would Devin had reached home by now?" Seila asked as their current topic drew to a close.

"Not for a few more hours." Shiva told her after some thought, and probably a few calculations.

"Well then, I shall have to give him a call and talk about old friends." Vala gave a bright smile at seeing a mischievous light in the older woman's eyes. "Since you both wandered in dry as bone, I don't suppose you two brought a cart?"

"No, but if you wanted to go to your office, we can walk with you to collect my schedule and see if our room is ready." Seila gave her a questioning look even as she smiled and nodded in agreement. A short time later they were wandering back out into the rain, the Dean made a surprised noise and then smiled at Vala's backwards glance.

"It didn't make sense to try and stick you in any of our math classes, so if it's all right we are just going to continue private lessons with Professor Gant." Seila told them as they moved past the gate.

"He probably won't complain too much as long as its' close to his office." At Seila's urging Shiva told them both the story of that first meeting and both of them laughingly agreed that his complaints probably wouldn't be too loud. They reached the Administration building found Professor Isine and were assured they were ready to unpack, got a copy of Shiva's near identical schedule and wandered back outside to wait under the protected shelter of the outside. Professor Isine eagerly suggested she drive both of them down there for their tour and the specialized rules of that distant sanctuary.

"What did you two talk about?" Shiva asked as they curled up in the outer doorway.

"Us.. mostly.. I wanted to ask her if other people from Series 3 had reacted the way we did to each other."

"Such a good question!" Shiva giggled up to her.

"She thought so to.. I think she is planning to do some research with the help of her old friends, which is why she was asking about Devin." Vala informed her, Shiva nodded and seemed perfectly at ease as the sound of the falling rain returned to fill the silence. A short time later Professor Isine pulled up in one of the carts that were reserved for school personnel.

Titania house was the smallest of the dorms on campus, and it was the one most distant from the class rooms. Practically on the border of the teacher's territory and the school grounds, it was quaint three story building set in a thick pocket of trees down near the waters of the lake. Its' greatest feature was that all the two person rooms had their own private bathroom, and for as much as Vala liked the idea of naughty showers, she really missed being able to soak in a hot bubble bath. Too small to have its' own cafeteria and far too distant to make an early morning trek for food feasible, the dormitory had a communal kitchen and a cooperative approach that provided breakfast and dinners to its' residents. Perhaps its' most promising feature was the seclusion, the sheer distance from the great many minds of their fellow students. While Vala had learned to adapt to the mental 'noise' of being in crowds of people over the years, both she and Shiva seemed to relax just a little bit more as the distance spread out behind them. A small fleet of carts exclusive to that dorm meant that walking the distance between the main areas of campus and home wasn't truly required of them. The reason Professor Isine seemed so eager to escort them there soon become all too clear when they arrived and discovered that a welcoming party was already starting up for them with almost all the other girls' who lived there in attendance. While Vala had suspected many of them of having some secret and had been told by some of them of their talents, she was nevertheless surprised by the warm welcome both of them received, though Shiva's was understandably more cautious than Vala.

* * *

The months that followed those first strangely wonderful days were some of the happiest in Vala's memory. She delighted in Shiva's company even when all logic might have told her that living together, going to nearly all the same classes, and spending nearly all their recreation hours together should have made at least one of them sick of the other after the passage of enough time. However this was never the case for Vala as even an hour apart was enough time to miss Shiva's small little comments and her soft expression and gentle touches, and she knew for certain that Shiva felt the same. Seila was able to confirm through her old friends that this had been the case for all the couples formed in those early days of Series 3, that same intense need of each other and that same unending love. While she was just a little disappointed that the casual research done so long ago had been the extent of the investigation into such connections, even if she still had questions it was easy to take solace in the fact no answer was more important than the one she had already been given, her love for Shiva.

It was perhaps only aided by the fact that once they had settled in Titania house Shiva almost seemed to have blossomed like a flower kept too long in the dark. Though she had expressed her frustration that all the girls who shared their nights with the two of them were cold and distant towards Vala during the daylight hours on campus during the first few weeks, Vala's assurances that she didn't mind the duality from any of their house mates went a long way to easing Shiva's resentment. The girls of Titania house had their own secrets to keep and their own burdens to bear and she could never have resented any of them for not wishing to join Vala in social exile. And eventually Shiva began to see that for herself, slowly but surely. Even if she would have wanted to keep herself isolated and separate from the other girls Vala would never have allowed her to do that. And little by little that armored shell that the rest of the world got to see cracked open so that at least a few others got to see the real Shiva during their long nights at the edge of the school grounds. While those dark angry clouds that hovered over Shiva's thoughts and emotions never truly went away they certain retreated great distances and for weeks at a time and Shiva's true gentle nature grew closer to the surface and easier to draw out.

Chapter Five: Distant Rumbles

It had snowed heavily throughout the day and the air had been bitterly cold for more than a week previous. Even though the snow had stopped around sunset, the air had grown still colder, taking on a bitter chill that made most everyone reluctant to head towards class the next day. It was the full moon and with the clearing skies the school grounds outside had become a shimmering landscape as the freshly fallen snow danced with billions of tiny points of light echoing the starry sky above it. With the cold wind sending the snow dancing across the surface of the frozen lake, the world outside seemed beautiful, serene, and perfectly peaceful. Dinner had been hours earlier, and the time when curfew was supposed to take affect had passed by sometime earlier. For Titania house, this meant that virtually everyone was filling the hallways and chattering away happily as evening activities were organized. The RA's meant to maintain order in their distant secluded piece of the academy had long since been brought in the far sweeping conspiracy that defied many of the rules that dictated the course of dorm life, so it would be a while before things would quiet down.

It was however quiet in the small suite of rooms Shiva and Vala shared through much of the semester. A 'homework' sign was hung on the door as Vala still had a research paper to finish, it was one of the few things that was respected and never circumvented by the people that shared their private little world outside of the classrooms. Shiva's paper had long since been finished and had simply taken the opportunity to turn up the heat, forget about her clothes, and lounge around in privacy dressed in her underwear on the chance that she might tempt Vala into their favorite after-school activity. Vala, of course, knew exactly what Shiva was feeling at that moment and hadn't really bothered with much clothing of her own after her long soak in a hot steamy bath. With the clicking of a keyboard passing through the nearby air and the dull murmur of the outside activity, Shiva was happy to simply settled a large floor pillow down near the windows, stretch out on her stomach and stare out across the serene landscape outside the cool insulated glass in front of her.

Vala had often commented on the shadowy clouds of thought that would pass over Shiva's inner world when something was bothering her or when her thoughts would wander towards their uncertain future. While both of them had been informed early on that they might not be at the Academy the next semester, Shiva in all truth didn't truly look forward to leaving it behind. College catalogs had been sent to them from the Dean's office months before and Vala had been so very excited to see them appear. Vala's long list of her preferred schools had been ready within a day's time, Shiva had hesitated over that decision for nearly a week before she gave up and simply copied Vala's list exactly. And Shiva would just as gladly shoved both lists into the couch but Vala had made that decision for her, as both lists simply disappeared one day not to be seen or discussed again. It was these thoughts that made Shiva's mood turn towards those shadows on that cold winter evening.

It was a little less than three weeks until the end of the semester and the winter break that would mark the eventual transition back into the warmer months of the year. This fact had been made clear to her because of an invitation the previous weekend to join Seila at the Dean's mansion for tea. When asked about the next semester, the older woman had simply smiled and told them that things were progressing well. While the lists had disappeared months ago, Shiva couldn't quite let herself believe that those lists could possibly lead to better things. More convinced than ever that she wanted to spend her life with Vala, some part of her would never let her believe that the people who pulled Devin's strings and through him yanked on her chains, would never truly let her move on with her life, let alone every let her be happy. While Vala was eagerly looking ahead with anticipation at the freedoms and opportunities that college would mean for her, Shiva wanted desperately to cling to the months that had flown by and the first peaceful, happy times of her existence.

"Stop it." Vala murmured across the room, sounding half annoyed and mildly amused. When Shiva shifted to look back at her, Vala turned away from the computer screen with an adoring smile. "Love you." She added with a cute expression as she blew a kiss across the room. Shiva gave her a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes as she turned back to the window.

"I love you too.. that's why it keeps coming back." Shiva whispered back to her with a sigh.

"I know." Vala agreed before the soft clicking of the keyboard returned to join the sounds coming in through the closed door. Trying hard to keep her troubled thoughts from disturbing Vala, Shiva started to review another section of history recently filed away. With her thoughts thus distracted she wasn't aware of the sudden silence out in the hallway, and didn't quite care enough to look back at the clock to see if their unofficial quiet hours had started, nor was she aware of the gentle knock on the door. She did note that the keyboard had stopped and that Vala had moved towards the front of the room but was too intent on keeping her girlfriend undisturbed and happy to really wonder why.

"Aren't you looking comfy.." The warm tenor voice not heard in months was filled with deep amusement.

"Devin!" At that moment and for whatever the reason, Shiva spun around intensely happy to see him. Whatever reaction his unexpected visit might produce he was perfectly happy to catch her in his arms as she crossed the room in a rush to throw her arms around him. She barely even cared about the burst of laughter that came from the front door even as she turned her eyes to the RA, Kate, standing with many of the others just outside in the hallway.

"Vala, the Dean just sent this over with him as the messenger." Kate told a brightly smiling Vala who also stood witness to the scene. She soon handed over a massive stack of envelopes wrapped by a few pieces of paper and tied together by a thick rubber band. "Come on ladies." Kate smiled over at Shiva as she drew the door closed cutting all of them off on the other side.

"Well if this is the kind of greeting I can hope for whenever I drop by, I really should show up more often." Realizing now just how little she was wearing, Shiva blushed and smiled as she stepped back. Vala already wearing her own robe moved closer to drape Shiva's around her shoulders.

"She's been all worried and knotted up inside about some things." Vala told him before kissing Shiva's cheek.

"Is that what you wanted to talk about?" Deeply confused, her uncertainly showed clearly on her face, and Devin quickly realized that she didn't understand. "Your message.." Vala cleared her throat from behind him.

"Devin.. could I.. um.." Vala murmured nodding him towards the bedroom.

"Oh.. Well, there is another thing we need to talk about." He corrected himself quickly and reached into the outer pocket of his briefcase to pull out another massive stack of large and small envelopes. All of them had been opened and then bound together by another thick rubber band. As he handed them over, he gently lead Shiva over to the couch and drew her down into the cushioned embrace before perching next to her. As the rubber band was removed the stack seemed almost to overflow her small lap and the letter heads of dozens of universities floated into view. "I don't know exactly what Seila told them, but all of them said at least three things. Yes, you are accepted for early admissions, yes, they want to offer you a full academic scholarship, and yes, they are willing to provide you with whatever special accommodations are needed to get you to attend their school." Shiva looked up at him speechless.

"Seila.." Vala murmured in the next heartbeat as she held a handwritten note in one hand and mass of envelopes in the other. ".. says all but a few are willing to accept me as an early admission, but that only a couple of them are willing to offer scholarships."

"My budget for Shiva can't afford this school, let alone any other. Some scholarships are based on who needs them more." Devin told her gently clearly worried about how she might take that news.

"No, it's okay, I know Shiva is smarter than me." Vala told him with a bright and happy smile. "Anyways, my father promised me that there would be enough money for me to go to any school I could get into. The good news is we can go to just about any school we want to, now the question is.. can we?" Shiva's eyes returned to Devin who's expression gave neither of them any real clues as to what the answer might be.

"When the acceptance letters started to pour in, I called Seila to ask her about them. Using your list, I contacted the schools you liked the best and had lengthy non-specific discussions with the Deans. Even with me being supremely vague, none of them were any less enthusiastic once they caught on that they wouldn't be dealing with just an average genius." He sighed deeply before he continued. "I am taking up the matter with every high ranking officer that I have access to, and trying to find ways to get in contact with even more. But right now.. I don't know.. Seila and I have both confirmed with all your possible choices that their offers would be no less valid next fall if the red tape really gets in the way. And Seila told me a few minutes ago that it would be easy for her to make up a light schedule for both of you next semester."

"As long as we are together." Vala informed him with a smile, Shiva quickly looked away trying hard to brush away the tears that appeared in her eyes hearing those words. "Devin.." He agreed quietly and rubbed Shiva's shoulders before the two of them retreated into privacy. Shiva was just as glad to have the chance to regain her balance before she really started crying. For as much time as she and Vala spent together, it had gone without saying that they both had enough reasons to keep some things private from each other. While just a little curious, it seemed obvious that Vala had simply been just as worried about the following semester as Shiva had been and simply wanted to talk to him where Shiva couldn't get any more upset. After browsing through all the letterheads for places she had never really heard off, Shiva set the chaotic stack on the nearby table and returned to her former position near the windows, feeling far too drained to really think about anything. Some time later, the door opened and Vala's light footsteps carried her across the room to drop down next to her where she could drape herself over of Shiva. Devin appeared soon after, having slipped out of his jacket during the unknown length of time that had passed. With a smile for Shiva's watching expression he dropped down to the floor and leaned up against the floor to ceiling windows with a sigh.

"Is it a secret?" Shiva asked as long silence as Vala tucked her in close.

"Yes." Vala replied softly.

"Do you think they would let me go?" She asked Devin, changing the subject back to that now that she felt calmer.

"Maybe.. right now the Generals seem content to forget that they even started a Series 6 reclamation project at all. Even if you did decide to disappear into the night, there are only four people under my command, and we are still underfunded." Devin informed her honestly never having been one to hold back the truth when it was really important. "Without Seila's involvement.. I'd have to say no.." He smiled at that as if there was something they didn't know about. "I may just need to take a page out of your book Shiva, and take some drastic steps."

"Please.." Shiva stopped herself as her throat closed up and tears once again bubbled up to the surface.

"Hey.. don't be like that, sweety." He whispered to her as if he knew how close to crying she was. "Anyways, I still have some ideas that are forming into a plan." He added with a smile as Vala helped Shiva get herself back under control. "Anyways, its' late and I won't disappear without at least saying goodbye first."

"You don't have to rush off." Vala told him quickly.

"I know.. but it was a long flight and I want to talk to Seila again before she goes to bed." He gave her a mysterious smile and a significant look that she seemed to understand. "How about tomorrow after class the three of us go out for dinner in town? It would probably be nice for Shiva to be able to ride both ways through the gate every once in a while."

"Sounds perfect." Shiva agreed with a slightly choked voice.

"I'll be at Seila's whenever you two get there.." He stated with a smile as he shifted up to his feet. "Thank you, Vala." He murmured as she moved to hug him before Shiva was given her second opportunity to linger in his arms just a little. "Shiva I can't tell you how proud of how well you have been doing this semester."

"Stop that.." She choked back as her eyes started to get blurry once again.

"Seila kept telling me how good the two of you are together, and I think I know what she meant now at long last." He chuckled as he stepped back to retrieved his jacket and coat. Within a few heartbeats he had retreated out of sight down the halls. As the door was closed in his wake, Vala drew her back over to the floor pillow and snatching up a decorative blanket along the way. They were soon curled up there under the warm folds and tangled together in mixture of limbs.

"Don't you have a paper to finish?" Shiva asked even as she settled in close.

"In the morning, this is what I want to do right now." Shiva smiled at that thought and let her eyes drift closed as she relaxed under Vala's gentle weight. It was sometime later that Vala woke her up long enough for both of them to wander into bed.

* * *

It was the last few minutes, of the last class, at the end of the semester, so no one was really listening to the Professor prattle on in Russian, except perhaps Shiva who could listen to whatever was being said without any trouble as if she had grown up speaking it or any of the other dozen languages she knew. Settled together in the back row of the large lecture hall none of the whispering girls really paid them any attention as Shiva sat half curled against her side, the teachers rarely found any reason to object to such behavior and neither of them cared any longer what their class mates might think. While the thought that they might soon go to college where their instructors might be a little less understanding than those that swirled around them at the Academy wasn't entirely pleasant, the thought that they might escape their judgmental peers was a big motivation for her personally and in her way of thinking only something that could make Shiva's life happier. For as much as Shiva might claim that she didn't care about such things, her behavior back at the dorm made Vala believe otherwise. Far more prone to smiling than scowling, Shiva's true nature could emerge there in that warm atmosphere, and many of the other girls had come to adore her for it.

Even though there was a black cloud hovering over Shiva's internal world, Vala didn't try to stop it from happening this time since she had perhaps more reason than ever to let those clouds appear than there were on just any normal day. With term papers turned in, final exams at an end, and the last days passing by much of the talk in the hallways and dorms was focused almost exclusively on the upcoming break. For her part Shiva had vehemently adopted a 'hear no evil, see no evil' policy when it came to those kinds of discussion, ignoring such conversations and pretending everything was all right. Vala knew of course, she had no family, no friends outside of school, no money to allow her to take a trip, and had suspected right from the start that Shiva was going to be left behind to linger in the empty school with those few teachers who might stay behind and Seila who would perhaps be her only emotional support. It had not been until the previous evening that Vala had allowed herself to be included in those joyous discussion of plans for their time off from classes, and had felt it instantly when Shiva's mood had become even more sour to hear Vala confirm that she would be visiting family over break. Shiva had probably suspected this might happen, but it had been an entirely different matter to hear it in Vala's own words. While tradition and family had always been a part of previous breaks, this year her plans had only been decided a few hours before she had shared them with their friends.

When the bell rang, Shiva gave a sigh that was almost a sob as all at once those clouds became somehow darker than black and Vala knew she was about a dozen heartbeats away from breaking down into tears. Had the situation be any different, Vala would have probably followed her down into that black pit of despair almost unable to endure the idea of being apart from her for weeks. However, things being what they were she couldn't find those darkening emotions anything but adorable as she drew her girlfriend to her feet and slowly lead her towards the door and the crowded excited hallways beyond. In truth, it only really made her love Shiva more since she knew then just how precious she was in the sometimes unspoken thoughts of the young woman she spent her nights and days with.

"Let's go." Vala whispered to her as they were expelled out into the cool air of the snow covered landscape.

"Go?" Shiva whispered back to her, drawn out just a little from her own personal rain storm.

"Yes, go.." Vala agreed with a laugh as she leaned over to kiss Shiva's temple. Knowing her she had perhaps been just a little too proud to ask Devin if she could somehow get away from the school, too worried about the cost of being guarded by one of his people, and too shy to ever think of intruding on Vala's time with her family. "Did you really think I would leave you hear to wallow in despair and loneliness for an entire month?"

"Seila said.. I could.."

"Well that isn't happening, you are coming home with me whether you like it or not." Vala informed her as the moved along the paths slowly while most of the others were running about to get away from the cold or to make their own escape attempts off of school property. "I packed our bags while you were in math class, I arranged everything with Devin a few days ago, and I told my parents I was bringing a very important friend home with me yesterday while you were taking a shower. Now I won't accept any ifs, buts, questions, or denials, it's time to go."

"Yes, Vala." Normally a firey force of nature that hovered just on the edge of being out of control, in their quiet more private moments, Shiva had surprised her many a time by becoming timid, meek, and yielding. It was just one of the many things she had come to adore about this complex and complicated young woman. Shiva made a small noise as she tugged on Vala's arm and drew her in a direction opposite her planned course, and she soon picked out a towering dark skinned man dressed in an impressive looking suit and wearing dark sunglasses despite the overcast skies. His mere presence was enough to suppress any horseplay for some distance around him, and brought a hushed silence for wide area in ever direction. Even though Vala found himself almost frightening, Shiva's mood improved by marked increments until she was almost giggling as they moved towards that figure. Vala caught an invisible movement out of the corner of her eye as a section of snow was scooped up and formed perfectly into a snow ball under Shiva's influence. It snapped away within a heartbeat and launched with intense accuracy across the distance towards that towering figure as he scanned his surrounding as if looking for someone. The cold, wet projectile seemed timed perfectly and aimed just right to explode across the entire back of his bald head and spray out to either side. Vala was about to scream her objections and recriminations down at Shiva when he spun around to peer in the direction of that attack, half petrified he would know it was one of them, Shiva gave a bright bubbly little giggle as the girls all around them backed away in fear. Much to all of their combined astonishment he smiled at the sound and nodded his head towards Vala as he wiped the remains away from the back of his head. As a great empty chasm opened around him, he stepped forward as Shiva drew her to a halt near the closet intersection of snow free paths. Still giggling Shiva left her side to jump high up into his arms, he caught her with a chuckle.

"Hi, Gregor!" She greeted as she hugged her small body around his thick neck.

"I shall have my revenge one day, Shiva." He murmured in return even as he rubbed her back with obvious affection. "The Lieutenant said you had changed for the better."

"And it's all his fault too, if he hadn't started being nice to me, everyone would still be afraid to touch me and Vala might not even have liked me." Shiva countered softly.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." He chuckled as he heaved her up higher so that she was perched on his shoulder even as he offered Vala his arm. "Ms. Lunara.." Feeling suddenly at ease in his presence Vala accepted the gesture with a bright smile as he moved to carry Shiva away and escort Vala through the swirling crowd of stunned onlookers. "Our car is waiting nearby, Ms. Seila had your bags moved to her house to await our planned visit, and everything has been arranged for our arrival."

"Thank you." Vala agreed with a happy smile.

"So where are we going, Sergeant?" Shiva asked in a fine mood now as she leaned over to curl her arms around the top of his head and rest her chin on her crossed limbs to look playfully down at Vala. He chuckled and bounced her on his shoulder for a passing second, while holding onto her legs just to insure she didn't fall.

"You are on a need to know basis, little one." He rumbled back to her. He glanced over to Vala and gave her a smile that seemed to make it absolutely clear he knew how much Shiva had changed and who exactly was responsible. Vala smiled back to him and then made a face up at Shiva as they reached the circular drive way off to one side of the main campus and the chaotic tangle of cars and people waiting there. At their approach another man climbed out of a large black car to stare at the approaching scene with a completely stunned expression. Gregor released Vala's arm long enough to open the door for her before heaving Shiva up into air and catching her by the hips to gently lower her to the ground. "That is enough of that Private, the prisoner is in custody and our guest has arrived." He ordered softly as they both climbed into the back of the car.

"Hi, Ceasa." Shiva called as the two men climbed into the front seats. The other man spun at the sound and seemed to turn into a statue once again as if never have expected such a bubbly greeting as Shiva curled up with Vala behind him.

"Keep those eyes on the road soldier." Gregor barked even as he smirked back at them. The car was put into gear and they were soon slowly pulling away and moving the short distance to make the turn that would carry them over to Dean's residence. When they arrived Seila was already stepping out her front door as the car was drawing to a halt and they were soon involved in a happy and excited farewell as their luggage was loaded into the back of the car by the two men. As Seila took a few minutes to say a few words to Shiva, Gregor came over to stand next to her.

"Has my little kitten really changed that much?" She asked more out of curiosity than any real concern. When he looked down at her she gestured to the other man who was standing near the driver's door still staring at Shiva in utter disbelief.

"Kitten?" He asked with surprise, when she looked up at him he chuckled back down to her. "Aye, ma'am she has. You've never had to walk into a room to find her surrounded by a dozen boys twice her size all battered, bruised, broken and bloody, and her off to one side angry and defiant. Self defense, it might have been, but knowing what we know.. we could tell that about half the time she was ready to use a far more permanent solution."

"She was created as a weapon.. she's still a human being.." Vala smiled as Shiva gave Seila one last hug as she tried desperately to hide her tears as she returned to Vala's side. Even knowing what she knew, Vala had a hard time believing that Shiva was truly dangerous, as if that part of her life had simply faded away.

"Time to get comfortable ladies.. we've got 20 hours ahead of us in this car." Gregor rumbled as they moved down the road after one last wave to Seila.

"20 hours.." Vala half asked as those numbers failed to add up in her head.

"We probably have to avoid any military facilities along the way so my tracking signal isn't reported where it shouldn't be." Shiva informed her softly. "And Gregor if we really got comfortable Ceasa would drive us into a snow bank." She added a bit louder and added a giggle.

"Oh?" Gregor rumbled back to them.

"Comfortable means, clothing optional." Vala stated much to Shiva's delight as Ceasa had to jerk the wheel to keep the car on the road.

"Good to know." Gregor chuckled back to them.

* * *

It was not until many hours into the trip that Shiva started to get the feeling that there was more going on than a simple vacation. Informed of this fact by off-handed remark that Devin was due to arrive around the same time as them, she grew slowly into a deep suspicion something wasn't right. And for as excited as Vala seemed to be about seeing her family after so many months, there had been a rarely seen touch of darkness in her eyes as if Shiva hadn't been told everything. As time flowed by and the more she thought about it the stranger and potentially more frightening those thoughts had become. Since Shiva had avoided telling Vala about the other people she had left behind when she had been removed from the base that had been the only home she knew, it hadn't really seemed all that odd that Vala acted as if she had avoided saying certain things about her family during the many stories she had shared. At the time Shiva had just assumed that it had been little things, the kinds of secrets that she assumed most families had, of events that might be embarrassing to her or someone she was close to or them. But with very little to do, and only so much to talk about her mind seemed to hone in all those little hesitations and the times when Vala's stories had seemed to jump around or skip over certain sections.

While the strange things seemed to add up rather quickly it was not until much later than she truly felt ready to call it a conspiracy and decide to seek out answers. Since their course had to avoid military bases and tracking stations that might pick up the subtle signal that was meant to keep tabs on Shiva in case she was in trouble or causing it, they were pretty much sticking to roads that traveled through the middle of nowhere. Ceasa had driven much of that first leg and was now sleeping in the front seat with a mildly annoying soft snore. Vala had sort of just drifted away next to her, propped up by pillows and tucked under blankets. The road was smooth and even, and the darkness out past the headlights wasn't being chased away by many other vehicles or the distant splotches of towns or cities. Deciding she couldn't stay silent, Shiva gave up on sleep for the moment and slipped out of Vala's arm to half lean through the lowered partition of the privacy window.

"Can't sleep?" Gregor pitched his voice to avoid a tell-tale rumble and whispered to avoid waking anyone up.

"Gregor.. tell me what's really going on here." Shiva whispered back to him. "If Devin really wanted to meet Vala's parents, why didn't he come instead of sending you and Ceasa? Why would he come separate, we both know that the budget is tight, why waste the money?" By no means empathic like Vala it was nevertheless easy for her to sense a sudden loaded heaviness in the air as Gregor remained silent for a very long time. That if anything only worried Shiva more as if proving her sense of 'wrongness' was entirely correct, but had severely underestimated the true diabolical cause of those feelings. "We.. aren't going to meet Vala's parents are we.. I am going to get put back into a freezer aren't I? Vala just came along so I wouldn't hurt anyone.." Shiva whispered as her mind instantly leapt to the worst of the worse case scenarios.

"No!" He barked sharply at her as he head snapped around to look deep into her eyes. "Don't even think such a thing! If.. it was that.." His eyes turned back to the road and his rumble returned even as Ceasa stirred just a little in his sleep. ".. believe me, if it was that I would be taking you to the spaceport to put you two on the first unregistered flight off to parts unknown."

"Than.. what is it.." Shiva whispered back to him touched by his promise but unable to rid herself of her uneasy feelings.

"Ms. Lunara.. she is a good, and strong woman, Shiva." He murmured seeming to avoid the heart of the matter. "You did well in earning her trust and capturing her heart, and I am proud to having played some small role in helping you along your path now that I have seen you as you were this afternoon. That woman back there loves you with all her heart and is willing to stand next to you no matter what comes. And she is also willing to do whatever is needed to insure that you both can be happy and together." He looked back into her eyes again. "Don't ever give that up."

"I don't ever want to be without her.." Shiva whispered back to him.

"I shouldn't even be talking to you like this." He informed her softly as he looked back towards the dark stretch of road. "My orders were to keep you both happy and deliver you to Ms. Lunara's home exactly on time. I can not tell you why things are being done this way, but... I will tell you for your sake.." His eyes met hers again, looking deep into them so that she knew he was only telling her the truth. ".. the Lieutenant wants you to react honestly when we get there."

"Yes, Gregor.. thank you." Shiva agreed knowing that was all she was going to get from him.

"Now, be a good girl and get some sleep." He murmured back to her. Almost as if she reinforcing that order Vala stirred from her dreams to whisper her name softly and Shiva had little choice but curl up again in Vala's warm embrace, but it was still a long time before her mind settled and she was able to ease her way into sleep.

The appointed hour for their arrival had begun and they were winding their way through the streets of a steeply sloped town. Without having achieved more than a few scant hours of sleep the night before as she worried about Vala's imminent departure Shiva had slept well into the morning and nearly into the hours of the afternoon. They had stopped at a fast food restaurant for lunch and to give Vala and Shiva a chance to make themselves look presentable before they had moved on. Even if Shiva had been aware of the near exact timing of their appointed arrival, and Gregor's orders to insure that deadline was met, she would have known they were getting close by the slowly rising tension in Vala's body. Even though it was hours more before the sun would set, it was nearly dark enough to be night time as they moved through the streets as it was heavily overcast and a thick powdery snow was falling across everything. Shiva could tell by the rise and fall in Vala's tensed state that they were avoiding a direct route and stalling just a little to waste a few minutes as they slowly rose up the hillside towards the peak of the town. The partition had been raised so Shiva couldn't hear the directions Gregor gave Ceasa and she was unable to gather any more clues about what was happening. But as the time grew much closer Vala's tension reached its' peak as they made a turn into a walled and gated home in among many huge and beautiful homes that lined the wealthy street.

The conversation on the security system went unheard but they passed through the front gates after only a moment or two to wind their way up the long snow covered drive way. With the rapidly falling snow to obscure the gardens in a white cold blanket and obscuring the distant reaches of what was out there, Shiva was further denied any inking of an answer or clue. However when at long last they reached the large arched portico of the grand front entrance to the truly massive building, Shiva knew all at once that the heavily bundled up men that stood at either side of the large metal and glass front doors were heavily armed and high dangerous. If she hadn't been in a state of high alert before she had seen that, this tense state would have been automatically corrected as Vala drew her out of the backseat with a firm grip on her hand. The front doors were opened at their approach and they entered the short hallway that lead to another pair of wood and glass doors. As those first doors were closed behind them, Shiva caught just a murmur of sound from behind them the crunching noise of snow being driven under by another set of tires.

"Mom, Dad, we're home!" Months of being together gave Shiva the insight she needed to hear the tension in that seeming calm call. The sound of quick heavy footsteps seemed to herald what would follow as a figure emerged from a nearby doorway, looking mildly dressed down in a sweater, slacks, and slippers. He had graying hair and distinguished face and held himself straight and dignified as any good soldier would, clutching a pipe in the side of his mouth and a pair of reading glass perched on the tip of his nose, many would have called him handsome. All at once Shiva knew what she had not been told, she knew what had been planned, and as his eyes meet hers she knew without question that he knew her just as well as she knew him. It was a subtle gesture, marked by his falling expression and the knowledge of what would soon follow as his hand slipped inside his pants pocket.

The alarms made Vala's whole body jerk as Shiva's anger surged up ready and willing to protect both of them as her girlfriend yanked her closer and snapped her arms tightly around Shiva's body protectively. With pounding steps and the snapping sounds of weapons being armed they merged on the entrance chamber from four directions, pouring into the small space and bringing a mixture of rifles and hand guns to bare on the two of them. Two from behind, four from the left and right, four more from deeper within the house all converged in silence and homing in Shiva even with Vala protectively hunched around her. It would have been a small matter to have killed them all and be out of there were she alone and were this something other than what it was, a test.

"Raymond?!" The frightened feminine voice came from the opposite direction than he had entered. The hurried lighter footsteps soon brought a beautiful older woman in behind the forward positions of armed men and she took in the scene with stunned horror. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! Put those guns down, how dare you point them at my daughter!!" She demanded a second later as confusion was replaced with anger.

"Vala step Away from Her Now." He ordered in a booming voice in the next heartbeat. Vala's arms only tightened around Shiva's body clutching her closer.

"No." Vala murmured back to him pitching her voice just loud enough to be heard across the distance.

"I SAID GET AWAY FROM HER!!!" He screamed slamming a fist into the wall with enough force to punch through the plaster.

"AND I SAID, NO!!!" Vala screamed back, even as the alarms went silent around them.

"Now, isn't this an interesting predicament, General." Devin's voice murmured from behind the two girls and just outside the ring of guards. To all ears he seemed cool, suave and completely calm and confident, as if he was picking up women in a bar and not addressing a room full of armed and angry people. "You see these men aren't even really a threat to little Shiva here, were they she would probably have killed all of them and you for so blithely summoning them into family business. Your little friends all said she was a deadly weapon the kind of which should never see the light of day, and you blithely went along with them. So let's ask ourselves.." He wandered into view calmly strolling along. ".. what's stopping her? It's not you, why the hell should she care about you, it's not them since to weapon they are a threat that must be eliminated, its' certainly not me.. as if I would even try to get in the middle of this. Its' certainly not your lovely wife, since what would a weapon care about civilian casualties.. perhaps its' Vala.. hmm there's a thought. Here's your loving daughter.. protecting a weapon.."

"YOU SET THIS UP!!!" The General screamed at him crossing angrily into the line of fire.

"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT I DID!!" Devin screamed back at him giving the older larger man a shove.

"STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!!!" Vala's mother proved louder and angrier than both of them combined. "RAYMOND, this is my House! And you don't tell them to put those blasted things away this instant, SO HELP ME... !!!" Shiva decided to make a point of her own and all conversation stopped at the single intense loud metallic 'pop' that seemed to come from all sides in the same instant. All eyes shifted around uncertainly for an eternally long second before the first crackle of sound echoed through the silence as something large and heavy struck the wooden floor. It was followed by another and then another, and then all at once a vast wave of sound that spread from all sides as every single weapon carried by the men around them fell into their basic component to scatter across the floor at their feet. Someone of them looked at the remnants in their hands before tossing the useless pieces away, only to reach for their service pistols simply to have those too fall apart into useless components. Shiva's hand slowly extended outward and slowly opened to send a fall of pins, screws, nuts and bolts scattered across the floor in front of her with a sound like falling rain in that stunned silence.

"Now I am the only weapon here." Shiva whispered. Only Devin was able to recover enough to smile at her joke.

"That's just it, General.. Vala's the only one here who could stop her from reeking havoc on a scale you could never have imagined. And were someone to do something stupid and Vala to get hurt.. there isn't a person within 10,000 miles who could stop her." Devin stated clearly and calmly gesturing at the two young woman with the file that had been tucked under his arm when he had entered the scene. "That little demonstration isn't even a kiddie exercise to her.."

"HOW dare you endanger my daughter putting her in here with that Monster!!" The General yelled back him still more than ready to be angry.

"SHE ISN'T A MONSTER!!!" Vala yelled back at him, proving herself to have a voice just as powerful as her mother's. "AND it WASN'T his idea, FATHER.. it was MINE." Vala told him display the kind of temper that would easily be on par with Shiva's own. "I wanted to bring my girlfriend home to meet my family.."

"Vala.." Her mother whispered to her uncertainly.

"So, yes, I brought Shiva here knowing exactly what she is." Vala informed them in no uncertain terms.

"What?" Her mother asked having easily caught that strange turn of phrase.

"You're all dismissed." The General muttered and within a few heartbeats there were only the five of them in that room.

"She's part of Series 6, mother." Vala stated once they were gone. "BUT She isn't a Weapon!" She added again turning her anger on her father. "She's human.. no matter what else they did to her, She Will Always be Human." He actually seemed taken back by the anger in his daughter's voice.

"Series 6?" Her mother demanded turning all at once on her husband to glare up at him angrily.

"Just over two years ago, I sat on a tribunal in charge of determining the viability of reclamation program for Series 6 candidates." He murmured to her sounding as if those words were forced out of him by some unknown compulsion. "Shiva.. was one of the witness that were called in to testify.. after an incident."

"Are you disappointed that Shiva simply hasn't disappeared back into a tube somewhere, General?" Devin growled back at him crossing the line over insubordination by some measure. The General's expression quickly grew hard with the anger that came boiling up.

"How DARE you.." The General growled back at him like the pair of them were two stray dogs fighting over a piece of steak in some dark alley. "OUR decision was based on all the information available at that time.."

"ONE that you Haven't Even Tried to Reconsider SINCE!" Devin yelled back jabbing the folder in his direction.

"Gentlemen!" Vala's mother barked glaring both of them down.

"That decision, forced us to bounce Shiva from bad situation to another, constantly putting her in the worst of circumstances. And every time she was forced to defend herself, they tried to use it as an excuse to simply shove her back into the freezer without even asking if there was a deeper problem. On top of that! Every time I tried to appeal to your office, or any other, you wouldn't even return my phone calls! So you see General, I will dare quite a lot right now, because this time you aren't staring at some piece of paper. Shiva is a living, breathing person we brought into this world, and that means we are Responsible for her well being. And I will No Longer stand idly by while she is marginalized, written off, and simply FORGOTTEN by you and your closed mind breed." Devin told him formally and officially, only just able to keep his voice below the level of actual yelling.

"I don't have to listen to this.." The General growled turning away from him.

"YES, you do, Father. If you don't hear us out, so help me, I'll turn around go right back through that door, and you'll be seeing us the evening news." Vala stated with force and certainty that left no one there doubting her threat was the real thing.

"Vala.." Her mother whispered to her uncertain exasperation.

"I love her Mom, I love her so much that I wouldn't want to live another day without her." Vala told her and the General seemed to freeze as he stared into Shiva's eyes from across the distance.

"Raymond.." Vala's mother whispered, this time her voice was pleading for him to listen.

"You can't do that Vala." He ordered.

"Not a person with 10,000 miles who could stop me." Shiva repeated with a darkness that echoed up through her, he wasn't the only who seemed to get a chill from that shadow. "I could have killed your guards, I can still kill you, I could take on an armored division, I could destroy a city, what makes you think I can't protect one young woman from anything you might send after us." The General's eyes grew distant and cold as the color in his face just seemed to drain away.

"Do you love my daughter?" He asked after a very long time. Those were perhaps the very last words she had ever expected to come out of his mouth, the only question she would never have expected him to ask her. Almost at once she was breaking away her gaze as her throat closed up and her vision started to blur.

"Shiva?" Devin called gently as he moved to duck down in front of them.

"Why does he want to know?!" Shiva demanded of him in a choked voice. "Why should I tell him that?!" Half angry and half torn up inside, Shiva's stomach tied itself up in knots as her confused emotions started to pull at her from every direction. All Shiva wanted in that moment was for all of it to stop as she tried desperately to win back her control. "I.." That was about all that she could get out before her throat closed up completely and she turned away from the scene, absolutely refusing to let the General see her break down in tears twice. She tried run away but Vala caught her and pulled her in close as her shoulders started to shake silently.

"I don't even think Shiva has the words to describe what I mean to her, and I feel the same way about her. I would do anything for her, and I know she would do anything for me." Vala whispered across the distance.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" The General demanded of her his own voice sounding more than a little choked.

"Would you even have listened?" Vala countered quickly and easily. "All Shiva did was walk in the door and you were calling for the guards and ready to have her executed on the spot." The General didn't quite have the ability to counter that accusation and his mouth moved to form words but there were no sounds to accompany the expressions.

"I think our daughter makes a pretty good point." Vala's mother murmured darkly up to him before she moved to close the distance just a little. "Lieutenant, would you like to come inside and have something to drink?"

"Please." He agreed from where he was rubbing Shiva's shoulders. "Come on sweety let's get you something to settle your stomach." Even though Shiva shook her head and tried to cling to Vala's presence the two of them managed to extract her from Vala's arms and transfer her over into his keeping. The only good part in Shiva's thinking was that she was soon being carried out of sight. As they moved away all the broken components scattered across the floor were swept across the floor to load up into a passing trashcan.

"She is a sweety, isn't she." Vala's mother teased gently.

"She has been since she found Vala." Devin informed her rubbing Shiva's back as she slowly started to calm down.

"So what's that you have been brandishing about like a holy weapon?" She asked him as they entered a small shadowy room filled with books and warm comfortable furniture where they settled in the sitting area near the glow of a fire place. Now calm, but not exactly ready to face anyone Shiva was tucked against Devin's side where she more or less hide as the tea was prepared and poured.

"Well.. its' an unofficial research project compiled and produced by a small group of people who were part of the Series 3 projects." Devin informed her as he hooked an arm around Shiva and tried his best to coax her back from the edge.

"Oh, Who?!" Enticed by the fact that her first question would not have been what she would have asked, Shiva turned her head to focus on the older woman rather than the folder that was being passed between them. She quickly noticed the attention and gave Shiva a bright gentle smile.

"Are you.." Shiva caught herself asking a rude question, shook her head, and quickly withdrew the inquiry.

"It's all right.. go ahead." She encouraged gently.

"It was a rude question.." Shiva whispered back to her. "Devin, did you know Vala's mother before today?" Devin laughed down at her while she laughed across the distance. Devin kissed Shiva's temple and hugged her in close.

"Well that's one way of not invading someone's privacy." She agreed with a warm hearted chuckle.

"Yes, sweety, Rei and are old friends." Devin informed her before turning back to the previous conversation. "Seila actually started the ball rolling on that.. apparently Vala had questions about how intensely she took to Shiva during the couple days after their first meeting. And this lead Seila and some of the others to learn as much about Series 6 as they could. It seems that some people.." He half growled those words.

"Devin." She growled at him warningly.

".. have been operating under the assumption that Series 6 had been given much the same military conditioning as Series 4 and 5." Devin murmured keeping his tone light and his words polite. "We're this true.. well.."

"We'd all be dead. No offense, sweety." Rei added with a sad gentle smile for Shiva.

"None taken." Shiva agreed as some portion of a good mood seemed to drift back in.

"Is that all the misinformation or just the tip of the iceberg?" She asked Devin with scowl as if she already knew the answer.

"Iceberg." Devin agreed in the same shadowy tones.

"Only parts of the records concerning Series 6 can be recovered, much of it is still locked up and encrypted in the lab computers." The General murmured as he entered the room seemingly calm as he lead Vala inside. "Before I listen to any more of this, tell me when you first knew Vala was my daughter, Lieutenant."

"A little more than two weeks ago when she asked me if there was anyway she could bring Shiva here during their break from school, because she refused to simply leave her alone during all that time, sir. She was the one who informed me of the relationship, and the fact that she had kept it from Shiva. Just in case Shiva had enough reason to hate the military which had created her and then abandoned her, sir." Devin murmured back to her as Vala slipped away from her father's side and claimed Shiva for her lap.

"You were the one who told me to use mother's maiden name to protect me, father." Vala informed him calmly as she took another seat and pulled Shiva in close silently asking to be forgiven for the deception. "And I didn't know you knew anything about Shiva until Devin flinched hearing your name and I forced him to tell me why."

"And how long have you been aware of this relationship?" The General growled seeming to be disappointed that he could not be mad about that.

"Since the day after their first meeting, sir." Devin fired back at him, still ready for a fight.

"And you didn't file a report." The General accused quickly.

"Shiva isn't standard military issue, sir.. I feel no need to conduct an inventory of personal life unless my intervention is required." Devin snapped back at him.

"Boys.." Rei hissed warningly glaring at both of them and they both backed down quickly only too aware that the females in the room were dangerous ones. She sighed in the next moment and flipped to the next page in file and smiled at whatever she was seeing "Oh! These names, they sure do bring back so many memories." She added a moment later with a seemingly happy dance of laughter. "Seila must have called up everyone she knew to pry all of this through the red tape."

"What's that Rei?" The General asked as his curiosity got the better of him.

"Research that Devin brought here that some of our old friends have been working on." She told him as he moved to sit close to her. "Hmm.. a comparison between the cognitive abilities of Series 3 compared to Shiva's.." She gave Shiva a bright smile.

"That can't be right, can it?" He asked giving me a skeptical look.

"Seila seems pretty certain of her findings. And the head of her math department seems convinced that with a few years of work, Shiva could advance theoretical science by 30 years or more." Devin murmured, and Shiva smiled at that pleased by the compliment for a man she adored for his dry witty sense of humor.

"All right Lieutenant.." The General murmured with a deep sigh. "However much I might resent this.. my daughter has made it clear to me that I have let others convince me to simply ignore the situation. After the first incident she was involved in.. it was easier to believe the whole series was flawed.." He looked down into Shiva's eyes apologetically. "I intend to correct my mistakes, and I hope to have your support."

"Of course, sir." Devin agreed quickly.

"Here." Rei plopped the file down into her husband's lap. "I'll read the rest later, you boys should go talk."

"Yes, dear." The General agreed mockingly. When he glanced around he caught Shiva's watching eyes and hesitated for just a moment. "For what it is worth, I am sorry." With that he heaved himself up and the two men left the room. With a sigh Rei watched them disappear before focusing on the two girls.

"More than I expected from him.." Rei murmured softly as she regarded the pair curled up in front of her. "As for you Vala, that was dangerous, stupid, and possibly the cruelest things I have ever seen you do. But.. it was also the most adult thing I have ever seen you do."

"I'm sorry, Mom.." Vala whispered softly back to her.

"I wish you had told me.. I would have understood, your father and I were probably a lot like you two when we first met. Which would probably be a touch disturbing, if I thought about it too much." Shiva giggled back at Rei's wicked smirk. "But it took a lot of courage to stand up to him like you did."

"I did it for both of us, Mom." Vala told her with a smile and a sigh as she brushed some of Shiva's hair away from her face. "Seila wants us to go to college next semester, or next fall.. and Devin's been so tangled up in red tape that Shiva might never get to go."

"College.. already?" Rei asked with honest surprise.

"Since the other students found out about me.. I haven't had much to do but study." Rei gave her a sad smile at that. "Well that is until Shiva showed up.." That was certainly a good reason for Shiva to sneak in a quick kiss.

"You two certainly act the way we did back then." Rei chuckled over at them.

"Does it ever go away?" Vala asked her with a gentle smile.

"Not really.. it mellows a little and changes moods, but it's always been there for us." Rei caught Shiva watching her again and chuckled. "Well come here Shiva, let me get a look at you." Vala silently encouraged her across the distance and Rei caught her hands as she nervously approach and smiled as she looked Shiva over. "How old are you?"

"82." Shiva replied smoothly, Rei smiled just a little brighter.

"And the truth?" She asked gently.

"We.. don't really know. After our embryo's proved viable we were either put into stasis for a time, or were incubated in accelerated growth chambers until we reached the toddler stage. My file only really said that I was created in 2056." Shiva told her softly, she made a curious noise and drew her down to settle in her lap. Too curious to really pass up the chance, Shiva brushed up her sleeve to see Rei's serial number, she giggled happily in the next moment. "Devin's your little brother.

"Is he?" Shiva nodded eagerly back to her. "Hmm, I shall have to tease him about that.. Can I see yours?"

"No.." She replied even as she pulled up her sleeve. Starting at her wrist and traveling up her forearm around her elbow was a beautifully rendered flowering vine with large purple flowers.

"Did you have one?" Rei asked confused as she ran her fingers over the place where the tattoo should have been.

"Still do.." A bit confused Rei smiled and shifted the focus of the conversation.

"Well this is beautiful work, how far does it go?" Shiva didn't hesitate very long before she slipped out of her blouse to reveal the entire length of the vine as it wound all the way up her arm and up around her shoulder to drape over shoulder blade. "Seems a bit far to go just to cover up a bar code, sweetheart."

"It would have been too obvious I was trying to hide one if there was just a huge flower on my arm." Shiva told her with amused smile.

"This is true.." Rei agreed with an amused happy smile.

"Oh.. I'm sorry!" The General murmured as the two men returned and were both instantly embarrassed by the scene.

"It's all right Raymond!" Rei called to him with bright highly amused laughter. "Shiva was just showing me her tattoos."

"Well some of them." Vala gave her a teasing smile to which Shiva giggled back at her, the rest were in places most people never got to see and only Vala had studied in detail.

"For as much trouble as she almost got into over that vine, I don't blame her for showing it off." Devin chuckled as he entered the room. "She didn't exactly ask for approval when she had all that work done. So when a uppity captain decided to order some snap inspection it didn't go over too well. He grabs her arm to find her tattoo isn't there and he decides that was planing on running, and goes to call his boss so he can arrest her. That's when one of my men pulls out his scanner and she registers exactly as she suppose to. She had the artist use a special ink that reflects in a different wavelength of light than her genetic marker. If we had a UV light you could see it just fine."

"Mmm.." The General agreed moving over to his desk to pull out an adjustable band-width light, sometimes used in conjunction with special inks and coded messages within the military. He moved towards them as he adjusted the frequency to the right bandwidths. With a flip the switch Devin turned out the room's soft lighting and the UV spectrum brought Shiva's bar code up to the surface making it black against the soft glow of purple.

"It's so much longer.." Rei murmured as they could see that the black lines traveled nearly half around Shiva's small arm, nearly three times the length of the bar codes of any other series.

"Group number, batch number, model number, skill set." Shiva murmured to them softly.

"How do you know that?" The General asked instantly suspicious.

"When you are locked up in a lab for 12 years, you'll do just about anything for entertainment." Shiva murmured calmly, the General looked away guiltily. He apologized a moment later, Shiva got redressed and everyone resettled around the room as more pleasant subjects were brought out to fill in the time it took to share a quiet tea time.

"Vala, why don't you show Shiva around, make sure your room is ready for the two of you." Rei suggested after a quiet hour.

"Properly translated, Vala take your girlfriend and go away for a while so we can talk about the two of you behind your backs." Shiva murmured over to her as Vala smiled at her wickedly as she slid to her feet, Vala giggled and nodded in agreement as the two of them slipped away.

"I'm sor.." Vala whispered once they were out of ear shot.

"It's all right.." Shiva interjected before she could get the words out. "You were trying to do what is best for the both of us, just don't ever do something like that again." Vala smiled warmly back at her.

"Deal." She agreed as they wandered off into the house to put some distance between them and the adults.

Things quieted down for just about a week after that, with the General spending his days finishing up some work related matters and gone for most hours of the day it seemed almost easy to avoid him except for during meals. When such times came it seemed a simple matter of keeping her mouth shut and her head down while everyone else talked around her. Shiva got to meet Vala's two elder brothers on separate occasions, both of them had quite a few years on their 'baby sister' and were all grown up and both had already graduated for college. It had been easy for her to decide that she liked both of them since they had teased Vala, told her embarrassing stories about her girlfriend, and otherwise seemed to have inherited their mother's bright happy personality. Unfortunately neither of them had stayed for longer than a day, both having off-world business trips to attend for the different companies they worked for. It had been more than a little surprising to Shiva that she had been sorry to see them go since they had seemed to welcome her into the family eagerly. Developing strong feelings for Rei was even easier, as she wasn't there and gone within a day and seemed to adore Shiva almost on sight. She made it easy to like her a great deal as she did everything she could to erase the emotional scrapes and bruises that had resulted from their arrival. Even though she tried to encourage Shiva into getting to know the General a little better, it was hard for her to take that next step.

Late at night, the house was quiet and everything seemed to be at peace, Vala had made it far too easy for Shiva to let her guard down as she wandered downstairs towards the kitchen for a well deserved late night snack for the both of them. With her senses still tingling with the slow to fade aftermath of that evening's activities and her thoughts still drifting in another world, she entered the kitchen not really thinking about much of anything beyond returning to that warm bed and soft sensual presence that was waiting for her there. She never imagined that a snack that late at night would be on anyone else's agenda much less for the General. Both of them dressed for bed and both of them looking like they recently had engaged in some vigorous activities, Shiva froze in the doorway when she found his eyes there to catch her's. Even after he looked away to focus on his hands as he created some artistic creation of food by the soft night light and in the illumination of the open refrigerator door, she couldn't get unstuck from her shocked frozen state. While Shiva tried to decide on a polite way to bring herself into a full on tactical retreat that would not be complete obvious his eyes glanced away, giving her just a little less of a reason to panic.

"I don't bite." The General murmured, obviously trying to keep his tone light and teasing, but for Shiva who was feeling completely awkward and trapped by the situation the jest didn't score a direct hit. He made a slightly disappointed noise as he returned some few things to the refrigerator before looking over at her for a second time. "For as much time as you have apparently been spending with my wife and daughter, and for as much as my son's raved about you in their most recent communications, I have found myself surprised at how little I have seen of you this past week." He murmured across the distance as the refrigerator door was closed and the room became quite a bit darker. "Then again.. I don't think I could blame you for avoiding me.."

"I haven't been avoiding you." Shiva stated back to him quickly trying and failing to refute that gentle accusation without flinching at those untruthful words. He snorted with a touch of amusement from across the room and gave her a long measuring look as he shook his head.

"Lt. Hornton was right, you are a very bad liar." When Shiva met his eyes in surprise he gave her a ghost of a smile.

"I.. I.. didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable.." She whispered back to him feeling even more awkward than even the moments just before that one.

"Out of sight, out of mind?" He asked with a gentle chuckle to which Shiva nodded. "I decided that first night that if a Lieutenant was willing to risk a court-martial and possible jail time, and that my daughter was willing to not only willing to stand up to me but almost eager to become a fugitive over you, that the least I could do was really stop and listen. And I did.. and do you know what I learned?" Not quite able to meet his gaze Shiva shook her head silently. "However dangerous you could be.. you are still a little girl looking for your own small piece of happiness. And that I was being a closed mind fool content to simply cover my ears, close my eyes and forget that you and those like you ever existed. This is something that far too many have been far too content to do, for far too long." He murmured down to her as he gathered more items on the waiting tray. "Vala has been very unhappy for the last few years.." Surprised by that sudden shifting in the topic of discussion he smiled a touch sadly at Shiva's sharp upward look. ".. even before her classmates learned about her talents and her school life took such a sudden downward turn. Growing up gifted is probably quite a bit harder than simply waking up in a hospital room with strange voices in your head. I know this because I have watched my daughter and sons struggle to come to terms with the genetic legacy Rei and I forced on them without really thinking about what it might mean for them. For as much as she tried prove how strong she was by going back to that school after her secret got out, we both knew that she was very much unhappy." He sighed as he moved to take out two glasses from a nearby cabinet before he continued with slightly more competent words. "Any good parent wishes they could do more to make their children happy.. to do more to insure that they will grow up to have a good life.. to give them a better start on the path of life that they will one day have to walk alone without any help from the people who brought them into this world. Now I appreciate your consideration of my feelings, I really do, that if anything has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt how very much I misjudged you." He continued unabated as Shiva could only stare at him with blank uncertainty as to why he was saying this and unable to find any words to add to the conversation. "But this last week has given me the time to realize that when your little girl brings home someone who can make her completely happy in face of a world that might never understand her, than perhaps your little girl isn't quite so little anymore." He gave Shiva gentle smile that was filled with his silent gratitude. "If for no other reason than that, I feel more than a little appreciation towards you. Now the real question you and I are going to have to answer together is if there is anyway we keep our past from ruining the bright future that you and Vala have ahead of you."

"Vala and I.." Half question, half echo Shiva was too stunned to even summon up the ability to consider anything like a real answer and found herself desperately wishing Vala was there to help her sort through her jumbled, tangled emotions.

"She doesn't hate you, Daddy." Vala murmured almost as if summoned as she slipped into the room, Shiva was almost brought to tears with unspoken gratitude she felt in that moment as her savior seemed to appear at just the right second. "She just doesn't know how to approach you.. or really anyone for that matter. I suppose it's true enough that some people will never be deserving enough to get close to her, but I think I saw in the days of our first meeting that she was sent out here ill-equipped to deal with normal people." Vala added as she slid her arms around Shiva's shoulder and drew her back into a hug. "It isn't hard to guess that a laboratory was a pretty horrible place for learning social skills.." Shiva couldn't help but smile at that, and could just see the General relax at that sight. "Anyways.. we both thought you might need just a little bit of time to adjust to this.. sudden change."

"Maybe I did.." He agreed as he poured two glass of juice. "It's going to be a fight to make things change, Shiva. But it is a fight worth the cost and it's fight I plan on finishing. It maybe a little late.."

"There were a lot of people on that tribunal.." Shiva whispered back to at long last finding her voice.

"I was just another face in the crowd?" He asked chuckling as he set the snack on a tray and moved across the dark space. Shiva nodded in return watching him with a slowly decreasing level of nervousness.

"You two really do look good together." He murmured down to them as he slowly reached out to touch Shiva's cheek, surprised and pleased by that sudden approval Shiva's smile returned as she looked up into that gentle gaze. "Just promise me that you will always take care of my daughter."

"You have my word, sir." He kissed both of their cheeks before slipping out of the room.

* * *

It had become family tradition sometime when she had still been very young that her father would take nearly two weeks off during their winter breaks from school and all of them would relocate to a distant point away from the base where he could forget about work and they could forget about school. More often than not this usually meant a family skiing trip, to ease her mother's few rare demands and allow her time to indulge in her favorite activity. Vala had suspected on several occasions that her father had taken the position at Sierra base because of the mere proximity to the mountains his wife so adored. This year seemed no different as they loaded onto the military transport plane that would carry them and her father's security forces to her family's vacation home near her mother's favorite mountain. A flight of so many miles and lasting for several hours might have sounded like a bad idea if things hadn't changed and Shiva was about to get stuck in a small passenger cabin with a man she had been all but dead set on avoiding, but it actually felt like a good idea when Vala saw her girlfriend perched on her father's knee as the two of them talked with smiles on their faces.

Shiva had been just a little reluctant to be moved that far away from Devin's light handed control, but once assured he knew about it, she had settled down and actually seemed to be looking forward to the change of scenery. Her mother adored Shiva almost as much as Vala herself and her father had gone a long way in the previous week to feeling the same way as his wife. For Vala it was simply a relief that her worse case scenario for that confrontation had not come to past. Even though she had been fully prepared to do just about anything to insure she and Shiva would be able to stay together and have a chance at happiness, she would have hated to betray her father and his principles in that fashion. As the time passed by Shiva was soon enough curled up in her mother's arms and the two of the were sleeping peacefully together and her father matched wits with her over a quiet game of chess.

"So.. college?" He murmured to her after a long comfortable silence.

"As long as Shiva and I get to go together." Vala agreed giving him a pleased smile.

"Hmm.. I doubt it would be this coming semester." He told her warningly.

"I kind of guessed, truth is, I don't think Shiva was quite ready to leave the Academy yet anyways. She was almost starting to believe that she might belong there, it might have been a bit painful for her to give it up so quickly." Vala assured him quickly. In truth she had quite enjoyed the previous semester herself and all the time the two of them had to simply take it easy and just sink into their own private world.

"She was.. a lot different back then.." He murmured to her as if trying to explain himself.

"I know.. I have gotten it on good authority from her 'keepers' she has changed a lot since we met. Could you.. tell me what happened, I know it's probably classified, but I could tell it would hurt her too much to really talk about it." Vala requested with a touch of nervous reluctance.

"There were some serious incidents of violence I really don't want you knowing about.." He murmured back giving her a worried a look.

"I already know enough about those." Vala assured him quickly. "I would just like to know what Shiva did to set her off on her whirlwind tour of bad schools."

"Most of us.. thought she was simply lying.." He murmured uncomfortably. ".. it's easy to see now that she doesn't lie because she's really bad at it.. but we weren't really in the mood to listen anyways. When the program first started the children of Series 6 were to be place with military personnel or retired officers who would hopefully be able to help them get past.. all the stuff that was done to them. Shiva was placed with a retired Captain and her husband.. and even she said it was an accident at the tribunal, but we thought she had let her emotional attachment skew the truth of the matter. Well.. one night she woke up to the sounds of Shiva having a nightmare and so she hurried inside to try and wake her up, out of instinct I would guess, Shiva grabs her arm and breaks it in two places."

"Shiva must have loved her more than just a little.." Vala whispered to him. "She won't talk about it, and she was so desperately afraid I might get hurt the same way.."

"It wasn't until after we had rendered our decision that it became clearer to me that we might have misjudged her because when that gavel was struck Shiva started crying.. I wanted to do something then, but none of the others wouldn't listen.. but after that.. well just as Devin said she was put into position where she was forced to defend herself and after that it was just easier for all of us to believe she was flawed somehow.." Vala nodded in understanding and patted his arm comfortingly.

It took a great deal of coaxing to lure Shiva outside and onto the slopes but her father was just able to convince her that she could learn to ski. She spent most of the first day flat on her back or face first in a snow bank, but by the next day she was following the three of them up the mountain. Vala quickly suspected that Shiva was simply emulating the movements of skiing using her gifts to make it appear as if she wasn't a hazard to herself and everyone else on the mountain, since on several occasions she just seemed to skip right over divots and bumps in the fresh powdery snow. But since no one else seemed to notice anything amiss, Vala kept her mouth shut since it allowed them to go wherever they wanted without leaving Shiva alone in the unfamiliar environment. By the fifth day, all the tension had disappeared and Shiva seemed completely at ease as she laughed at her father's jokes as the two of them sat curled up close near the fire place and helped her mother happily in the kitchen as utensils and pots floated smoothly through the air around them. Shiva also eagerly indulged Vala in her own personal favorite sport 'tree-hopping', with Vala riding piggy back, Shiva carried her along at seemingly reckless pace as they launched in and through the branches of the forests dancing across the untouched landscape of snow below them. Even the guards who were watching over them seemed to relax enough around her to smile whenever they had a face to face encounter with her during the course of the day. Vala was just about ready to believe that everything would work out, but as it always the case when thing are going well, that was when the bottom seemed to fall out of everything.

Chapter Six: The Storm Breaks

In the darkness with horrible images still burning in the back of her mind as a panicked sound that was never uttered sent her racing up from her terrifying dreams, Shiva's mind woke just in time to feel the bones clutched in her wrist snap under pressure. Her eyes flew open to find the scene spread out before her as a slim light flowed into the once dark bedroom through the half open bedroom door. There was no other sound besides the cracking of bones, there was no scream of pain, no yells, not even the sounds of shifting feet or a grunt to signified what had happened. Even as her mind desperately trying to decide if she was still trapped in the nightmare the glimmer of nearby light reflected off of the cold metal sides of the object now dangling from useless fingers and she knew without words that this could be nothing else besides a weapon. Instinct was what made her throw her head to the side and avoid the blow of a black gloved hand, it was the sudden surge of anger that made her slam downward against the bed throwing her body upward and out from under the covers as the strike missed her by millimeters. Aided and not hindered by that sudden surge of rage, her free hand slammed upward in a vicious punch of her own, aimed for the soft part of the much larger man's neck. His wind pipe was crushed silencing him instantly as the unleashed telekinetic force of the blow snapped his spine at the base of the neck.

His body went limp and he collapsed slowly downward on knees no longer capable of supporting him, dying slowly as he asphyxiated unable to let air enter his lungs. His collapse bounced him off the side of the bed as he landed with a mild thump against the carpeted floor. His weight and her strong grip on his shattered limb yanked her out and away from the bed to land on her feet. She threw his arm away even as she knew that this danger was real and reached for the ten inch blackened titanium blade at his hip, yanking the lethal edge free as her eyes swept the space for more of them. With her mind already ablaze with the rage that would only make her stronger her eyes cast over the bed and towards the lit hallway beyond.

"Shiva?" Vala stirred slowly from sleep calling out for a presence that was no longer curled up with her in the bed. Shiva wanted very much to silence her, to tell her to be quiet but thought of no way to do that without making even more noise. Even as that word struck the air there was a shifting out in the hallway, and the sound of feet thumping softly against the carpet. "Shiva?" This call was much louder now as her form shifted from under the covers quickening the steps of the approaching figure. Vala was just sitting up and opening her eyes when Shiva launched the knife across the space. The armed man stepped right into its' path and clutched at it desperately as it embedded itself in his throat. He collapsed silently to the floor just inside the door as a spray of high pressure blood spewed out from behind his fingers. Shiva instantly tossed her weight up onto the bed, covering Vala's mouth and catching her hand desperate to keep her from screaming.

"Vala, baby.. don't scream.." Shiva told her desperately. Her eyes were wide with fear and her body seemed frozen even as Shiva crawled over top of her and pulled the other girl from the bed. She acted as if she were numb in both body and mind with only instinct keeping her on her feet as Shiva half dragged her across the room towards the door. With a vicious yank, Shiva ripped the blade free of the second soldier's neck send a warm spray of blood over both of as he quickly bled out and died at their feet. With her mind screaming about the danger she knew was all around them, with her heart racing faster than at any other time, and knowing without question all of them were in danger she peered out into the barely lit hallway to see one of the General's guards laying in the middle of the floor with a knife wound in the back of his neck. She only just had enough time to take in this scene before another man appeared from the other direction. Knowing it would be too late this time Shiva launched the knife away to cross that distance in a fraction of a heartbeat. Shiva shoved Vala backwards and away from the doorway just ahead of a spray of gunfire that ripped into the wood door frame and splattered across the wall. It ended in less than a moment as the blade struck its' target, when Shiva pulled the two of them into the hallway the third man was already dead with a knife hilt protruding through his protective face mask and embedded in his left eye.

Knowing that the gunfire would warn the others that were most surely there, and knowing that their chances of survival had become that much slimmer, the fact that Vala was in danger only made that rage grow within her. Heading directly towards the bedroom that her parents shared, she was almost not surprised when the door slammed open and two men launched out through it. Pissed beyond belief Shiva lunged forward as they opened fire but the bullets seemed to curve in front of them as they were deflected away to spray across the wall. A marble statue along the path was tossed away from it's pedestal strike one man in the chest with enough forced to break all of his ribs and puncture both of his lungs. The pedestal swept away a heart beat later to collide horizontally with the legs of the other man breaking both of his legs and sending him folding at impossible angle forward to strike the floor face first. Shiva's angry onrushing steps carried them right up to the door as he tried to force his body to flip over so he could keep firing. Shiva slammed one foot down across the back of his neck shattering his spine. But before they could get inside a third man stepped into the doorway striking out with a tremendous telekinetic force that would have crushed both of them. But Shiva's instincts were sharper, her rage was already burning, and her ability was greater, his strike ripped through the walls and floor as Shiva's instincts simply brushed the strike aside. He lunged forward to try and strike her with his blade but Shiva abilities were many times faster and with an anger that was nearly out of control she grabbed him bodily and clamped down hard with a tremendous force. This time she was able to extract a far too short scream of pain as she collapsed his skull with a wet and horrible sound and dropped his lifeless body out in the hall as she pulled Vala inside.

The scene that greeted them was no less horrible than the one she had just created. The General had been dragged from the bed and thrown to the floor before he had been shot three times in the back of the head. Rei was still in the bed and looked as if she might have at put up some small fight before her body had gone limp. Releasing Vala's hand Shiva knew that nothing could be done to help her father and went to Rei in a rush, looking for some sign of what had been done to her. Her pulse was weak and growing slower by the second, her color was bad, and it might be already too late to save her as Shiva found the puncture mark along the side of her neck, exactly the kind they would have found in Shiva's neck if she hadn't woken up. It was intensely painful for Rei and required every bit of Shiva's skill to reach inside the of the older woman and tried to extract the poison pulling it back from her blood stream and expelling it in a sickly warm spray across the bed.

"Daddy.." Vala gave one half numb sob as her eyes stared down at the prone figure. Shiva quickly crossed the distance even as quickly moving sounds of pounding feet rippled through the house nearby. Shiva grabbed her arms and spun her away from the scene.

"I NEED you to focus!" Shiva told her urgently no longer trying to contain her voice. "NO matter what happens you need to stay right behind me!" Vala's eyes grew wide with fear even as she was just barely able to nod and followed as Shiva returned to the bed. Shiva heaved Rei's unconscious body off the bed and draped it over her back as the sounds of booted feet grew closer. No longer harboring any hopes about finding any other survivors, Shiva's temper was unleashed at long last as without a second's thought she lashed out to one side and threw the entire bedroom wall out into the hallway crushing two more men into the far side and sending a mixture of blood and guts dribbling down to the floor as Shiva pulled Rei out through the new doorway wasting only enough time to insure that Vala was indeed following close behind her. The next two stepped around the corner and brought their weapons up only to be tossed backwards and through the wall behind them with enough force that splinters and nails from the wall embedded deeply into their body armor. They had almost reached the far end of the hall when sharp strike sounds broke through the chaotic sounds inside Shiva's head and high velocity rounds began to lunge upwards from the landing of the stairs below them. Given a target her rage did not hesitate as it lunged towards the source of the bullets crushing the figure responsible for them. The landing was slippery with his splattered blood as Vala was too numb to do anything but follow even as she slipped in the gore and nearly fell. The contents of the kitchen meant that she was well armed when they made the turn towards the garage. One man looked like a porcupine made of knives, the other was bludgeoned to death by pots and pans even as they three of them rushed past.

Shiva picked the fastest looking of the three vehicles heaved Rei into the front seat before half shoving and half pulling Vala away from her stunned staring state looking at the two men directly behind them. Shiva pushed her inside before crawling over both of them to get behind the wheel. Knowing that moment was no time for subtlety, Shiva simply ripped the entire ignition out of the dash as the passenger door slammed shut on the far side of the car and she cross connected wires by telekinetic 'feel' until the engine roared into life. Slamming forward the mass of armored metal plates that formed the garage door was ripped from the tracks and took out three more men as the squad prepared to fill the interior with rocket propelled grenades. Slamming the accelerator down, the tires spun as she ripped the wheel around and clipped two more before the car gained traction and they were launched into motion. A massive black troop carrier lunged out into the driveway before they could reach the gates and Shiva was in no mood to be polite as her gifts slammed up like a barrier around the car and they struck at the truck's mid point even as their car slid under it. Her rage was slammed upward heaving the massive vehicle skyward in something akin to a slow motion barrel roll over atop of the vehicles as they shot down the driveway. Behind them it exploded into a fireball on impact as it's hydrogen fuel-cells ruptured among all the sparking metal.

Shiva spun the wheel and skidded the car out onto the snow covered road and nearly clipped a second armored truck speeding towards the scene. It spun around in their wake and disappeared for just a moment as Shiva took the next turn. It appeared behind them along the long descending slope of snow covered roadway and a moment later explosive shells impacted against her instinctive barrier walls. Shiva took the next turn as Vala clutched desperately to her mother's body and all Shiva could do was hope that the older woman was still breathing. The next moment one of the cars parked on the street ahead of them exploded and was thrown into the street. Shiva dodged the flaming wreckage as two more vehicles did the same even further out ahead.

"Hold onto to her!!" Shiva ordered before she slammed on the brakes and she spun the wheel around the burning vehicles. They were all thrown forward as the car nearly flipped over against with the sudden stop on the steep slope. Even as Shiva turned around in the seat the massive vehicle behind them was barreling down at them slamming through the burning wreckage leaving the driver and gunner temporarily blinded by the thick black smoke pouring off of it. Rage gave her all the strength she needed to rip up the massive concrete slabs of the road way creating a short lived ramp, it launched the fast moving troop transport out over top of them. Shiva's eyes snapped upward through the sun roof as the exposed under belly of the vehicle came into view. The glass portal blew outward and the metal plating of the roof buckled away from her as Shiva's gifts surged dangerous with the effort to strike at that exposed spot. The armored truck exploded in a burning white hot fireball directly above them, launching it off to one side and crushing three other parked vehicles and making a mess of someone's front yard.

Shiva was slammed the car into motion to go racing through the now quiet streets. With the cold wind and snow rushing in through the top of the car and one flat tire it was damn near a miracle that Shiva managed to keep them on the road, much less moving at all possible speed towards the bottom of the mountain. Only desperation, and great need kept her rage filled emotions in check. There was no time to think, as each passing minute brought them closer and closer to utter disaster as she raced past other traffic at a pace that would have been reckless on clear roads. She barely managed the turn at the hospital but was unable to keep the car from spinning around on the slick surface. However she did manage to control the skid and slow the motion in time to avoid hitting the nurses who were outside in the cold falling snow smoking out front in the cold. The passenger door was ripped off it's hinges and went skidding across the wet salted concrete as the side tires blew out as they collided at speed against the curb.

"Move." Shiva ordered Vala as she crawled across the seat. The numb frightened girl barely managed to get to her feet as Shiva heaved Rei up on her shoulders and lunged towards the glass doors of the emergency room. She followed only out of instinct, and it was a small wonder that the stunned people outside came racing in behind them.

"Get me a stretcher!!" Someone yelled as another person came around to check Rei's pulse. Within a dozen heartbeats half the medical staff was there in a chaotic tangle. Shiva grabbed the first person who even looked like a doctor by the arm and spun him around to face her.

"It was probably some kind of neural toxin." She told him before he was shoved back towards the stretcher. Shiva turned back in time to see another armored truck make the turn down the driveway. There was no time to think about if they had tracked the car or merely guessed where she would have gone. Grabbing Vala's hand she dragged the girl towards one of the on-looking people in charge and grabbed another man by the tie.

"You have to hide her!" Shiva yelled into his stunned face as his head was heaved down, around, and forced to look into her eyes. "Tell them I came in here with a gun shot wound! You have to hide her because they will kill her if they find her!!"

"Get her in the back!" The man ordered thinking quick on his feet, with that done Shiva hauled his head back around.

"I'll draw them away... Lt. Devin Hornton, Huris military base in Jandar province. Talk only to him! Tell him Rei Lunara was brought in here, don't tell anyone else! Understand me!?!" He gave one single nod before Shiva let him go and was pulling Vala deeper into the hospital corridor even as heavy tires were screeching under a sudden stop. Vala followed numbly behind her as Shiva raced through the maze of corridors and past surprised stunned people. Two armed men in black appeared at the far end of the and brought their weapons up, Shiva quickly changed direction and shoved into the cafeteria exit. The many gathered people looked up in surprise as they came running through even as the doors on the far side burst inward.

"I'VE GOT A GUN!!!" Shiva screamed and let off a few telekinetic pops that sounded like gun shots and the massive crowd gave a combined scream before there was a panicked rush towards the halls. Shiva pulled them into the pack of people as they emptied into the corridors and rushed towards the nearest outside exit. The armed and armored man outside was nearly taken out by the growing wave of screaming people and therefore never saw her approach. One blow to the base of his spine made him collapse as he legs went numb and another to the back of the head killed him silently before Shiva turned on the waiting driver of yet another armored truck. Releasing Vala's hand she jumped up against the door punched through the window and snapped his neck with one hand before ripping the door clean off and throwing the body off to the side. She pulled Vala inside the cabin through the idling vehicle into gear and slammed the gas peddle to the floor to peel out before jerking the wheel to go racing through the parking lot and out onto the road. Once clear of the people she ripped out all the electronics and hopefully disabled any tracking signals as she heaved the massive vehicles through the streets. She drove only far enough to find another full parking lot so she could steal another vehicle and send them racing out of the city on an empty back country road.

After nearly an hour, when some part of her mind realized what had just happened Vala gave one bone wrenching sob as she simply broke down under the things she had just seen. With a firm telekinetic grip on the wheel Shiva shifted across the seats and gathered her up as best as she could and held her until she cried herself into an exhausted sleep. Watching the road with one eye Shiva's thoughts swirled around what all of it could mean, what it was that had just happened. Those had been no green troops, she had known their tactics, she knew their weaponry, she knew they had a telekinetic and all that together said one and only thing, those had been the soldiers of Series 5. What that could mean for her only got worse as the hours ticked by and Vala collapsed into an exhausted restless sleep. There was no way they could know what it meant for Rei, and Shiva didn't want to think about what it already meant for Vala.

Only sheer stubborn will kept them on the road as the rage faded and when the burning adrenaline went cold in her veins. Shiva was barely able to focus her eyes in the darkness when she checked Vala for wounds and bandaged a shallow cut on her arm with the cleanest piece of fabric she could rip from their bloodied pajamas. The snow was coming down in a near white-out conditions, so it was by sheer chance that it lifted enough to let her see the rotted and ruined abandoned farm hours off to one side of the graveled street she had turned onto sometime earlier. The vehicle heaved about and threatened to come to a halt as she gunned over a snow back and sent it slipping and sliding toward a thick pocket of pine trees to pull into the deep snowy hollow formed by the trunks. The last of her strength poured out in the effort to sweep the billowing snow displaced by the transit across the distance erasing their tracks as best as she could before her mind spun with an exhaustion so complete that she struggled to reach the blankets in the back seat and just barely managed to wrap the two of them up before she collapsed into unconsciousness.

* * *

Her brain didn't seemed to want to work even as intense shiver seemed to rattled through her exhausted body. The intense bitter cold made everything seem as if it were moving in slow motion through the thick gel like air. Her nose and eyes felt raw and her body felt as if it had no strength left even as aches and pains seemed to appear from nowhere to sap away what little there was that was keeping her awake. As her eyes were forced open she couldn't understand why they were sleeping in the front seat of a car, how they had gotten there or why everything was so cold. She couldn't see out past the frosted windows nor the snow that seemed to cover everything leaving the space in strange sort of glowing twilight. Only the fact that was Shiva was there half curled next, kept her from panicking. Even in that darkness her face was a mess splattered with some dark substance her eyes sunken with dark blotches under her eyes. She seemed tired even as Vala's empathic sense told her that her dreams were not bright and cheerful.

It was sometime before a single image snapped across her senses that brought the onrush of terror that made tears well up in her eyes and her mind screamed in absolute horror, that of her father laying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. The next image was that of her mother dying in bed, and then the horrible things Shiva had done to try and save their lives. It all came back in that onslaught and a choked sob forced its' way to the surface even as Shiva stirred in her tightening arms. Without a word her exhausted eyes opened and gathered Vala in close silently as her own emotions became dark and dangerous once again. There was spark of electricity from within the ruined dash and the engine rumbled into life as cold bitter air washed over them before it slowly began to warm.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save him.." These were Shiva's first words that she could truly remember since the previous afternoon and a moment later there was hot splash of tears against Vala's cheek. "I'm soo sorry.." She murmured a moment later in a choked voice as her presence all at once grew smaller and her body began to shake violently between Vala's arms. When faced with the irrational guilty, anger, and pure sorrow Vala's own emotions seemed to retreat as she desperately tried to find the words to calm her and to bring Shiva back from the brink.

"You.." Vala forced a breath of cool air into her lungs and tried to shallow back the dryness in her throat. "You.. couldn't have done anything for him.. this.. this wasn't your fault."

"How.. can.. you be.. sure of.. that.." Shiva's choked voice whispered back between sobs that seemed to just drain the strength from her tiny body. She couldn't find an answer to that right away as her eyes turned to stare out across the plains of snow and thick obscuring branches that were now appearing past the melting snow dribbling down from the top of the car. Shoving all those horrible images and trying desperately to lock them away from her mind, Vala knew without words that this was not over that they were still in terrible danger. Shifting her exhausted limbs and heaving Shiva's body up she forced her girlfriend away from her shoulder to make her look into Vala's eyes.

"THIS ISN'T YOUR FAULT!!" She half yelled pleading with her to believe that. "It can't be! I won't ever believe that it was, but I NEED you right now, I need you more than I have ever needed you. Please.. this isn't your fault." Shiva forced a breath into her lungs and then another before she just barely managed to nod. That tiny show of strength was somehow just enough to let her call up some kind of force she never knew she contained allowing Vala to wrestle back her chaotic thoughts and horrified overwhelmed emotions and make her mind focus. "I need you to focus kitten, I need you to think.. I can't do anything without you.. can you do that for me?" Vala demanded of her begging for her come back and to help her, Shiva gave another nod. "What do we do now?"

"We.." Her chest surged upward with another sob trying to force its' way to the surface and she only just managed to fight it back. "We.. we.. get back to the road.."

"Then what?" Vala encouraged even though she half hated herself for forcing Shiva away from her own very real grief when she only wanted to wallow in her own.

"We.. get another car.. and.. and.. try to call Devin.."

"Good.. now let's do that okay.." Shiva barely managed another nod. It wasn't hard to tell that Shiva was barely recovered from before and that her strength wouldn't last long, so she switched over into the driver's seat and pulled Shiva into her lap. With her help she figured out the controls and with her acting as a snow plow they managed to reach the gravel road that lead them onto a cleared but empty street. With Shiva drifting in and out, it fell to Vala to keep the car moving forward on the slick surface as the occasional car passed in the other direction. It was still three or four hours before she spotted anything more than houses and barns along the road as they weaved their way through the hillsides. However much the endless silent eternity might have bothered her, when she woke Shiva to ask about the approaching sight the sleep seemed to have restored some portion of her strength. It was only by some twisting bit of luck that they found themselves pulling off the road and across the snow covered parking lot of a used car dealership marked closed for the holidays. While Vala pulled everything of use out of their car, Shiva hot wired a larger heavy duty vehicle better equipped to dealing with the snow that continued to fall around them.

Now awake enough to keep her eyes open and her thoughts to gather black dangerous clouds, Shiva drove through the streets of the town before pulling them behind a set of small business, all of which had been marked closed for the holidays. With the large truck left humming in the background Shiva pulled her through a bitterly cold snow bank towards one of the back doors. The thick bundle of cables leading in through brick wall were ripped free of the stone-work before Shiva forced open the back door to lead them inside. They entered the dark cool interior of the used clothing store and quickly gathered changes of warmer clothes, shoes, and a few more blankets while Shiva ripped open the small safe to empty it of its' contents. Not entirely sure why Shiva insisted on saving their pajamas in a plastic bag, Vala choose not to ask as they returned outside and Shiva bent a piece of metal railing through the handle of the door and effectively locked up behind them. Back out on the roads they wandered just a little bit farther before finding an aging telephone near an abandoned gas station. The two of them loaded inside the small space and closed the door against the cold. A few coins clinked in through the mechanical interior chasing away the silence. Shiva dialed the number and the covered the video component of the phone. Several rings later and an unfamiliar person answered the call with a bored, practiced greeting.

"Is Devin.. I mean.. Lt. Hornton there?" Shiva asked pitching into a high soprano and letting a stressed tone echo in her voice. For someone who was exceptionally bad at lying, Shiva showed her a surprising ability to act.

"I'm sorry ma'am.. I am not getting you on picture at the moment.." He murmured back reaching out to try different settings on his screen.

"Oh, DAMN IT.." Shiva half yelled. "First my car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and now this damn phone doesn't even work! Please, I REALLY need to talk to my brother, please.. I don't know how much else can go wrong."

"Ah.." The man behind the desk acted as if he wasn't even sure Devin had a sister. "Just one moment, ma'am." The screen went blank and changed over to the Alliance military coat of arms as they were put on hold. After many long tense moment the screen flicked back over and they found Devin on the other side leaned over another desk in a different office.

"Who the hell is this?!" He demanded angrily.

"Did they order it?!" Shiva demanded back, dropping the act.

"Shiva?" He anger seemed to fade in an instant, Shiva uncovered the camera and his face grew instantly worried.

"Did they order it, please you have to tell me now.." Shiva repeated as her voice betrayed her desperate emotions.

"Ordered what?"

"That Series 5 death squad that killed the General and nearly killed us.." Shiva told him with a choked voice.

"Series.." His surprise was not faked nor was the sudden angry darkness that appeared in his eyes. "You're certain." Shiva nodded as her voice seemed to leave her. "Damn it.. where are you?"

"Tell me if they ordered it." Shiva demanded back probably on the verge of tears, loosening Vala's own tight control.

"I'll look into it.. I swear to you none of my people are behind this.." Devin told them vehemently.

"What about my mother?!" Vala demanded forcing out the words before she too started to lose control.

"Gregor's at the hospital now, she's listed as being in 'uncertain' condition, but she's alive. We are going to be putting her on a military medi-evac transport within the hour and will be taking her to a secure facility." Devin told her with sadness in the gaze he turned to her. "Are you two safe, soldier?!" He barked, Shiva's body jerked and she seemed to nod out of instinct. "Stay that way.. in 24 hours, I want you to call me at this number.." His eyes dropped down and wrote something out on a piece of paper before showing it to her. When she nodded he crumbled it up and shoved it in his pocket. "Keep moving, and protect yourselves, can you do that?"

"Yes.." Shiva choked back to him.

"Good. Now go." Without hesitation Shiva ripped the cables out of the bottom of the phone, cutting off the call and perhaps preventing it from being traced. Despite the order, Shiva turned to her and clutched at her as a few more bitter tears started to fall. Fighting back her own grief Vala forced herself to be calm since both of them could not afford to break down just yet. Vala pulled her out of the booth and took over driving them away before anyone could get curious. They stayed in town only long enough to get some greasy fast food and some watered down, oversized drinks that could at least keep their stomachs from interrupting the silence. Back on the road and having forced herself back into a calm state Shiva used the road maps to plan out their course through the back roads before she again collapsed into an exhausted sleep. It was not until sometime after sunset when the road started to blur in front of her eyes and her emotional control seemed to waver that Vala pulled over and woke up Shiva long enough cry herself to sleep against Shiva's shoulder as her girlfriend took over the next leg of their planned course.

* * *

With too little sleep and no time to rest as the road seemed to stretch out forever Shiva's strength didn't seem to be returning. Vala had fallen into an uneasy sleep some hours earlier, and Shiva was just as glad there was nothing but silence and the sounds of the road. There was nothing either of them could have said at that point that would have made any difference, no words that could have made their situation any better. Emotionally burnt out by then Shiva couldn't summon up any more tears and was hard pressed why that would bring such a sick feeling to her heart. When Vala had first come into her life and all the emotions that had been buried under by training and her psychology programming at the base began to emerge, she had been hard pressed to find a reason why it bad thing that she had begun to feel something for someone in the world around her. Now almost 24 hours after the disaster, some small part of her wished she could turn all of the emotions off and be able to return to all that cold dispassionate logic that ruled her world before Vala had came in and broken down all those walls.

Even though those thoughts made some place deep down in her chest ache with a pain that wouldn't go away, she couldn't stop herself from thinking if she hadn't changed, if those emotions hadn't been allowed to bubble up to the surface that she would have been able to do something more. That if things had been different the General wouldn't be dead, Rei wouldn't be in some hospital bed somewhere, and that Vala and her brothers wouldn't be suddenly on the cusp of losing both of their parents. It was more than just the fact that he had promised to help all those people who had meant something to her when all she had known was the inside of the laboratory. Outside of Devin, the General was perhaps the first person to show her what it might have been like to have a father. Even as such thoughts whispered through the back of her mind, another smaller voice was telling her that if she hadn't changed that he would never have meant anything to her. Without Vala that new world would never have been opened up, without Vala she probably wouldn't have cared about that attack outside of the simple basic impulse of self preservation, and without Vala she would probably have been long since kicked out of the Academy, on the run, or stuck back in stasis and unaware of anything.

That thought drew her eyes away from the road long enough to check on the girl leaned against her. Even though her expression was calm, the arms that held onto hers were twitching with disturbed dreams. Shiva knew of course that Vala had forced everything away that previous day, buried everything she was feeling to try and keep them alive for another few hours. That at least was enough to stir up the faded emotions and firm knowledge of how very precious Vala had become in so short a time, and that knowledge was enough to call up the vague smoldering glimmer of the very real fury that still lingered over those that had disturbed their peaceful little world.

With the silence of long hours behind them, there had been far too much time to summon up the darkness and create thousands of scenarios that might have lead to those recent events. Or to recall the unanswered questions and very real concerns that could create the shadowy images of the unknown enemies who could be behind this. While answers were far too few and the unknowns were far too many, she could at the very least be sure that Devin had not been behind it. Vala would probably have known if those reactions they had both seen had been faked, nor would he have the authority to authorize the deaths of the entire family. That was a chilling thought that made her wish she had some way to insure the safety of Vala's brothers, or that it had not been necessary to let Rei slip away and possibly into hostile hands. But it was a thought that kept her mind awake and focus on the road ahead of them, if it had been some official act Devin might not be able to help her, but she felt certain he had a few friends that could insure the safety of Vala's surviving family members. However such thoughts couldn't keep her going forever, and some hours later she was pulling in behind another abandoned home this one the result of fire by the looks of it before she too gave into the desperate need for sleep.

It was the cold that woke both of them the next morning combined with growling stomachs that hadn't seen enough to eat the previous days, necessities that seemed to stir them both pf them awake within an few minutes of each other. Taking a bearing from their last known position and using her best guess as to how far they had driven combined with an average speed, Shiva located the few small towns that might be close by before they slipped back onto the road with a tense and heavy silence hanging over both of them. Vala was lost in her thoughts, tied up in her emotions. And without anything to focus on that could keep her own mind from wandering in those same directions, Shiva lapsed back into her dark thoughts. For as much as Shiva would have wanted her to drive to keep her from shifting her thoughts in those directions, the simple matter was she very much in need of the distraction herself to prevent those black clouds from returning completely and further worsening Vala's shaky control. Her words the previous morning had brought Shiva back from the brink, but it had also shown her that one of them had to stay strong.

While she would have liked to have simply given up the fight and let herself be taken away to whatever fate might await her on the chance it might save Vala and her family, she wasn't so foolish to think it would solve anything. She was determined if nothing else that she wanted to know Vala was safe, dead set on insuring that the woman who had made her life worth something would continue on even if she wasn't there. Hours more passed before they found the next town and the food they needed to keep going, Shiva's thoughts inevitably wandered back in the shadows as Vala moved away from her to eat slowly and probably without tasting much as she stared blankly out the window at the passing scenery. She was becoming more and more convinced that whatever was truly happening they had been merely collateral damage to some other purpose, that Shiva's presence in that house had either not been known or that she was the scapegoat for the General's death. That was perhaps an even less pleasing thought than if she had been the primary target, it implied a far deeper conspiracy and even darker complications as even Devin and Seila would be included in the list of potential targets.

"Stop it.." The first words spoken in that car except those absolutely necessary for moving ahead. Shiva was so surprised by the sound that her head snapped away from the road to find Vala looking at her. The slim ghost of a smile held only a glimmer of real amusement and an even greater sadness. "You can't change anything like that.." She whispered into the following silence.

"I'm sorry.." Shiva whispered back to her. "I was trying.. I really was.. but.."

"I know.." Vala whispered tenderly as she shifted back across the seat to rub Shiva's shoulders. "Just push into the background until we can find those responsible.." Surprised again, Shiva looked up Vala's dark expression. "We can't bring my father back, but somehow.. with you.. I know we can make them pay for what they did.." She sighed in a moment later and gave Shiva a smile that was mostly feigned. "Pull over, it's my turn for a while." Not quite able to argue with her and too tired to really try, they quickly switched and Shiva settled next to her to check the maps. "Will we make our deadline?"

"Should.. might be a few minutes late if the snow doesn't clear up soon." Vala nodded and the silence returned for a few long hours more. The distant scene of a town far off on the horizon as it was seen from the tops of last few hills before the long flat plains stretched out for some distance to come, was the first sign that the silence might soon come to an end. "What happens.." Shiva stirred from a half dozed state at the sound. ".. if they did do this.."

"Devin would never have authorized this.. beg him.. to get your mother to safety, make sure your brothers stay away or go into hiding.. somehow protect Seila and maybe help us to get off world.. I.. I.. honestly don't know.. the more I think about it, I don't know.. I.. I am not ready to say it." Shiva whispered back to her to scared and worried for all of them to truly voice those words.

"That my father was the target.." She whispered to her, saying what she could not, she gave a dark nod as the town loomed up around them. They soon located a telephone in a dark, empty parking lot and drew at long last to a halt. All it took to get them out of the car, was a solemn shared look. Shiva whispered that she had spotted an older model phone, one that would have taken longer to trace, but hoped that truly wasn't a concern she needed. It was just a touch comforting that the number Devin had provided was a voice only line as he picked up on the third ring.

"Devin.." Shiva whispered uncertainly.

"Excuse me for a moment sir, I've got to take this, it's my girlfriend and I had to break our last date." He called out into a room and was greeted by wolf whistles and cat calls by the relaxed atmosphere around him. There was a retreating rush of sound and then a click of a closing door. "If there was an order it didn't come out of this base.." He murmured in a low hurried voice. "I've got people making discreet inquiries but it doesn't seem that any deployment for Series 5 troops has been authorized in three months, are you sure it was them?"

"I'm positive." Shiva told him just as quickly. "Their weapons, their tactics, they even had military issue vehicles and at least one strong telekinetic.." Something in the lines crackled and there was a moment of static.

"This line is now secure." A new rumbling voice stated at the end of it, Shiva's hand snapped around the cables more than ready to pull the plug. "A girlfriend was a good story Lieutenant, but you would never be so careless to give one the number to a secure phone."

"General.." Devin murmured with surprise.

"Devin.." Shiva whispered warningly.

"Is General's Winters' daughter there with you?" He demanded, Shiva's hand surged backwards to grab Vala's hand to stop her from responding.

"General, swear to me this call isn't being traced." Devin growled across the line.

"My word on it soldier." The voice rumbled back.

"Shiva, I would trust this man with my life." Devin stated to them.

"I'm here, General.." Vala murmured determined enough but to make the decision for her, but uncertain enough to sound frightened.

"How many guards did your father take with you when he went on his break?" It seemed a very odd question.

"Six.. but two more had gone on ahead to secure the house.." Vala told him.

"Shiva.. reports were filed this morning that you were the one who did this, that you somehow infiltrated the General's household seeking revenge against the military, that you killed the guards and then used the General's service pistol to execute him." Shiva might have been irrationally angry at that partial accusation if she hadn't already thought that was a possibility. "That's why you are on the run and that Ms. Lunara is your hostage."

"SHE DIDN'T DO THIS!!" Vala's own anger was not so easily quelled. "She loved my father, and he was going to help her and Series 6!"

"Vala!" Shiva snapped before she could really start yelling. "General.. we ran to try draw them away from Vala's mother.. she needed that hospital if she was going to have any chance of surviving. By.. by the time I woke up, the General was already dead.. authorized or not there were at least five teams of Series 5 soldiers.. maybe more.. it was just about all I could do to get the three of us out alive.."

"Do you have any evidence of this?" The General asked.

"A little.. and everything that's in my head.." Shiva whispered back now almost wishing she had dragged one of the bodies along for the ride.

"It did seem a little too convenient that you would have an anaerobic enzyme to spray down all those blood stains found at the scene to make DNA evidence irretrievable." The General murmured back to them. That had been another possibility Shiva hadn't quite wanted to think about before hearing it confirmed. "Tell us where you are.."

"Devin.." Shiva warned.

"General.." Devin concurred with dangerous tones.

"My command has no access to Series 5 troops, no reason to see General Winters killed, and I have every personal and professional reason to want to see the truth revealed and the culprits punished." He stated officially and in no uncertain terms and with no glimmer of an untruth. "General Winters was good man and one of my greatest friends and allies. If you swear to me you did not do this, I give my word that I will protect you at the cost of my own life."

"Promise me, General, promise me that you will send people Devin trusts to protect Vala's brothers and the Dean of Madam Felini's academy." Shiva whispered back to him as her resolve to stay out in the open began to waver.

"My word on it." He swore to them vehemently.

"We are.. about.. 50 miles out of Huris tracking range, a small town called Deliuma." Shiva told him softly.

"Trying to come home in case it was safe?" The General asked with a half amused sound.

"Yes, sir.. I thought.. maybe.. Devin could protect Vala if.." Vala rubbed her shoulders as her emotional control began to waver once again.

"I've got it now, sir.. Shiva there is an abandoned private air strip about 15 clicks south of there." Devin stated.

"It was on the old maps we have been following.." Shiva agreed as she calmed back down.

"Where are your brother's, Ms. Lunara?" The General asked and Vala quickly named the planets and the cities where their meetings had been. "Issue your orders Lieutenant and then get your ass down to the hanger.. you'll met us at that airstrip Shiva."

"Yes, sir.." Shiva agreed reluctantly. The call ended the next moment, and Vala drew her away before she could reconsider running yet another public phone and once they were pulling back onto the street, Vala found the airstrip she had marked earlier.

"It's okay.." Vala told her feeling far more confident than she did about the situation. The large heavy vehicle had little trouble leaving the road behind and forging a path through the dense forest of trees that surrounded the outer perimeter of the airstrip and by chance they found just a small rise in the landscape surrounded by pine trees that gave them a good view of any activity happening below. With few other places as obscured from view around them, from that vantage point and still leaving them hidden from the air, they would be able to see any vehicles moving through the mostly bare trees or any other air vehicles except the one that she expected. Safe in the knowledge that if they were going to get betrayed they would have at least some small warning Shiva settled into wait and watch. By air it would take less than an hour for them to arrive, but knowing that a General was never able to leave his base quite so quickly and that Devin had things to take care, Shiva tried to calculate the time of their arrival. She was almost disappointed that nearly two hours passed before the sleek black lines of an unmarked military issue thopter swooped in low over the forest before spinning it's tail around and shifted into a landing.

"Shouldn't we.." Vala half asked, Shiva shook her head and gestured for her to wait. The four rotor engines began to slow inside their cowled housings as the wind that kicked up the snow all around it slowed and left a large circular patch of bare concrete. Three of the four doors opened and Devin, a man in a pilot's uniform, and a man in a high three shiny metal stars on his shoulder stepped out to peer around their surroundings. Though she hardly believed that a second vehicle would come sweeping in at that point to expel the troops for a trap Shiva waited for about 10 minutes just in case they might spot vehicles moving in around the perimeter before she put the truck into gear and sent it lunging down slope and bouncing across the rough terrain towards the chain link fence that marked the outer boundary of the air field. Vala gave startled sound as that barrier loomed up in front of them and feeling unsubtle she crashed right through it before spinning the wheel and skidding out onto the tarmac. They raced half way down the runway before she skidded the truck sideways as she applied the brakes. Almost before they came to a complete stop, Vala was launching out the passenger door to throw herself into Devin's arms and in truth Shiva very much wanted to do the same as she turned off the engine and gathered what was still useful. The General surprised her by coming up to the driver's door to open it and help lower her to the ground. When he stepped back he surprised her again by giving her a salute that she mimicked out of instinct.

"I guess I should be pleased that you haven't forgotten how to do that." He murmured as he looked at her with a measuring look.

"Most of the blood on these pajamas doesn't belong to any of us.. a little work and you should be able to make a DNA match to someone from Series 5." It was his turn to be surprised as he took the tightly tied plastic bag. "And this is a military ID I grabbed out of a the transport truck I stole." It also contained a day pass issued from and for passage out of Rinner base. "I can't be positive.. but I am pretty sure that Private 1st class Gordon was the driver of the truck.. and that he is dead now."

"Right.." The General agreed darkly and then gave a sigh. "How long have you been in the area?"

"Since about a half hour after we last spoke." Shiva confirmed.

"Seeing if we would turn on you?" He asked.

"Yes, General, I was.." Shiva replied honestly. "You aren't are you?"

"No.. Hornton made a pretty good case for your innocence on the way here, even without all this.." He murmured as he pocketed the ID. "We.. heard from the place Rei was taken and placed in protective custody.. she woke up about an hour ago.. but she's blind.." Uncertain whether that was good news or terrible news, Shiva looked away as her throat closed up and her eroded control. "She doesn't remember what happened but other than that there doesn't seem to be any other per.." Stranger or not, ally or not, all Shiva wanted at that moment was someone to hold her and he grunted as she threw herself forward and clutched desperately at his jacket as outraged and angry sobs bubbled up. He held her a bit uncomfortably as she fought desperately to bring herself back under some semblance of control.

"Vala.. Vala isn't going.." Shiva forced herself to breath as she stepped back, struggling to get her voice to work. ".. to want to go anywhere but where Rei is.."

"That was the plan.. I can't trust that everyone on Huris base will know when to keep their mouths shut.." He gently touched her back and moved her towards the thopter. By the time they arrived Devin had already got Vala into the passenger compartment and out of the cold. Shiva managed to regain her focus as they arrived and barely hesitated to take the empty pilot's seat as the General got in behind her and started talking to the pilot over the rising sound of the engines. Not caring enough to listen and by no means ready to stay out in the open any longer than they already had. Shiva flipped over the controls, strapped herself in, and pushed the throttle up to take off speed. When they reached speed Shiva took the stick and sent the vehicle upward. The pilot, unaware that she was in the other seat, lunged for his stick as Shiva skimmed over the abandoned truck and buzzed the empty tower as she adjusted the rotor controls to tilt them back for more speed. When he realized she could handle herself he leaned over and settled radio head set over her ears.

"Did you hear when I said to stay below radar?" The General asked with a chuckle as they barely just cleared some of the bare treetops.

"No, General.. if I heard that, I'd be flying lower." Shiva murmured back to him and not at all in play.

"Heading.." The Pilot murmured as he consulted his flight maps and plotted out their course. ".. 123:67." Shiva nodded and adjusted more to the southeast and dropped down below the canopy as a conveniently placed stream shifted into position below them. "You're pretty good.." He murmured even as he grunted in warning as they nearly clipped some nearby trees as Shiva wound the way along the course of the river. Even low into the air she could tell that their course would have them in nearby mountains quite soon as the plains spread out towards the end.

"Our simulators were pretty accurate then." Shiva commented back to him. He gave her a surprised look as if he hadn't realized until that moment how young she looked.

* * *

Devin had been gentle when he told her about her mother, but even though she was happy she was alive for Vala it seemed to be the last straw that broke the determined stubborn wall that had kept her emotions in check for two days. She was honestly glad that it had been Devin who had told her that he had been there to lend her just a little of his strength. Even though she knew that Shiva was trying to be strong for her sake, Vala could easily feel that her resolve was wavering and that she too was pushed nearly to the brink as stress, exhaustion and a lack of sleep had slowly sapped away her remaining strength. Even though she knew her own face must have been a sight to see, Shiva's seemed almost hollow all throughout that morning and afternoon, and her eyes had grown dull. She was trying to deal with problems most full grown adults would never face and she herself had only just learned how to face the world like a human. For as painful as it was to see that, Vala truly couldn't add her own grief on top of what Shiva was dealing with on her own.

Even more exhausted than she had been at any point since all of it had started, only Shiva's low and dangerous high speed flight across the ground and the thought that she would soon see her mother was keeping her awake as her tortured mind seemed unable to focus on any one thought for more than a heartbeat or two. She could tell that the General wanted very much wanted to question her on the events at their vacation home, and she tried hard to summon up the will to face those memories but it honestly made her heart ache too much to get out the words. Shiva was just as quiet as her, determined to get the two of them into some kind of safety before the last of her strength gave out. Thankfully for both their sakes the General and Devin were discussing some kind of wallet that was being passed back and forth between them on a private channel and gesturing to the plastic wrapped pajamas Shiva had insisted on bringing along what felt like an eternity earlier. Control of their flight was turned over to the designated pilot as they reached the broken foothills of the approaching mountains and they rose just a little higher in the sky while their course became just a little more steady. Her headset crackled just a little as the General touched some of the nearby controls.

"You two should get some sleep we still have an hour or more before we reach the Jarson outpost." He murmured softly in her ears.

"Jarson?" Shiva asked with surprise as if it were significant somehow.

"After it was decommissioned, it was placed under the authority of Huris base." The General told her.

"General.." Shiva whispered dangerously.

"Relax, Shiva, it is still a high security facility were confidential research is conducted, it was the only way to keep word from getting out about Rei, and it had the top-notch medical personnel she needed to watch over her." Devin warned in return, rubbing Vala's shoulder.

"If this is a trap.." Shiva hissed as her hand reached into view to flip off her headphones, leaving the rest unsaid. The General glanced forward into the cockpit to be sure she wouldn't hear them before he chuckled.

"I'm not exactly sure how much damage she would be able to do in her condition." He murmured to Devin.

"Don't underestimate her General.. if you really were planning something.. well, I would imagine even if she were in a hospital bed she could still blow out the side of the mountain if it meant saving Vala and Rei. If she hadn't decided to trust me.. you would be her mortal enemy right now." Devin told him without jest.

"Good to know." The General agreed giving Vala a gentle smile as he realized she was still listening before he again excluded her from the conversation. Vala let her tired burning eyes drift closed as Devin rubbed her arm before hugging her just a little closer to his side and she was probably asleep within minutes.

Devin's voice whispering in her ear and the arm around her shoulder's shaking her were quite effective in stirring her awake, she opened her eyes to his smiling face as the sense of forward motion slowed to a stop. Vala's eyes scanned the cabin to find the General leaning into the cockpit to gently stir Shiva from her sleep, she was deeply relieved to find that he when shifted backwards none of his limbs were broken. When Devin caught her attention with pat on her back he directed her eyes out to the left windows at a blank stone face of sheer rock. Outside of the fact that it was tremendously tall and supremely flat there didn't seem very much to make it very interesting or offering any clues as to why they were hovering in what seemed like a steep sided gorge of stone deep in the gray stone of the mountains. Before she could think to ask why this sheer face of bare stone was suppose to be so interesting something she could never have expected took place. It was as if one massive piece of the cliff had given under some unknown pressure as it popped outward in what would have been a stupendous avalanche save for the fact that that massive chunk of stone didn't break way so much as split down the middle and heave out to either side. Vala watched in amazement as the rectangular cave mouth behind it was revealed as two massive slab like doors shifted to a stop. As she watched two huge metallic arms extended in stages out into the open air as a large moving platform raised up from within the dark opening and slid out into the light of the sun.

The pilot brought them down to land dead center of the painted markings, even before the sounds of the engines wound down they were jerked sideways as a new sort of movement was begun, drawing them into the sparsely lit man made tunnel inside. Vala turned to look through the windows to the right to see the arms retreat and the doors shifting inward to slowly cut off the light before a sudden drop sent them falling at an angle farther from the outside and deeper into the mountain carrying the entire vehicle towards some unknown destination. When she looked back towards the others they were taking off their headsets and unstrapping themselves from their seats. Vala hastily did the same even as the direction of the movement shifted a second time and they dropped straight down as the last noise of the thopter died away and only the sound of switches could be heard. Shiva still looked tired and worried when she glanced back to meet Vala's eyes and was the first one to get out of her seat when the light coming into the cabin increased suddenly as an immense hanger facility opened up below and around them. Devin seemed amused by the fact that she stood just outside their doors watching as the large scale elevator finished it's movements and reached the level of the main floor.

As they unloaded she knew her beloved was still in a state of high agitation when she slipped her fingers into Vala's and her eyes continued to scan their surroundings as she fully expected some form of attack to reach them here. It truly became clear to Vala in those moments that all of Shiva's problems, the quirks of her personality, the emotional issues she suffered through were a direct result of the military training she had endured. While it might have been obvious to her for all that time, she had never really made the connection since Shiva had really only seemed a bit eccentric for all the months before. The attack had brought all of it back to the surface and for a few horrified moments she was desperately afraid that her beautiful, happy, and calm girlfriend would ever really return. Shiva's agitation only grew worse as many moments ticked by with Devin and the General standing some distance away have many long conversations with the dozens of men that had gathered to greet them. And as Vala watched them her own impatience began to bubble up, she wanted to get Shiva away from that space that seemed to bother her so very much and to see her mother so very badly. All of that gathering tension seemed to shatter as Shiva's fingers tightened around her own and she was pulled into motion. One of the armed guards lingering nearby stepped forward and reached out to try and stop them and there was sharp burning rise of anger from Shiva as she swept her arm through the air. He was sent skidding backwards more that 15 meters with his boots squealing horribly against the metal deck plating.

"Do that again and I will snap you in half!" She yelled as she quickened her steps just a little. Vala saw the General move as if he might try to stop them, but Devin grabbed his arm and shook his head slowly at the General's sideways glare. Devin caught her eyes in the next moment and nodded her towards Shiva telling her silently that she perhaps the only one of them who could safely stay in her vicinity, Vala nodded back to him and quickened her steps to pull Shiva against her side doing whatever she could to try and keep her calm. Almost as if she had been there before, Shiva's course lead them straight to the nearest elevator that dropped them even deeper into the dense stone. By the time the doors opened once again Shiva's anger had faded just a little and they stepped out into the small unimpressive space beyond. Immediately outside the doors, Shiva spun around and Vala half turned to find two armed men standing at ease on either side of the elevator doors.

"Do I have to tell you to leave us alone?" Shiva growled at them sounding even more dangerous than when she was yelling.

"No, ma'am." One of them stated as neither of them looked anywhere other than straight ahead. Shiva turned away and moved to a nearby computer easily calling up what looked like a diagram of the facility spreading out all around them. Shiva took more than 10 minutes to study the complex design, much longer than it took Vala to locate the corridors marked as the hospital wing. It seemed likely that she was notating every possible escape route inside her head during those extra moments. When she was done she nodded Vala off to their right and they moved away a fairly quick pace with the two armed men following at a distance almost as if they merely going in the same direction. Two floors down through the stairwell and through a dozen or more corridors to reach the hospital wing, before their pace slowed and they looked around for someone who looked like they worked there. But they spotted a familiar face long before they saw someone they could hunt down for answers. Gregor gave them a sad smile at their approach and soundlessly reached back to push open the door he sat next to. Shiva's hand left hers as they reached the door and they looked into the empty room and the occupied hospital bed inside.

"Gregor?" Her mother called turning her unseeing eyes towards the door.

"Mom.." Vala managed to choke out as everything came rushing back and this time there was no way to lock those memories away. Her mother held out her arms and that was the last thing she really cared about as a sob forced itself up to the surface and sent her fleeing across the room. Her mother started crying almost the moment Vala was in her arms and it was a very, very long time before either of them managed to calm down. She was not truly aware of dozing off, but when her mind started to stir her mother made a soft sound for silence allowing her to catch the words drifting in through the partially open door.

"You are talking like you are the one who is going after them.." Gregor was murmuring.

"What makes you think any of you can stop me." Shiva whispered back. "I.. can't bring Raymond back, I.. can't give back Rei's sight, and I might not be able to make Vala happy again. But I can kill every last one of them.. I can send them to hell where they belong and give his spirit peace.. I don't care what it takes.." Her mother's arms drew away from her even before Vala moved to hurry towards the door unable to remain silent any longer. Shiva's words cut short as she threw open the door and quickly ducked down in front of her as she sat in Gregor's lap.

"You DO make me happy.. even now.. even when the world ends, you will make me happy!" Vala told her urgently grabbing Shiva's hands into her own. "Yes, I want to see them pay for what they have done! BUT I Don't EVER want to hear you talk like that again, like you aren't coming back to me.." Vala thrust up to her feet and pulled Shiva to hers grabbing her tightly in her arms. For just a few heartbeats it seemed like Shiva might fight her before all at once the tension seemed to break and she was burying herself in Vala's arms. "You have to swear to me that you'll come back, or I won't ever let you go.. you mean everything to me.. I won't ever be happy again if you aren't there right next to me.." Vala whispered against her hair, Shiva gave a gut wrenching sob as she nodded against her. She shifted just enough to scoop her off her feet to carried her inside as Gregor quietly closed the door in their wake. Shiva finally let out all her built up misery as the two of them held her close.

Chapter Seven: Sheltered from the Storm

"So the DNA analysis confirms it?" The General murmured to him as they basically strolled through the silent corridors. It had quite a number of hours since Shiva had stormed off when everything had started to become too much for her frayed nerves, and once informed that she was dangerous in that state the General had seemed content to hold off his questioning for a while longer. While the quest for answers was paramount, Vala had been in no condition to recall anything clearly and Shiva had been on the very edge of violent acts, the guard she had shoved in hanger bay had been damn lucky she had just a little control left. It was just a tiny piece of good fortune Shiva hadn't walked away empty handed otherwise there was the chance that trouble would have followed that incident. "She was attacked by someone in series 5?"

"Not just someone, sir, multiple someones." Devin corrected gently. "They are still analyzing and collecting samples, but so far they have found six different genetic samples.."

"Six.." The General's thoughts almost certainly followed his own, that it would have been a bloody mess to spread than much of it from so many bodies.

"I can't imagine her holding much back.. with the General dead and Rei hanging on by a thread." Devin commented trying to ease a little of both their fears.

"No, probably not.." He agreed with a cold shudder.

"I had your people hack into the central archives to search the database through the genetic matching programs.. it wouldn't serve anyone to have the ones' responsible for this knowing that someone is investigating this incident." Devin added for his own piece of mind, the General gave him a slim smile of approval and a nod for him to continue. "All six samples are direct matches to Series 5 soldiers and spread across three different units.. it confirms that she was faced with multiple teams."

"Is.. she really that dangerous?" The General asked with a sudden worry.

"There is honestly no way to tell. Most of the scientists who created Series 6 died of old age decades ago, the director of research at Anslaw died in a car crash taking the codes and clearances needed to unlock the database and enter the vault with him to the grave. We've been operating with half-truths at best.. but my gut.." The General gave Devin a significant look. ".. says yes. She took on multiple heavily armed teams hauling an unconscious woman and teenage girl who must have been... numb with what she saw, and still managed to get away with them having every advantage."

"How is perhaps my most pressing question.." The General commented with a sigh, but then shifted topics before Devin would feel compelled to try and speculate. "Tell me about that ID badge and that day pass."

"Private 1st class Gorden's records state he is a loyal officer in good standing stationed out of Tinner base, her served there for 2 years exceptional ratings on his last three evaluations by his CO, Lt. Ashen who is also based at Tinner. The day-pass was also issued by Lt. Ashen." Devin told him.

"And Tinner base?"

"Used to be a major staging point during the war now more or less a service and storage depot for military surplus, headed by Colonel Freedmont, high marks on every evaluation over the last 4 years." Devin murmured back to him.

"Makes it almost sound like a dead end." The General commented with a humorless chuckle.

"Or the perfect place to start." Devin commented back to him.

"Start what?" The General asked suspiciously.

"Sir.. it's either find out the truth on our own, or watch Shiva blast her way out of here.." Devin warned with total honestly. "And the truth is if someone really is using Series 5 under the table and for their own purposes.."

"The body count can only sky rocket from here." The General agreed solemnly. "And what do we do about Shiva.. the federal, state, and local police all have warrants out for her arrest.. the Military Investigations department has already launched an full scale search for answers, rumor has it that Advocate General is out for blood. They aren't looking for you yet, but.. I don't that will not last for long. The evidence we have might be enough to clear her in our minds, but there is no way it will satisfy all of them.."

"I know you are not one for 'Rogue Actions', sir.. but it may just be a matter of telling Shiva what we know and letting her put that anger to good use." The General gave him a significant look. "Anyways, I think our first priority is to find out if Series 6 is in danger of joining their predecessors in someone's back pocket." He was given a curious look. "It's the one thing that seems to make sense of.. all of this, sir. For starters, let's just assume that we aren't dealing with some super secret presidential order to eliminate Shiva specifically, that this was the rogue actions of some person or group with control over Series 5." The General nodded since that much seemed fairly obvious to both of them. "If this is the case, that it is almost a safe bet that they would also have some future plan for that.. asset." Again the General nodded thoughtfully, since again it was no small leap of logic. "What happens to Series 6 if they are all declared unfit for civilian lives?" The General's footsteps stopped, his eyes went cold and he glared at Devin as if a rage had just been born within him. "The other three who were released before Shiva.. I've tried to trace back how they were selected since Shiva seemed at times just as big risk as any of them proved to be.. but I can't find the paper trail. So Shiva suddenly finds a reason to straighten out her act and a General who sat on the board of inquiry that limited any further efforts towards reclamation finds good reason to have second thoughts. Now suddenly he's dead, Shiva's on the run and accused of his brutal murder."

"All of it." The General growled at him as both of them came to a stop.

"They sabotage the reclamation program on Earth to end any further investigations into Series 6 by picking people who could do as much damage as they could to a society to which they couldn't adapt. They slash my funding the first chance they get so that I am forced to shove Shiva into situations that are meant to break her down so that she is forced to do something stupid when that didn't work immediately. When things suddenly change, they kill the one ally I manage to find willing to help her, and try to frame an innocent person so that the program is destroyed and Series 6 falls under their 'stewardship'. That way they can make all those kids up there into monsters that can be used for the same games they have been playing with Series 5." Devin reaffirmed, the General unleashed a sound of rage he had never once displayed before as he spun to throw his fist towards the nearest wall, Devin was impressed to see a man his age with the ability to put such a sizable dent into a steel plated wall. Growling with a firey anger, the General spun back towards him.

"How do we stop this?" He demanded of Devin.

"Shiva's the key, she's only one strong enough with the training we would need to pull this off. We need proof to take to someone we can trust.. you were right when you said we don't have enough to clear her name, but.." Devin murmured to him a low urgent voice and left the rest unsaid.

"Give her the excuse." The General agreed coldly as his rage went quiet and a burning resolve replaced it. The General turned and began the same slow walk that had carried them that far. "Take whomever you need, people you trust.. put them on it as soon as we are done with this.."

"Yes, sir." Devin agreed keeping his voice calm as they reached the outer edges of the medical wing. He had always trusted General Owen, knowing him to be an honorable and just man. But in that moment Devin was so very proud that he had been able to get Shiva to show him just a little of her own trust. A short silent time later they were turning the corner to find Gregor's silent, stoic presence half slumped in his chair, even though he looked to be asleep at the sound of their approaching shoes his head turned to look over at them suspiciously. Once he saw who they were he gave a tired stretch and moved to meet them just out of hearing range of the door, giving them a sharp salute. "How is it in there?"

"Calm for the last couple hours. I am fairly certain Shiva is asleep, sir." Gregor informed them, the General checked his watch and gave Devin an impatient look.

"It would be too painful to try and question Vala, sir." Devin murmured to him. "Gregor call up Tina, have her get up her to relieve you for the rest of the night, once you bring Shiva back here. She'll probably have expected this.. let me go see if I can wake her." The General gave him a grateful nod. Rei was the only one who was awake when he entered the room. "It's Devin." He whispered to her as he approached.

"Shiva expected you hours ago." She told him with a slim smile.

"Better that she got some sleep first." He agreed reaching out to rub her back, Shiva stirred and one eye popped open, she then yawned gave him a sleepy nod before she was crawling up into his arms. "She be back soon." Rei smiled and nodded as she rubbed Vala as the other girl made sleepy noises.

"Neural Imaging?" Shiva murmured as they stepped back into the hall. Tina arrived a moment later and Devin agreed quietly as he waited for Gregor to give her a quick briefing of who was and who wasn't allowed in the room.

"She looks pretty out of it Lieutenant." The General murmured to him.

"No offense, sir, but she doesn't have the energy for the hours it would take for a debriefing, I think we should try an old Series 3 trick." He gave Devin a look of doubt but looked over at Shiva dozing against his shoulder and nodded his agreement. Gregor followed behind them as they moved down the hallway and into the nearest elevator. By no means a new technology, neural imagining was able to record the electrical signals of the brain and interpret those signals into useable data. In terms of recalled memories it could translate those stored images and feelings into visual data. While it had become a useful tool in many criminal investigations and a better way to retrieve eye witness accounts, it was only useful in capturing a few images or pieces of scenes. A normal person's thoughts were simply too chaotic, too jumbled up to recall a whole sequence of event even a sequence lasting as little as 30 seconds. Emotional trauma, distractions, wandering thoughts would interrupt the flow of data and most people simply couldn't achieve and maintain the level of focus such retrievals required. It was not until Series 3 and their altered ways of thinking and perceiving the world around them that neural imaging could be used past those very human limitations. With photographic memories and minds capable of pushing aside all the mental 'slush' that would get in the way, many of them had been able to records whole entire events sometimes as long as fifteen minutes. Whether or not Shiva could do the same was not yet clear, but her simple question meant at the very least she had prepared herself as best as she could for what would soon follow.

By the time that they were reaching the right room, she had woken up enough to signal she wanted to be put down. She entered ahead of them and didn't even bother looking for the light switch as she rubbed at her eyes, yawning as she went about turning things on and changing settings around. It was easy to assume by how easily she took to the room that she might have done this before for whatever reason. Even the General seemed impressed by her slow competent adjustments. Gregor guarded the door to insure they would remain undisturbed while Devin moved to create an encrypted database to contain the sequence. Shiva picked up the halo and settled it around her skull as she took up the only chair inside the room. She laid back closed her eyes and steadied her breathing like a real pro. When the screen flashed on there was just an flash of a single image something dark and filled with needles and surgical tools, but it passed by far too quickly for Devin to catch more than that as wet crackle sounded through the speakers around them as everything seemed to hang for a heartbeat or two.

"What the hell.." The General demanded giving Devin a confused look. The screen flashed over in the next second and they were looking at a steel cased injector, a perfect crystal clear image of one clutched in a black gloved hand and Shiva's own arm clutching at a wrist that was bent at an odd angle. It was such a perfect image that it was almost possible to read the serial numbers of the canister that had been loaded into the device. In the next second the images began to flow out like the first stream of water pouring out of damn about to burst. It sped up as the image darted to the side and an image of a fist swept through the shadows as Shiva's memory lunged upward to kill her attacker in a single blow, the memories began to race forward with a speed that was completely unreal as things and events flashed across the screen. "Too fast!" The General demanded. Almost as he spoke it ended on another frozen image that of Vala inside the interior of a military vehicle pulled into a civilian parking lot. Shiva gave one bone jarring sob as she threw the halo away and curled into a tiny shaking ball of misery.

"Gregor.." Devin whispered. With a nod the sergeant stepped away from the door and made comforting sounds as he gathered Shiva up against his shoulder and carried her from the room. Devin stepped over to the controls and rewound the entire sequence. "38 minutes 47.3 seconds.." Devin murmured as he brought that first image up onto the screen. "And that.. is what Shiva's nightmares look like." He murmured as black shadowed figures with faces hidden by surgical masks leaned overhead against the back drop of a blood red light, holding surgical tools over someone who could not have been more than a child.

"Monstrous.." General whispered with a cold shiver. Devin agreed without sound or gestures as he started the playback, both of them watched in horrified silence as the images played back in perfectly laid out seconds without skip or edit, a total recall of everything she had seen and done. He knew without a word ever being said that Shiva would probably do anything to forget it, and was probably willing to do even worse things in order to silence those memories forever after. "And.. I thought her beating up a gaggle of well deserving bullies was bad behavior.." The General whispered coldly through the air as the last image froze on the screen.

"She was fighting to save her family, General."

"We'll talk about what we can do with her when she has slept herself out. For now get our best people in here, she saw license plates, serial numbers, truck numbers, even a few dog tags.. I want a report and analysis on this tomorrow afternoon, after you get everything started go get some sleep for yourself." Devin nodded and saluted as the General left the room.

* * *

"I'd need to go to Anslaw." Shiva told them without hesitation or doubt. "Talk about plans all you want, talk about possible targets for just as long, but if I am going to go up against Series 5 for real I'd have to go to Anslaw first."

"Shiva.." The General murmured making it absolutely clear he was finding multiple reasons to object.

"General you can try to put every standard issue rifle in the inventory into my hands.. you could gather the greatest tailors in the world to try and hack down standard issue body armor to fit around me.. you could try and get all the latest and greatest gadgets from the quartermaster, and none of it would do me any good. Super-strong telekinetic or not, I just barely managed to get the three of us out of there and that was when I had surprise on my side." Her eyes darted over to Devin's looking fiercely into his steady gaze. "I swore to Vala that if she let me do this that I would come back to her. That means I would need every advantage I could get my hands on.. and the only ones that would matter to me would be the kinds I could find in Anslaw."

"That facility has been locked down for more than 50 years now.." The General murmured to her.

"If you don't want to risk any of your people that's fine. Put me on a shuttle, get me a window on a catapult and give me the clearances that will let me land in one of the shuttle bays. All I would need is some excuse, any excuse that will get me in the front door and I can handle things from there." Shiva told him firmly.

"You're sure, Shiva?" Devin commented to her.

"If that's what it would take than I am positive. I need the stuff I left in Anslaw if I am going to be prepared to take this as far as I might have to. So I can prove I didn't do this and get the information you will need to take to whomever might be able to stop something worse from happening." Shiva swore to them.

"Give us a few days to see what we can do, right now we need to be sure that Anslaw hasn't already been compromised." The General told her, reluctant to delay that long but knowing she hadn't gotten back to her full strength, Shiva nodded and left the matter at that as she nodded to both of them before leaving the private office.

Three days later and Shiva's patience was truly starting to wear thin knowing that the situation outside could only grow worse as six days had already past since the attack. If that wasn't bad enough, neither of her 'co-conspirators' were at Jarson for her to demand answers from or to help her take action. Only the fact that Rei was steadily improving and the doctors had declared her to be 'out of the woods' kept her from really going stir crazy. Since neither she or Vala felt ready to leave her side and because she didn't require a bunch of machines to monitor her condition, the three of them had been moved away from the medical wing and into crew quarters on the far side of the underground base.

She was just returning from another unsuccessful attempt at getting someone in charge to put her into contact with Devin or General Owen, and after more than hour of stalking the halls to try to ease some of the nervous tension that would worry Rei and frustrate Vala, neither of which were handling the isolation all that well. Shiva's armed shadow of an escort fell back at the end of the hall as she made the turn towards the bare tiny room that had been designated for the three of them, as she came into view Gregor caught her eyes and nodded over his shoulder towards the door with smile. Curious enough not growl at him for not simply telling her what was happening, Shiva slipped inside and caught the sound of an almost happy conversation. It was only a small blessing that the three of them had seemed to cry themselves out for the moment and were intently trying to focus on the future, but it surprised her to hear even a small glimmer of the happiness that had been nonexistent since all of it had begun.

"There you are.." Vala murmured as Shiva peered around the corner suspiciously, giving her the first real honest smile she had seen from her in what felt like an eternity. ".. we have visitors."

"Hello again, Shiva." That voice was one that tugged at an even more distant memory. Even with that subtle shifting of memory she couldn't quite find the reason that voice summoned up a feeling of nostalgia as a beautiful woman in her thirties with bright gold hair and deep purple eyes crossed the room to duck down in front of her. Not even sure she trusted this situation enough to give this stranger the benefit of a doubt, it was the slow glowing smile that soon appear that made the answers come flooding back to her.

"Kali!" Feeling almost dizzy Shiva threw herself forward to hug the now older woman who laughed with the greatest amusement as she caught Shiva in her arms.

"Look at you little sis, still as cute as can be, I see." Kali teased warmly as the hug ended and Shiva stepped back just a little to look at a much older sibling in shock.

"How long have you been awake?!" She demanded of her sibling surprised by how much older she looked when compared to those long ago memories of a bright haired chipper little girl.

"Hmm.. 12 years or so.." Kali told her and it almost sounded like she was guessing. "They moved you out of there so fast that I didn't get the chance to see you off." It occurred to Shiva in the next moment that Kali was wearing a very unfamiliar uniform though Shiva had never believed that any of them might serve a military that had abandoned them. "Lunar security, sweety, but I don't really work for them."

"Than who do you work for?" Shiva asked suddenly suspicious, much to Kali's deep amusement.

"No one, this was just so I could get in the door. My husband indulged me a little when I forced him to tell me what he was trying to hide." Shiva giggled up at her struck by her playful expression that instantly reminded her of all their childhood mischief and their long ago friendship.

"Husband?" She asked in the next heartbeat.

"Yep, he's a little slow sometimes and certainly stubborn, but he's still got a cute butt and a good heart." Kali informed her as Shiva's eyes almost instinctively sought out Vala's from across the room as she settled at her mother's side. "Rumor has it, I am not the only lucky one.."

"Not that lucky.." Shiva whispered back to her as her expression instantly went dark and her good mood was washed away. Kali shook her hips just a little and got her to focus once more.

<<Give it time, sweety.>> Shiva was almost telepathically 'mute' a she was empathically, she almost always had to be in physical contact to make herself be heard, and only the strongest telepaths could ever make her hear them. "Anyways, my husband caught your little conspiracy sniffing around Anslaw base. He's been hearing a lot of things.. even before General Winter's assassination. So rather than trying to compete he and General Owen have decided to work together.. which is so uniquely rare for him, that I had to come see it." Just a little of her good mood returned as Shiva nodded. "Which also means your little 'rogue action', isn't so rogue anymore."

"We couldn't be sure who to trust." Shiva told her gently.

"Well if you want to take my word for it, you can trust Alexander."

"Alexander?" Shiva asked with a playful teasing smile.

"An unfortunate side effect of not being able to pick your own name." She giggled back to the younger woman, sounding and seemingly far more like the girl Shiva remembered from those long ago days in that moment. "Now tell me.. do you love that beautiful young woman as much as she loves you?" Struck by the unexpected nature of that question Shiva wasn't entirely sure how to answer Kali's words or the intense probing look she was given. "Because you are scaring her.. you are not alone anymore, all right?" Shiva was forced to nod in return looking down to tiny bit of floor that sat between them. "This whole thing took you right back to a very dark place, I know that, but you can't stay there." Shiva resented her just a little for those words because there was no way for her to deny the truth of them. Kali was, after all, a telepath on a level that humans might never achieve even after evolution had run its' full course. "Things are awkward for both of you right now.. and she can't help but feel like it would somehow betray his memory.. to be close to you, even though she wants that very thing even more now that he is gone. And it can't help that you are going around like a storm cloud, saying things that are scaring people."

"I felt.. useless.. I should have woken up sooner.. I should have.." Kali shook her back into silence.

"You saved yourself, you saved your girlfriend, and you saved her mother. Unprepared and unwarned you decimated a group of men whose only thought is for battle, whose humanity was destroyed to make them into perfect killing machines." She gently ran her fingers through Shiva's hair, caressing her cheek gently. "Shiva, no one can blame you for what you couldn't possibly have done, and if you don't give them a reason not to they can only fear you for what you did do.."

"You saw?" Shiva whispered back to her feeling her heart start to ache once more.

"Images isolated from your memories show military hardware, soldiers, and equipment that could not belong to anyone else, so yes I saw it. And I think everyone on this side of things are starting to realize just how much worse it could have been if you had really wanted to misbehave over the last two years." Kali told her with just a ghost of a smile, Shiva gave a frustrated sigh and shifted about on her feet uncomfortably. "Does it bother you, knowing we were created as weapons?"

"Not really." Shiva was forced to admit, since it had always been a part of her and constantly waiting just beneath the surface it was not hard for her to understand it or the fact that she would have been a different person had her origins been different. Shiva had spent a great deal of time and effort to try and find ways to use her gifts as something other than as a weapon, and in learning the full extent of her abilities to ensure it was her weapon should it be needed.

"Shiva, this problem wasn't created in a day, and it's not going to get fixed in a day." Kali reminded her gently drawing out just a small smile at the subtle reminder that she needed to slow down. "Now tell me, why did you want to get back in the lab?"

"If I am going to do this.. I need some things that I left in the vault." Kali's eyes grew wide as she nervously bit her lower lip giving Shiva a look that asked 'Are you serious?' in a very clear way. "If there are more of them next time, I want the upper hand."

"Dr. Powell took the codes with him to the grave." Kali told her.

"I don't need the codes, I am the one who knows how to take that vault apart." Shiva told her, while Kali gave her a doubtful look but knew better than try to argue with her when she had made up her mind about something. With a sigh she left the matter at that and drew Shiva across the room to rejoin the others. As Shiva was handed down into Vala's arms Kali moved to take a nearby seat, reaching out to gently squeeze Rei's fingers.

"So how is Shiva really doing?" Rei asked as she squeezed the other woman's fingers in return.

"She's still here, Mom." Vala murmured as she hugged Shiva in close and kissed the top of her head.

"I know." Rei told her daughter with a soft good natured laugh. "I'm sorry sweety, but I want to hear your friend's opinion." Rei added on Shiva's behalf.

"It's okay, Kali was always known for having an opinion." Kali made an indignant noise and glared at Shiva while the other two women laughed softly into the quiet room.

"Don't you dare start with me, young lady." Kali warned as she fixed a threatening finger across the nearby distance.

"So she's fine." Rei murmured with a laugh as she allowed herself to relax just a little more.

"Yes she is.. she's just.. troubled right now." Kali agreed choosing her words carefully. "Anyways, back to our original discussion.. before we were interrupted by rude children.." She gave Shiva a playful glare that made Vala and Rei laugh just a little bit more. "However secure this place might be.. recent circumstances have made General Owen wonder if it would be better to move you two to a safer location. With Shiva still 'at large', it won't be long before someone starts investigating Devin and those who works for him."

"Is he going to hide?" Shiva asked hoping Devin would choose to stay safe and out of the line of fire.

"No, he is going to stay, which is why I think Alex let me come with him. Just in case you might try to voice one of your numerous objections." Kali murmured with a bit of sadness and a bit of pride that Devin was willing to face whatever might follow.

"I trust you.." Shiva confirmed with a sigh, to which Kali smiled at her.

"So.. how do you know my daughter-in-law?" Rei asked diplomatically.

"When did we get married?" Shiva asked Vala who giggled and shushed her playfully.

"We were created in the same laboratory." Kali confirmed for her.

"Oh?!" Rei's face lit up just a little at that statement. "Well then, my daughter and I would certainly be in good company then."

"Yes." Kali agreed clasping the older woman's hand in both of her own as if sensing something none of them were able to. "It will probably come sooner, rather than later.. before anyone can start sniffing around here."

"This place has little to recommend it for any kind of extended stay." Rei assured her with a warm smile. "I'd say we'd be ready to go right now since there isn't any packing to be done, but where would you take us?"

"Luna colony, my husband has access to places there that would take more than a few series 5 flunkies to penetrate." Kali assured her, Rei nodded thoughtfully as she considered those words.

"Alexander Ishmere?" Rei asked after a moment or two. Kali made a sound of agreement not quite sure what to expect from the older woman at that moment.

"Your husband has a fearsome reputation, but a honorable one." Rei chuckled as her smile returned.

"He is very.. driven." Kali agreed with a loving smile.

"Oh but he would have to be to capture your heart, now wouldn't he?" Rei teased with a soft laugh and Kali actually blushed as if to prove Rei's point. "I don't suppose he has any idea who might have done this."

"No.. unfortunately not, nor if it was same people who tried to attack him a few days ago. They had a strong telekinetic with them, as if someone were trying to make people think Shiva was going on a rampage." Kali told them with shadowed smile and a touch of anger in her eyes. "But I promise you, one way or another we are going to find out the truth."

"If it hadn't been for Shiva, they might have gotten away with it." Rei agreed with the same darkness in her expression as she reached over to find Shiva's knee and pat it reassuringly. "So we go to the moon, then what happens?"

"I leave.. and make sure they don't get away with it." Shiva stated in return.

"You sweety?" Rei asked with surprised worry.

"They are going to need her mother, she's the only one with a chance of stopping them." Vala told her, on behalf of her girlfriend.

"She's not the only one, cutey, but that is a discussion for later." Vala however cute she might be was by no means slow on the uptake.

"Your husband.. he's in charge of the Series 6 labs, isn't he?" Vala asked calmly.

"So you know?" Kali asked with a relieved sigh, pointing to Shiva in silent questioning.

"Since the third day.." Vala told her with a bright and pleased smile. "She still hasn't managed to get her scary act to work on me." Shiva was pleased to hear those playful tones return to Vala's voice even as she glared at Vala's loving gaze and was rewarded by a gently laugh and sweet little kiss.

"Yes, he is." She agreed to Vala and then sighed as a touch of anger appeared on her face. "The attack on him was another assassination attempt, only they didn't know about me. It suggests a long laid plot, as if our mutual enemy suddenly decided that they needed to advance their schedule a little bit since Shiva has disappeared from the maps." Kali confirmed for them and gave them a little insight into the things they hadn't been told. "Your sons are safe in protective custody off world and in the care of people Lt. Hornton trusts implicitly. And the General made it quite clear during our meeting that the consensus is that this is some attempt to take over custodianship of Series 6."

"Anyone associated with Series 5 is suspect." Shiva commented for her sake.

"Access does imply guilt in this case." Kali agreed smoothly. "Once we are in my husband's domain there isn't much that could touch us."

"Smack an asteroid into the surface and make a new massive crater." Shiva murmured with a touch of darkness in her voice.

"Unsubtle and highly suspect, but that is pretty much what it would take." Kali agreed with a dark laugh.

"I had a lot of time to think about it." Shiva commented with a wicked little giggle.

"Stop it." Kali fixed her with a playful glare, a soft laugh, and an accusing finger. At that moment there was a polite warning knock on the door before it opened and General Owen lead another blond beautiful man in his late thirties into the room. Vala whispered to her mother to tell her who was there.

"Good afternoon, General." Rei called over to him.

"Sorry to disturb all of you." He murmured politely as he glanced back at the lower ranking officer.

"Nothing to disturb." Rei assured him with a smile. "Devin is not with you?"

"No, a Captain from Military investigations appeared at my door this morning." Rei's smile faded just a little and she nodded in understanding. The two men moved into the room to settle close by, Kali kissed the Colonel's cheek informing some of them of his identity. Vala shared this information with her mother so she knew exactly who was there. "Lt. Colonel, that's Shiva there." The General added for the Colonel's sake.

"Well, hello there Shiva." He murmured clearly trying to be charming.

"You know if you violated my sister in anyway, I will have to hurt you." Shiva warned much to Kali's intense outraged embarrassment, much to the Colonel's dismay, and to the amusement of everyone else.

"Sister?" He asked Kali in a low whisper as the rest of the room laughed.

"Model numbers, my love." Kali reminded playfully elbowing him in the ribs much to his inner amusement. "Each of us were designed in a series, while the other three numbers varied on a number of different factors, our model numbers stayed the same, in essence they are our family line. Shiva is in fact my older sister by six." She added on behalf of those who weren't aware.

"Seven." Shiva corrected without hesitation. "But they didn't put me into the ovens until after Kali."

"Colonel, my husband always admired your determination in holding onto your command. It's an honor to finally meet you." Rei murmured in the next moment.

"Well I was presented with some very good motivation early on, despite the problems I have had little reason to complain, until recently. Most of others in lunar command consider guarding some locked down military lab the hotel of no return. But I was just six months in when the Series 4 disaster hit and we were under some very intense scrutiny. The first of them were woken up to look for signs of mental deterioration, and I suddenly I had a very good reason to stay in control." He murmured giving Kali and adoring smile.

"Excuse me for asking this now.. but what about the three sent to Earth before Shiva." The General murmured darkly. "That is.. if someone is indeed trying to take control over Series 6, were the ones brought to Earth before her somehow planted? None of us can figure out how they were selected, but.. if anyone in the process was part of your command, shouldn't we be a bit worried about the security of Anslaw."

"No one in my command was consulted as a matter of fact. In all four cases, a shuttle landed men who didn't really identify themselves stepped out with orders to take this or that stasis pod with them. Other than confirming the orders with lunar command, all I was told was that orders came from 'top men'. As for the men under my command.. well, let's just say their loyalty has already been tested by measures few other places could match and have already proven above reproach."

"All right then, I've already had a high speed thopter prepared for your group and it should be ready and waiting up in the hanger bay. And I've arranged for some of my people coming into the space port later this evening to retrieve it and bring it back this way." The General agreed with a thoughtful nod.

"So soon?" Kali asked him with a small flicker of surprise.

"Better to move now before the inquisition can surprise us in this refuge." Alexander murmured back to her.

"He's right, of course, but I can hardly let him know that." Kali murmured to the other woman in the room.

"Yes, of course." Rei agreed with bright, happy laughter. "There's a good boy, now go get our things." She ordered in the Lt. Colonel's direction.

"Oi.. this going to be a long trip." He mumbled much to the General's bone deep amusement.

* * *

Soon enough they were leaving behind the tiny plain rooms that had housed them for the previous three days, gently escorting her mother through the corridors and up towards the massive hanger complex high above them in the rock. Gregor carried what little luggage there was, but it seemed obvious that he wasn't going to leave anything to chance until they were safely in the air and away from the base. In truth only Shiva seemed allowed to wander the base freely during the length of their stay. When she had told Vala that Jarson had been the laboratory that had served for the creation of Series 1 and 2 individuals it only made sense that she would be able to move around freely since she had been raised in place that would have been at the least similar. Ceasa was waiting for them above in the hanger bay having overseen the preparations of the smaller and sleeker looking thopter that would carry them to the nearest commercial space port. Much to her surprise it fell to Kali and Shiva to take the pilot's seats and Alex assured them that when one got involved with someone from Series 6 one usually stopped worrying over much about having a pilot, no matter what the vehicle. It was just a little cramped in the passenger compartment with two more people wearing the uniforms of lunar security, but Vala didn't mind so much about sitting in her mother's lap.

Thankfully at the speeds the thopter was capable of even over the uneven terrain of the mountains, it wasn't a terribly long flight before the spaceport came into view. And Kali seemed completely capable of keeping the mood lighthearted with her teasing and jokes, it was good to see Shiva laughing again since the past days had really made Vala worry about her. By no means her first time seeing one of the massive facilities, she nevertheless marveled at the immense structures of the magnetic catapults that launched large and small vehicles up the vast sweeping lengths of the curved runways, firing them towards the sky overhead. Able to accelerate the shuttles up to high speeds and give them the added boost needed to overcome the influence of Earth's gravity in conjunction with the shuttle's engines so they could reach space without the need of chemical rockets. As they circled in on a low approach to their designated landing Vala watched as three such high speed launches took place, lobbing vehicles towards the far distant edge of space.

The arrival had clearly been planned to perfection and almost as soon as they touched down they were being lead through the private terminal to the small private shuttle capable of carrying no more than 15 people from the surface to a ship in orbit, the space port, or at the outside radius, the moon. Being quite small it wasn't capable of creating the hyperspace gates that would allow them to reach the colonies of Mars or Venus. It's short range didn't require the gravity plating that consumer shuttles and larger space going vessels used, but Vala was just as glad that they were at least given some measure of privacy for Shiva's security conscious state of mind. The two people from lunar security were their pilots and the five of them were the only passengers. The airlocks were soon sealed and they started to taxi into position for their launch towards space.

"I'm sorry for the way things have been.." Shiva whispered to her softly as they strapped in just a little distance from the others. It meant a great deal to her to hear those words from her right then as they moved towards even more distant unknown parts. For as much as she loved Shiva and for as much as those feelings had only grown even in the face of the recent disaster, the last few days she seemed to have withdrawn from Vala as black shadows had loomed over everything. Vala had honestly started to worry she would never return to the girl she had fallen in love with.

"I'm sorry too.." Vala whispered back to her as they leaned in closer to each other despite the straps holding them into the their seats.

"It's not your fault." Shiva countered quickly.

"In a way it is.. until that night.. I.. I never really let myself believe that you could be dangerous. That you didn't really have it in you.. and then I saw.. all of that, and I started to ask myself if you could do that to me." Vala whispered slowly back to her, struggling a little for words as the far too recent memories tried to come flooding back. "All of a sudden.. I felt weird around you."

"Vala.. I love you so very much.. I don't think I would want to live without you. Ever since I met you.. you were all that mattered to me. I.. I.. don't like hurting people.. but.. no matter what, I was going to protect you." Shiva told her haltingly, struggling for words as she so rarely had to.

"You did good, kitten, and Kali set me straight before you got back.." Vala assured her leaning over to kiss her cheek.

"What did she say?" Shiva murmured back to her uncertain even as some of her tension eased.

"That if you had truly wanted to hurt people, you would have. That the psychological.. manipulation many of you were forced to endure might have broken down over time, but it would still allow you to simply not see those around you as people, merely.. targets." Vala told her even a cold chill raced up her spine at that thought.

"Maybe.. never tried.." Shiva whispered back to her as she relaxed further as if those thoughts had simply never occurred to her. That if anything only reassured Vala on a far deeper level, it was proof that once the anger and despair began to fade with time that the beautiful and adorable love of her life would be able to return to her. She sighed as they leaned into each other as the last little bit of tension seemed to flow away.

"Devin asked me about your nightmares the other day.." She murmured calmly, just for the sake of their peace of mind. "And my first response was, 'What nightmares?', until I remember Cami specifically warning me about them, so I tried thinking back.."

"There has been only one since we started sharing the bed." Shiva confirmed softly but not willing to say what day that might have been.

"They are hooking us up." One of the pilots called back through the open door leading from the cabin to the cockpit.

"Shiva, I've been thinking this over and over in my head.. I don't want to lose you because you left to get revenge on my father's killers.. but.. I know you so well now. If I asked you not to go, you'd stay just for me.. but if I did that, they might win.. they'd snatch you away and everyone like you and I'd end up losing you anyways. So I want you to promise me.. when you leave, you'll get them, and then you'll come back to me." Vala whispered as the rising sound of the engines slowly began to block out all other sounds.

"I swear it on your Father's memory, they will pay for what they have done." Shiva murmured with a determined resolve that vibrated more powerfully through the air than the shuttles high energy engines rising up towards their peak. The ten second countdown started in the next heartbeat and when it reached zero there was no more room for words, indeed it took a strength of will simply to force a breath into her lungs as they were thrust forward by a tremendous force as the catapult lunged into action. Vala was instantly and terribly worried about her mother, despite the fact that she was on the road to recovery the tremendous G-forces of the launch would almost certainly put a terrible strain on her weakened state. For as much as she might have worried about her sudden blindness it had been the fact that she had struggled just a little to walk the distance to the hanger and through the terminal to the shuttle. Vala couldn't have been more surprised to discover her mother smiling and breathing easily as she spoke something to Kali in the seat next to her as if nothing were wrong. Kali gasped something back and her head turned painfully around to half glare at Shiva's silent presence next to Vala. After about two minutes it ended in a rush and all of them were finally able to fill their lungs in gasping breaths as the launch pressures ended and their was a sudden lightness in her limbs.

"Didn't do that for yourself, sweety?" Kali asked towards Shiva a moment later.

"Didn't need to." Shiva whispered back to her even as she shifted a bit more to curl up in the seat acting just like the kitten Vala had named her.

"What?" Alex asked with confusion.

"Protecting me from that whole mess, thank you, Shiva." Her mother whispered looking relieved and deeply touched, by whatever Shiva had done to ease the transition.

"It might not even have helped." Shiva murmured with a calm dismissive shrug.

"It did." Her mother stated in return. Feeling even better about the state of her relationship, Vala chuckled and reached over to unhook Shiva's harness to let her float free and so that Vala could tuck her girlfriend into her arms.

"My beautiful, sweet, and loving Shiva." Vala whispered down to her as she kissed the top of Shiva's head.

"What can be used to kill can also be used to protect, I always find comfort in that counterpoint." Alex murmured to them with a sigh and a chuckle as he unhooked his straps and moved to float in over top of their seats. "So Shiva, think you'll want some back-up?"

"No, I won't risk Kali." Shiva whispered back to him firmly.

"Hey!" Kali countered from close by.

"You aren't combat trained." Shiva countered easily and without hesitation.

"Fair enough." Kali agreed with a soft giggle over to Rei who was relaxed and smiling.

"And it would be a week or more before any of the others would be able to reach Luna colony, my plan is to be back down there long before that could happen." Shiva added before anyone else could interject any dissenting opinions.

"Not quite." Alex commented sounding mysterious and self satisfied as he hovered above them. "There was a lot of controversy just after you were taken to Earth, as you know, and the base's funding was cut back by a sizable measure. However I convinced my superiors that the lab would need extensive maintenance efforts in another 20 years if it was left in its' current state, and therefore become a massive financial sinkhole. So they gave me a grant of 50 million dollars to be paid over the next five years earmarked towards creating some profit generating purpose to offset the cost of future upkeep of the facility."

"You lied." Her mother commented with a chuckle, no doubt sensing the same feelings from him as Vala.

"I had incomplete information about the condition of the lab." Alex told her haughtily. "I merely neglected to tell them what sort of enterprise I had in mind."

"Do I have to hurt you before you tell us?" Shiva growled up at him.

"Maybe." Alex agreed chuckling with his bright playful spirit. Shiva took that for a more definitive answer and gave him a fairly gentle telekinetic shove that made a large hollow sound as the Lt. Colonel's head thumped against the overhead storage bins. "I said maybe!" He half laughed, half bitterly complained.

"Are you okay?" Kali asked even as bright bubbly laughter rippled up through her while her mother dissolved into silent giggles nearby. He gave her a nod even as he glared down at Shiva's snickering presence while Vala laughed silently below him. "Baby, if a telekinetic ever asks that, you always say no."

"Notes for the future.." He agreed with a good natured sigh. "Well it was pointed out to me that we still had a pretty advanced laboratory on our hands simply gathering dust, so we decided to go into research."

"Not more genetic research." Her mother half asked with a sudden worry.

"No the previous occupants pretty much took care of that. I simply explained to Alex that we already had a perfectly good research staff already on hand." Kali assured her gently rubbing her arm and smiling over at Vala.

"Oh." Shiva agreed and almost seemed to smile silently.

"How Shiva can say volumes with so very little worries me at times." Her mother chuckled back across the distance. "What does that 'Oh' mean?"

"We simply started waking up my brothers and sisters." Kali stated with a chuckle. "Vala could probably attest how fast Shiva learns, well.. it's a family trait.."

"Rei's your grandmother, it isn't polite to talk down to your elders." Shiva reprimanded in a sleepy voice.

"Series 3." Her mother confirmed at Kali's surprised look.

"Sorry about that, grandmother." Kali murmured apologetic and playful on the same breath. Her mother smiled brightly at that and gave her an unseeing wink followed by a soft laugh.

"Go on, please, I am interested to hear this." Rei requested a heartbeat later.

"While we were the primary research and main goal of Anslaw was to create us, once we were created, tested, evaluated, and cataloged, what then? The research had long since moved on as the scientists continued down the line. And because we were unknowns, our psychological training could only be taken so far without risking us becoming unstable or extremely violent. So while there was training we could do there was only so much that they could teach us without letting us leave. Since some of us had been awake and active for nearly twenty years before the shut down, and I am not entirely sure whose idea it was, some of us were put into work in the labs. Some of us even spent time helping to create our youngest siblings, while others did advanced math, physics, and medical research. You name it, someone probably tried their hand at it."

"Weapons." Alex stated darkly and Shiva slowly raised her hand into the air.

"You?" Vala asked her with surprise.

"Vala, sweety.." Kali called to her gently. "Shiva is one of the highest level telekinetics ever known without a glimmer of empathy, and her telepathic gift is more 'wall' than anything else. She was seen as a weapon for a lot longer than most of us."

"It's fine.. until I met Vala I wondered if I could ever be anything but a weapon." Shiva whispered honestly.

"Shiva..." Vala whispered tenderly down to her as she hugged the smaller girl that much tighter.

"Shiva, you don't have to be alone in this." Kali told her gently.

"Maybe.." Shiva countered sounding even more sleepy than the seconds before. She stirred just a little bit as if forcing herself back from the edge to finish what she wanted to stay. "Maybe that will change.. but.." She sighed and opened her eyes just a little. "The first act is going to be a criminal act, no matter what happens, no matter what changes because of it, that first act is going to be act of treason against the state. They need proof to take action, and I need to take action to get proof. I won't risk the others, I won't risk Anslaw.. just like I can't risk General Owen and Devin. When I go, I will go alone.. if I can't at least get enough to make people listen to us.. then we'll see if more of us can improve the results."

"I think it's nap time for some of us." Vala murmured to them for Shiva's sake as she could feel her mind starting waver uncertainly.

"Good idea." Her mother murmured as she let out a tired yawn.

* * *

"That is such a perfect nickname." Alex chuckled with a high level amusement from somewhere nearby in the shuttle's cabin. Shiva's mind stirred at the sounds as she began to feel just the slightest tug from the moon's gravity on her senses. "Give her fuzzy ears and a tail and she would be almost exactly like a kitten." He added to a chorus a bright happy laughter.

"I resent that." Shiva hissed to them even as she snuggled just a bit deeper into Rei's gentle embrace.

"No, sweety, you resemble that." Rei chuckled back down to her as she rocked Shiva just a little in her arms. "We aren't quite there yet, if you want to go back to sleep." Shiva considered it for some time before shaking her head just a little.

"Where's Vala?" She asked as she decided to wake up officially.

"In the cockpit with Kali getting her first piloting lesson." Rei told her with a touch of pride.

"Ah! What am I going to do for Valentine's day now.." Shiva complained playfully.

"I'm sure you'll think of something." Rei giggled back down to her and then sighed happily. "If there are others like you sweety waiting to meet us, I find myself truly looking forward to our arrival, despite the circumstances." She stated thoughtfully surprising Shiva just a little to hear the return of happiness to the older woman's voice.

"I don't know who is awake.." She murmured for a lack of any other words.

"We'll find out soon enough, we are already on approach." Kali announced through the open doorway. Shiva kissed Rei's cheek and was released to float free, her feet touched the ground in the next moment and she was standing as if there was gravity just for her, only the fact that her hair was left to float free in a shimmering violet halo revealed it to be some kind of trick.

"Show off." Alex teased with a hearty chuckle.

"Has been from the time of our first meeting, she reduced a dozen or more high caliber weapons like that.." Rei told him snapping her fingers.

"You've gotten better then.." Kali commented a touch suspiciously.

"Yes." Shiva murmured back with a heavy tone.

"There are those overloaded words again." Rei teased in high spirits.

"I try not to scare people unnecessarily." Shiva murmured only half in jest as the shuttle began to tremble with the entry into the moon's gravity. She remained standing even as Rei found her body once again braced against the bumps and protected by the minor G-forces that would follow.

"You going to take a seat?" Alex murmured to her.

"Rei and I will be fine just like this." Shiva stated in return.

"If I had slept as long as she had, I'd probably want to stand up to." Rei commented to them.

"It seems like most telekinetics sleep through most space flights, the theory goes that they can sense and interact with gravity fields, and that the absence of one bombards them with the need to sleep." Kali commented back to them. Shiva wasn't really paying attention at that point as she stared out the windows as the quickly rising mass of gray stone craters and fields of dust loomed up to fill the windows. Not entirely sure what she should feel about this 'homecoming' her thoughts were already thinking ahead towards the time when she would travel in the other direction on the same trip.

"I keep asking myself what she could possibly want out of the vault, and then I find myself asking if I really want to know." Shiva smiled wickedly at Kali's comments and gave no answers. Landing was a simple matter and another slow halting ride through a series of armored gates and airlocks before they emerged into the shadowy darkness of the main hanger bay. Almost on par with the size difference between a thopter and a shuttle craft, it was a massive space even when compared to the hanger bays at Jarson. More than a mile wide at it's thickest point and more than three miles long, the ceiling lofted overhead just under 1,000 feet at the peak of the domed space. There were more six landing elevators scattered across the surface above their heads and three catapults evenly spaced throughout the chamber. It could fit 60 or more of the super-sized shuttle crafts inside with all the equipment and tools needed to repair any problem, or perhaps build one from scratch. For Shiva it was almost a nostalgic scene remembering the days when it was a space always filled with activity and bristling with noise that seemed to echo on forever. Though they had never technically been allowed to enter that place, for Shiva it had been something of a sanctuary.

As the elevator drew to a halt she was stepping over to unseal the airlock even as a set of stairs were moved automatically into place to aid in their descent from the shuttle. When she emerged out into the slightly stale air and felt the dusty sense that lingered in the area and it filled with an unbroken, unending silence that only added to the strangeness of that changed scene. The lights were in low power mood and the entire place was cast in an eerie half light that failed to illustrate sheer scope of that massive underground landscape. Shiva's eyes wandered up to the far off ceiling and the tritanium honey comb of rafters and beams that were meant to keep the ceiling from caving in, it was strange to think that it had only been just three years in her own personal history and more than seven decades ago when she had spent hours on end in that place above their heads, dreaming of the day when she would escape that underground prison and get to see the world outside. And now after a time far too short and so long ago she had come fleeing from that very freedom she had so desperately wanted to a place she could almost think of as sanctuary when back then it was nothing more than her prison.

"You used to call this your playground, didn't you?" Kali asked in barely a whisper as she stepped out behind her and rubbed her shoulders tenderly.

"They couldn't find me way up there.. I couldn't escape.. but I could get away.." Shiva whispered back to her. ".. for a little while." Kali made an understanding noise as the two of them stood there at the edges of that silence looking out over the silent graveyard of machines and metal on the cusp of the place that had sat quietly unchanged and altered so very much.

"Reminiscing?" Vala asked gently as she joined them at the top of the stairs.

"Something like that." Shiva whispered back to her. It was the sound of shoes on metal plating that redirected their attentions as an aged and sour looking woman came rushing up onto the elevator platform to race towards the steps leading down from the shuttle.

"Thank heavens you two are all right!!" She called out as she spotted Kali standing there. Shiva took Vala's hand to move downward as Rei and the others began to move towards the door.

"They didn't stand a chance, Gina." Alexander told the old woman with an exaggerated sigh that showed his long suffering under the 'care' of this person. Shiva and Vala had almost reached the bottom when the old woman blocked the path to bottom with some of her bulk.

"And who are you?" She demanded in the clear opinion that she had every right to know as she eyed Shiva and Vala with an air of disdain.

"Dangerous when confronted." Shiva growled back at her with a dark steely glare, the old woman clearly got the idea that it was not such a good idea to stand so close and quickly moved back. Vala giggled over at Shiva as they two of them reached the bottom of the stairs and moved just a little distance away to again stare off into the distance.

"We picked up some guests." Kali stated as she too reached the bottom of the steps just of ahead of Rei and Alex. "What time is it here?"

"2:30 pm, Sunday." The woman murmured watching Shiva with great concern.

"That means everyone will be up in the west garden or scattered in the recreation areas, sectors 5 and 6, west quadrant." Kali told Shiva no doubt aware that Shiva might just need a little time alone to mentally prepare herself. "We'll bring Rei along at a normal pace."

"Don't worry about me Vala, make sure Shiva gets some exercise before she starts bouncing off the walls." Rei called out as if she was of the same opinion.

"Shiva.." Gina was surprised and more than a little afraid at hearing that. Vala giggled as she was quick to agree to her marching order before she shifted around Shiva's back having a good idea of what Shiva might be planning. Once Vala was settled firmly in place riding piggy back, Shiva launched away in a high arching telekinetic jump that would quickly take them far down range and out of sight from any watching eyes. The moon's lighter gravity made Shiva's abilities that much more potent and unlike the rest of the laboratories and tunnels below, gravity plating was not used to augment the lunar gravity up in the hanger bays. Shiva's second jump further propelled them towards the halfway point of the long chamber and the massive machinery used to repair and maintain broken shuttled craft. The mass of heavy steel cables and the dense mass of the boom crane dangling down from the ceiling high above provided them with the path away from the hanger floor up towards the spaces above. Vala had been pleased by the ride until that moment when they left the floor far behind and began to telekinetically ricochet up between the different cable stays and ascended into the darkness above.

"Wow.." Vala murmured as they reached the tangle mass of rafters, supports and cross connected beams that connected the framework needed to support the vaulted space and the weight of the stone above.

"There isn't a guard in the world who is going to try chasing a little girl way up here." Shiva told her with a mischievous laugh as they shifted once more into motion bouncing through those rafters like squirrels through the branches of metal tree. Shiva had a specific destination in mind and like a homing pigeon coming into rest after a long flight they soon landed in the shadowed stone chamber tucked away in that hard to reach area. Perhaps a remnant of the first construction efforts of Anslaw, the tiny chamber had probably been long forgotten even before the shutdown. The mysterious pieces of equipment hummed as they had always done serving some unknown purpose that would not be noticed until one of them finally broken down.

"Your club house?" Vala asked with a giggle as Shiva settled her on her feet, Shiva smiled back to her as she moved to draw a dust covered box out from the shadows that had kept it hidden there for a very long time. From it she extracted a duffel bag wrought from discarded pieces of uniforms and stitched together with a stolen needle and a bit of thread. Almost amazed that it was still there after so much time, Shiva wormed her arm down into the bottom of the bag and found the four heavy metal objects by feel. The strange creations she extracted from it were each centered around a large blue stone with a crazed interior like that of an opal. Each piece was bound together by a dull silver like metal and had four long flexible arms extending outward from the center. "Jewelry?" Vala asked attracted by the gem stones, but uncertain of their purpose.

"An experiment." Shiva whispered back to her as she spread out the four pieces in an arc in front of her, letting them hover there as they glowed mildly in shadowed light. All more or less equal in size there were two pairs of two similar designs. Shiva set the pack to the side for just a moment and drew the sleeves of her shirt up to expose her forearms. "We would would have to get into a range above 50 tons before I have to strain to 'throw my weight' around." Shiva whispered to her as she extended her arms out in front of her and over top of the floating pieces. "So weight isn't really an issue, but range is.. more than 800 hundred feet away and my influence weakens to the point where I couldn't lift up a small screw without straining. However were that screw made of the right metals.." The arms of two of the pieces snapped open like the jaws of a creature about to attack. "I could launch it even further than that without any problem. It was something I noticed when they first began to evaluate my destructive potential.. some things were easier to move over long ranges than others." She turned over her arms and the devices snapped around her forearms a few inches below her elbows. She then turned her arms over so that large blue gems were face up as the other pair snapped open in a similar manner. "When I finally wasn't a lab rat any more and started doing my own research I tried to figure out why." The other parts snapped in and around the top halves circling her arms with interwoven metal arms and four large blue crystals. "What I learned is basically this, different materials react differently when they are under the influence of a telekinetic, a kind of resonance that makes them easier or harder to manipulate because of weight or range from the person trying influence them. Kind of like if I were to lift you up by the throat instead of the legs." Vala nodded thoughtfully at that though she clearly would have preferred if someone else were the example. "Given the right materials I can double the range or double the weight limit of my influence. These.. were an escape plan and one of the last few things I invented. The two halves are something like a telekinetic tether, the gems are actually a form of metal, the arms are something similar that can be moved and manipulated at will, the two halves resonate with each other amplifying my influence, magnifying the force I can apply at close range, and extending the range over which I can use them by.. three maybe four times more. So I could use one to lift 200 tons or reach a target 2,500 feet away."

"And your escape plan?" Vala asked with a smile as Shiva fixed her sleeves retrieved the bag and maneuvered her girlfriend back into position for their departure for the ground far below and more habitable parts of the labs beyond.

"Use one to catch the bottom of an elevator carrying a departing shuttle craft, dangling my way through the airlocks, and using a stolen oxygen mask take over the shuttle in mid flight." Shiva murmured before she dropped them out of the chamber and fell towards the ground far below. Within a few minutes they had reached a far distant point of the hanger bay and were slipping into the much cleaner air of a transport tube. Even though it looked like a normal elevator, the transports were able to move vertically and horizontally through the facility through a vast network of cross-connected tunnels that could reach the far distant points of the massive facility at speeds much greater than any living creature could run or fly over the same distance.

Whether Anslaw had been purpose built for the Series 6 projects or simply given over to that mission after it was completed, had been a matter of quite a bit of speculation among the children during those years when all of them had been awake and the place had been teaming with a mixture of scientists, security forces, support staff, and experimental subjects. Shiva had always been of the latter opinion, even at the peak of activity when there rarely seemed to be anywhere one could be alone for even a few hours, there had always been a sense of emptiness out beyond the places where they weren't supposed to go. Built on a massive scale more than equal to the empty hanger bays, Anslaw spread out for miles in every direction and extended down into the stone beneath them for more than 70 levels. This seemed best demonstrated by the fact that there were two other shuttle bays, though both smaller than the one they had left behind they were nevertheless quite large. Even with the speed of the transport system it was still a ten minute transition between the bay and the corridors that Kali had specified. Whatever its' original intent had been, it felt even more intensely empty and hollow when the doors opened to the sound of distant conversation than it had ever been in those long ago days.

"Get side-tracked?" Kali teased as she moved to intercept them, clearly trying to get them to admit being naughty. Shiva made a face at her as she moved along half leaned into Vala's side and unslung the bag that had been carried away from its' long time hiding place. Kali was surprised and confused when it was held out towards her and was forced to take it before she peered inside it a bit doubtfully. A second later she gasped as her eyes grew a little misty as she extracted the remaining protected contents of the bag. "Angie.." She whispered in a choked voice. A present from one of good people who had tried to make their lives tolerable, the stuffed doll had been one of the very few precious things that Kali had ever owned. When the toy had been noticed by one of the dictatorial doctors who seemed intent on torturing some of them, Angie had been sent into hiding before she could be destroyed. Kali would never have needed any more words to express her intense and silent gratitude as she crossed the remaining distance to hug the air out of Shiva's lungs and just as quickly retreated from the public eye to insure Angie would remain safe and so that Kali herself could get herself back under control. Vala seemed very much touched by the scene as she hugged Shiva just a little more tightly before giving her an intense passionate kiss that left the younger girl reeling as she was drawn across the remaining distance towards the sounds of voices.

"SHIVA!!" Her name burst from several throats all at once, startling her by the sudden happy reception. Faces she had not seen in a very long time swarmed towards the two of them as Shiva struggled to put names to all those half remembered people. For Vala it was perhaps just a little more overwhelming as she was suddenly assaulted by personal questions and surrounded by an onslaught of curious touches and looks. Shiva was not left unmolested as many dozens of her siblings homed in on her all intent on interrogating her about the world outside. All might have been lost then and there if someone with a bit more age and authority than many of the still little ones didn't choose to intervene on their behalf.

"All right, leave her be.. she isn't going to disappear right away." Ayla called them to order and sent them shuffling away with a look as her presence drifted in behind her and Vala.

"Hello, Ayla." Shiva murmured calmly even as a small smile curved her lips.

"Hello, Shiva." Ayla greeted with the same dry tones twinged with a small bit of amusement. Vala turned to look at her with an intense kind of interest perhaps attracted by some sense of the overwhelming gift pouring out of the slightly older girl. "And hello there, Vala, welcome to Anslaw. I've always said someone special would some day capture Shiva's heart, I am glad to see I was right." She added much to Vala's shocked surprise.

"It's considered inconsiderate to spy.." Shiva stated calmly as Vala's hand clutched at hers.

"I know, but in my case you know its' not always by choice." Ayla replied calmly.

"Liar, we all know that you are a voyeur." Shiva teased as her mischievous smile drifted up to her face. Vala laughed at this little scene as she relaxed all at once and spun Shiva around and back into her arms so that they were both facing the older girl.

"I'm a telempath, like your friend Kate, only on a much higher scale." Ayla told Vala at her unspoken question. "And before you ask, Shiva is one of the few people I can't hear most of the time.. her and her daughters that is." Shiva gave Ayla a piercing look and she smiled under that gaze before giving a subtle nod of her head in the right direction. Shiva's turned her gaze just in time to find two figures standing near Rei and a few others as a hole opened up in the swirling crowd.

"Daughters?" Vala asked in a bare whisper of sound as if she was half fearing something terrible had happened to Shiva's younger self and deeply confused by the possible meanings of those words. Shiva lost sight of them as the hole closed up and decided to wait a moment or two. only too aware that mischief ran deep in their blood.

"Direct genetic descendants, some might be tempted to call them clones. I guess if you create a really good weapon, eventually you try to improve upon it." Ayla told her softly, Vala relaxed with an small laugh as she hugged Shiva a bit closer.

"We are a lot like Shiva." Athena stated as first one than the other appeared circling around Vala's back and into view with perfectly timed moments, and right on cue to surprise Vala with their arrival.

"Yes we are." Isis concurred right on her sister's cue. If Shiva had ever been given access to hair dyes in those long ago days, she could have been a doppelganger to either of them were she 6 or 7 years younger. Their faces, their bodies, the way they moved, and the way talked were exactly as Shiva had been in her younger days. Only in a few small but glaring ways were they any different, perhaps a simple quirk of genetics, a side effect of the slight alterations in the DNA, or by sinister design to insure they could be told apart, all three of them had different hair and eye coloring. Shiva's hair was lilac purple and her eyes were silver, Athena's hair was dark purple and her eyes very nearly ruby red, and Isis's hair was pure snowy white and her eyes were an intense green. All the other differences were beneath the surface and more or less contained inside their heads. "But we are also different."

"Yes we are." Athena agreed before the two of them giggled in unison. The unseen differences were about the gifts programmed into their genetic code. While Shiva wasn't much more than a telekinetic the girls had an expanded bag of tricks, and that had perhaps influenced the two of them in their development of their personalities and making all three of them different as long as the two of them weren't playing their games. Athena was also a strong telepath and seemed to inherit the temper Shiva had, but Isis had been blessed by avoiding. Isis was exceptionally gifted with geo-sensing, the ability to detect differences in environment and sometimes in people's bodies, but had a gentle spirit that neither Shiva or Athena had gained without a great deal of hard work.

"Don't mind them, Vala." Ayla told her as Vala's gaze flip-flopped between the two characters who were both so very alike and so very different than the girl already in her arms. "Since they don't quite live up to the original they try to make up for it by being excessively cute and mildly annoying." The two of them turned as one and stuck out two tongues at one target in a near mirror image of the other.

"You can really tell that these three are related." Vala giggled at the two of them. Shiva spun in her arms and the twins spun on her and Vala was the recipient of three raspberries, which only made her laugh harder. With a sigh Shiva shifted just a bit away from her as she scooped up Isis and settled the girl who was now even younger than her on her hip.

"How long have you two been awake?" Shiva asked her as Isis curled up against the side of her neck.

"Couple of months.." Came the sleepy sounding reply.

"And we are bored!!" Athena hissed sounding annoyed and testy as she leaned back in Ayla's arms.

"You were the one with all the experience in research." Isis murmured with a sigh.

"Do you two know what the other one is thinking?" Vala asked them, Isis gave her a murmured sound of agreement.

"What the other is feeling too.." Athena agreed relaxing enough to smile at Vala.

"It allows them a unique capacity for coordinated telekinetic movements." Shiva stated on their behalf as she brushed Isis's hair away from her face tenderly.

"If we had the same level of combat training as Shiva, we would probably be on the top of the list." Isis stated with an annoyed sigh even as she gave Shiva a pleading look.

"List?" Vala asked her even Shiva's amused expression became less so.

"Word travels fast around here." Ayla told her with a soft but sad kind of smile. "And despite the risks, a lot of us would do just about anything to get a peek at the outside world."

"Tanya says we are too young." Athena growled.

"Tell Tanya that she may be old enough, but at least you two wouldn't be completely useless." Shiva commented with annoyed sound. Wondering if she could spot the source of this 'list' from the crowd around them and then beat that person back into a few more years in stasis. Ayla touched Shiva's shoulder gently as if she had been able to catch that angry thought, even as Vala tried to comfort her by caressing her hair. "Anyways, whomever made up this 'list' better keep me from finding out it was them, because quite frankly his or her opinion is a clear sign that they don't have enough brain cells to fill in the space between their ears."

"Someone's a little testy.." Vala commented half with amusement and half as a warning.

"Low blood sugar." Isis murmured over to her. "Athena gets like that all the time."

"Do not!!" Athena automatically denied her sister's accusation.

"See." Isis giggled back.

"Come on Vala, we should get these three fed before they start tearing up the place." Ayla stated with a warm chuckle, Vala nodded and scooped up Athena so both of the could follow the older girl past the crowds and towards the nearest kitchen. "Don't worry.. you'll get used to all of us soon." Ayla stated looking back at Vala and addressing her unvoiced concern.

"Sorry.. it's just.. all of you are so amazing." Vala murmured as she let herself relax. A short time later food had been pizza had been prepared in a swirl of telekinetically propelled utensils and ingredients and the five of them were starting to settle down in the little piece of quiet set away from the main centers of activity.

"So were you going to share?" Ayla half demanded of Shiva with a playful smile.

"Share what?" Shiva murmured back choosing to be difficult.

"We want to know about Earth!" Isis declared indignantly. Shiva playfully growled at her before she reluctantly nodded to Ayla.

"Just be careful in there." She murmured as Ayla came over to cup her cheeks and Shiva struggled to pry open her telepathic barrier. Since so many of them were at least marginally telepathic and had mostly the same level of mental abilities, it had been only a small leap before they had begun to share knowledge and memories between them, allowing all of them to build up a collective knowledge base. Later when things had become more full, they had also learned to transfer their knowledge of gifts along to the others who shared those abilities, decreasing the danger to everyone and insuring that none of their younger siblings could hurt themselves trying something dangerous. This is what Shiva shared with Ayla, since she was a very strong telepath she could share some of Shiva's memories with all of those awake, pass on some of the new skills to other telekinetics, and otherwise helping with research projects that would keep Anslaw running and all of them fed.

In exchange Ayla shared new information about the home Shiva had been taken away from. As Alex had already told them on the ride there, Anslaw had been sitting empty and silent until about the time Shiva was in front of the board inquiry that would soon consign her to a succession of bad events. While Kali had been woken up early on in the reclamation efforts, Ayla and a few of the other older teenagers had been woken up after the budget cuts and the grant. They had been some of the first to work on creating products for the consumer markets and large scale industry and military applications to start a flow of money inward that would indeed maintain Anslaw, but more with the aim of insuring there would be food to eat and air to breath as more children were woken up as time and resources would allow. There were only 196 of their number awake while the rest were lingering in stasis, while that might change with one super profitable idea. They were moving slowly towards the goal of getting all of mature subjects awake, with 'Mature' being the operative word. Even though there had been at one point been nearly 9,000 of them awake and active, there were perhaps millions of modified eggs that were never incubated. People were being woken up by ones and twos every couple of months with another more fair 'list' being accumulated by the votes of those awake. In truth seeing all of them safe, sound, and free of being lab rats, Shiva almost wished that hadn't been the one dragged off to Earth, so that she could possibly have spent the previous two years secure with her extended 'family'. But all it took was long look at Vala to make that thought be thrown away and burned, no matter what else had happened.
Chapter Eight: Violent Winds

It had grown late already, even Shiva who was more often than not the last one to fall asleep had already gone to bed, and to be honest Rei's recovery should have sent her into her own bed long before those moments. Still, even though she had honestly expected something amazing from all the stories that Kali and Alex had told her and Vala during the flight had not quite compared to real truth of life inside Anslaw. The sense of that place had perhaps kept her awake into those late hours of the night like no other thing could have. While she had known right from the start that Shiva had been someone special, she had been so very quiet and secretive that it had been hard early on to understand that first instinct. Those children had been so very amazing right from the first moments Kali had lead her inside and all throughout the hours before bed time, and even then one of them had stayed with her. A little girl named Poe who so rarely spoke that some of them were under the impression that she was mute. An empath on a scale that she couldn't quite comprehend, Kali had explained that she had long ago drew back behind a barrier to protect herself and hadn't quite ever found a reason to come out of it. Even Athena and Isis had been amazed by the way Poe had taken to her, spending every waking moment holding her hand or sitting in her lap.

In truth after being greeted by such warmth and kindness she could easily forget that many of them had known almost instantly what had happened to the three of them, having telepathically picked up those memories without her or Vala being aware of it. While Rei had desperately struggled to keep her own burning sorrow from bleeding through and making her daughter's even worse or making Shiva's guilty feelings even more intense while they had been secluded away at the Jarson facility, at Anslaw that sorrow seemed almost to fade from her senses. Perhaps it was Poe's influence on her as the little one slept quietly and happily in her lap while she and Kali spoke softly even as the twins slept in one room and Shiva and Vala slept in another, perhaps it was the fact that everything was so far away, but Rei was almost tempted to believe that she was needed in that place. While it was true enough that Vala still needed her, she had long since acknowledged that her daughter was growing up, and in truth Vala's thoughts had been more often been ones of supporting her and Shiva.

"You're pretty quiet." Kali murmured softly to her.

"Kind of just lost in.. the amazing strangeness of all this.." Rei told her, having not be truly aware that the woman across from her had stopped talking. "I.. honestly don't know why, but I feel better just being in this place."

"It used to be pretty depressing, before that it was frightening and horrible.. but now it feels just a little like home." Kali murmured to her thoughtfully sounding just a touch amused. "I don't even know when it starting feeling that way.. I guess maybe it started with Alex.. and grew when I realized that there would always be a need for this place." Rei made an interested noise at that casual statement. "Even if the winds do somehow change and more of us will get to go outside, some of us would be either too dangerous or put too much at risk by kinds of things Shiva is more or less able to handle. Some of us like Poe and Ayla are simply too strongly gifted to spend more than a few hours on the outside. Poe wouldn't be able to handle being around that many uncontrolled emotions, Ayla.. well she would probably break under that many unprotected minds." Kali told her with a sigh. "It's true enough we can be a noisy lot, but our shared learning as taught most of us to use at least some basic techniques that keep our thoughts from simply flying ever which way and to dampen our emotions for the sake of those who can't help but be aware of them."

"There was a time long ago.. when I resented what was done to me when I became a part of Series 3. Hearing people's thoughts, knowing what they are feeling.. I didn't know how to deal with it. In some ways you could say I cursed those that had changed me. But over the years, I have come to understand so many things so much better than I would ever have been able to had I not been changed into another person." Rei commented to her. "While I might still curse those that did all these things to all of you.. in this place.. I feel more comfortable here than I ever did out there, surrounded by people who understand their gifts so much better than I ever did."

"Maybe we'll get to keep you then.. the heavens know the children all adore you.." Kali suggested playfully.

"Will Shiva be all right.." Rei murmured finally feeling comfortable enough to breech that subject. "That is.. no one really ever told me what happened during the attack.. and she must know the kind of trouble she might end up walking into.."

"I won't lie to you.. the odds seem to be against her, but.. when I was still a kid.. when we were all still kids, there was everybody else.. and then there was Shiva. We all knew there had been some kind of accident during the research being done on her. But we were never told what had happened, the scientists were all trained to block out even our strongest attempts to hear their thoughts, and she never told us. But we all knew the guards, the doctors, everyone was scared that she might one day turn on them." Kali murmured sounding mysterious and thoughtful. "To be honest, I was one of those who just saw Shiva.. I was probably a lot like Vala back then, I simply knew she was someone who was not dangerous to me. But I.. could not have imagined then what Shiva was capable of.. what she did to get you three out of there alive. If we were taking bets, I'd put all my money on her, without hesitation."

"If we are taking bets, I've got a hundred bucks on me." Shiva murmured sleepily as her soft footsteps carried her into the room.

"What are you doing?" Kali demanded of her with great suspicion.

"Oh, please within two minutes of telling anyone, anything, everyone knows it. I must have gotten a hundred questions about how I was going to open up the vault, when I was going to do, if I wanted help, if they could come watch. I don't need any distractions.. and I certainly don't need an audience. Tis the hour of sneaking, my lady, and I am going to go right ahead and sneak." Shiva responded without hesitation and with great amusement as she gave a still sleepy murmur. "If Vala wakes up, tell her I'll be back in an hour."

"Right-o." Rei agreed swept up in that mischievous spirit.

"Mama?" Athena called as two pairs of feet stumbled into the room.

"You two can come.. you at least can be useful." Shiva murmured to them. Isis squealed and seemed to jump up into Shiva's arms, before Athena came over to her side and more than likely took her hand. "We'll be back." A moment later two pairs of footsteps retreated away followed by the sound of the automatic door opening and then closing.

"She'll be fine with this and that.." Kali confirmed. "Let's get you two into bed and I'll go inform my husband that Imp-lets are on the move and looking for late night trouble."

"You'll wait up for them?" Rei asked as she indeed begin to feel tired.

"Yes, of course." Scooping up Poe and with Kali's gentle guidance she was soon sliding the two of the into the warm folds of a waiting bed.

* * *

"Doesn't this look like fun girls?" Shiva asked as the transport doors opened up onto a chaotic scene filled with the sparking rain of cutting torches and a hallway tangled with heavy industrial equipment. The people from the maintenance and security teams crammed in together around one of the high security doors into central core of Anslaw. Alex was on his communications device and standing nearby, he looked up and gave her a worried look as if soon after she would be setting off every alarm on the entire base. The twins were both now wide awake and ready for a little bit of adventure. They eagerly giggled in agreement as they picked their way through the tangles of crates and wires that were spread around them.

"We aren't even close to getting through Shiva." Alex told her moving to block her path.

"Here's a lesson for you girls, men always think with their.. tools." The bright happy giggles followed as Shiva stepped around the Lt. Colonel and spun the valve fueling the torch. It cut out and the three men making all the noise half froze in confused surprise.

"Shiva don't do this, every alarm.." Alex begged as Shiva brushed past the men and waved her wrist under the scanner they had been trying to bypass by cutting through the three inch thick tritanium plating. Much to the shock and surprise of everyone the door opened in a rush of quiet sound.

"My dear Lt. Colonel Alexander, I spent more than ten years in this place almost before you were born." Shiva murmured as stepped into the doorway and turned to address him. "For eight of those years I was feared by every person who worked and lived here, and I spent most of those eight years moving in an out of every laboratory here, did you really think a level 4 security door was going to be that much trouble?"

"I.." He visibly shook himself before realizing his communicator was still on and clutched in his hand. ".. Okay, honey I am get going now, I'll see you in a little while." He murmured before ending the call much to the delight of the twins as they slipped past her and into the parts beyond. "Tell me how." He half ordered as Shiva let him and his men slip past the barrier that had kept all of them out for however many years they had been there. The Central core was sanctuary of last resort for the 'normals' that had once ruled over Anslaw, if her family had ever mounted an insurrection, the scientists, security forces, and the administrators would have all retreated into the Central core where massive steel reinforced concrete walls and hardened security doors covered by automated weaponry would hopefully keep the 'freaks' at bay long enough for the outer reaches of the base to be flooded with poisonous gases and neural toxins. All the full humans who ran things were deemed with a 'level 4' security clearance or higher to allow them access to the sanctuary where none of the children were ever 'technically' supposed to go.

"I thought I explained that already." Shiva murmured as they entered the large airlock room and the first door shut behind them. She smiled evilly at the snickering twins as again the scanner read her hidden bar code allowed them to pass into the darker corridors on the far side.

"Try again." Alex growled back to her. The Central core contained the Administration offices, the main security stations, the vaults, the main computer banks, the main power station, and the most of the life support systems. It also had the only access point outside of the hangers that connected to the surface, through small command hanger bay that could be used during an emergency evacuation so it was pretty much the heart of Anslaw.

"I was always scary and 'to be avoided at all costs'. And back then you needed a Level 2 clearance to get into most of the low level laboratories where we worked when we were no longer the subject of ongoing research." Shiva murmured as she lead the way through the dusty shadows opening doors along the path that slowly began to rise in the levels of clearance one needed to get past them. "As long as you were old enough everyone of us had Level 1 clearance, you needed that much just to get around. But to do any research, or get anywhere important you either needed to be 'trusted' or you needed to be 'escorted'. I certainly wasn't trusted but no one wanted to escort me so.. they gave me a Level 2 clearance anyway, so I could get around on my own. But since I was scary no one really wanted to test me, or set me off on the killing spree they all feared, so even if I wandered into a Level 3 lab to get something they just pretended not to notice until one day they simply forgot I was there. So it came to pass that eventually I was merely a shadow and since nothing ever blew up and no one died they started ignoring me completely. It just so happens that one of the department heads forgot to log out of his computer when he and his team went off to lunch."

"You hacked your own clearance code." One of the security people murmured.

"Yep, highest I could go without the approval of Dr. Powell or the General was Level 7.. they simply never thought to review their files."

"You could have gotten out, mother." Athena commented to her.

"You needed level 8 to authorize the launch of a shuttle, same with the air locks.. access to the Central core was one of the few places constantly monitored so.. I was usually escorted through here, but.." Shiva shrugged off the rest.

"You need level 9 access to get into the vault." Alex murmured to her warningly.

"Command staff only, I know. But Level 7 gets your right up to the outer doors, and that's where the fun begins." Shiva agreed smiling back over to him.

"You could have told me and saved us some work." Alex growled even as he yawned.

"You could have told me you planned to cut your way into the central core." Shiva countered in return as they reached the outer chamber of the safe and were confronted with the sight of the 20 ton steel door.

"I suppose you are right." Alex agreed reluctantly at her backwards look.

"You should just stand right about there and watch.. this isn't going to be pretty." A massive section of the ceiling over their heads caved in the next second raining down debris as cables and conduits were breached, the com-pad in Alex's pocket started ringing in the next moment.

"The central vault is offline?" Alex murmured stepping forward to peer up up the massive bundle of cables that had been snapped in half and now dangling into the room. "Don't worry about it for now, just make sure alarms don't wake anyone up."

"Wouldn't do anyone any good to get woken up in the middle of the night would it girls." Shiva chuckled as the three of them climbed over the broken panels and debris now covering the floor. Their giggles were enough to make all the men smile, Shiva had already taken the time to explain to them what would need to be done and when they would need to do it on the transport ride over there, so without another word the three of them got started. Shiva closed her eyes and focused all her strength on the door blocking the space in front of them and the massive bulk heaved towards her with a squeal of protesting metal. As the immense eight foot thick door shuddered and strained against the locking bars, Isis and Athena went to work as the smell of overheated metal filled the air as a burning red hot glow began to move up around the razor thin seam between the door and the wall. Using their gifts to super heat the molecules inside those foot thick titanium bars, the intense pressure of having the door straining against the objects holding them in place combined into a force they were never meant to withstand. When the first thick metal bars gave out under forces being applied to them there came a tremendous sound that made the whole room shake as the door jerked forward and tilted only adding to sheering effects on the remaining bolts. It crackled like thunder three or four more times, speeding up as the twins were able to refocus their efforts until with one last shattering crunch the entire 20 ton mass lunged forward with surprising speed to stop inches away from the fingers of Shiva's outstretched hand.

"Maybe we should have knocked first." She murmured before simply tossing huge object to one side to collide with the side wall of the chamber with a force the shook everything around them.

"Yellow alert!" Flashing yellow lights flicked on in that first chamber and in the one beyond it as the vaults internal security rippled into life. Isis and Athena ignored it as the began to rip up floor panels, yank things off the walls and break up the few sparse pieces of furniture arming themselves with mounds of debris. When they were ready they nodded across the distance from either side of the opening and Shiva took a few deep calming breaths before she threw herself into a run across the border of the door and straight into the line of fire of the high energy automated plasma guns that filled the next room. Dodging and weaving across the space with the full extent of her speed the girls started lobbing an array of junk from safety destroying the weapons attacking Shiva from all sides. The last gun was taken out almost a second before Shiva reached the next thick steel plate door on the far side and slammed into it with the full strength of her gift cracking the metal and buckling the thickly reinforced barrier. The next chamber was kept in a vacuum when sealed, so when that seal was violated all the air and debris behind her came rushing towards it. Shiva's barrier deflected all of it away as she waited for the pressure to equalize before the remains of the shattered door were crushed like a beer can and lobbed across the dark room beyond to cause an intense burning white light that lasted a heartbeat as Shiva rushed inside and caught the tremendous hundred ton door as it was fired down from above by high speed engines suppose to slam it shut before she could get any further.

Shiva only just caught it as it nearly touched her hands as she held her arms above her head. The girls both came rushing in adding their their own strength and together they managed to overcome the magnetic forces trying to crush them and fried the electric motors that powered them. Athena stayed at her side as Isis darted back to the first door to rip four of the locking bars out of the wall as Shiva and her sister inched the sheer tonnage upward little by little. When she returned they had just managed to rise it high enough to get the bars under it and take the weight. Athena was exhausted and Isis had grown pale by that point as the strain started to show. There was only one barrier left before the final vault door. The internal alarms had already gone from yellow, through orange, and into red as shrill electronic screeching deafened them in the hollow metal sided space.

"Shiva.." Alex murmured as he and his men moved forward.

"I know." She agreed not needing his warning as she ordered the girls to get back with a glance. A random piece of debris sucked through the broken door was lobbed into the room beyond giving her an exact location as burning white light snapped across the space to make the debris disappear with a puff of black smoke and a foul odor. One half of Shiva's right hand tether snapped open in her sleeve and dropped down into her waiting fingers. The metal arms folded around backs of her fingers like a massive jeweled brass-knuckle as she stepped slowly forward and began to focus all her remaining strength onto the jewel. It was a subtle glow at first by as she approached the unseen force-field bristling silently with 10 million amps, that glow became a burning light. Just before the metallic jeweled would explode, Shiva crossed the remaining distance in three steps to throw all of that gathered force into the electrical field. Man-made lightning crackled blindingly into the black space as great burning arcs of electricity poured down towards the impact site and slowly expanding hole that was forming through it. The air stank of ozone as the charge continued to ripple down from the generators unabated as billions of volts bristled across the air. Powering her strength into the jewel Shiva's vision wavered and her mind lost focus as everything was thrown into that one singled minded goal. Shiva had almost created a hole large enough to go diving through when there were three intense pops followed by an intense explosive force before a total darkness and an end of the screeching sounds of alarm.

Emergency lights were the first things to return as all of them tried to recover their overwhelmed senses, as the air burned with acrid smell of burning wiring that tasted foul against the backs of their throats. Thick black smoke was pouring out of force field generators overloaded by the strain to vaporize the telekinetic intrusion. In the distance there was a slim sliver off bright light flowing into the chamber from the spaces beyond coming through the nearly caved in steel wall at the far end of the room. The tremendous forces used to force that hole through the force field had unleashed a devastating effects against the far wall. Not quite able to summon up the strength in that moment to get back up to her feet Shiva looked at that light and knew they had gotten through. Beyond that crumpled metal door was the main room to the vault and the access door to the main terminal where one could re-write the entire security protocol meant to keep people out of that critical space. Alex was the one who helped her to her feet and Isis was the one who ripped the remaining fight out of the second to last door.

"I honestly never thought we would get to see this room." Alex commented as he look around the massive circular space filled with large and small locked boxes set into the smooth walls.

"We're almost done." Shiva murmured as she threw her tether across the space where the arms pierced the front of one of the large lock-boxes. With one sharp motion the entire thing was ripped from the wall and flew towards them to strike the floor and slid to a halt at her feet. "They never let me keep any of my good toys." Shiva half growled, half teased as the coded lock proved to be the most minor of barriers as the lid popped open. Her tether returned to its' proper place at a thought and she pulled her sleeve back over its' two sided form.

"Do I even want to ask?" He murmured as Shiva shifted away from his side to lift the top layer of gray foam away.

"It'll all be in my research files. I am too tired to explain right now." She told him as she tossed the foam away and stretched her back out before holding out her hands. The two long objects that snapped up into her hands might have looked more at home in a jewelry case than in a weapons storage locker, but even the blood red clarity of a ruby like creation couldn't take away from the sheer lethal beauty of them. Long thin curved blades nearly three feet long each, they looked like Japanese samurai blades even down to the simply black leather of the hilts. The blades like the gems of the tethers where far more than they appeared to be and the handles were far more than they showed on the surface.

"Ooo!" The girls announced just as attracted to lethal purity as Shiva was herself.

"Excuse me gentlemen." Shiva called across to the room to the Alex's men who were trying to figure out how to get past the final door. The saw her armed and quickly got out of the way, Shiva launched one blade away in a sharp under hand toss, just before it struck it burned for an instant with firey red light before sheathing it's full length into the center of the door severing the pin that would permanently lock the door if triggered. Her approach was slow and unhurried drawing her closer before she launched the second blade, it struck less than a millimeter from the side of the dial lock. With a gesture of swirling finger that was mostly just for show the blade spun around the lock and when blades snapped out of door the lock popped out with them to bounce across the floor. Holding the blades in one hand Shiva pulled back the bars that were now useless and pulled open the door with her free hand to enter the small space filled with huge screens, keyboards, and computer controls. With a sigh, Shiva set aside her blades and quickly figured which controls they would want immediately.

"What are you doing?" Alex asked moving to rub her back.

"Deleting all the old security clearances and.." She grabbed his hand and planted it on a flat panel scanning device, it beeped softly. "Putting you charge of Anslaw." He gave her a surprised look. "You can't be a trained as a spy if you don't know computers.." Shiva murmured as she gave herself Level 9 access just for the fun of it. "You've got someone who knows computers?" He nodded to her soundlessly. "Good, you and I can get back into this room, as long as you make sure no one you have doubts about doesn't get clearance about Level 7, the vault should be secure until you can fix some things.. or change around the protocols."

"Thank you." Shiva smiled at him, kissed his cheek before taking her blades and her box and moving to return the three of them back to bed.

* * *

Five days of quiet, ticked slowly by with Vala worrying that any minute Shiva was simply disappear from her side and go running headlong into danger. The stories carried back by Alex and the twins about the 'hour of sneaking' had been both amazing and horrifying, the latter because Shiva would knowingly risk her life for a box filled with strange objects. Perhaps the only thing that had kept Vala from yelling at her was that Kali told her that Anslaw was now completely secure and that no General or high ranking officer could re-write the security codes from the outside and invade the base without a fight. Nothing could have taken away the horrible feeling of waiting that was almost made worse by the fact that Shiva seemed so very calm about it, as if once that box was in her position all of a sudden nothing could worry her any longer. As annoyed as this made Vala feel, the moment she was summoned to Alex's office, that calm sort of waiting disappeared in a heartbeat the black clouds loomed back over her senses.

The large beautiful office did not for a moment seem like it belonged to Alex, the grand scale and the sense that it was laid out by someone convinced of their own importance instantly struck her as being the kind of space Alex would never make his own. Perhaps one of the many millions of things left behind to collect dust when this place had been emptied save for those three dozen souls brave enough to face its' dark empty halls, even still the room only added on top of the situation to make her even more worried and nervous than before. The fact that he wasn't alone surprised and frightened her more than a little since at the sound of their entry the woman who turned towards them was not only in a Lieutenant's uniform she had a pin of the scales of justice on her collar that marked her as being part of the Advocate General's command. Only the fact that Alexander was there looking on calmly kept her from really, truly panicking at the sight and sending Shiva running towards some unknown escape plan.

"Lt. Konas here brought word from General Owen and a letter from Devin." Alex murmured over to Shiva as they approached. "Devin has been arrested, officially, and taken into custody."

"Have their been any other attacks?" Shiva asked as she moved to stand in front of him seemingly ignorant of any other presence inside the room, he shook his head and handed a file over to her.

"You have publicly been listed as a fugitive from justice, but.. they know Rei isn't dead yet.. she and Vala have been listed as missing, and as possible hostages." Alex murmured to her in the next moment.

"Well, at least the General knows how to follow instructions." Shiva agreed with a sigh as she flipped though the bare contents of the folder before passing it back to him. Vala realized at those casual words that Shiva's calm patience had not been the result of any single event or because she had suddenly felt safe in Anslaw but a necessary calculated state of readiness that was part of some plan.

"Are you going to tell us what you are planning, the General seemed quite annoyed that you hadn't shared any sort of information with him?" Alex requested in such a way that Vala knew that he didn't expect to get any more information out of her that the General had received.

"Wasn't planning on it." Shiva commented to him as she squeezed Vala's hand and stepped away to cross over to a nearby computer terminal. "How much trouble is Lt. Hornton in right now."

"A lot.. the story he has been telling to the General.. it's pretty hard to believe, and he has been outright refusing to share any information with her about where you might be and what you might be planning." The Lieutenant murmured back to her watching Shiva with confusion and suspicion.

"Well then, it certainly seems advisable that I let them know where they might find me." Shiva murmured with a dark sense of amusement rippling through her small body.

"Shiva.." Alex murmured with deep suspicions and just a hint of a reprimand.

"Easy there Lt. Colonel.. I wouldn't have waited this long if I wasn't planning on ending this quickly. I had hoped that the General might uncover something more, but the attack on General Winters did provide enough clues to give me a starting point." Shiva glanced up from the computer to give Vala an apologetic look, and somehow that was enough to allow Vala to take a tension relieving breath.

"Could you be a little more specific?" The Lieutenant asked with a narrowing gaze.

"Yes, I could." Shiva countered with a sharp edge in her soft voice.

"I believe Shiva's point is that the less we know at this point the fewer hours we will have to spend in front of a board of inquiry later." Alex murmured back to her. "She put it rather nicely for us a few hours after I got involved.. how did that go?"

"No matter what, the first act will be a criminal act, whatever may come from it, no matter what else happens because of it, the first act will be one punishable by treason." Shiva murmured off-handedly as she pulled a pad of paper into reach and began to write out some things in cool calm strokes of a pen.

"Seeing as how she is already a wanted criminal, Shiva can hardly lose much in the eyes of your superiors." Alex commented over to her. She gave him a thoughtful look at that and seemed to find fewer reasons to ask for answers after that.

"Give her some newly discovered information about me, I don't doubt that Dr. Powell had some sort of secret file on me in his database. That should explain her disappearance and presence on this base well enough, perhaps even prove some of your innocence later on." Shiva suggested over to Alex, to which he nodded thoughtfully.

"Top secret files do require hand delivery." Alex agreed with a murmur of sound as he caressed his goatee. "A crack team of researchers managed to access more of the encrypted files.." He added looking over at the Lieutenant, who almost seemed grateful that she was being provided with a believable enough alibi to cover for her absence.

"What base did you leave from Lieutenant?" Shiva asked returning to the computer terminal screen.

"Feramere.." She murmured back clearly not sure why that would be important. "But.. I am stationed at Digel.."

"Is that where Devin is being held?" She nodded at Shiva's odd questioning and a moment or two later the printing device in Shiva's background sprang to life to run off a few sheets before returning to a quiet state. Shiva added just a little more to the note before she pulled the page off of the pad and folded it in half. "We are leaving in six hours, Lieutenant, that should be enough time for you to get some rest and be ready for our flight around the far side of the moon. Alex I will need one of the emergency oxygen masks with a fresh supply of air, if you or one of your men could make sure that it is working properly and remove any markings that will lead back here it would be appreciated." The Lieutenant gave Alex a sharp-eyed look but he only shrugged at her as he agreed to Shiva's request. "Our final destination will be Digel base."

"You are not turning yourself in.. are you?" She asked with confusion and surprise. This seemed to be just enough to make Shiva smile wickedly over at her.

"Not yet." Shiva agreed as she left the desk behind taking the hand written note retrieving the printed pages on her way back across the room. "Here's our flight plan, and if you will take care of this at the appointed times, Alex." The latter was passed into the Lieutenant's keeping the former was handed over to the Lt. Colonel's. "Send the mask to my room so I can retrieve it on my way to the shuttle bay." With none of them being sure of what she could possibly be planning, Shiva took Vala's hand and together they wandered back across the room. Just before they were cut off by the door Vala's backward glance caught Alex's highly amused expression as he looked at the note in his hands as if suddenly he had a very good idea what might follow. Shiva wasn't in any mood to talk about it and in truth Vala was far more interested in making sure that it was a memorable parting so that Shiva would be sure to come back to her.

* * *

"Those.. two little girls.." Lt. Konas whispered to her as the shuttle was prepped for launch as the elevator system carried it to one of the short catapults that would allow them to overcome the moon's gravity more easily. Shiva could easily guess that someone had been talking to her about something because she seemed just a touched more nervous than she had been before, but that was fine with Shiva because if nothing else the Lieutenant wouldn't do anything stupid until Shiva was well and truly out of range of her. "They looked a lot like you.." Even though it was clear that she was really just trying to make conversation, Shiva decided that they still had a long flight ahead of them and it wouldn't hurt to give her a little insight for the sake of a quiet flight.

"My daughters." Shiva whispered as she settled back in the co-pilots seat. With the engines rumbling in the background the catapult activated without the need of a spoken countdown and they were thrown back into their seats as they were given just enough momentum to carry them slowly into lunar orbit. "An attempt to perfect some of my flaws, I suppose." She added as the pressure let off.

"You call them your daughters, but.." She didn't feel quite comfortable enough to comment on Shiva's good-bye scene or questioning the oddities that it had contained.

"We don't have parents, we don't have grandparents, and we really don't have any siblings.. we are individuals without any real family connections. All we really have in common with any other living being are similar model numbers. Maybe it's a compulsion so embedded in human DNA that not even the ones who made us couldn't get rid of it, or maybe it is simply because it made us feel like we were more than just man-made objects, but long ago we started calling ourselves a family for whatever the reason.." Shiva whispered as she was aware of being watched as Lt. Konas programmed the auto-pilot sequence through the controls from the course Shiva had plotted hours earlier in Alex's office. It didn't register any errors, and soon enough they were settling into a long slow course around the far side of the moon that would eventually lead them to Earth. "In terms of strict genetics, they would be considered closer to clones having about 70% of our genetic material being exactly the same and 20% of the remainder in common with each other. It would take a lot more research to give you accurate numbers and to find out who the father or father's might have been, if there was one. Science and philosophy are fine things for the right times, but the simple fact is that I have more in common with those two little girls than any other living thing than I know of, so yes, I call them my daughters. They call me their mother and all our more distant 'relatives' call us the triplets."

"I am sorry if I am bothering you.." She murmured nervously.

"I would have told you if you were." Shiva mumbled back already starting to feel tired as the effects of gravity started to ebb away. "I'll probably fall asleep for most of the flight.. if you would.. avoid grabbing me unless that is what it takes to wake me up as we approach our entry window through Earth's atmosphere."

"Um, yes.. Kali thought I should know some things.." She agreed with a gentle smile.

"Well no one wants to see you get hurt, least of all me." Shiva whispered back as her eyes got too heavy to watch the shifting gray landscape shifting below and and ahead of them any longer. "If they suspect anything.. don't worry about me.. tell them.." Her words were interrupted by a yawn that forced its' way to the surface. ".. that I was captured by Lunar security, sedated and put aboard your ship. Only, I woke up early.."

"You make it sound like you aren't going the whole way with me.." She commented softly.

"I'm not.. anyways it probably won't come up, you'll or those above you in the chain of command will be pretty busy not long after you arrive." Shiva murmured to her just before her last conscious thoughts drifted away and she was falling into mildly troubled dreams.

"Shiva.." The touch on the shoulder was brief and gentle and the fingers retreated long before instinct started to stir up within her. It was almost possible for her to feel the returning effects of gravity at the edges of her senses. Shiva's eyes flicked open to find that tiny blue marble rapidly growing to fill in the blackness that had dominated the sky during the long hours drifting through space before those moments. Shiva murmured her thanks as she slipped out of the straps and gave a ghost of a smirk to the Lieutenant as the older woman smiled at her. The nighttime side of the planet was already approaching as they homed in on the planned re-entry window that Shiva had laid out, and the course that would carry them over just the right patch sky. This part of her 'rogue action' could be planned out at the very least, however the moment she left the shuttle that was when the real element of risk would begin. Shiva floated back into the tiny interior cabin of the small transport shuttle and caught herself on the floor near some of the less vital control panels. Flipping off some of the internal safety systems that would prevent the internal air-lock from opening in flight and silencing the alarms that might distract the Lieutenant unnecessarily.

"Make sure you change all of this back and erase the data from the flight recorder before anyone down on base gets the chance to check things over." Shiva murmured up to her as she swung the bundled up gear down from the overhead storage compartment. The Lieutenant agreed with a mumble of sound now focused on the upcoming clash with the Earth's atmosphere. The six hour delay at Anslaw hadn't been about Lt. Konas's good health or about the farewells Shiva wanted to make, it had been about waiting for the slow rotation of Earth to expose certain sections of sky to any spacecraft approaching it from the direction of the moon. Their departure time, their course around the moon, and the time all of it took to cross between those two celestial bodies was entirely about the re-entry vectors that would carry the Lieutenant back to her home base and carry Shiva across the right patch of sky. As Shiva fixed the harness of her swords around her body and settled their weight against her spine she re-evaluated the entire course inside her head, calculating the minutes and seconds, altitudes and angles to insure she would be aimed right when she bid farewell to the shuttle.

Her pack and supplies were fixed into position over top of her light weight body armor and secured into place before she slung the oxygen mask around her neck. The shuttle rattled and shook as their re-entry began, Shiva remained fixed in place unmoved by the sudden turbulence and G-forces now at work. Checking that she could pull the handles of her blades the moment they were needed she left them hanging at her sides locked in their sheaths for the time when they might be needed. With the handles above her right shoulder and resting against left buttock both of them could be pulled telekinetically or by hand in the same instant and released into the fray at a thought as magnetic clamps insured they stayed with her. She checked to insure that the mask was working and that she had oxygen for her departure. The mask was the kind used during fires, and carried just enough breathable air for about a half hour in a small canister, enough time to get away from the smoke and deadly gases. Unsuited to exposure to a vacuum it was however enough to keep her conscious long enough to get her to an altitude with breathable air.

"I'll be in the air lock, I need to leave at 52,000 feet." Shiva called over the rumbling of the vehicle around them.

"I'll call it." Lt. Konas yelled back. Shiva almost stopped to thank her, but decided that could be done later and if this plan did not turn out to be a very bad idea. Shiva entered the small chamber and waited with systems ready to open the outer door. At 70,000 feet the engines kicked on, giving the shuttle just a little bit of speed as the wings were lowered back into position and the vehicle took on a more stable flight, Shiva opened the doors at 68,000 feet as the Lieutenant began to call over the speakers. At 60,000 feet the shuttle settled into more stable air and began its' long approach flight towards Digel base. And finally at 52,000 feet Shiva launched herself through the open air lock door, triggering the close sequence in her wake as she was whisked quickly away by the intense wind speeds flowing around the fast moving vehicle.

As the shuttle disappeared into the low fog like clouds at that height and without any other frame of reference it almost seemed like she was slowing to a hover in the thin air as her speed fell and she slowly began to move towards a more vertical sort of motion. Cold damp air whispered across her exposed skin and for a few scant seconds she could almost imagine herself to be some kind of strange bird winging her way through that sky. This, of course, seemed to be an affront to gravity as all at once she became aware of the sharp sudden sense of falling as the wind picked up and the air grew thicker against her senses. Shiva reached terminal velocity long before she became aware of anything beyond the thick gray mass of the moonlit substance of the clouds that whipped up around her like a cool fog. At about 30,000 feet the clouds came to abrupt end and she emerged into clean thicker air free and became clearly aware of the onrushing darkness of the ground below. The still distant lights of the hills and forests below resolved themselves into a new perspective of towns, roadways, homes, and buildings. At that altitude it was easy to pick out the intensely lit presence of Tinner base some ten miles still to the north. Shiva let herself fall for more than 10,000 more feet before her gifts snapped into effect and all at once much of her downward momentum became horizontal as she created an invisible hang-glider of sorts that sent her speeding across the landscape on the winds blowing towards the north.

Shifting through the air it was easy to manipulate the forms of her self created wings and hone in towards the distant lights of the massive tangle of buildings, fence lines, and the trouble that was waiting inside. According to the information that Devin and General Owen had collected over the previous days and had been carried to Anslaw by Lt. Konas, Tinner base was once an important outpost during the war, near to the front lines during some of the years of that long conflict. Which had given it a large footprint and an extensive network of tunnels beneath it. Private Gordan's untimely death had provided the direction, and images from Shiva's memories of that night had provided military license plates and truck numbers that had all lead back to Tinner base where all the vehicles had been stored and were still in storage according to base records. Even though Private Gorden's day-pass had been out of the same base and his orders signed by his commanding officer listed as part of the command staff for that facility, it hadn't been made entirely clear if that was the best place to start. The only reason to doubt that Tinner base was indeed in on the conspiracy in Shiva's way of thinking was that Tinner base was by no means the closest military facility to Vala's family vacation home. She had hoped for newer and more concrete information out of General Owen, but with so many military investigations taking place and searching for her, she could only assume that he might have been forced to lay low.

As she winged in towards the outer perimeter of the base she could only hope that she was too small to be picked up by the radar stations operating in the distance and with the search for her the possible conspirators of Tinner base hadn't been forced into hiding. How they had managed to cover up for themselves in the face of the investigations was another matter, Shiva knew she had caused quite a bit of damage during their escape, but she supposed that anyone who thought they could get away with killing a General and his family would have to be smart enough to plan ahead or have allies that could do that for them. So much of her plan hinged on the fact that the authorities had not been given any other reason to believe anything other than Shiva had been responsible, so she really didn't want to think about all the things that could go wrong.

As Shiva crossed the inner perimeter walls and moved in low to the massive number of warehouses that comprised much of Tinner base's surface facilities, she dispelled her means of travel and dropped in more or less silently to dent the metal roof of one such building with a strike of sound very much like an echo of far distant thunder. Almost immediately she was throwing tiny objects into the air from a pouch at her thigh, the tiny objects shot away into the darkness and began to scan the area from above, seeking out any hint of nearby activity. Shiva stared down at the softly glowing screen of her wrist computer straining to keep the objects moving at the outer edge of where she could maintain control. With tiny cores made of the same substance as the blue gemstones to extend their range as far as it could go and outer metal shells of a substances that created a tiny electrical charge when under her influence. The objects no bigger than bugs were housed with advanced optics that would transmit back video feeds to be recorded in her computer's memory showing whatever they saw as they were propelled along. Almost by chance she caught the signs of coming activity in the dark shadows of a nearby open area. Pulling her surveillance devices back in Shiva focused on moving as quickly as possible across the distance separating her from her target. Racing at speed and leaping between roof tops telekinetically Shiva's pace didn't slowly until she reached one of the buildings at the outer edge of the large area. Having spotted a dozen or so military transport trucks in the barely lit shadows filling that space, she slowed across the final rooftop and kept low as she moved into the outer fringes to perch like a gargoyle on the perimeter.

She launched out the full compliment of tiny surveillance devices when the situation began to change below her. With the entire space now within the range she could easily handle she was able to cover the unfolding scene with sixty different camera angles. The trucks had been pulled in and arranged in formation and the sounds of marching feet approaching through the hollow space of a nearby warehouse were no less orderly. They emerged in regimented precision armed and armored to follow whatever order was given to them without question or conscious, Series 5 troops awake and combat ready. It wasn't hard to believe they were emerging from the tunnels below the base where they were kept during periods of inactivity, Shiva's best guess was that it was nearly twelve platoons of soldiers that streamed out into the dark night loading silently into trucks driven by common everyday soldiers. Undoubtedly those drivers were like Private Gorden who had been less than model officers before they had suddenly had a change of heart when assigned to Tinner base.

The scene was watched over from one end by four figures standing at the far end of the formation of trucks. Standing in the shadows of the two smaller vehicles and seemingly cool and calm in the face of the destructive force that moved around them. Shiva concentrated a number of her devices on them and the larger of the two vehicles that waited nearby. No matter how smart she might be Shiva couldn't focus on the streaming video feeds of sixty cameras being fed into her computer, but even as she silently observed the events taking place below, she could tell that the men in the distance were men of ascending rank and undoubtedly officially part of Tinner command. She could also tell that the larger of the two vehicles was a command and control rig used to monitor and direct a large number of troops over a large area. Whatever data was gathered on those figures remained a mystery to her for the moment, but even still she knew for certain their faces and presences there were well recorded as the sounds of marching feet ended and roars of large engines replaced it as the fleet of trucks rumbled into life one by one.

Shiva watched and waited until the trucks were pulling out into the roadway and taken out of range towards the nearest gate that would take them off of the base. Pleased that her plan had paid off so handsomely in terms of hard to deny evidence Shiva focused on the two lone figures that remained behind. The reports to Tinner base from 'off-duty officers' and 'concerned citizens' coming from a nearby hospital stating that Rei Winters, Vala Lunara, and a mysterious fugitive recently reported on the news were, of course, entirely false, but the gambit had worked and Shiva was able to dismiss the first stage of her plan out of her mind. The two men in the distance seemed in no hurry to move on, but one of them did eventually turn away to walk towards the warehouses while the other loaded into the driver's seat of the small open vehicle used for transit between the widely dispersed parts of the base. Picking the vehicle as the target most likely to contain the higher ranking officer, Shiva was on the move as the quiet sounds of the engine whispered into life. His slow, probably self satisfied, course did not make it at all hard to keep up with him as Shiva ghosted along the rooftops like a predator stalking her prey. All but a few of her cameras had long since retreated back into their storage pouch but a few remained out in the open and in close to her target.

With the search for evidence satisfied for the moment the search for answers now took precedence, so when their course through the shadows revealed the vast doors of a warehouse carelessly left open, like the gaping maw of some vast creature ready to swallow some passerby, the opportunity to fulfill that secondary goal seemed far too perfect to be ignored. Shiva launched out from the rooftops and down into the valley formed between the buildings and towards the concrete street like a falcon diving in for the kill. Her strike was not aimed at the officer but at the vehicle that carried him, it was almost as if he had rolled over a perfectly timed landmine as her explosive attack struck off to one side along the midpoint of the vehicle. The concrete shattered and a concussive wave struck upward and across the side of it, the open vehicle bucked like a horse confronted with a snake in it's path as it was thrown up and sideways into the open door of the warehouse launching its' unsecured passenger free to bounce across the open space just inside the entrance.

He landed in a tangle of limbs as the fuel lines ruptured and a stray spark ignited the leaking fuel. Crippled and smoldering, the mostly controlled flames sent up a plume of thick black smoke and the scene was cast in the eerie light of the burning under carriage. Shiva entered the scene with one blade drawn, her steps slow and unconcerned as the man jerked upward only to scream as not all of his limbs moved with him. His right leg was quite clearly broken by his forced ejection from the vehicle, the bones had snapped just below the hip and the leg was left hanging lifeless by only the flesh that still connected it to his body. Angry now that she had a very real target laid out in her path Shiva could feel a cold pleasure at the scene, left unchecked by Vala's stabilizing presence.

"Oh, god! You've got to help me! My leg.." He screamed at her when her approaching presence became a touch more clear. "Please, I need to get to the hospital!"

"Oh.. I fear it is far too late for you to start worry about something so minor as a hospital." Shiva stated in slow unhurried words as she reached his prone form. "The only reason your life isn't already forfeit is so you can talk.." To insure her words registered in his pain addled mind, she stepped down hard on that broken limb, his scream was many times more intense than before as he writhed on the concrete at her feet. "Where were those troops going to?" She demanded as she let up the pressure.

"Screw you fucking whore, I ain't telling you nothing!!" He spat back at her.

"Oh.. you poor man.. does this hurt?" Shiva asked again leaning her weight down on the shattered limb. "Well.. there are other kinds of pain.." She growled feeling that same intense rage as that present during the attack beginning to stir, as she yanked his right arm upward telekinetically dragging his torso along with it, as his shoulder was very nearly dislocated by the force. "You can start by telling me who's in charge?" She whispered in dangerously sweet tones.

"Fuck off." He growled back at her.

"Now that isn't very nice.." Shiva whispered back to him. "You know.. we never got to play this game when we were kids, I've always wondered how it goes. This little piggy.." With a steady telekinetic pressure his fingers were forced to spread out and his pinky began to bend sideways until there was a sharp wet snap that seemed to echo as he screamed somehow louder than before. ".. went to market. This little piggy.."

"Lt. Ashen!!" He screamed back at her.

"Who Else!!" She screamed down at him, he clenched his jaw, shook his head, before looking away from her. "See.. now I don't believe and isn't a good thing. You.." She flipped her blade up and used the wickedly sharp tip to force his head to turn back towards her face. ".. have make me believe, otherwise I stop breaking and I start slicing." Shiva growled down to him leaving no doubt and no room for him to not see the terrible burning anger that was waiting and watching over him. There was another sickening pop and he threw back his head to scream once more. ".. stayed home." She whispered as his breath ran out. "This little piggy.."

"Colonel Freedmont!!" He screamed gasping for breath now.

"This little piggy.." Shiva repeated not caring enough to even let him catch his breath.

"Admiral Shriver!!!" He regurgitated back to her, and that name seemed to open the flood gates and the names poured out for a full minute before he seemed to run dry. Shiva broke two more fingers just to be sure before cracking his skull against the concrete and left him blissfully unconscious to his well deserved pain. Her answer gathering session however had wasted no small amount of time and even as she turned away from the prone figure on the concrete another open vehicle was screeching to a halt just outside the doors. As the two MP's lunged away from it to check the scene two flying box lids dropped the men unconscious to the ground. Shiva apologized for the unrequested loan as she hopped into their vehicle and drove off.

As she maneuvered through tangled maze of huge buildings at high speeds she quickly reviewed the limited personnel records available to her concerning Tinner base which had been delivered to her at Anslaw. Lt. Ashen was among them and had been the one to sign Private Gorden's passage off of base, Colonel Freedmont was the commandant of Tinner base. Admiral Shriver was the highest ranking person that her first victim had named, but was not among the images or names that she had known about before her arrival. However with the growing list laid out for her she decided that since she was in the neighborhood she might as well stop by for a casual conversation with at least one of them before wandered away from a place that had been so very hospitable to her thus far. As Shiva made a turn out into the wider roads that ran from the main areas of the base and towards far end of the warehouses she check her surveillance videos from earlier. Somewhat to her disappointment Lt. Ashen was the one of the faces captured in among the officers who had left with Series 5 troops, still it meant he wouldn't be around when she visited his office. Probably because he had known that there hadn't been much information to go on the General had provided her with maps of Tinner surface facilities and it wouldn't be hard to locate locate the right office with that information.

Shiva aimed the fast moving vehicle at the security checkpoint that monitored activity moving between the warehouses as the main regions of the base, pushed the accelerator to the floor and climbed up on the seat. Driving telekinetically she watched those far distant lights of the unmanned fenced gateway as it grew a whole lot larger. When her borrowed vehicle reached 100 miles an hour her telekinetic glider snapped back into being launching her skyward and the vehicle raced away and into a rather glorious collision and explosion with the gates at the far end. She couldn't know if the guards had reported in before they moved in to investigate the scene of the crash or if another team would soon find the same thing, so hopefully the disposal of their vehicle would divert attention as she swooped in over the large and small buildings and barracks that served the base's official functions. It was easy to assume Ashen's office would be in the main administration building and that was easy to spot it in the darkness. There was a still lit room with an open window on the fifth floor and it was quickly was selected as her landing site simply because of the ease of access. But perhaps because the Universe had decided it owed her a little when Shiva climbed into empty and unoccupied space she found Lt. Ashen's name place sitting prominently on the large dignified desk that dominated much of the room. Not about to question just a little bit of luck or to deny just a hint of provenance, Shiva quickly locked the inner door to the room and quickly went to work seeking out more clues about the deeply laid conspiracies of these men.

Shiva's small powerful computer had been designed for just these kinds of invasive situations, and was quickly hacking its' way into Ashen's personal files and stripping mining it of anything that had his digital finger prints on it. While the vicious little programs were chewing their way through the raw data, Shiva rifled through the filing cabinets grabbing anything that looked important and forcing open the safe where she found files that were taken without touching them and piles of money that undoubtedly had his grubby little finger prints all over it, all of it was poured into her mostly empty back pack. When her computer beeped with a sound that was something akin to a satisfied belch, Shiva took one last look around before using the fried open digital passage ways of the office computer to locate Colonel Freedmont. To her frustration, he too was not where she could reach him, having gone off-world on some inspection tour of some kind. However, with open access to military databases on a wide open digital landscape, Shiva was able to find Admiral Shriver or at least a good place to start her search, his private 'home' was listed in his personnel files. She had truly wanted to get her hands on someone 'in-the-know' to drag back with her at the end of her 'rogue action'. With two denials already in the mix and a Sergeant who had already given up the full extent of his limited information, Shiva decided to move on just about the time the alarms crackled into life across the base. Ascending to the rooftops by tether, she was almost caught in the sweeping search lights of a vehicle hovering above the base as she moved towards cover. But since the slow sweeping light of the magnetically levitating vehicle never wavered and the source of the light continued to move ahead calmly, Shiva decided she was relatively safe for the moment.

With Admiral Shriver's home more than a 300 miles south of Tinner base and on the fringes of the nearest large city, Shiva knew that she was going need a loan of more than just a simple open truck. That sort of vehicle would only involve the local police if it were to go racing away from the base at high speeds, and for as angry as still was, she saw no need to risk the lives of innocent law-enforcement types unnecessarily. As the hover-car loomed in overhead Shiva launched one of her tethers up into it's exposed under carriage and was carried up into the sky soon after. Using both tethers for leverage Shiva flattened her silhouette against the mostly flat underside of the vehicle as it moved slowly across the base and towards the air strips and storage hangers beyond. Below her the awoken legions of base personnel were conducting their harried search of the landscape and buildings as the source of their late night activities rode slowly over their heads. Trying to contain her frustration at the slow movements of the vehicle, Shiva rode the car's shadow all the way to the other internal security perimeter of the base before it began to turn away. Shiva waited until it was faced in the other direction before releasing her tethers and dropping back into the air to glide across the fence line and drop into the hanger storage facilities. She entered a series of interconnected buildings through a partially opened vented skylight, and dropped into the black shadows of the interior space to begin the search for something appropriate to her mood. Crossing between the buildings and rejecting most of the atmospheric craft stored below her in the shadows, it was not until the fourth hanger that she found something that peaked her interest.

Unfortunately this was the only building where guards had been stationed, fortunately they were both standing in the light of the small entry door discussing the alarms and expressing the pleasure they weren't involved. That changed as Shiva moved in overhead to bring their skulls together in a large hollow sound before she was able to move freely through the mothballed vehicles. These were the atmospheric fighter craft of the previous war and well within the knowledge base Shiva's head still contained. Snapping one of them free of the straps holding it in place Shiva opened the cockpit and wound up the micro-fission generators that powered its' anti-gravity engines as well as some of its' more useful features. The hydrogen fuel cells that provided for the 'after-burners' were empty, but it would still be able to achieve a reasonable enough pace for the next steps of Shiva's path. She was a disappointment that all of the ammo packs, power cells for the guns, and all the heavy artillery had been removed, but as the craft lifted free of the ground and the optical camouflage proved it still worked, Shiva dismissed the minor inconvenience of not being able to destroy the Admiral's house. With the tracking system disabled, the computer fooled into thinking it was on a black-ops mission, and with the electronic countermeasures working she would be all but invisible to anything else in the sky. Shiva blew out the hanger doors into the roadway before launching the craft through the opening she was soon whisked away from Tinner base. The only way she would be seen or tracked was if a more advanced fighter craft spotted her or some had means to overcome the technology of the past century.

Moving at tree-top level she was soon up to speed, and she was able to settle her nerves for a little bit as she set her course to her next stop and make some in-roads into evaluating the data she had already collected. While she regretted letting Colonel Freedmont's role remain mostly unknown, Admiral Shriver was perhaps a better target since his high rank and position with the Alliance space going fleet would be a new direction from the investigation Devin started. It wasn't more than hour before the high speed craft was maneuvering her into position near the huge mansion that served as a private 'home'. That massive building seen at a distance and surrounded by huge manicured gardens and grounds if anything made her believe she was dealing with the same kinds of dirty money she had found in Lt. Ashen's possession. Hovering at the edge of the walled perimeter the craft's tracking and surveillance systems easily allowed her too peer in over the borders to find a massive gathering of well dressed people involved in a party that was already in full swing and despite the late hour. With security far less advanced than a military base might claim there was little worry about slipping in and leaving the fighter craft hovering along the roof line with the control systems set to station keeping.

Perhaps like all men for whom position and influence were their biggest aspirations, the room that the Admiral had selected for his office was the room best suited to someone who thought themselves the ruler of all that sat below them. Set on the top floor and built on a massive scale with an entire wall of windows, it was barely required an effort to swing into one of the open windows by the tether anchored above her. Another raided safe, another computer strip mined for information, another set of documents and dirty money added to her bag. Shiva only wished for one good opportunity to rip someone out of their beds to torture or terrorize for information to smooth the temper that still demanded satisfaction as she returned to the roof. But even as she contemplated seeking out another more distant target to suit those violent ambitions there was a shifting off to one side and below her that caught her eye. As if a heavenly light finally shown down on her and angels swooped into answer her prayers Shiva spotted a toad-like little man emerging out onto the oversized balcony several floors below her leading a giggling, drunk little fraction of a girl and followed by two shadowy figures who were obviously body-guards. The grand portrait that had been hung opposite of the desk in the Admiral's office looked only a vaguely like the short, stubby, dumpy little figure Shiva's eyes picked out below, but it did have the same wicked beady eyes and self important bravado of the personnel files concerning the Admiral. Hardly even hesitating Shiva's tether snapped away and she was launching over the guttered edge of the roof line and dropping as if on a bungee cord to snap down in front of the pair as they reached the railing of the balcony below.

"Hello Admiral." Shiva growled as she landed in a crouch before lunging forward to grab his wrist and drag his fat little body and shiny little head closer. Twisting his arm up behind his back and spinning him around to face the glowing windows of the grand ball room across the concrete tiles, he grunted in pain as the possibly under-age girl he might have molested that night gave a truly piercing scream and ended all activity inside in a heartbeat. The Admiral's two guards were quick to draw their weapons and level them at Shiva.

"Careful!!" Shiva barked back at them as one of her blades snapped out into the light, and flashed around to rest the tip against her new hostage's chin. "We wouldn't want the fat little Admiral to die in a hail of gun-fire, now would we?" The guards to their dismay soon saw only too clearly that they had no clean shot that didn't go through Shiva's oversized body shield. "Dear sweet, Admiral Shriver, do you remember me?" Shiva whispered to him a deathly cold voice. "I hope so, because when you are your little friends had General Winters executed, you decided to blame me."

"I don't.." Shiva twisted his arm until it nearly snapped silencing him in an instant.

"Don't bother with the lies fat man, I never did like hearing them." Shiva countered darkly as he grunted in pain. "I want you to take one long last look at all those people inside. Oh, how they adore you now, but just think in a a few short days they will all know the truth. They'll know all about how you betrayed your uniform, how you sold your soul, about how you betrayed your country, and about you MURDERED an innocent man in cold blood to increase your profit margins." Shiva growled to him in a sickly sweet voice, so very tempted to gut him right then and there. But she still had purpose for him and a mission to complete so she ripped the two of them upward, dragging the fat little man along for the ride. Whisking the two them skyward where she slammed the Admiral into the roof tiles and knocked the wind our of his fat body long enough to tie his hands behind his back. She then dumped him into the auxiliary seat of the open cock-pit and the seat-belts took great pleasure in over tightening around him almost choking his gasping breaths from his body. The canopy snapped closed and they were slammed into motion out over the grounds and away from the party.

"I don't know who the fuck you are or what the fuck you want, but if you think you are going to scare me into talking.." Shiva was in no mood to listen to him as sudden surge of rage made it very hard to focus on setting the auto-pilot for her next destination. Fighting the urge to break the little man in half right then and there, she satisfied herself for a moment or two longer by untying the black cloth tied around her hair to send it drifting back to gag the Admiral. Once the auto-pilot was set and working, with shaking hand Shiva turned and crawled over the console that separated the seats.

"Now listen close you dirty rotten piece of shit." Shiva growled to the gagged man in the back seat, grabbing him by the front of his uniform and ripping him forward with enough force to leave intensely painful bruises where the straps dug into his flesh. "YOU ARE GOING TO TALK!! You are going to give them every name, every contact, every secret you know, or I am going to Come for YOU!! BUT only after I find every son, daughter, mother, father, grandparent, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, cousins out past Distant, and ANYONE YOU HAVE EVER known or had feelings for. And one by one I will break every single one of them into tiny little chunks and send them in the mail, piece by bleeding piece. NO MATTER where you run to, No Matter where you try to hide, one day you will open up your mail and find something that belong to one of them. YOU TRIED TO TAKE AWAY MY FAMILY!!" Shiva felt a lump in her throat at those words but the rage within her was far stronger than the sadness. "AND I WILL DO the exact same thing to you.. ONLY I WILL SUCEED!! And on that day.. on your very.. Last.. Day.. when you think you can take any more.. I'LL be there waiting for you with a smile on my face and then the Real Fun will begin. And I will Start by breaking.." Just to ensure that her words were understood completely, her next words were accompanied by the soft wet crackling of the bones inside of his left hand giving out under the pressure of her rage, one by one. "Every.. Bone.. In.. Your.. Body.. BECAUSE THE ONLY REASON YOU ARE STILL ALIVE IS SO YOU WILL TALK, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!!!" His nod was all the answer she could want as he wet himself and started sobbing with pain and fear.
Chapter Nine: The Calm Between the Storms

Digel base swam just a little in her vision, the constant efforts of the past 10 hours and the faded rage that even now growled at the back of her mind had worn away at her strength. The three hours riding in stinking cockpit had been the only thing that had kept that rage alive and strong enough keep her going. The Admiral had spent much of the last hour gurgling and mumbling against the gag, undoubtedly trying to beg and bribe his way to freedom. Digel base was large enough to be equipped with it's own catapult and extensive enough to cover several square miles. Shiva didn't bother too much with the sight-seeing as she maneuvered the craft in low and over the edge of the airfields. Hopefully below notice of any weapon's systems as she shifted in close to the Tower facility. She could see the people moving about inside the tower from when they came to a hover just outside the windows.

"Digel Tower, this is stolen Fighter Craft NSX73124-SA." Shiva called across the headset, it was almost amusing to see startled people jump into activity even as one man's tilted chair dumped him to the floor. Even though they had clearly heard her, it was several minutes before three or four shadowy figures entered the space and hurried over to the com system.

"Stolen fighter craft, this is Advocate General Vandemere speaking." Came the soon to follow reply from a strong feminine voice.

"Ma'am, I have information related to the reasons why and to those behind General Winters death, and I am willing to turn it, my prisoner, and myself over into your custody if you are willing to agree to my terms for my surrender." Shiva called back calmly as the Admiral behind her began to mumble even louder than before.

"I'm listening.." She agreed cautiously as one figure waved off the figures behind her.

"I want Lt. Devin Hornton to be temporarily released from custody, given a transport vehicle and sent to the middle of your furthest runway." Shiva murmured as she glanced over to those airfields. "When he goes there he should take a large box with a lock that I will program, where I can place all my weapons and dangerous materials. And I want your word that none of the people on Digel base will try anything stupid."

"That's it?" She almost sounded surprised.

"Yes, ma'am." She quickly agreed and people were sent off running as silence filled the closed com-channel. About fifteen minutes later a single figure in a single vehicle left a large hanger and was sent racing across the landscape. When he reached the appointed point Devin got out of the vehicle and started looking around, recalling the last time Shiva had turned herself over to someone in a position of authority. Maneuvering away from the tower, Shiva deactivated the optical camouflage as she moved into for a swift landing, undoubtedly surprising the unaware people back in the tower. When the cock pit pulled back and Shiva started climbing out Devin was there to help her reach the ground in the absence of a stair case or ladder.

"You must have gotten something good." He commented to her. Shiva slipped off her computer and handed it over to him as he followed her back to open vehicle. He leaned up against the side the truck as Shiva stripped off the rest of her gear and put it into the waiting lock-box. The evidence piled into her bag was tossed between the front seats, while Devin stood nearby with a rapt and surprised expression staring at the small computer screen. It was not until Shiva dumped the Admiral into the back seat with a less than gentle thump that Devin realized she was ready to be patted down. He waved back to the tower as Shiva climbed up into the driver's seat and he hurried to get into the passenger's seat.

"Don't ruin the finger prints." Shiva whispered to him as she started back across the open area towards another large open doorway closer to base of the tower followings Devin's directions before he was distracted by the contents of the bag. They were soon pulling out of the thin light of the rising sun as a platoon of heavily armed men closed in behind them. Shiva drew to a halt at the center of the large open repair bay and turned off the vehicle.

"She's unarmed." Devin called as he hopped out of the vehicle brandishing the micro sized computer over his head and swinging the bag down near his leg.

"Remember what we talked about Admiral, the only way I let you and your family live is for you to spill your guts." Shiva growled as she climbed out on Devin's side of the vehicle and followed him as he moved away from the stopped vehicle.

"General you really need to see this!!" Devin called across to other figures in back of the armed men.

"Admiral Shriver, so good to see you again." General Vandemere murmured as she and those with her arrived, her words and expression made Shiva think she was long familiar with him and knew enough to have a serious dislike of him. "Take him to a holding cell and watch him until I am ready." She growled over her shoulder to her subordinates and the armed men that had moved in close with them. "I want that box secured in a weapon's locker, and no one is touch it." She added pointing to someone behind them. "Now tell me why you decided to take prisoners." She ordered turning her penetrating gaze on Shiva.

"He was implicated by one of people directly responsible for General Winter's death. The Sergeant was quite motivated to tell me who he knew about.. when he saw things my way." Devin gave her a dark look as he handed over her bag to one of the Colonel's officers who had approached with her. "There are files and money taken from the safes and offices of Admiral Shriver and another man implicated in this conspiracy, in that bag and their fingers prints should be all over them. There is a lot more in that computer.."

"General." Devin murmured stepping over to her side to show her something of what it contained.

"Those are.." She fell silent in surprise.

"Series 5 troops, I observed at least 10 teams of them being mobilized, and recorded those scenes with some of my equipment." Shiva told her without hesitation.

"You.." Her eyes were accusing.

"They were probably dispatched by the same anonymous tips that probably had your people arriving at the same hospital near the same time." Shiva told her softly and unable to keep herself from looking away guiltily under that accusing gaze. "I honestly hope none of your people were hurt.."

"A few minor injuries, a small fire fight before they just sort of stopped.. as if they ran out of orders." She agreed darkly and much to Shiva's relief.

"I'm sorry ma'am, I honestly hoped that nothing bad would happen, but felt that I needed at least some witnesses who had credibility in your eyes who could testify that Series 5 troops were awake and active." Shiva whispered to her even as her remaining strength began to fade and her eyes started to burn with exhaustion once the Admiral was gone depriving her rage of a direct target. "They were dispatched under the command of Lt. Ashen out Tinner base.. you might want to have an arrest warrant out for him.. like now, in case he hasn't already gotten off world."

"Issue that order, Thomas." She murmured to one of her people who ran off.

"Colonel Freedmont was second highest ranking officer below the Admiral implicated in this conspiracy." Shiva murmured before she could be struck by a yawn that made her feel just a little dizzy. "I didn't get to his office before the alarms were sounded, but he was listed as being off-world so.. it should be clean." Devin touched her arm in the next moment before she was simply being swept clean off her feet.

"Rei Winters and Vala Lunara?" The General asked as her voice almost became gentle as she took a few steps closer.

"I can not doubt that they are safe, ma'am. As I told you Shiva was very.. forthright about protecting her family." Devin murmured to her as the slow movements of his hand rubbing her shoulders and back made it very hard for her to keep her tired mind focused.

"I don't suppose this means she is willing to cooperate with me now." She asked of Devin.

"I think she'll humor you at the very least, ma'am." Devin murmured back to her in a state of high amusement.

"Good enough for me, now if you would Lieutenant, please escort my guest back to your temporary quarters until we can sort all of this out." She requested softly.

"Aye, ma'am." He agreed chuckling against Shiva's hair.

* * *

Shiva stayed in her cell only long enough for the guards to move away to other things before the sound of a lock echoed through the quiet. Shuffling sleepily she wandered out of her cell and entered his only to strip off her light weight armor and slid down against his side with an exhausted murmur. Chuckling as he covered her with the blankets he couldn't honestly wait to see General Owen's face when he reported all of this to him some time in the near future. Even though he had seemed to trust Devin's opinions enough to go along with Shiva's 'first stage' of her plans, he had later seemed to doubt that Shiva had known what she was doing requesting that things be left in the dark until she was publicly known to be a fugitive from justice. It had been easy to guess that she had wanted that knowledge to be public so that she could use 'anonymous' tipsters to report the situation most likely to draw out the conspirators into another attack. Still he was very much surprised to find her there, Lt. Konas had stopped by just after her return planet-side long enough to let him know Shiva was on the move. Having been a part of the same analysis team as he had back during the war, he had trusted her more than enough to whisper about General Owen's involvement and get her involved in aiding in their efforts. Lt. Konas was smiling when she stopped by a second time to deliver him a lunch not produced by the prison cooks. She informed him that she had been told to report by Lt. Col. Ishmere that Rei and Vala were both very much alive and safe at Anslaw, if and when Shiva arrived at Digel base. And then laughingly told him that the last time she had seen Shiva, she was jumping out of a shuttle craft at 52,000 feet without a parachute. With sandwiches that weren't cruel and usual, and Shiva peacefully sleeping by his side, he was able to relax knowing that his time in a cell would probably be over very soon.

"I see what you meant by her humoring me." The General whispered as she arrived at the bars.

"I imagine this is preventative, to keep her from wandering into trouble, ma'am. I can only imagine she's not used to sleeping alone by this point." She nodded and smiled at the sleeping figure next to him.

"Seeing her like this, it's almost hard to imagine that she tortured a Sergeant quite viciously." She commented to him with just a touch of a frown to darken her expression. Having been involved in no few 'interviews' with her during the past five days, he knew she mentioned this because she wanted his opinion. "Or that she recorded herself doing it by whatever she means for observation she used to during her activities at Tinner base."

"If you will allow me to say so.." She nodded back to him quick. "It was perhaps the result of some very understandable stress coming out. Off the record, she took the General's death pretty hard, Vala told me when I last saw her that Shiva had started to see him like the father figure she never really had." The General's eyes got a little misty as she turned away for a moment.

"He was my friend, one of the few truly honorable men I could name." She admitted to him in return as she turned back towards him. "What you told me about him reconsidering his position about Series 6 was perhaps the only part that I was ready to believe before she showed up."

"And now?" Devin asked deciding this conversation couldn't become much more unofficial.

"She didn't record what she did or said to Admiral Shriver, thankfully since it might have made his testimony unusable, but whatever it was and however his hand got smashed, he is practically screaming with the effort to name names, and expel all his little secrets." She told him with a dark chuckle and a very blood thirsty expression, and as much as they were both supposed to disapprove of such things Devin did not doubt there was anyone who could or would blame her for not investigating what had motivated the Admiral into cooperating. "She cleaned out Lt. Ashen's computer files, and Admiral Shriver's home computer and that's giving us even more clues. Some of the files she took aren't related, but most of them are.. and their certainly is enough dirty money in that bag to make us question some personal finances."

"I would have guessed as much, it wouldn't be at all like her to turn herself in so quickly unless she was carrying more than enough evidence to at least cast doubt over her guilt." He told her softly as he rubbed Shiva's shoulders as she seemed to stir just a little against his side.

"Well, General Owen called about a half hour ago.. he transmitted a neural imaging file.." Devin's expression became dark as he thought about that and nodded back to her. "Lt. Col Ishmere agreed to let me speak with the two 'hostages'.."

"I did not know where they ended up, General, only that it would be safe from anyone who might be involved." Devin murmured to her, just in case she thought he had really had been withholding information from her.

"Understandable, and I would like to say about your part in this whole affair is that I would have preferred it had been you who told me about that neural imaging file." She commented to him with a hint of a disapproving scowl.

"Someone might have implied that it had been tampered with, ma'am." She gave him a thoughtful nod as if she could respect that kind of thinking. "The problem with this whole situation was, Shiva did have a motive to hate General Winters at one point.. and there was no hard evidence that she wasn't responsible."

"You're right about that." She agreed with a sigh. "I don't suppose you've got a dozen like her stashed away somewhere.." Devin could see an intense worry behind her eyes as he shook his head in return. "If... Admiral Shriver is telling the truth.. he and those he got involved with have been in control of Series 5 for about 15 years and have been selling them off piece by piece.. out on the black market."

"Oh god.." Devin whispered as that struck him in the face, that was perhaps the one thing he hadn't let himself consider. He had really only wanted to believe that maybe at the worse cast scenario that troops were being used as someone's private army. But these facts laid bare were perhaps the very worst case kind of scenario he could have imagined.

"Admiral Shriver has been one of the gophers, helping them move the 'merchandise' so he could share some of the profits." She added with the same half terrified expression he could feel on his own face. "Perhaps the only good news is that Series 6 is safe.. because of her intervention. But I don't even know how we are going to move on the people behind this without serious casualties.."

"Put me in front of a secure com-line and tell me when and where.." Shiva's sleepy murmur was nevertheless with a bone-chilling echo of the horrible things she could call up. She shifted against his side and moved to look up across the space at the General. Devin was struggling to understand her meaning, and when he meet the General's gaze he knew she was doing the same. ".. assuming of course, I am not under arrest."

"Lt. Hornton here has convinced me that your actions though.. extremely violent, were perhaps the result of emotional stress." The General told her softly as her mind seemed to work through the previous statement. "Since I was going to get you out of here and give you a debriefing over lunch, I brought you something a little less frightening than that body armor." She added gesturing to Shiva's discarded clothing even as she offered a paper bag through the bars. Shiva nodded, rubbing at her still tired eyes as she crossed the distance to accept it, as she moved off Devin moved closer to the bars. "A secure com-line? When and where?" She asked him in a whisper that hopefully Shiva wouldn't hear.

"I honestly don't know, General. But she's playing this close to her chest so it honestly means that she's got some secret, somewhere." Devin murmured back to her as his mind worked furiously towards some sort of answer.

"She couldn't possibly mean she would knowingly throw her life away.. as long as she could make one last call." She whispered to him with a bone deep worry that Shiva might be suicidal.

"Not a chance.. she loves Vala too much to ever think about that." A moment later the comment about a phone call struck him all at once and he found himself snapping around to glare at Shiva's back as she took her time about dressing in the unfamiliar clothing. The General's hand grabbed his before he could even think about confronting her.

"What?" She demanded in an urgent whisper.

"Lt. Col. Ishmere.. of Anslaw.." He murmured to her half as a question and half as a confirmation, she nodded and gave him a still confused look. "When was Anslaw last inspected?" He asked not quite ready to brandy about anything like an accusation. Her mind rolled that question around for a moment before she gasped and seemed to strike on the very same idea that he had. Shiva who seemed to be making a conscious effort to ignore them gathered up her hastily discarded things and folded them back into the empty bag before walking to the cell door with a yawn. The lock clicked open even as she reached for it and stepped past it as if she merely had been stepping out of room in someone's house.

"I'm ready to go to interrogation now." She murmured folding her arms in front of her as she moved to stand in front of the General. Much to her credit the General laughed down at her as Devin followed her out past the partially open cage door. Keeping her movements slow and nonthreatening as if she had dealt with Shiva a thousand times, the General ducked down in front of her and rubbed her arms.

"No interrogation rooms for you, I'd rather stay on your good side.. as I said earlier just a quiet discussion over a well deserved meal." Shiva actually relaxed enough to smile as she nodded in return. "That is after I make one more phone call." She looked up at Devin silently ordering him to keep an eye on Shiva. He smiled in return as he moved to scoop Shiva off her feet and settled against his shoulder.

"Devin." She whined clearly thinking about her dignity.

"Oh hush, you're still tired and don't go trying to lie because we both know you are bad at it." She made a frustrated noise at him even as her arms circled his neck and she settled calmly against him. The General smiled at her back and then at him before she leading the way out of the holding area. They passed through the tunnels that crisscrossed the underside of Digel base and connected most of the buildings together, allowing prisoners to be moved with less chance of them being seen or in some cases killed outright. While there current use was as such it also had the advantage of allowing one to travel between different points of the surface facilities without having to brave the weather whatever that might be. Their first stop quickly proved to be General Vandemere's office where she activated the encrypted communications lines most ranking officers had access to, Shiva really didn't pay attention to who she was calling, but Devin certainly did. The call connected after a few minutes and Lt. Col. Ishmere answered it with a smile on his face.

"Something else you needed, ma'am." Shiva's head whipped around as Devin stood in the General's background.

"Off the record.. how many of the Series 6 children are awake inside of Anslaw right now?" The General asked him, without feeling the need for banter or deception as she aimed right for the heart of the matter. The Lt. Colonel's eyes instantly shot to Shiva and she was quick to shake her head just a tiny bit, but all three of them saw it. "She didn't say anything about it, Lt. Colonel, save to say that there would be some means to minimize the casualties."

"196, General." He told her with an expression that made it clear he thought he was about to suffer some very sharp words and possibly a court-martial.

"This is still off the record of course, but that board decision never did sit well with me, Lt. Colonel." The General assured him sounding down right pleased to hear this small bit of good news. "I did not tell you, but what Shiva uncovered is snowballing into disaster on par with Series 4, if not bigger.. we have got serious trouble brewing on our horizon.. so.."

"I believe I can understand your meaning, General. Whatever assistance I can provide you with will be offered freely, if.. you will give me your word that my command isn't in danger of being taken away." He murmured to her somewhat pointedly offering a deal.

"Anslaw has been quiet since you took command, I am certain I already have enough evidence that any.. unauthorized actions you have taken have only remained quiet because of your skilled leadership. Should any information about such actions get out, I feel confident I will be able to convince the brass that perhaps it is for the best that no one disturb the way of things inside your command." She told him choosing her words carefully to insure that they both understood what was being said.

"Yes, ma'am." The Lt. Colonel agreed chuckling in return. "The brass might very well see things your way giving the proper insights."

"Good, now that we have an understanding, and now that your.. liaison.." She was filled with barely contained laughter as she glanced back at Shiva. ".. has been cleared of all charges she will be contacting you soon enough with the information you may need."

"Aye, aye, ma'am." He agreed giving her a sharp salute, which she returned before ending the call.

"Feel better?" The General asked softly as she stepped away from the screen to rub Shiva's back. Shiva gave her a happy nod and they were soon leaving her office for a quiet lunch and a calm discussion that would lead to the next potential disaster they would soon face head on.

That first afternoon Lt. Ashen was arrested trying to get off-world using a commercial transport, his three pieces of luggage were filled with nothing but stacks of credit bills withdrawn from six different banks. Col. Freedmont was arrested two hours after that in transit between a base on Jupiter's moon Titan and six hours out from Earth. By the evening they were both naming names and spilling secrets, filling the far branching limbs of the rapid growing tree of conspiracy. It quickly became clear that it would require far more than the forces of the Advocate General's offices could handle even if they pulled in every single one of the Series 6 children who were awake at Anslaw, and despite the fact that Shiva was quick to tell them that not all of those awake would be suited for a combat situation of any kind. Military Investigations were soon involved, but only after the Gen. Vandemere had thoroughly investigated the departments command staff for even slightest hint that there might be something foul in the mix. General Owen was soon included providing a dozen platoons of troops, but would probably be investigated later despite the fact that Devin assured the two Generals already involved that his commanding officer's honor was above reproach.

While Gen. Killian might have much liked to bring Lt. Col. Ishmere up on charges after learning that far more than 21 Series 6 children were awake and active, Gen. Vandemere was good to her word and quickly convinced him that the decision that had confined Series 6 to an unknown future had been part of the long laid plans by the very same people that they would soon be putting under arrest. The fact that they were all but guaranteed to find at the very least some violent resistance during the planned attacks that were in the works was perhaps the second and more compelling argument to look the other way just that once. In the end they still had to take nearly every one of the children who Shiva and the Lt. Colonel felt were ready for the kinds of things they would face. One hundred and twenty-two of them in all, not including Shiva, and they had to borrow two oversized shuttles to move all of them at one time.

It had been three days since Shiva had shown up on Gen. Vandemere's proverbial doorstep and began all the chaos, but in that time Devin could not doubt that she had not failed to impress either two Generals now in charge or surprised the hell out both of their command staffs. In truth those three days had been perhaps the most amusing experience in his lifetime to watch the faces and to hear the comments of those around him as Shiva talked tactics like a General, discussed combat like a hardened front line soldier, and spent a large portion of time simply scaring the hell out of so many people. And as if only to add sprinkles to an already overloaded ice-cream cone she had fallen asleep in his lap during overlong and boring meetings no less than three times. As he regarded the huge mass of happy excited children now gathered in a massive tiered briefing room, he wondered how he was going to avoid breaking down into hysterical laughter at one point or another sometime in the near future.

"They.. are so young.." Gen. Killian whispered to Devin and Gen. Vandemere as they entered into the space in Shiva's wake.

"Shiva assured me that all the truly young ones stayed at Anslaw." Gen. Vandemere murmured though she sounded as if she really didn't believe that to be true.

"And she's probably right about that, the older ones like Shiva were created first, Lt. Col. Ishmere would know that the younger ones were far less likely to have serious issues with violence and therefore more likely able adapt to a redefined Anslaw." Devin commented to them softly. "If you will pardon me for saying this, Generals, we are just going to have to trust Shiva in this, because with this lot we are simply out of our league." The both gave him a thoughtful look.

"Okay everyone settle down!" Shiva called out, her presence commanded a respect that impressed even Devin as within 5 seconds the room was quiet and the entire room of children were seated and watching raptly as she moved to the center of the space and hopped up to sit on top of the podium. "I know everyone is excited to get their first taste of being out under a proper sky, and see something other than the walls of Anslaw.. but we are here for a reason." Even Gen. Killian seemed to be just a little moved to be reminded of the fact that most of these children had never know anything but the inside of a laboratory. "Now that all of you are here, that probably means we aren't going to get much of a chance to really enjoy it until after.. so let's stay focused and keep in mind this isn't a vacation."

"Gotcha, Mom." One of the two girls that looked very much like Shiva teased, Shiva glared at her as giggles raced around the room.

"From right to left those are Lt. Devin Hornton, the Advocate General Julia Vandemere, and the head of Military Investigations General Martin Killian. The big hitters are in charge of the whole show, while Devin is in charge of keeping us in line and out of trouble.. if he is up to the job." Shiva was clearly teasing him, but all of the others seemed to see the affection she had for him. Devin was hard pressed not to smile back at her as her gentle teasing really only served to make no few of the children relax where he was concerned and therefore made his job easier by default.

"You just be minding your own business, young lady." Devin growled back at her much to the deep widespread amusement of those gathered there.

"Most of you know why I left Anslaw, but just to be sure we are all clear here's the short version. Rei's husband, Vala's father, decided that he could no longer sit idly by and leave us to be forgotten.. he was killed because of it. I was framed for his murder and attacked by multiple units of Series 5 troops. When I left Anslaw a second time I carried out my mission to prove that someone or someones were using Series 5 as their own private army, and that Gen. Winters death was part of a plot to put us right into the hands of those very same people. And that belief was right on the money.." It was not lost on the three of them that those child-like expressions became angry and dangerous, nor that the air around them took a decided twinge of imminent doom and gloom. "Now it falls to us to clean up the mess and bring all of this out into the light. I know some of you aren't trained for combat, I know some of you are terrified at the thought of what the next few days could bring.. but this is our chance. The chance that all of us were waiting for all those years ago, to prove to everyone that we deserve something better than being just lab rats." Devin found himself scanning the faces in the crowd and was impressed by the effects of Shiva's carefully chosen words as she continued her speech.

"I've been in on the planning of this no more than 6 hours after I got here with the first pieces of proof, and I have been in one every meeting since then. This first strike is massive.. nearly 15,000 regular troops from two different bases, 4,500 people from the Advocate General's command, more than 8,000 people from Military Investigations, and us. We are here because Series 5 troops are beyond dangerous, some of them are nearly as strong as us and do not doubt for a second that they are true killers. They have had their humanity stripped away piece by bleeding piece and they will not hesitate to kill woman, children, or infants if so ordered without hesitation or conscious. I want every one of us to come back, so if you encounter them, make damn sure you strike first because you won't get a second chance. Unfortunately because there are so few of us, all of us are going into this with at least of 50% chance we will see at least some of our would be predecessors. Whether or not they will be in stasis, inactive, or unarmed is not clear at the moment, as such Alex and I have put a great deal of effort into making balanced teams putting those of us with combat training into positions to watch over those of us with little to none." Shiva flicked the controls for the screen at a distance displaying the full lists of names, grouped into teams of no less than three and diagrammed out to the far spread targets where they were needed most.

"About 60% of our number are going to be spread across the board into positions where the chances for combat are lower, you will also be reinforcements for ground troops and those who are there to arrest people. Those teams will be lead by officers Devin has selected and whom have his complete and total trust. Most of those who have the ability to incapacitate rather decapitate.." There were a few tension relieving giggles at those words. ".. will be going towards those situations, and because most of those who fit that category are the ones with the least amount of training. I've made sure anyone who has even a glimmer telekinesis was brought down, if you are and you are heading towards the less hazardous areas, your primary goal is protect your team while the others drop people with their superior range."

"And the rest of us?" The other girl who looked like Shiva asked as if she knew exactly what category she fit into.

"Right into the heart of darkness.. the Series 5 storage facility." Shiva murmured back to her. "That being said, I have just one more thing to say before we break up into our teams.. this whole mission is about putting butts in the jail cells, not about putting bodies on the floor. If you are being attacked, defend yourself.. if you can avoid casualties do so, if you encounter Series 5 troops, do the humane thing and kill them. If you capture them, they'll go right back in the freezers were they are supposed to be. They have no families, no lovers, no joy, nothing save the pleasure programmed into them that makes them savor the kill. It is far better that the pain they can no longer feel simply end.."

"She's right about that.." General Vandemere surprised him by calling out. "Once long ago.. I tried to help some of those who are part of Series 5. It was something I will never again consider.. he would have killed me with a smile just to see the blood on his hands if I hadn't been an officer. Shiva.. and all of you, have already shown me you aren't like that, I want all of you.. all of you to come back.. not because you are Series 6, not because you are still part of some.. cruel military project, but because you are still human and can prove that to all the idiots that have kept you locked up in Anslaw all this time." All of them looked just a little hopeful and seeing the determination in the General's eyes.

"That goes double for me." General Killian surprised him even more when he whispered that to Devin thoughtfully.

"If everyone will short of shuffle around and gather into these teams, if there is some reason you feel like we got you placed wrong come up here and we'll try to work it out. All of you have a generic briefing with the Generals before you get more detailed information on your individual team assignments. Everyone who is listed with me and Ayla come up and bug her for a bit, we've got a room where we will be planning the big job." Shiva called out calmly before the room filled with the sounds of shifting feet and soft calls.

"My only question now is if they are all as impressive as her." Gen. Killian commented with a chuckle.

"Shiva told me once, she might have been considered one of the most dangerous, but she never considered herself one of the most impressive, sir." Devin commented back to him honestly and was deeply amused by his shocked surprise. "After all she was one of the first.. I would have to think they got better with time."

"Why do I find that so ominous?" He chuckled back in the next moment.

"Because Shiva's scary." The tiny sweet voice that murmured up to him came from a little girl no older than ten years old who smiled as she clutched a stuffed animal under one arm. Giggling she took the General's hand and pulled the surprise man away from the door. Another girl with a quiet smile and a dark kind of gothic presence smiled just a little as she moved into take his arm to pull him towards the large group gathered at the far end of the room.

"Hey there, Poe." Shiva whispered as Devin arrived escorted by the confusing figure.

"Hey." Many of the kids in that group were surprised that she spoke, and Devin wondered if he could ever truly understand any of them let alone the one he knew the best.

"Come along Devin, you need to keep an eye one all us kids to make sure we don't ruin our dinners or watch the naughty movies you hide in the bottom of your sock drawer." Shiva teased before leading all of her giggling siblings out of the room and into the small briefing room where every piece of information about the Series 5 storage facility had been laid out and readied for them.

* * *

The plans had been made, the people involved had moved into position, and her family would soon be scattered all across the planet to confront the very real danger ahead of them and would face the possibility that some of them would not be coming back. Deep down where she could not let any of the others see she wanted very much to burst into the General's office and call the whole thing off, to blackmail the brass into signing over their souls into her keeping to insure they were simply not shoved back into Anslaw to be forgotten about for another half a century. She wanted to write the whole thing off as being a problem created by the ancestors of normals and to declare in loud booming voice that they were not involved before leading a mass defection of escapees from Digel base like a modern day Moses. Even though her first instinct was to help despite the fact that she had been in a jail cell at the time she had since come to very much regret even that tiny hint, she resented the fact that they were being sent in like the small body shields for real trained soldiers.

"Nervous?" Gen. Vandemere asked as she appeared at bedroom door of the quarters Devin had been assigned. Shiva, of course, had been assigned her own room, but she never even bothered to try and find it, feeling all but certain that if she was alone in bed she would have nightmares if not about the accident in the lab than about what was too come.

"And pissed.." Shiva admitted reluctantly wishing as she often did that she could actually get away with lying even once or twice in her life. But she knew that simply didn't have what it would take to practice such a thing and erase those clear tells that always gave her away.

"At us?" She asked in return not for one minute doubting they were the target of that emotion. Shiva looked at the General's image reflected in the mirror even as she tightened the straps holding her weapons and supplies in place. She was forced to nod in return, not quite able to meet that cool calm gaze. "Tolli is a sweet little girl, she told me you didn't believe me when I told you that I was going to do everything I could help all of you when this is over." She admitted a touch guiltily to Shiva as she stepped further into the room.

"Over.." Shiva snorted at that word but there was no real amusement in the sound. "Even if we all make it back from today, it isn't over and we both know it. There are Series 5 units spread over half of creation by now.. and for all we know someone out there is using them to clone themselves an army having bought all the information they would need to strip away those clones' humanity just like the military did to all the originals." Shiva more or less growled back at her. "Why even consider giving us even an ounce of freedom when the brass could just shove us back into the freezers, keep us in their back pockets, and string us along with false promises for another 50 years before we become an inconvenient truth once more." Shiva countered bitterly, very much tempted to follow her original line of thought once more.

"I've come to respect Lt. Hornton a great deal since you showed up and I was given the first hard evidence of true disaster you were caught up in. Want to hear some of what he has told me?" Shiva wanted to shake her head, to peacefully bow out of the situation and go back to Vala and forget that she was the one who had started all of this. But before she could make that decision the General decided to continue without waiting for Shiva's hesitating answer. "That you might have done all that damage to protect your family, that you might have performed your little 'rogue action' to clear your name, but the reason you showed up here and turned yourself in.. was because deep down you still had a sense of duty and honor. If all you had wanted was to prove you weren't responsible for General Winter's death you would have broken into my office one night and left a note and your evidence before you went to steal a shuttle and quietly gotten off-world." Shiva wasn't sure how she could counter those words as the General slipped across the distance and slowly snaked her arms around Shiva to hug her back against the older woman. "He also told me that if we were going to deal with any of your siblings that we should not even consider lying to them, we might just get away with it around you, but the moment we opened our mouths the others would know if it was true or not."

"Probably.." Shiva was forced to whisper back to her.

"So.. I'm not going to lie to you.. even if I could get away with it. Yes, we are probably going to need the help that you and some of the others can provide, and yes, some of the brass are going to try to propose that all of you are too valuable a 'resource' not to keep within their total control. But do you want to know what I plan on telling all of them?" Shiva reluctantly nodded in return. "That the moment they try to make an end run around all of you, I will be making a phone call straight to you and will be telling you the truth and all the names of all the people who are trying to betray your family. I can only just imagine what some of them are going to think at the prospect of having you show up in their homes in the middle of the night. All of you deserve your freedom, and not just because of this, and not just because of what the last generation of military leaders did to you, and not even because that is the least you deserve."

"Then why?" Shiva was forced to ask when the older woman fell silent and didn't seem ready to explain herself.

"Because you are human.. no matter what else, or whatever you have burned into your DNA, all of you are human. Series 5 had that taken away from them, and the only way we can prevent another even worse disaster from happening in 50 or a 100 more years, is make damn sure no one ever forgets that." She whispered softly to Shiva rocking her just a little with the arms holding her close. "And all I need to do to prove that to the brass is to point to all of you and say, 'Look at them'. You are not here because we ordered it, you aren't here because you are trying to blackmail us into giving you the freedom you rightly deserve, and most of you aren't even here because out of some need for revenge. You are here because there is a problem, and you know without question that you were the only ones that could help save and preserve the lives of your fellow human beings."

"I suppose so.." Shiva murmured back to her feeling not at all generous enough to acknowledge those truths at that time.

"Well you can suppose all you want, kiddo, but I know so, deep down in my depths of my soul." She swore softly back to her. "Now come, you've got a long trip ahead of you and all the other good little boys and girls are starting to gather." Not entirely ready to face the others, Shiva didn't really have the willpower left to argue with the General as the older woman turned her around and walked her out of the room.

"We still have time to try and blackmail you.." Shiva commented to her as they moved through the quiet hallways towards the sound of a great many people gathering below in the gardened square at the heart of those buildings.

"I suppose so but we both know most of you aren't ready to decide I am not worthy of the trust you have already shown." She commented back with a warm chuckle which is just the sort of truth Shiva really didn't want to think about right then. Down the stairs and outside their whole of their number was already awake and saying their temporary farewells as those that had the farthest to go were preparing to depart. Most of them just smiled at Shiva probably thinking she had stuff to do, or knowing she wouldn't want to say goodbye in case something bad did happen. The General at least seemed to understand this compulsion and silently escorted her through the crowds of her siblings and to the nine large hover transports that would carry them to their target. "Lt. Col. Riggs, this is Shiva, she is pretty much the big cheese when it comes to the more.. unorthodox units that are leading your mission." The General murmured as they approached a small group of armored figures dressed in black stealth gear, and the only ones not already loaded into their large trucks already. He saluted Shiva and almost of instinct she returned the gesture.

"Ma'am, I and my men have been fully briefed on this mission, but I would like to request that some of our teams be allowed to accompany your teams inside of the facility. All of us would feel better knowing if we are about to be engaged by the forces inside." He murmured to Shiva sounding very formal and perhaps using the kinds of tones that she wanted to hear the very least.

"That's a very bad idea Colonel." Shiva murmured peering through the crowds of siblings to try and locate Ayla, who was essentially her second in command, only to find the older girl was already heading their way.

"Ma'am.. no disrespect to you.." He countered quickly.

"No, Colonel, no disrespect to you, but our role in this mission is to minimize casualties as much as possible, not to put even more people at risk." Shiva countered just as quickly. "I perhaps don't have to point out to you that most of the people over there are children. And while, we have been trained in the use of our.. special talents.. one adult in body armor will look pretty much the same as any other if this situation turns out the way we expect. I don't want to see your men dead because they did something stupid and got in the line of fire, nor do I want your people to put mine at risk because they think a few years and few stripes on their shoulders gives them the authority to counter our orders." Ayla arrived and touched Shiva's shoulder, no doubt reading the facts of the conversation thus far from her frustrated and leaking thoughts.

"All the same, ma'am. I also don't want my people put at risk because they did not get the information that would put them on alert from an oncoming attack. Some of your people might not have the proper instinct to warn of body of attackers breaking for the perimeter in the heat of battle." That was an argument that Shiva couldn't quite come up with a counter for and she knew it, almost instantly giving a pleadingly look towards Ayla for some kind of help.

"Lt. Col. Riggs." Ayla called right at her cue. "We understand your concerns, but if we agree to your request, you must promise that it is made clear to your people that they will be there only as observers, nothing else. They will not be authorized to engage unless one of our people or one of yours is in a situation where assistance is need to save lives." Ayla told him in no uncertain terms. "And that they will follow the orders of our teams no matter the source and regardless of rank, age, or experience. Some of us have abilities that are unable to discriminate between friend and foe and just as lethal to both."

"That is more than acceptable, ma'am." He agreed quickly before Shiva could restate her objections. "I would make that absolutely clear to them."

"Lt. Colonel, General." Ayla murmured respectfully as she took over guiding Shiva away from the gathering.

"Ayla, Shiva.." The General murmured back to them with barely contained amusement in her voice.

"Relax." Ayla whispered to Shiva as she was escorted away from the meeting. "We can handle them.."

"If you say so." Shiva hissed back to her, still annoyed to simply accept what really couldn't be changed.

"Hey.." Poe murmured as she appeared from seemingly nowhere to take Shiva's hand. The quiet little girl who almost never spoke was perhaps just the right distraction for Shiva, who smiled as she shifted to scoop her up. An empath on a unimagined scale, her ability made it very hard to deal with any large crowd of people even one made up of just her siblings, so when Poe choose to speak everyone was certain to listen. She was perhaps the last person anyone of them wanted to send into a battle situation where the emotions of the dying would be sure to reach her, but her ability would be ludicrously effective in panicking the official personnel of the base. Hopefully getting them out of combat and keeping them out of the line of fire so that the rest of them could concentrate on the Series 5 soldiers they were certain to encounter, those who had no fear that could be preyed upon. Less than a half hour later the crowds were dispersed as the other smaller teams either had to leave or would be leaving soon while the main bulk of their family would be moving off towards the furthest point from Digel base. The trucks were soon loaded up and ready to take to the sky on a straight line course to the south east. With fifty-one of them it was determined that they need at least two of the large trucks to move them and their supplies across hundreds of miles to the Series 5 storage facilities, but because there were more than enough nerves to go around it was quickly decided to pack all of them into one truck and their supplies into the other so that all of them could do what they could to keep everyone on an even keel.

"Anyone need to use the potty?" Ayla asked as she and Shiva peered in through the back door of truck, this provided for a lot of stress relieving giggles even as three of the youngest hurried off to take care of that very thing. When they returned the trucks were quickly up into the air and on the move making best possible speed towards their destination. While it was easy to guess that the other trucks would have storage bins filled with extra ammo, explosives and the like, theirs had been filled with pillows and blankets. The sheer distance to be crossed had required them to depart first and in the still very early hours of the morning. Once they were in route their extra supplies were soon flooding the huge rear cabin as the internal lights were turned down and the mass of bodies became more obscured by warm and fluffy objects. Shiva settled in like most of them, but sleep would not come for her, feeling far too certain something was about to go terribly wrong or desperately wishing it had been safe enough for Rei and Vala to come down with the kids. She watched quietly as the twins curled around Poe and all of her siblings fell back to sleep by ones and twos. Soon enough it seemed that only she, Ayla, and their driver were the only ones awake in the entire truck.

"I am going to head back and have a chat with the Lt. Colonel." Shiva whispered as she extracted herself from the tangle of warm fluffy forms around her.

"Trust you to need to take a walk while on a moving vehicle and at 15,000 feet." Ayla teased back half way to sleep herself.

"Yeah.. well, I'll keep people awake in my state." Shiva murmured back to her as she shifted towards the front of the truck and through the door that cut off the two cabins from each other.

"We wouldn't care since its' you.." Gloria whispered, one the empaths she barely knew murmured to her in passing before letting her tired eyes drift closed. "But thanks for worrying about us." She added softly.

"No matter what else, we are family." Shiva whispered back to her as she slipped into the driver's cabin. The Private put in charge of their truck looked up with perfectly clear state of stressed out tension bristling in his eyes. "All the little kiddies are asleep back there, give them a smooth ride." His nervous smile eased just a little of the tension in his shoulders. "And don't worry we are on your side." This was enough to make him take a deep breath and nod as he really started to relax. "Anyways, I am going to brief the Lt. Colonel on some things." His eyes snapped around as if to check that they were still indeed moving swiftly through the air. "Don't worry about me, if I fall I'll steal someone's car and catch up." He chuckled as if she was kidding and nodded as she pulled open the door and climbed out into the wind and up onto the roof of the truck, sliding the door closed in her wake.

The first truck in the formation was carrying their supplies which left her with only one direction she needed to go to seek out her target, unslinging one of her tethers Shiva whipped it out to catch the roll cage of the third truck in the procession. When she let go of her telekinetic hold, the wind ripped her backwards and away from the trucks roof only to be pulled in by the tether to the roof of the truck behind them. Not entirely sure where to find the Lt. Colonel she swung inside the cabin and asked the stunned driver where she could find him, he stammered when he directed her to the sixth truck and Shiva was soon moving off before he could recover from his surprise. All of the drivers she passed were left in a similar stunned state, and soon enough she climbing in out of the cold brisk winds whipping around the exteriors of the vehicles.

"At ease." Shiva called as she appeared in the rear of the truck and was almost greeted by a hail of gunfire. "All the other boys and girls are asleep you might as well do the same." She added as she moved past them.

"She's right, I appreciate your readiness troops, but we are hours away, might as well settle in and do what you can to stay fresh for what is to come." The Lt. Colonel agreed from the rear of the cabin. "Pass that along, Captain." Shiva moved to slip inside and only hesitated a little before sitting down on the Colonel's knee. "Couldn't sleep?" He asked with a far more gentle voice as he patted her back, she shook her head in return with a sigh.

"I was going to see if you could direct me to the people you wanted to go in with us, so I could brief them on what they might expect." He was quick to express his appreciation and tell her that the eight people around him were the very same people. When Shiva pulled out her wrist computer he provided her with a flat panel version with a much larger screen that could be connected wirelessly as they all leaned in.

Chapter Ten: The Chaotic Heart of the Storm

"Shiva." It was a voice that she wasn't immediately familiar with nor were the arms that were holding her steady as the movements of a vehicle shifted and bumped while in motion. But those strange circumstances were effective in get her mind to stir and her memory to return.

"Sorry, Lt. Colonel.." She whispered as she remembered where she was and what she had been doing as she tried to rub the sleep from her eyes. ".. I seem to make a habit of falling asleep on officers."

"More than all right, I didn't mind, and it probably did you some good." He chuckled back to her as he rubbed her shoulders encouragingly. The smiling faces all around her were oddly reassuring as her mind cleared from the fog of sleep and her body readied itself for activity. "We are over the Antarctic sea on low approach to the shoreline." That would easily account for the increased turbulence of the rattling vehicle.

"I'll go make sure my people are ready." She agreed kissing his cheek out of gratitude and too tired to think about the gesture until she was exiting out the back door and pulling herself forward across the line of moving trucks. The now relaxed driver of their truck smiled at her when she slipped inside seeming amused as he asked about how well she had slept.

"Where have you been?" Isis demanded as she slipped into the rear cabin.

"The Lt. Colonel will be sending in observers to make sure his people know when and where people have slipped out towards the perimeter, I was briefing all of them.. and.. then I fell asleep." All of them relaxed as the giggles eased some of the tension. "We are almost in sight of the coast.. that means our job is about to begin." She added as she prepared her words carefully inside her head. "Someone has made a threat against our family.. they are the kinds of people who see Series 5 as just a bunch of tools, who can't acknowledge they used to be everyday humans with friends and families, who volunteered to do whatever they could to serve their fellow humans. And if we don't do something, if we fail to give these people our answer then they will try to do the very same thing to all of us and everyone still sleeping in Anslaw. This is our chance to show those evil people who would have turned us into their soulless tools and all those good people back at Digel base who want to stop them, who we are and what we are made of.." The powerful surge of anger and determination was not lost on her as she looked into all those watching eyes. "Don't hesitate.. we have already lost one family member to these.. bastards, when they killed General Winters. Because he was going try and make the lives of those of us on the outside better, and give all of you at Anslaw the chance to do the same. For your sakes and for the well being of our family.. if you are under attack or about to be attacked, do not Hesitate to strike with any weapon you control, because this isn't about just our lives any more this is about our Family, and I don't even want to think about losing someone else who I care about.."

"And neither do I." Ayla added taking over for her as the truck slowed and came in for a landing. "We are in this together and I want to be damn sure we get out of the same way. Now come on.. let's make sure that we ready for this.." They unloaded out the back into the cold crisp air of their rallying point. "Boys on the right, girls on the left!!" Ayla called out as Shiva followed the stragglers into the cold light of the early morning sun. There was a chorus of laughter from the gathered troops nearby, but even as that sound echoed through the cliffs of the chasm around them, the Lt. Colonel was telling them that they might as well go with flow and no few soldiers were shifting away from the masses.

With the polar shift of 2013, the Antarctic continent was by no means the giant ice cube that it had once been, but even after more than a century it was by no means a tropical paradise either. The brisk chilled winds of the shifted arctic circle still made it a place not all that pleasant to many forms of life and much of it remained a barren expanse of jagged rock and frozen lakes throughout much of the year. Even in its' summer months there was very little to appeal to the eye or attract much tourism. This stop-over was as much about insuring that the other arrangements that they had made were in place as it was about getting all of them up and active before the first wave was sent in. Considering the dangers each of them could and did represent the Colonel's troops were to spread out across the huge perimeter surrounding the facility, and while those heavily armed soldiers were dispersed to trap and guard all the surface exits of the far reaching tunnels. Shiva and the twins would be politely knocking on the doors of the surface facility ahead of the rest of their teams. At the same time Ayla would be leading her team into the tunnels at one of the major access points to strike at the main power station in the tunnels below. The rest of her family would move in once the three of them had opened up three of the facilities gates as the second wave. A third wave of combined forces should be by all rights already on the move coming from the opposite direction and would reinforce them and help to eventually mop up the chaotic mess left behind.

When Shiva went to check on their supplies she already found the twins and a few of the other telekinetics emptying the first truck as light weight armor and weapons were dispersed through the crowds. She could tell almost instantly that her unlocking of the encrypted databanks of Anslaw and all the research materials that had been stored in the vault had not gone without side-effects as strange items meant to increase abilities or do serious damage from a distance were passed into eager hands. The twins themselves were wearing huge curved blade like forms across their backs and Shiva's instincts were that her own weapon's research had not gone untouched, just by the feel of those unknown objects that pair wore as a point of pride. Some of the last objects to be unloaded with the three sleek super fast hover sleds that the three of them would use for the the first stage of the attack. If all had gone as planned their low level flight across the southern seas and the lack of tracking systems would leave the base ignorant of anything being amiss. The Lt. Colonel and his field commanders stood nearby and watched this unfolding scene as his own troops divided up into their separate teams and prepared to move out to their drop off points or move in on the surface facility.

"What will the signal be for the trucks to converge?" He asked as things began to settle down as people reloaded into their assigned vehicles. Shiva glanced back at the twins as they loaded onto their sleds and the strange weapons they carried.

"Colonel, you'll know it when you see it.. trust me." She assured him, he gave her a confused look before glancing to his commanders.

"Why am I suddenly reminded of those few minutes before a fireworks show." One of the commented to him, which made Shiva smile in a very evil sort of way and all of them started to laugh.

"Did you two do your training, like you were told to?" Shiva asked the pair behind her.

"Yes, mama!" The replied with stereophonic giggles.

"I see you got into my research." Shiva commented softly while the adults stood nearby with bright smiles on their faces.

"Everyone has tethers." Athena stated happily.

"We liked your knives." Isis told her close on the heels of her sister's words.

"We helped train them!" The added together in the next breath. Amused by their high spirits and reassured by their confidence Shiva easily guessed that Ayla had helped their training along more than a little and gave the older girl an accusing glare.

"Guilty as charged." She admitted in fine spirits herself. "Caught you with your barriers down." She added with happy laughter as she followed the last of her team inside the first truck. The surprised, but amused officers that stood by witnessing this with mostly contained amusement said nothing. Shiva fixed her gloves into position and swung her leg over the seat of the hovering sled.

"Colonel." Shiva murmured to him as she pulled her back hair and tied it under a black cloth.

"Ladies." He agreed with a small bow, as Shiva kicked on the throttle and sent up a cloud of dust as the powerful light-weight engine threw her into motion. The twins were half a heartbeat behind her as they raced out ahead of the first truck and down the path of rock and gravel carved out of the dark stone by millions of years of flowing ice. Behind them trucks began to move out using the gorges and canyons around the outer perimeter of Hyperion base to obscure their spreading circle as the teams were dropped off to start their missions. Though in relative terms the sleds were much faster than the lumbering transport trucks, the sleds were only able to hover a few feet off of the ground while the trucks were not so restricted. While she and girls were forced to take an over-land route across the broken terrain, the trucks should have time make it to all the known bolt holes and exits that surrounded Hyperion's perimeter.

Once upon a time, Hyperion base had been an Alliance stronghold during the the war, but with the return of peace it had been down downgraded and 'underfunded' almost into non-existence. Mostly just for show and to keep the public from finding out the true purpose that it had served when it came to the affairs of Series 5 and the Lilith scandals, the once extensive surface facilities of the base had been cut back and drawn away from the sizable footprint of what had once been there. Publicly what remained of the once huge facility was used as a bone yard for antiquated equipment while in truth it was the stronghold of Series 5 and that 'outdated' equipment was kept there in case of another war and the slim chance that the base's true purpose might be known. The original base had covered 50 square miles of a broad rocky valley just on the far side of the mountain ranges at the edge of continental mass. What remained of the surface facilities was less than three square miles of territory nestled down in the heart of what had once been there. It was in the middle of a desolate landscape across a broad open space filled with piles of broken rock and the remains of broken building materials left behind by what had been torn down. The site of the former base and the labs beneath it were not a landscape that was by any means in their favor. Any vehicle would have approach across that immense broken landscape with almost no cover and virtually no way to hide. Perhaps what was even worse was that the immense size of the withdrawn facility had been underpinned by the substructures and tunnels that had interconnected the entire facility together, forcing their perimeter to be spread across a massive distance. While one could be countered with good intelligence and clever planning, the other could never be anything but an advantage for their enemy.

While hundreds of attack strategies had been discussed only a few had really made sense, while the one they would be following was the plan that had contained the most risk it was the only one with a hundred percent certainty and without the promise of a massive numbers of casualties. The other plans had been variations on wide scale bombardment from orbit that would have killed the people who worked in the official capacities of the surface facilities and who might be innocent of the crimes committed by the command staff. And that plan left no certainty that the deep tunnels would even been rattled by such an assault unless the entire valley was turned into a crater half a mile deep. As part of the attack plan there as a convoy of trucks on approach from the south across one of the few overland routes. Set to 'resupply' the base on schedule, the information provided by the earlier arrests also stated that this convoy was also to take away the next 'shipment' of 'merchandise'. While the resupply was originally official enough and had been done with regularity for many years, that shipment of goods had been changed over to platoons of commandos who would hopefully be able to take the southern gate and enter the base with perimeter security switched off. During that time Shiva and the twins would strike from the North, East, and West and punch an opening for the rest of their team. When Ayla and her team struck through the ventilation shafts and hopefully took out the main power station, the main security systems would also go down, while Shiva and the girls moved in on their secondary targets. If all went according to plan another force from Military Investigations and the Advocate General's office would be sweep inside the perimeter created by the Lt. Colonel's forces and start arresting those who did not try to escape out through the tunnels. The biggest 'if' of the entire plan was how many platoons of Series 5 soldiers would be awake and active, while it possible to drive off or force the normal troops to either flee or surrender, the Series 5 troops would fight to the last man. The biggest risks would perhaps come when it came time to secure the tunnels below the surface facility where automated security, armed Series 5 soldiers, and close quarters made things even more dangerous.

"This is mother goose to the wolves." The Lt. Colonel's voice called over their headsets, despite the situation his voice betrayed his deep amusement at the code names.

"This is big wolf, I read you." Shiva replied smiling to herself.

"Little red riding hood confirms she's on her way to Grandmother's house." He told her giving them the confirmation that the resupply convoy was within sight of the southern gates and the perimeter defenses were going down. She and the girls were right on time topping the edges of the valley and approaching the long steady slope filled with mounds of broken debris.

"Copy mother goose, the wolves are in position to blow her house down." Shiva confirmed. Knowing that was their signal, Isis and Athena accelerated up to full speed, shot past Shiva and broke into the tangled paths as they got ahead of her to circle on the two sides of the base. "And the baby wolves are eager to met her." Shiva kept her steady pace rather annoyed by the minor delaying tactic which was a necessity to allow the girls to get into position until she was within insight of the perimeter wall.

When at last that anticipated sight finally came into view, she hunched over the body of the bike she pushed the throttle up to full and prayed that they hadn't been heard over the radio or seen approaching across the valley as she prepared herself for whatever the next few minutes might bring. The perimeter defenses did not open fire, the walls remained unchanged, nothing came through the gates over the walls to get her as Shiva charged dead on, right down the middle towards the immense reinforced steel barrier that now stood between her and the interior of the fortifications. The instant she was in range Shiva unleashed a massive telekinetic explosion of force that ripped into those doors and cracked two ten tons chunks of steel right from the mounts and mechanisms that moved them. Sending the massive caved slabs launching straight ahead and into a collision with something large and explosive crushing some type of vehicle between the flying steel and the buildings beyond. The instant she passed inside the wall she launched upward and away from the fast moving sled, which exploded in the next heartbeat as two operational mechs opened fire with their pulse cannons at close range. For just a heartbeat Shiva almost seemed to float as her backward momentum slacked off and she lingered in the air overlooking the scene. With a sharp angry hiss that no one else could hear her twin swords were sped into the open with a flash of reflected light. The blue gems that formed the hilts pulsed against her senses as the blades took on a burning bloody light as Shiva's body was dragged back down towards the earth beneath her feet. She landed in a low crouch even as her blades smacked through the air coming straight down and straight through the immense armed machines that stood guard over the entrance. With their pilots dead and the hydrogen fuel cells pierced the scrapping of her blades against the concrete as they launched back to her hands sent up a stream of sparks which ignited two simultaneous explosions. Shiva stood firm against the twin concussive force that ripped through the area and sent burning blue fireballs racing up into the sky.

"North gate is open, securing bridgehead now." Shiva murmured darkly as she rose slowly to her feet and cast about for her next target. She barely heard the twins confirm much the same in the next moment as the monster within her was growling inside her head looking for vengeance, seeking blood that could soothe Raymond's soul. So when a half dozen men leapt up to the machine-gun nests on the roofs of four nearby buildings, she was no longer in the mood to play nice with the other boys and girls. Her mind snapped out to the two nearest guns almost on its' own crushing the men arming the weapon even as the guns themselves yawed around and opened fire on the two further emplacements, before her slow steps carried her within range to crush all four sites raining down shattered concrete and twisted metal to the street below. As her steps carried her into the first intersection just inside the gate it was to the sound of distant mechanical rumblings of heavy tracked vehicles moving towards her. As she peered to the left and then to right the first tank was already bring it's gun around to fire. The tether to her right snapped out ahead of her as the massive explosive shell was launched in her direction. The tether magnified the barrier forced into it and the intense explosion and the wash of fire ripped into the fronts of the two buildings on either side of the street, but did not even make the air warm closer to her. Even as she was aware of second tank rolling into position in the opposite direction Shiva was spinning towards the first and throwing into motion three tiny orbs of metal coated in blue crystals. The first tank fired in nearly the same second, launching a second shell right down the middle of the road. Shiva's spin carried her out of it's path and she could practically read the serial numbers on the side of the bullet shaped projectile as it slashed across the space where she had been standing. An instant later the telekinetic propelled fusion grenades she had launched struck the side of the tank and opened it like a burning melon. The tank's second shot reached its' true destination a half heartbeat later and second tank followed the fate of the first.

Shiva's spin finished with her facing straight ahead as the huge 50 ton mech loomed into view no more than 150 feet down the road in the middle next intersection and was already turning slowly to bring its' massive weapons into position to strike her down. The blades she had let go of while dealing with the tanks had remained hanging in the air behind until that moment. They came arching around her in twined burning red streaks of light as her full abilities were poured into them making that once soft glow flare into a blinding light that would have scorched any eye looking directly at them. The two blade flipped around to bring their points perpendicular to the ground at her feet and were slammed together with a tremendous force that cracked across the landscape like thunder. All that focused energy impacted together and unleashed a massive telekinetic force that rippled with an unimaginably loud thunderclap of sound even more intense than the collision of the two blades. The action sent out a burning wave of energy straight down the center line of the roadway ahead of her ripping into the concrete surface in a contained telekinetic shock wave that ripped up and into the mech, shredding armor, structure, ammunition and fuel packs and opening that massive mechanical beast from crotch to head. As the wave struck across it the explosion split the machine straight up the middle lifted it clean off it's feet in the instant before the internal mechanisms exploded sending the two burning halves in either direction. The shock wave of that explosion collapsed four buildings and sent of plume of dust, debris, and smoke hundreds of feet upward. Leaving her blades to hang there, Shiva tossed away a dozen more grenades in either direction, and a moment later two nearby buildings exploded collapsing the two empty structures down over top of the nearest tunnel exits.

"Bridgehead secure, roll the truck." Shiva murmured just loud enough to be heard over the echoes and the sounds of roaring fires. "Proceeding to secondary target."

"Jesus Christ.." Someone whispered in her wake probably not even realizing they were on the line. With the beast only growling for more Shiva launched away and began to dart back and forth across nearby area collapsing buildings, destroying weapons, crushing any armed force or machine moving towards the gate and otherwise destroying any attempts at organized resistance as she moved slowly in the direction of her next official target and as she waited for the twins to get into position. The streets were quickly starting to fill with screaming panicked people, too smart or too scared to pick up weapons themselves as they sought out any shelter from the spreading destruction. In the next moments the main generators gave one last belch of power and then everything around her went dark and lifeless.

"Second team is proceeding on target." Tolli called out as the truck arrived and the rest of the team started to disperse and clean up anything Shiva had left behind. She was just reaching her secondary target dropping down onto one end of the mile long corridor of the main storage area, a line of machines and heavy equipment lined up along a corridor of warehouses and depots. Planes, tanks, shuttles, trucks, strike vehicles, artillery pieces, fighter crafts, mechs large and small all filling the spaces in nice neat little rows extending into a distance too long for Shiva to take in at one time. And the far end was the secondary power facility, the last barrier to the second wave as it was the last source of electricity for the surface facility. It was just kicking on in those seconds she got before all at once the twin's presences were suddenly burning into her senses even at the immense distances separating the three of them.

<<HERE THEY COME, MAMA!!!>> Their telepathic scream was far too powerful for her not hear, and how they had done it was something she might never have understood. However the 'they' that had been referred to came sweeping in like twined figures of death ripping down through the sky were two burning discs of blood red light racing straight at her. The scythe like double blades that had been folded into one length when glimpsed at the rallying point, but when extended they spanned nearly four feet across were perhaps even more lethal in the twins control than Shiva's swords were in hers. The two objects were bearing down at her at a frightening speed and Shiva had to snap out with her full strength to catch them and heave their burning mass around and before throwing them back into motion like the most destructive game of frisbee ever known. Aimed straight and true down the corridor of machinery, Shiva shot them away with all her strength launching them down either side of the corridor of machinery, and watched in amused amazement as that burning wave of explosions ripped away from her. As the blades passed through everything in their way the exploding machines set off a chain reaction that destroyed or burned anything inside that corridor. Even as Shiva watched surprised for the very first time in a long time, she felt the twins catch the rapidly retreating blades and throwing them even further down the remaining distance and straight through the massive towering forms of the secondary power station. That strike set in motion an explosion so powerful that it very nearly took Shiva from her feet and sent a shock wave across the entire valley that deafened everyone in the area as a mushroom cloud poured up into the sky.

"Secondary objectives complete." The three of them announced on the same breath the very moment the echoes began to rumble out across the barren landscape beyond the perimeter.

"GOD DAMN!!!!" Lt. Col. Riggs screamed across the radios much to their delight of the three of them and given the response of the giggles and cackles of the Series 6 children who chorused back at him.

"Little red riding hood, this is the big bad wolf, do you copy?" Shiva called as the laughter died down and she moved away from the billowing smoke of the burning vehicles. The unknown commander confirmed in a moment later as Shiva collapsed a building onto the troops who had been trying to reach the vehicles. "Call in the woodsmen, and you are free to raid grandma's cookies while the kids proceed towards primary target."

"Roger that." Came the reply.

"Woodsmen in route." The commander in charge of the teams of MI and Advocate forces agreed in the next moment. With the power now dead save for the emergency systems down in the tunnels, their teams were now to crush any resistance in their path as they aimed in on the central shaft that the main access point for everything below their feet. It meant that things could only get messier and more complicated from that point on.

"Command staff captured at bolthole 16." Someone called as Shiva did her best to clear out any resistance that was in the way of the rest of her team as she lingered at the fringes of the massive building waiting to see if masses of Series 5 soldiers would come pouring out of the tunnels. This made her curse, it meant that something might be happening below them.

"Surface teams, move in, NOW!" Shiva screamed as the first of her siblings began to arrive on the heels of the transport truck. She launched towards the central building and reached the large open space just ahead of the twins.

"Trap!" Poe yelled to her as she lingered at the fringes. Shiva acknowledged her over the radio as three large bags lunged from the truck to follow her.

"Stay back!" Shiva ordered as the twins homed in on their entry point and others moved to open the door. They quickly backed off even as the twins lunged in to either side of the door to punch the reinforced hatch through the frame, Shiva pulled the cords on the red bags and launched the them inside on the heels of the door. Not two seconds later the bags loaded down with high explosives and ball bearings unleashed a tremendous shock wave spraying the massive open chamber inside with lethal projectiles. They were protected by the combined force of the twins and the barrier they created over the opening as the thick gray smoke filled the darkness. Shiva was the first one to go through with the twins at her heels and the three of them only too well armed with a near unlimited supply of ball bearing they used used sweep the area clean of living people. Within two minutes everyone save the three of them were dead and they had secured the chamber as their siblings flooded inside.

"They might have set the self destruct sequence, team one proceed with the twins, I'll get the core and stop it." Shiva announced over the radio to those inside and outside the building. The massive chamber housed the main elevator, a immense contraption that could move 500 men or three full size and loaded transport trucks in a single descent or ascent from the spaces below. It rested in the center of the room with the massive shaft that dropped a half mile into the earth right below it. The main shaft was protected by multiple massive steel doorways spaced out every two hundred feet below them. "Zeus, get this elevator working!" She ordered one of the boys with electrokinesis named so for his fondness of tossing around lightning bolts. "Tanya, get to work on the blast door controls." She add other electrokinetic, who nodded and looked a little pale as she stepped over one of the shredded bodies as she went to computer controls.

"Shiva Don't Do Anything Stupid!" The Lt. Colonel yelled back into her ear.

"Too late." Shiva called back as she ripped open an access hatch for the underside of the elevator and dropped out of radio range and into the immense drop below her feet. As had always been a possibility, the command staff had decided to retreat rather than defend their position, closing off the series of five feet thick blast doors that lined the inside of the shaft. Starting at thirty feet below the elevator, Shiva starting slicing with her blades almost instantly before punching through the remaining distance to free the circular plug to fall to the space below. Even with her blades it was still fifteen very long minutes before she hit bottom. With the rage now burning with the anger of being so slowed down from her goal, Shiva didn't so much explode the doors inward but shred them as the massive chunks of steel struck the floor it spread a sickly red smear across the chamber beyond. The Series 5 soldiers that were missed by the imploding doors were quick to share the fate of the others as the massive chunks of steel became her arsenal.

Shiva was almost disappointed to not find more targets who died so nicely in the face of her rage, instead she was forced the punch through security door after security door over a course of nearly a mile of tunnels, all the while destroying an endless series of automated guns. So many of them in fact that she was panting and sweating by the time she reached the entrance to the central core of the computer and barely had the strength left to take out the last half dozen guns or cut her way into the computer room. With eyes blurred by near total exhaustion she discovered that not only had the self destruct sequence failed to begin, which would have locked down the computers and made her job much harder, the delay had been because the were trying to download the secure data storage to a ship in Earth orbit. With their command codes still lingering in the computer's memory, with a half dozen minutes she was able to end the destruct sequence, switch the data transfer to just random digital trash, and set up a tracking signal. But only after she which she flip-flopped the friend and foe systems of the automated defense systems over to start attacking any Series 5 tracking signals and ignoring anyone else.

"Colonel.." She whispered, patching her signal through the stronger transmitters connected to computer core.

"Are you all right?" He murmured urgently.

"I'm tired, the floor was in full lock down mode. But I've got computer control.. I need you to contact someone in charge, there is a ship at coordinates.. 432:679:32:109 in Earth orbit. They were trying to download the protected memory.. that ship got about half of it." Shiva murmured to him.

"Roger that." He agreed and she heard him murmuring to someone nearby.

"I've got the friend or foes systems switching sides, if you can send more people in.. there are pockets of resistance I can't reach.. and if you would.. get someone who knows this stuff better than me down here.. I am just about toast.." He chuckled back to her as he agreed.

* * *

This was just one in a very long list of phone calls that had been a result of that day's activities, but for Devin's personal concerns, this was the one he had been waiting for ever since he was included into the group of two Generals and their seconds in command. One of the last task-forces to reestablish secure communications, it was a relief when the call final connected and the found the Lt. Colonel and his command staff perched around a rather chaotic office with Shiva and Ayla settled nearby. Shiva looked like she had either been asleep or was asleep as she leaned heavily against the latter with her eyes closed. Ayla shook her shoulders just a bit and Shiva woke up enough to wave in the background of the saluting officers.

"You seemed pleased, Lt. Col. Riggs." Gen. Killian commented as the salutes were done with.

"Yes, sir. The mission could not have gone better from my perspective." He murmured back to them.

"Let's get the numbers out of the way first, shall we." Gen. Vandemere told him sounding as if she was getting tired of asking that.

"Yes, our forces had 1 fatality, 37 injuries among the regular troops, and some scraps and bruises for a dozen of the kids." He murmured quickly, perhaps demonstrating a good reason to be pleased. "For the enemy forces 47 dead among the regular troops, 207 injuries, 802 captured prisoners total, including the entire command staff. For the Series 5 troops.." He flinched a little at that as if he was expecting a reprimand from someone. ".. 635 dead, 78 injured.. 86 prisoners. Ma'am.. they were using Series 5 as guards at the gates, as security, and down in the tunnels."

"No excuses needed, the children were told what would happen to Series 5 if they were captured, and we are all aware that Series 5 was taught to fight as long they could lift their weapons and sometimes even beyond that point." Gen. Vandemere assured him quickly. "Your numbers are pretty much what we would have expected from the other task-forces. While the loss of life is lamentable, it could have been many, many times worse. Over all we lost 28, about 400 injuries, but all of the children made it through without more than a few broken limbs at the worst." Ayla nodded back to her with a smile.

"General, we would like to request that we be allowed to return.. somewhere.. soon before some of us can cause trouble here for the Lt. Colonel." Ayla murmured clearly not knowing what to expect after that.

"Preferably somewhere with a catapult so I can steal a shuttle." Shiva murmured with a sleepy sound and a sigh. The Generals smirked back at him and Devin chuckled back at them with a nod knowing full well Shiva might do that very thing without the proper motivation to stay put.

"Give the drivers a few more hours of sleep and we'll get you back to Digel base for the interim." Gen. Vandemere assured her with a chuckle.

"Thank you, these kids are going back to bed, with your permission, so you adults can talk about stuff not fit for our ears." She was given a chuckling nod and she drew a very tired Shiva to her feet and pulled her out of the room.

"Is there anything you wanted to add that you might not want in you official report Lt. Colonel?" Gen. Killian asked softly.

"Hmm.. some might say the scale of the destruction was a bit excessive, sir.." He commented to them.

"Or other options involved cratering that entire valley and wasting away thousands of lives." Devin told him, feeling that his opinion wouldn't be outright denied by any of them at that point.

"These kids.. aren't trained killers.. a lot of them passed up dinner after what they saw.. but.. it was amazing to watch, a strange, horrible kind of amazing." He murmured with a far off look.

"We've heard a lot of that. Now that the cat is out of the bag, the 3rd army is going to be joining things here soon, I'd expect your prisoners will be moved in a day or so, and your replacements in 3 or 4 days." Gen. Killian told him with a nod and an expression that made it clear he was starting to feel the length of the day.

"Yes, sir.. if someone has the time.. we could use some rations, most of the stuff here isn't in too good of shape, and the stuff they made the Series 5 blokes eat.. well, let's just say the description isn't fit for polite company." He added before another set of salutes were exchanged and the call was ended.

"Thank god, that's over." Gen. Vandemere muttered as she moved to sit down. "Now we can get some sleep and worry about the mess in the morning."

"You're dismissed, we're done for the day." General Killian murmured as he waved them out of the room, the two Colonels saluted and retreated from the room, but something made Devin linger, not quite ready to leave things at that. "Is there something else Lieutenant?" He asked sounding highly annoyed.

"Yes, sir, ma'am. In regards to the children from Series 6, what happens to them now?" He asked knowing he was risking insubordination, but was simply unable to stop himself.

"Ready to fight for them here and now?" Gen. Killian murmured to him with a grunt as he settled on the near side of Gen. Vandemere's desk. "Think that's wise?"

"Probably not." Devin murmured back thoughtfully. "But if it is going to be a fight, than it is a fight worth having and I am more willing to fight it, sir. My personal reasons aside, I've got Shiva and a gaggle of kids coming here sometime in the morning, and she alone would be more than enough to make all three of us beg for our mothers." Gen. Vandemere chuckled at that even as Gen. Killian scowled. "I know I should wait, but now that their part is over for the foreseeable future, they are going have questions, and they have a right to get answers, sir."

"How does Captain sound to you, Lieutenant?" Gen. Vandemere commented to him.

"It sounds fine, ma'am." He murmured back to her uncertainly, judging by their combined laughter he had completely missed her point. "I .. am .. not sure if I understand.."

"Which is all right, we are all tired." She agreed still chuckling warmly. "The board of inquiry.. the one that ended the efforts concerning Series 6's future, and put Shiva through the wringer.. well about half the officers who sat on it have been implicated in this mess." She flicked some of files that covered her desks in giant stacks. "Seems to me that decision might not have been so valid. We can't make it official just yet, but.. the fact you are willing to stand up to the two of us counts for something."

"It's Shiva's influence on me, Ma'am." He agreed with an amused smile.

"For now, it's going to be just what I told that sweet girl Ayla. They are coming back here to Digel, at the very least we can let the brass that will soon be flooding this place see them in a more relaxed state, and Shiva's little speech reminded me this would be their first time outside of an underground bunker. Get the people who already work for you over here to help contain them a bit, and write up a list of personnel who could do well in the kind of work you have been doing with Shiva. Now that they have had a taste of freedom, I don't think that they will not go easily or quietly back into obscurity, so your command would need to be expanded to deal with them and all the ones who are still sleeping peacefully in Anslaw. The brass will see things my way soon enough, but it is better to just leave that to one side for the moment and work on cleaning up the mess they have helped to contain. After you go and before you go to bed, call Lt. Col. Ishmere on my behalf, ask if there is anyway he can come down here with his guests, with the kids on their way here, I don't think we have to worry about their safety any more. And I have the feeling I will need all my shuttles right where they are in the near future."

"Aye, ma'am. Sir." Devin murmured as he saluted.

"Captain." Gen. Killian murmured back to him as they both returned the gesture and sending him on his way.

* * *

"We're here!!" The giggling high pitched squeal came from the direction of the two massive vehicles that had just hovered in to land on the road. It sat to one side of the massive garden square in the center of a complex of buildings meant for those who lived and worked at Digel base. Vala had been there for hours already lingering on the fringes of the growing crowds of children who filtered in small groups usually followed by one or two smiling adults and greeted by excited calls and hugs by those who had been first to arrive. For as much as she enjoyed seeing all of them after the four short days since they had left Anslaw, there was one figure who was far more important in her eyes and quite remarkably absence. Even though Devin's phone call the previous evening had assured them that everyone was all right save for a few minor injuries Vala desperately wanted to see with her own eyes that Shiva was not one of those with even minor injuries, but more important she wanted to see if that darkness was still there. Even as the gaggle of high ranking officers turned to see who would appear next the massed children swept into towards those that were offloading, obscuring the new arrivals. Straining to see if was Shiva or any of the others she might have recognized were there, she was almost frustrated enough to go swimming through the sea of excited happy children and abandoning her mother in the process. Even as the new arrivals were swept away or otherwise dispersed Poe appeared out nowhere to slide her fingers into her mother's other hand.

"Hey there, sweety." Rei greeted with a smile and a laugh as she pulled away from Vala for just a moment to scoop up the mysterious girl and settle her up on her hip.

"Hey.." Poe called back smiling as she settled in close to half curled around her mother's neck. The officers were surprised and Vala was touched by the scene, knowing that her mother had come to adore the small quiet girl in the face of the more rambunctious masses. She almost forgot who she was looking for in the next moment as the twins went bouncing in mimic each others' greetings to both of them before once again they were bouncing away. When Vala's eyes shot back up she found Shiva almost immediately standing in the distance as she talked quietly to the drivers of the trucks, they both saluted her before wandering off towards their own home-comings. Shiva looked out over the gathering with a smile seeming almost ready to make a decision before she made a cute little face and turned to smile back over her shoulder as she found Vala watching her. After that, all the hours and days of waiting didn't matter as Shiva's smile grew and she moved on a straight determined course right through the heart of the gathered officers and directly into Vala's arms. All but the Advocate General seemed stunned by the scene well aware who had just entered their midst, the former chuckled as she watched Shiva with obvious affection.

"I assume this means that none of my shuttles will be disappearing any time soon." She commented in their direction only too obviously addressing Shiva.

"Probably not, but if you keep us here for very long there might be a mass escape over or through one of the walls." Shiva murmured shifting her head just enough to make herself heard.

"Oh?" The General asked with playful concern.

"Yeah.. towards the nearest mall." Shiva commented back to her and was greeted with a lot of laughter from the many surprised officers.

"Well, you keep us posted on that." She agreed happily.

"If you will excuse us." Vala murmured to all of them before she turned to lead Shiva away. The direction didn't matter and where they would end up didn't matter, just as long as they could find some moments where they could be alone. Shiva seemed calm, happy, and bit sleepy as they walked half curled in the others arms, just as they had done it at the Academy what felt like a life time ago. Shiva almost felt the same despite the fact that she was still wearing body armor and smelled just a little like she needed a shower as there was the smell of smoke still lingering around her presence. But those moments felt so very perfect, so very warm like nothing horrible had ever happened, Vala was certain in that moment that they would be all right, that they could survive anything just as long as they were together. They hardly set a bristling pace and didn't really care which direction they were going as long as it was away from people, eventually coming to rest in the bleachers that sat at the edges of the parade grounds.

"All fought out?" Vala asked after a long perfect silence.

"Mm-hmm." Shiva agreed practically curled into her lap like a purring kitten after a hard day's playtime.

"Good I love it when you are meek and yielding." This aroused a soft giggle from the tired but pleased girl in her arms but hardly encouraged Shiva to any acts of defiance right then.

"I missed you so much." Shiva whispered to her after a short contented silence.

"Would you really have stolen a shuttle to come see me?" Vala teased gently.

"I was about too.. figured no one would be looking for trouble from our little swarm.. until I felt you there watching me.." She gave the distance a soft far off smile as she shifted just a little deeper into Vala's arms.

"They requested our presence through Alex, he had to stay up there for just a little bit longer to find a few more adults with Devin's help to watch over the really little ones before he could get away without having to worry." Vala told her softly as she hugged the girl she loved with all her heart just a little tighter. "And the doctors at Jarson said that Mom was a very good candidate for artificial eye replacement surgery, so she'll be going to the medical facility here in a few days for the procedure."

"I'm glad." Shiva whispered sounding even sleepier than moments before almost as if she was ready to fall asleep right there.

"Come on.. we should head back before I have to carry you up to bed." Shiva whined at her sounding so very much like the twins when they were trying to put a guilt trip on someone. "Be a good girl.." Vala whispered to her teasingly.

"But I am soo good at being bad.." Shiva giggled back to her, even as the two of them slipped away from their comfortable positions. Wandering with just a little more direction than they had before they were soon enough returning to the courtyard. Virtually everyone was out and about in the square, while the trucks were gone the crates that had been part of their cargo had been scattered around the space as make shift benches. The numbers of high ranking officers had nearly tripled from before, as they added their uniformed presences to an even greater number of lower ranked personnel who had been there earlier. In all truth it made for a chaotic scene she wasn't quite ready to face after the quiet the two of them had shared, but she was amazed by the firey, bright, and strange demonstrations that were happening for the entertainment of their guests. Involving things as simple as telepathy, to manipulating fire, lightning, water, and shaping pieces of stone as it were clay. Never ones to be outdone, the twins were as always the center of attention as between them and in an arching space over fifty feet they were juggling two dozen giggling subjects picked from the youngest children in complex weaving patterns through the air, much to the delight of themselves, their audience and their willing victims. As if to prove that their showmanship was a shared trait, Vala felt Shiva's tethers slip away from around her arms and suddenly they were the only people in the square attached to the ground as they strolled through the floating figures.

"Keep practicing kiddies." Shiva announced with barely contained laughter in her voice.

"Very funny!!" The twins called back at her.

"Now put us down.." Athena snapped at her.

".. before we do mean things to you in your sleep." Shiva chuckled back to them as the area resettled on the ground and her tethers returned with a quiet snap.

"Pretty impressive." One of the Generals commented as they reached the area where more high ranking officers were gathering around her mother with Poe sitting happily in her lap and with Ayla sitting nearby.

"General if you want impressive, have your men pull some staff vehicles over into the parade ground and the twins and I will play some volleyball." Shiva murmured as she suddenly spun Vala around and almost seemed to dropping her to the ground when her butt landed into a surprisingly comfortable invisible chair before her girlfriend slid down into her lap. There were some chuckles at that, but some laughed simply because they didn't believe her. "Are you all right?" Shiva asked Ayla with real concern.

"I'm fine." Ayla assured her. "Alex had some of the neural suppressants made up for Poe and I, and a few of the others in case we were exposed to large crowds."

"Pardon?" A Colonel asked with a confused expression.

"Drugs.." Ayla replied quickly displaying a sub-dermal injector from one of her pockets. ".. it suppresses my abilities, some of us would never be able to adapt to life outside of Anslaw without using such medications all the time. All the mental.. noise.. around us would overwhelm our ability to block it out. Around our family we are fine, since most of them have developed an ability to mute their stray thoughts and dampen their emotions, and because there are a few like Shiva who pretty much have an off switch which makes them hard to hear." Ayla explained with a calm smile. "The drugs aren't harmful for short periods of time, but I also wouldn't wish to remain in a fog all the time."

"If it gets bad enough, let me know I'll steal a shuttle and take whomever needs to get away back to Anslaw." Shiva murmured to her as she let herself relax.

"You are just looking for excuses to cause trouble, aren't you." The Advocate General teased.

"Sure, why not? At least I am not razing buildings and causing mass panic in the streets." Those few who laughed were the ones who understood Shiva would never do such things without a damn good reason. "Anyways, better I steal a shuttle for 16 hours, than someone lose control and leave all of your brains in a state remarkably like gray pudding."

"Shiva, stop it." Rei reprimanded gently even as she smiled and caressed Ayla's shoulder as Ayla herself smiled at the officers around them. "I hope you can see now why Shiva is not the designated Diplomat for all these children." She added which did make everyone laugh, though some were still just a touch nervous.

"I'd prefer to be the President of destruction and disaster anyways." Shiva agreed with a small giggle.

"Too bad, the twins all ready took that position. You got elected as the Director of military affairs while you've been down here." Ayla teased right back as the gathering seeming to relax as they realized that Shiva was being playful in her own strange way.

"If nothing else.. seeing them all here like this.." One of the Generals she had never seen before commented softly gesturing to the courtyard around them. "I can not find myself disagreeing with Mrs. Winters or you General Vandemere and the opinions both of you have put forth."

"I.. about.. recent events.." Shiva murmured as she seemed to find an opening for something she had been wanting to say for some time. "It.. occurred to me after it was over that I.. and some of the others might have overdid it a little. I wanted to apologize for any damage you might have thought was excessive.." She murmured to them sounding more than a little uncomfortable and far more like the Shiva she had first met on that warm summer afternoon.

"There wasn't much any of the armies or naval forces could have done to take that base out of the hands of those who betrayed the oaths all of us swore, beyond whole scale destruction. All of you were the precision strike that I would have never thought was possible in that situation." He murmured back to her.

"I.. just don't want all of them to be judged by some of their bad examples." It seemed obvious to all of them she was referring specifically and exclusively to herself. "It has been.. implied in my hearing.. and rightly so that I was one of those who should never have been let out of Anslaw.. that I was planted by those who wished to turn Series 6 into merchandise and were using me to discredit the efforts to give Series 6 lives outside the lab.. and if.. it weren't for Vala they would have succeeded." All the officers were watching her with a mixture of amazement and a few with blurry eyes. Vala hugged her close knowing she was almost on the edge of tears herself. "As much as I would hate to give up a life on the outside.. if.. it would mean that those more deserving and better prepared would get the chance.. I.. would do it quietly if that was the decision another board of inquiry reached." Shiva whispered to them scrubbing at her eyes in the shadows. Poe whispered something Vala's mother and she caught it out of the corner of her eye, before she popped up and hurried over to take Shiva's hand. "Excuse us.." Shiva whispered as she was pulled away.

"She wasn't suppose to hear that." The Advocate General whispered to them rubbing at her eyes.

"It's all right ma'am. I know Shiva better than most everyone except Vala." Ayla told them with a soft smile. "I am one of the few people who she will let past that barrier of hers.. so, I can tell you the reason she speaks the truth in the fashion that she does, the reason she is is so bad at lying, is because she'd much rather hear the truth, no matter how painful it might be for her to hear."

"She can be rather blunt at times." Her mother agreed with a warm affectionate smile.

"I would ask for all of you to keep this off the record.." For the Ayla she had come to know in the past week this seemed very unlike something she would say. "The reason she only wants to truth.. the reason why she has nightmares.. the reason why she doesn't let most people get close to her.. even the reason why she was selected to discredit the acclimation programs, is because there was.. an accident. Though.. I don't think there is reasonable soul who could blame her even if it weren't an accident." There was not one person who could not see the rage that was bubbling just beneath the surface of the extremely gentle girl. "Shiva used to be different, a lot more like she is with Vala now. She couldn't have been more than seven years old at the time, until one of the scientists got into his head.. to try and 'Augment' a living specimen. Shiva trusted him and used to hang off him like Poe is with Rei, so he picked her, told her that she was going to get a special treat. They took her into one of the surgical bays, and tried to open her skull with her still conscious.. and.. she lost control. Everyone in that room, and 12 others in the area were killed and Shiva was forced to watch strapped down to a table with her own blood running down into her eyes." Vala's blood ran cold and none of them seemed to be breathing. "For her to say that she would willing return to confinement in Anslaw.. I think all of can clearly understand now how much all of us mean to her, and how much she wants to see us have the same opportunity as she has gotten." Ayla added wiping tears away from her eyes. "If you will excuse me, I'll go make sure she's feeling better." She hurried off seeming desperate to distance herself from any further discussion of what she had just told all of them. Not quite ready to face Shiva in that moment with anger bubbling up inside of her, but not ready to be alone Vala quickly retreated close to her mother's side.

"We can't ever turn our backs on these children. Never.. never again.." An Admiral growled with a barely contained rage just behind his eyes. "Not on Shiva, not on those who can't live their lives in public, not on any them."

"You okay?" Her mother whispered down her.

"I.. I honestly feel like hurting someone.. for the first time in my life." Vala whispered softly to her as outraged angry tears burned hotly against her cheeks. Thankfully no one wanted to discuss anything even closely related to Shiva after that and topics changed over to the debriefings, trials, and investigations that were ahead.

Chapter Eleven: The Storm's Aftermath

Shiva might have whined and been annoyed, but she and the others who had come down to Earth in her wake were left mostly idle for nearly all of the next three weeks as Digel base was nearly overrun by people flowing in from every corner of the colonies. The scandal was massive in proportions and while Vala didn't even register on the scale of figures that were soon in attendance her mother had always been respected by the other officers her father had served alongside. Therefore she had plenty of guests who were willing to give her information about what was happening behind close doors, some of which she shared with Vala. Shiva was frustrated enough about other matters that she was left out of the loop on those events. By ones and twos and always in the company of one of the older children or the adults who had appeared to help watch over all of them, they were taken in front of a panel and debriefed adding their perspectives on the varied missions they had undertaken and the events they gone through. Shiva for her part was in and out of courtrooms and interview rooms practically every day during that time, sometimes for as long as 10 hours at a go, as she was all but forced to tell everything that had happened. Vala had four such sessions but none of them were as ever as intense as the ones her beloved had to go through.

Even with Shiva's mood worsening with the progression of the days as they marched steadily onward, Vala had could not doubt a lot of the children ever been so happy. With Digel base flooded with unfamiliar people they were moved on mass across the borders into officer's territory and were given nearly an entire building all to themselves. Shiva's preplanned escape in the direction of the nearest shopping center was quick to snowball into a mass exodus as all of them and enough adults to keep an eye out for all of them filled three hole buses one weekend. When it was sunny outside the officer's enclave practically broke under the far reaching games of tag, water-gun fights, and hide and seek. When it rained carts of board games, video game systems, and other things flooded rooms and gathering points for their army. As time progressed Vala almost started to believe that some of their care-takers had been secretly urged to take time away from their duties to linger in close to the children who happily greeted them every morning and hugged them every night before bed. Of course, it wasn't at all hard for Vala to see that her mother would perhaps never want to leave Poe behind even if Poe was inside Anslaw for the rest of her life.

While everyone grew frustrated with the lack of news concerning their fates, there were distractions aplenty and some were even enough to pull Shiva out from her considerably lighter halo of dark clouds. The one currently underway was the first day she wasn't scheduled for something or expected to report somewhere, or simply wasn't being pulled away by someone who wanted to have a word, and it was one of the rare days when she got to simply relax and be herself. Armed with water guns she and the twins had been stalking the region 'assassinating' many a laughing officer, some of whom were taken hostage during lunch time. Vala smiled as she sat in the shade and watched as the youngest children chased her around the nearby grassy space with her laughing at their happy attempts to capture some random object from her control. Her mother watched along side of her even more pleased to see Poe opening up as she joined into the game of keep away. Her surgery had been weeks before and had gone off without the tiniest of hitches, and despite the circumstances she had been fondly telling anyone who really noticed the difference that her new eyes had been easier choice than trying to remember where she had put her glasses. Toned to match the color of her old eyes almost perfectly, it took a very close examination to see the mechanical irises shifting in the changing light.

"They are having fun." Alex chuckled as he quietly slipped in beside Vala. It took her a moment to notice the wet patch on his uniform. "I was assassinated by the terrorist forces that the twins are leading back here now."

"Rei, your eyes!! They're beautiful!" Kali announced happily grabbing her mother's cheeks to tilt her head up to the light.

"Everyone thinks so to.." She laughed up to the younger woman. "I don't suppose the fact that both of you are here now that means that we will get some answers, before Shiva gets it into her head to start taking hostages for real."

"Yes, but I have a feeling my siblings are scattered across creation." Kali murmured with a disappointed expression.

"Poe!" Her mother called and then touched her fore finger and thumb to her lips, Poe giggled back to her as she prepared to whistle. Knowing it would do no good to try and cover her ears against the sound, the younger girl unleashed a shrill piercing whistle that made her empathic sense throb with the sound that seemed to carry on forever.

"That is.. efficient.. a bit painful but effective." Kali commented as the other empaths picked up the far reaching whistle and repeated it across the distance, extending it out so that everyone would hear it.

"I don't suppose this means all my carefully thought out blackmail plans have been tossed out the window." Shiva growled as she moved towards them as all the others began to filter in, usually in the company of some of care-takers who spent most hours in around them. "Damn just when I had the right targets picked out."

"She's been interrogated enough for the rest of her life, that much is certain." Ayla teased as she slipped into the scene smiling at Kali as the two of them exchanged information silently. "Go unlock that briefing room we used the other day to play games in."

"Right, make me do all the work again." Shiva murmured with a sarcastic roll of her eyes as she offered Vala her hand. When Vala accepted the offer with a smile, they were both launched skyward in a high arching leap that crossed to the nearest roof and back towards the building claimed by all of them. A half dozen more effortlessly movements that had Vala giggling as the two of them got a head start long enough to exchange a few giggling kisses where no of the others could make teasing comments or rude noises, they moved towards their final destination. Though technically off limits to them, Shiva's curious nature would never quite allow her to leave the doors leading down into the tunnels alone, especially when privacy had been hard for them to find ever since they had been reunited. With locks that clicked open with an ease that made locking them with Shiva around quite pointless, and leaving the doors open in her wake they made their way to the conference room. The two of them settled up against the front tables to wait and see if Shiva would need to serve in her official capacity as troublemaker and military leader or if she was just one of the kids that day. Vala couldn't but giggle when she started growling like a territorial kitten when the first arrivals were lead inside by one of the many care-takers. Distracted by her many days in court and tired enough at the end of most days to simply want to curl up in a quiet spot she really hadn't been given the chance to think about what those peoples' presences might mean for her siblings.

"Hello my favorite pair of trouble makers." Devin murmured as he reappeared. Even though he had testified in several of the hearings, he had disappeared sometime a week and a half earlier. He slipped inside with a smile for Shiva's glaring gaze, kissed Vala's cheek and looked down at her with a smirk. "I didn't have any official answers until two days ago, Shiva."

"It better not be bad news." Shiva hissed at him, getting 'snappy' now that answers were close.

"If it is we will lead a revolt and go straight to the media, they can't even convict any of us as adults." Vala told her with a wicked giggle shared silently by Shiva's sparkling eyes, before giving Devin a playful wicked smile.

"And I thought Shiva was supposed to be vicious and bloodthirsty, but ouch.. that's really going for the tender places." Devin murmured back to her clutching at his chest as if somehow mortally wounded. This teasing act was just enough to draw a soft giggle out of Shiva. "Don't worry it's not bad news, and you get to be an audience member today."

"Better not be, Captain." She whispered back to her as she allowed him to kiss her cheek in greeting. Vala gasped as she realized it, she had been seeing so many uniforms of late she she hadn't even noticed the sudden rise in his rank. He chuckled down at Shiva, perhaps sensing just a hint of a compliment in her quasi threat since she never addressed anyone below a Colonel by their rank most of the time. Vala winked at him as she drew Shiva away and settled herself in the front row with Shiva in her proper place, curled up in Vala's lap. Her mother arrived a few minutes later holding Poe in the curve of one arm and holding Isis's hand in other while Athena glared around at Devin suspiciously holding onto the hands of the youngest two children. They were followed by a Lt. Colonel who had spent a lot of time with those two little ones close at hand, she smiled at Vala's watching gaze as one of them climbed up into her lap. All of them soon settled nearby as the crowd of children and adults filled the large tiered lecture hall almost past the point when it might burst at the seams. The last two to arrive were following at the heels of the last two stragglers, Kali and Alex. Both of whom smiled around the space and meeting all the eyes of the worried children, when Kali called all of them to order the already quiet room went deathly still.

"As all of you have probably guessed, the tribunals have started to hand down their decisions." Alex stated as he moved to stand below them at the front of the room. "Including those decisions that will affect all of us." Vala couldn't imagine that many people were really breathing at that point. "But first.. I'd like to thank.."

"Alex." Shiva growled at him dangerously. There was nervous laughter as he turned to meet her burning gaze with laughter in his eyes.

"It appears.. that all of you have done far better than Kali and I could have ever have hoped in our wildest of fantasies." That certainly dropped the level in tension by several large steps. "Somehow all of you have managed to convince the brass, that despite your collective potential for destruction, that you are still governed by compassion, trust, love, and a desire to help those around you, Series 6 or one of the 'normals', without regards to anything other than all of you are human." He smiled around the room at all proud faces and the rapidly easing tensions. "Even Shiva, who scares me most of the time.." This produced a great deal of laughter as everyone could see his obvious affection for her. ".. has managed to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that all of you are more than you were meant to be when you were created." He half flinched for a moment and then sighed as he stepped back to consider his next words. "Before we go on with all the good news, here's the bad news that might be affecting you and your siblings in the future. Nearly 40% of the Series 5 units have been smuggled off of Earth and scattered all across the Alliance and perhaps even outside of our borders by now." That was a pretty chilling thing to hear for a lot of them. "While none of you will be obligated to help when those missing people are located, the brass will be all but required to seek out volunteers to save lives and try to minimize any further damage. This will be entirely voluntary.. and even if none of you ever choose to go out on another mission, it has been put in writing that it will not affect any of your lives or the future of those still sleeping at Anslaw."

"Not that I think any of you really care about such things, but they are also talking about financial compensation for those who do help with future missions and will offer more than fair pay scale. It is an incentive for giving up your time and risking yourselves to save the lives of others." Devin added with an apologetic smile for Alex.

"While nothing has been set in stone, every.. single.. decision that has been thus far handed down have stated in no uncertain terms that many if not all the restrictions that have kept all of you locked up in Anslaw will be lifted and that a new set of rules will be created to help all of you gain the kinds of freedoms you have never had, but always wanted." Alex told them slowly to insure his point was made absolutely clear.

"The details aren't exactly clear yet, since most eyes are fixed on Series 5 right now, but the brass is listening to the three of us knowing that we have perhaps the best insight into how to make this transition run as smoothly as possible. It seems likely that things will work out to something close to these lines, for starters our research projects in Anslaw will be expanded with the new budget, to insure that all of you have a home and a place at Anslaw if being out here proves to be too much for any of you. Captain Hornton,.." Kali smiled over at him as he stood nearby posing just a little with his promotion. ".. will now be heading the new task-force for Series 6 affairs. He and his men.."

"When he gets some.." Shiva commented with a snicker. Devin fixed her with a playfully threatening pointed finger and a glare that had much of the room laughing.

".. will be in charge of aiding those on the outside, smoothing out the hopefully few problems that might come from this, and insuring that all of us have a damn good chance of leading happy productive lives. He will be creating programs for those inside and outside of Anslaw, helping us to find new homes out here and in the stars over our heads, and otherwise doing everything they can to give all of us a fresh start." Kali nodded over to him as if that was his cue to start talking.

"To be honest.." Devin began with a slow smile.

"That sounds like a good start." Ayla teased from somewhere near the back much to the delight of all, he gave her playful glaring growl for her trouble.

"I've been getting a lot of discrete inquiries over the last three weeks from officers who have been on this base, inquiries that are directly related to all of you. Most of you probably don't know this, but when Shiva first got out and just before all the trouble really began I tried to place her with a friend as a sort of adoption. Even though that didn't work out through no one's fault, I have been getting those very same kinds of questions and offers." Vala wasn't quite as surprised as many of them, but Shiva was stunned by this news. As Vala glanced around she could see almost every single adult was smiling specifically at one of the children lingering nearby, as if telling them without any words why they had appeared and why they had stayed close. Even though she had suspected that very thing to come up, it was still a sight that got her choked up. "This would be a mutual decision, since we don't want to take even the slightest chance that someone might end up being unhappy or regretting the choices they have made. The fact that many of you are still young and the fact that you are still new to the outside world even with the information all of you share from those who have been outside makes me think this is perhaps the best course to follow as the main thrust of my new command. Since they would understand how things work a bit better and have proven themselves in the eyes of the Alliance, I tend to think we are going to avoid involving the civilian population in this adoption plan and stick with those officers who have served or are serving."

"What about those of us who are older.." Someone in the back murmured reluctantly, Devin smiled back towards the speaker as if had already been thinking ahead on that one.

"I know some of you might feel ready to simply forge ahead with your lives on your own. For you and them, I would suggest attending some of the better private or public schools, hopefully with a few of your siblings so you are not left alone like Shiva was. I realize you are probably way past most children your age in terms of basic knowledge, but that time spent in a semi-controlled environment will hopefully give you the social skills you will need later, and more importantly establish a public record of your existence that will help you in later life." Devin told him and the others. "But no matter what, I want you to understand that you will be free to return to Anslaw at any point and for any length of time of your choosing. We aren't simply trying to shove you out the back door, we are trying to give you the best possible start we can give you so that there won't be any problems, and so that none of you will have to live as unhappily as Shiva did for the last two years."

"What kind of security concerns are they looking at?" Shiva asked him, cutting through a bit red tape to address one of her personal issues.

"No matter how big command gets.." Devin told her with a smile. ".. it will never be big enough to employ prison guards with me as the warden, but yes we are going to do what we keep all of you out of the public eye. As part of Series 3 I can tell you that I wouldn't want all of you to go through the kinds exposure and public outrage that Rei and I endured when we became free to pursue our lives. At the very least we are probably going to ask that all of you have a tracking device, not to stalk you from the skies like we did with Shiva on occasion, but in case there is a problem and you do need help we will know where you are and one of my people can get to you as quickly as possible."

"Are we going to get tattoos like Shiva?" The twins piped in and giggles ensued.

"Possibly, or have them removed or changed so that they simply can't been seen, again some of the details haven't been worked out." Devin looked around to see if there any more questions before nodding as he decided to wrap things up. "The most important thing I have to say is that all of you have choices now, so think about what you might want in the near future. And lastly, I think most everyone would agree given time to think about this, is it would probably be for the best that we start this new cooperative off, by giving Digel base back to those who still have a lot of work ahead of them. All of us should return to Anslaw to tell those who were left behind about what has happened and what has just been said. It is going to take me at least a few weeks to get my new command up and running and all of these programs underway, and I think all of you should get some time to relax and absorb the last few weeks in a quiet more stable environment while I do that. However, since there are many here who have some stake in that decision, I have been authorized to take as many shuttles as I might need to get all of you back there, which means should there be any.. 'guests'.. who can take time off from their duties there are as many seats as we could possibly need, for those here and those who could not attend our unplanned meeting. My unset schedule for departure is sometime tomorrow afternoon.. so there is still time to tender invitations."

"Me?" Her mother's voice asked softly attracting her attention down to Poe's slightly worried expression. "Sweety.. I'm going back to Anslaw with all of you." Poe smiled sweetly at her and perfectly content the settle in her mother's arms. When she caught Vala watching the scene it seemed absolutely clear to her that her mother was already scheming something in the background, and Vala couldn't help but smile at her.

Shiva told her with some authority that it had taken two standard sized shuttles to get all of the others down to Earth, to get them back to Anslaw it took three heavy shuttles. The adults that followed them back across the void of space were happy and laughing as the pilots turned off the gravity plating and most of the children spent those hours bouncing around above their heads and colliding off the walls. Shiva and the twins curled up with Vala and her mother and slept peacefully despite the ruckus swirling around them. While nothing had been said concerning Shiva's fate, Vala seriously doubted that Devin would ever let them confine her to Anslaw. However it seemed almost likely to Vala that her mother seemed ready to announce that her place had already been decided if not because of Poe but because of the twins as well, which she was already calling her precious grandchildren, much to their delight. The scene of their homecoming was chaotic and wonderful and in truth it was somehow comforting to Vala to be able to walk through those now familiar tunnels after the chaos of Digel base and everything that happened there before and after her arrival. For as much as she had been ready to move towards her adulthood and her independence in the so very distant and so very recent days she had spent at the Academy with Shiva, such concerns seemed to simply fade in the background when faced with her new view of reality. Since Shiva was just as content to let her handle those kinds of concerns as long as they were together, Vala secretly began to explore the options that seemed to have opened up in front of them.

* * *

It was a scene that deeply amused her to see, as the six of them stood on the fringes of the tangled jungle like scene of greenery gone wild. She could see and sense her daughter's doubts clearly written in her eyes even as the twins bounced around nearby investigating the nearby plants and eager to explore further than the spaces just beyond the airlock. It had taken quite a bit of time in a succession of vehicles to reach this place, since Anslaw had long since been a secret facility far out in the broken rock of the lunar landscape. It had involved taking one of the rarely used vehicles from the lower level tunnel parking facility on the southern end of Anslaw, driving for nearly half an hour through the deep tunnels carved out to aid in the construction of the facility, to reach Aerisa military base at the southern end. From there they were escorted across the base in another vehicle to the fringes of the Fleet Academy, where someone volunteered to lend them a vehicle to allow them to recross all that territory to the far northern edge of Anslaw through the pressurized roadways that crisscrossed the lunar surface. Next to a domed police station that connected to that road where they were 'unofficially' lent one of the police vehicles and sent out through their surface airlock to travel east and south to end up less than a quarter mile off of Anslaw's northern border and this overgrown and abandoned dome. If anything the six hours of travel time was well worth Shiva's growling complaints and her confused expression upon their arrival.

"Okay.. I'll bite.. what is this?" Vala asked with a touch of annoyance with her smiling mother.

"Home." Rei told with high amusement bubbling up within her.

"Excuse me?" Vala asked with a narrowing gaze as Poe looked on with intense interest.

"Vala, my beloved eldest daughter, I'd like to meet your new sisters. Poe, Isis, and Athena.." The three named had of course known her feelings long before then but all three were desperately excited to hear it had been officially approved. "And.. Ayla is here as my new partner in crime if she is willing." She murmured as she caught a very happy Poe up in her arms as Shiva hugged her daughters.

"Partner?" Ayla asked with confusion.

"Yes, sweety.." She told her with a smile. "Vala.. your father.. was.. so very important to me. And to be honest.. if things hadn't happened the way they did, I'd probably be locked up in a dark room perfectly content to drink myself into an early grave." Vala's tears were quick to rise to the surface and Shiva was instantly at her side. "But I wasn't given a chance to do that.. instead we came here and these children were so very wonderful, amazing, and understanding.." Vala nodded soundlessly to that having felt much the same. "But we both know that the adoptions and the farewells that are just ahead are going to be the hardest on those who are left behind because they wouldn't make it on the outside without the suppressants. And the Anslaw that remains behind won't ever be the same again." She smiled over at Ayla who was nearly in tears herself at that thought. "So.. this is their new home as well.. a place where they won't have to say good bye to everyone."

"Really?" Ayla asked with a choked voice as the twins came over to comfort her.

"Yep." Rei told her with an adoring smile. "For you, Poe, and anyone else who is going to watch their family spread out across the stars and not be able to follow for whatever the reason. I've sold off some of our properties on Earth, and used the money to buy the dome, the tunnels, and just about a square mile all around us. This dome was built to house the people who built Anslaw, and its' northern edge is just about a quarter mile south of here, it was public land owned by the lunar government, but now it's ours. Devin assures me that he will find a way for a tunnel to be built connecting us straight into Anslaw and all the children who are going to need our help as they wake up and the ones who are going to be working there and living here. I am assured that there is enough room for 2,000 people here with ten acres of environmental dome above, and 16 levels of tunnels below. So welcome home everyone.."

"Mom.." Poe was quickly transferred over into Ayla's keeping so she could catch her daughter in her arms as she cried.

"Well there are certainly worse ideas." Shiva commented looking out towards the spaces beyond. Rei smirked at what for her this was high praise. While there had been no official announcements of her future status, it was fairly well established that she was one of most dangerous of the Series 6 children already awake having undergone the most extensive military training and with enough horrible experiences to account for her many issues. Though Devin believed that they would never confine her to Anslaw, he did think that she might have a few more restrictions than the others if only for the piece of mind of those watching over his new command. Shiva for her part was taking that idea rather well, and Rei had been mindful of her situation when she had been arranging things for this new sanctuary and for those who had suffered during the Series 6 programs.

"Can we go explore?" Poe asked in a heart-wrenchingly soft sweet voice, looking between Rei and Ayla.

"Of course we can, sweetness." Ayla told her quickly smiling over at Rei. "It's our home after all." More than a little touched by the bone deep gratitude pulsating just beneath the calm surface, she nodded to Ayla and the four of them wandered off, lead by a pair of giggling trouble makers. Vala calmed down a few minutes later and with a blurry eyed smile she smiled at her mother caressed Shiva's hair tenderly before she too wandered off into the distance.

"I would rather have been stuck back into a freezer than trapped inside Anslaw.. I.. wouldn't have wanted Vala to feel like she had to stay there with me all the time." Shiva whispered to her as she lingered nearby with a cloud of doom and gloom lingering nearby, it wasn't hard to know where Athena had picked up that habit.

"I know." Rei whispered softly as she moved to duck down nearby and rubbed her back. "But I have never been one of those parents who struggled to understand their children. Vala only just found you.. she would never want to give you up. Anyways, I think her plans have changed recently.." Shiva looked up at her with interest. ".. my gut feeling is she wants to help our new family as much as I do, she was always interested in being a therapist.. being an empath could only be a huge advantage in that sort of career, I just think she wants to be a special kind of therapist." Shiva smiled and nodded as she breathed a small sigh of relief at that bit of news. A moment later her head snapped around at the sound of the airlock door, Rei turned to follow her gaze as Devin, his second in command, now Lt. Gregor and two unknown men entered her dome.

"Hey there!" Devin called to both of them with a dazzling smile. Shiva glared at him suspiciously, not quite ready to believe that there could be a happy ending for her quite yet. "Don't look at me like that." He glared back at her mostly in play. "Thanks for lending us the keys, Rei." He added as he turned back towards the view outside the protective dome windows. "That's the ridge out there." He murmured pointing out to the south and the edge of the land she owned and the border she shared with Anslaw.

"It still looks good.." One of men commented thoughtfully.

"I'll take them below look for a good place for the connecting tunnel." Gregor murmured before leading the two men away.

"Ridge?" Rei asked suspiciously.

"The legal departments are telling me that they can't authorize me to connect a still secret military facility to a private residence. However.. if I were to have something built out in the open, there wouldn't be any reason why the two could not be connected." Devin told her chuckling happily at whatever scheme he had in the works.

"Something.." She murmured glaring at him to ensure he got to his point.

"That's the beauty of it, you see with my new command being of the variety that will have operations throughout the colonies, we would need nearby access to airfields and a catapult, but if it was on Earth our travel budget would be huge because all the space on bases that fulfills those requirements are full so we would need to use a commercial site to provide for those needs. However you just so happen to sit almost directly in line with the northern shuttle bay of Anslaw, which has all the room we would need to keep people on the move, and has just enough territory for a new facility on it's border. The added bonus is of course, that we would need no travel budget for trips between Anslaw and our headquarters where everything will be starting, so.." He chuckled at her.

"Just don't ruin my view." She growled playfully at him.

"And Shiva.." His voice became tender as he moved closer to duck down on her other side, she watched him as if the bad news was still waiting to strike her down from the heavens. "It's not official yet.. but they not even considering confinement, but they are talking restrictions, okay? They are just worried about putting you anywhere close to an uncontrolled environment." She nodded as he caressed her hair. "It probably won't be any worse than you have been living with before now, and will probably only be for a few years, just to make sure that Vala can keep you calm and on the straight and narrow."

"Okay.." Shiva agreed reluctantly, she didn't doubt for a moment that the young woman's greatest worry over those assurances were how much her life-style would effect Vala's life and future.

"You go get a look around, I am sure you can tell us if something needs to be fixed." Shiva nodded, turned, and wandered away. "How has she been handling this?" Devin asked her gently once certain Shiva was out of earshot.

"Pretty good, she really doesn't like being in Anslaw but there are enough friendly faces there that she likes it better than being confined to Digel." She told him as he offered her his arm and they started to wander across the untamed landscape. "It will be better if the worse comes that she'll have this place with no bad memories to associate with it."

"Well I told her the truth, there are a lot of people down there fighting on her behalf. And every reason for people to believe a lot of these children can be dangerous if given the motivation or need to defend themselves. I half think Shiva shows off her danger like a poisonous frog so that the brass will forget that is the truth." He commented to her.

"Which is very true." Rei agreed softly.

"I don't suppose you take in tenants here." He commented to her pointedly.

"Maybe for those who are Captain and above.. though Gregor might be the exception." She agreed tentatively.

"It wouldn't do to have those that this place is being established for to think my entire staff is here to watch them. But Shiva and others seemed to realize that Gregor is just a gigantic bald teddy bear deep down inside." He chuckled back to her.

"It would be nice to have you both around as good male role models." Rei agreed warmly.

* * *

Even though it annoyed her almost endlessly to have strangers wandering through the corridors of a place she considered 'home-turf' and despite the fact that she still felt a kind of faded hatred for the place, Shiva tried hard to keep smiling as she moved through the rooms and past the great many uniforms that had appeared. Even as he strained a little to get his new 'house' in order and recruit the right sort of people to fill in the many vacant slots inside his command, Devin was running full speed ahead with some of his better plans. This would be the seventh of what had been dubbed 'visitors weekends', while a great many officers had followed them on the return trip, most could not simply abandon their duty for an indeterminate amount of time. So even though there had been lots of tears on both sides many had slipped away after the first two weeks, which only made the scenes of their returns during the visits all the more poignant to the slowly increasing crowds of new faces. The first two weekends had been mostly familiar faces, but this most recent one seemed like there were more new faces than old. Half suspecting other things were in the works, Shiva wisely bit her tongue and waited for her chance to interrogate someone. Of course, on their side of things it wasn't just established faces either, by ones and twos and working from the long established 'list' that had been a part of Alex's old scheme concerning those in his care, more and more of her brothers and sisters were being woken up to add to their expanding numbers.

While surprised to be brought out of stasis into this 'new world' of opportunities, the newly awakened children and young adults were perhaps handling the sudden change far better than those who had been calling the changed Anslaw home during the previous years. For as much as they had all dreamed of one day escaping those tunnels and seeing the outside world they had been dreaming of, the sudden changes were hardest on those like Ayla and Poe who had been woken up to a life in hiding and to the small family of siblings established over the previous two years. With their small inclusive world slowly falling apart at the seams in the face of the sudden changes taking place, it was perhaps only Rei's sanctuary that was able to keep them and some of the others on an even keel. The promise of a home that would soon enough look nothing like a military facility and a place that would not be so prone to extreme changes was comforting to all of them including Shiva whose fate had not yet been established back on Earth. For as much as this lack of news made her want to steal a shuttle and force a landing at Digel base, neither Alex nor Devin needed her causing trouble. Besides which she and the others were more than occupied in keeping the peace and ensuring that their bizarre little 'orphanage' was not a new unprecedented disaster area.

Those that weren't seeking a life out past the more stable environment already established for them and some of those who were planning to go straight into school when that option became available, and Shiva's new family were all part of that small force that patrolled the rooms to make sure the somewhat nervous strangers did not upset the very uncertain children. With more than four hundred of them already awake their number was still being eclipsed by the number of officers along with their wives and husbands. Perhaps simply trying to establish a base for the many future adoptions, Shiva still wished that Devin would be more careful about insuring the little ones weren't overwhelmed by sheer numbers. But with the older children and established visitors nothing terribly upsetting had happened thus far so he wasn't yet in danger of a beating. Once sure that all was peaceful in that area, Shiva moved on before her now notorious presence could make the prospective parents any more nervous than they already were. Passing through the large space that had been given over to the purpose of being the 'entrance chamber' for new arrivals to establish themselves before moving on towards the more private settings beyond. Shiva merely glared at anyone who got too close and was about to disappear down another corridor when someone caught her eye. Crossing right through the knots of quietly chatting officers and spouses, Shiva's course took her right into a pair of warm arms and a happily chuckling presence at the fair side the room. Seila was perhaps the first welcome sight out of Rei's plan for her future and Vala's appearance at Digel base and Shiva held onto her perhaps just a little too long before she stepped back to have her hands caught in the older woman's fingers.

"I was so worried when we saw you on the news.." Even though she whispered the silence around them probably allowed those watching the scene with stunned expressions hear her perfectly fine. "Even with those guards you sent to insure I was okay."

"I'm sorry about that, we didn't know who we could trust after the General.. and things have been pretty hectic since then so we haven't really had the chance to call anyone besides Vala's brothers." Shiva told her a touch guiltily.

"Well that's okay, I appreciated the fact that you even had the time to think about me during that mess, though I was never really told what happened. I am just glad you two are okay." She murmured with a tender smile.

"I am pretty sure all of it is classified by now, and I'd probably get you into trouble talking about investigations and pending court cases." She gave Shiva a surprised look, and a questioning gaze. "I'm fine.. just.. potentially more dangerous than before." Shiva gave her a half hearted giggle at that and shook her head at the more probing gaze that followed. "So.. why are you here?"

"Despite being at least partially involved in whatever happened to you two, no one has been telling me what or why. And Mr. Hornton will answer for that the first time I see him, let me promise you that." Shiva giggled back at her playfully angry look and nodded. "So finally, I practically ambushed General Owen in his office, made some threats, and he told me a little bit about what was happening here. We thought that we could start an accelerated learning program for some of the children who are old enough to start attending school. Think you can help guide us old people through this.. bizarre maze you used to call home?"

"Of course I can, most of them are probably in hiding, so that the other visitors can focus on the little ones.." Shiva glared around at the silent staring people rather pointedly, many of whom simply chuckled as they took her pointed reminder and moved off. "I could use a break anyways."

"If you would, I am really eager to see if they are as smart as you." Seila teased gently as Shiva was turned away from the occupied rooms and pulled in close to the older woman's side to guide her and the strangers clumped together with her away from the closer spaces.

"Probably smarter, I am part of the first generations of my siblings." Shiva told her speculatively glancing back to see if she recognized anyone else of the three people following close behind them, they all smiled at her words much to her surprise. It was only a short distance before she was drawing them into the nearest transport tube.

"Visitors are asked to stay in the living area." One of the guards murmured tiredly as the doors closed behind them.

"It's only me, and some people who aren't here specifically to adopt anyone." She called back, he chuckled and apologized for the interruption as Shiva programmed their destination on the flat panel touch display. "I imagine they are hiding down in the labs.." Shiva commented as the metal chamber was whisked into motion through the bizarre twisting course.

"Labs?" One of the others asked.

"Alex, the Lt. Colonel in charge of Anslaw, decided to hell with regulations and started waking up some of us a few years back, they've been working on creating consumer goods to try and establish funding so they could wake up the rest. They are probably down there, hanging out and depressed, most of them have been together for a long time, so it's been pretty hard on a lot of us to see their family being broken up." Shiva explained as much to fill the silence as it was out of the desire to see them informed.

"Why the sudden change?" Another of them asked gently.

"I.. am not really ready to talk about it.. and.. you should probably avoid asking them that, but.. there's a huge scandal and a mass of trouble brewing within the military right now. A lot of us were needed to make sure things didn't get worse.. if the scandal ever hits the media.. you'll know." Shiva murmured deeply uncomfortable by the topic under discussion, Seila rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. "But.. a lot of us will have seen a lot of horrible things either here during the time when this place was active or recently when.. all of this started, so please keep that in mind. If your schools are anything like Seila's it can be only for the best that they are given the chance to see the quieter side of life."

"Their schools are much the same as mine." Seila promised her gently. "Only the best for you kids, I promise you that much." Thankfully the doors opened soon after before they tried to get Shiva to go any deeper into that and they were moving through the now much quieter hallways surrounded by many of the old labs. Most of the children who had wanted to go to school were the ones who had been the main force behind the research and inventing that had been going on there during her absence. They were the ones eager to get out into the world and to the schools and colleges that would give them the doctorates and advanced degrees that had already earned through their work at Anslaw. As she had all but expected when she had picked this area to search through first, Shiva soon caught sight of a sentry just before they were spotted. With a patter of little feet, the would be guard darted away leading them right to the sanctuary of solitude she had been meant to protect. As she so rarely did, Shiva knocked on the partially open door and left Seila's side to poke her head into the room beyond. The forty-three who had been bound towards schools by choice had gathered inside the rezoned space of a one time laboratory that had become a lounge and break room before becoming a weekend sanctuary from intruders.

"Sorry to bring invaders, but all of them risked sedition charges to get here and could probably use a few allies by now." Shiva called inside, there were a few nervous smiles as she swung open the door a little further.

"That poor General, I think he almost cried as I browbeat seats out of him on the shuttle." Seila called out happily as she peered inside at all the ones who wanted school and had not been needed to help watch over the others. "Shiva no fair, are all your brothers and sister so beautiful?" She demanded teasingly as she peered inside.

"Pretty much." Shiva agreed with a smile. "Seila runs.. probably the most beautiful school I have ever seen, Madam Felini's school for girls."

"Hmm, let me introduce everyone. Daren here runs the school for boys just across the lake from my school. Rina has always been an over achiever and runs the number one school for the gifted in the whole Alliance it's in Australia. Marcus is the secretary of the education working for the Prime Ministers office. All of them have been some of my dearest friends for a very long time." Seila murmured as Shiva drew the older woman inside, and easily guessing at her real meaning.

"Schools for girls?" Zarra asked sweetly bouncing up to Shiva's legs with all the bubbly energy of youth.

"Yep." Shiva agreed scooping her up and handed her over to Seila as she settled in a pocket of girls who leaned in with interest. "It was like a big garden even bigger than the west garden, and trees and grass as far as the eyes could see. And there were big buildings filled with class rooms looking over huge courtyards. The teacher's there were really nice and some of the girls were nice, but if Seila wants to start a program for all of you, than you might to get to live together down by the lake. And on the weekends everyone can go into town and meet the boys and play around in all sorts of cool stores."

"Absolutely, and if we can get enough people we can even build a new dorm for all of you." Seila agreed happily hugging the little one in her lap.

"And then we could sneak across the lake and go visit the boys whenever we wanted." Molly laughed as she moved to settle nearby, her desires to keep an eye on Zara all to clear to anyone who was paying attention.

"Which is just fine, Seila warned me to expect some quiet mischief on the part of my more gifted students." Daren agreed chuckling from nearby as he moved to perch on the arm of a nearby couch with a group of boys close by. Robert who was the eldest of their number was quick to engage him with questions.

"Thanks, Shiva." Molly whispered back to her with a gratitude that went down deep.

"Spread us out over a billion light years and we'll still be a family, ask Seila about her arm and you'll start to see that." Shiva stated to anyone within earshot as she slid to her feet.

"What a beautiful sentiment, Shiva. I had no idea you were such a poet." Seila laughed happily as she pulled up her sleeve to proudly show of her Series 3 tattoo. Almost immediately the other adults in the room and were smiling as they showed off their own Series tattoos to an amazed and suddenly relaxed crowd of excited children.

"It comes and goes." Shiva told all of them with a smile as she slipped out past the door and drew it closed against the burst of questions and happy speculative conversations. She was both surprised and not at all surprised to find Devin standing just outside the door having undoubtedly heard all the recent conversation. She contemplated hurting him just for fun, but decided not to after a hard won internal struggle, but she did glare at him much to his amusement.

"I couldn't have done that better myself." He chuckled as Shiva slid her hand under his arm and together they moved into the corridors beyond.

"Well she was the right envoy and knew how to ensure she would be able to gain just a little trust after she had gotten her foot into the door." Shiva whispered back to him as she leaned in and let her eyes drift closed trying hard to ignore how tired she felt by that point in the day.

"I knew if I just smiled long enough Seila wouldn't be unable to resist opening her mouth, forcing her to put up or shut up, so to speak. Between the four of them they have enough resources, connections, and backing in politics and the military to forge a truly first rate education program. Not to mention all the children that will follow as they are adopted by their well connected foster parents." He stated chuckling happily at the results of his machinations.

"Don't gloat too much." Shiva hissed at him playfully.

"He did earn some of it." Alex murmured as he appeared around a corner ahead of their approaching steps. "But you earned most of the credit for keeping this place from becoming an empty warehouse in a few decades." Shiva gave him a look of intense interest to which he chuckled and caressed her hair. "Besides playing a major role in freeing your brothers and sister from their prison, you were the key to unlocking all the research all of you did all those years ago. Some of us even suspect it might take decades for us to catch up, those blades of yours seem to defy several hard laws of physics." He murmured with a bright glowing smile which made it easy for her to see what Kali had seen in him. "Anyways, there are a number of military projects looking for more room, better access to space, or just facilities better suited to their needs. With so many of you expected to move out into the stars, there's plenty of room for a sanctuary in addition to what Rei is building and dozens of square miles that can be re-purposed for other things. Not to mention any one of you would make for one hell of a scientist given the desire and half a chance."

"I really didn't do anything.." Shiva murmured with a sigh, the two men smiled over her head and decided not to try to contradict her. "What's supposed to happen to me?"

"Vala didn't tell you?" Devin asked with half a smile, Shiva shook her head with surprised concern. "Don't worry it's not bad news, it wasn't official until this morning, but she seemed pleased that her proposal was accepted so quickly."

"Did you catch up with Seila?" Alex asked the Captain.

"Shiva handled it before I could get away from glad handling the brass." Devin told him chuckling when a beeping sound rippled from within his pocket. "Speaking of which.." He kissed Shiva's temple even as she switched allegiances to follow at Alex's arm as he wandered along. With a backwards wave, Devin answered his com-unit and hurried off in the direction of the nearest transport tube.

"This place is pretty lively." Shiva commented softly to Alex.

"Well, let me keep you informed, you are after all part of my command staff." Shiva giggled back up to him as she leaned in close to rest her eyes for a few minutes more. "Devin is handling the arrivals in all three hanger bays, making sure the brass all feel welcome as the shuttle's arrive and depart. Devin's men are handling the arrivals of interested foster parents, my men are making sure no one gets lost and stay out of places where they shouldn't be. I am am handling all the people coming here to inspect the facilities and evaluate their potential needs for incoming projects. Meanwhile, Kali, Rei, and a few of those people who have already been approved for adoptions in the near future are conducting interviews, answering questions, and giving lectures to potential and interested foster parents. The first adoptions should be made official in a week or two when we are close to have things lined up for ones Kali and I woke up here before." He told her with a tired sounding sigh that was almost immediately followed by a chuckle. "All I have to say is thank the heavens for you kids, taking care of your brothers and sisters with all of this going on around you." He paused as they neared one of the transports and the doors swept open, the first thing Shiva saw was a pair of men with rifles slung over their shoulders, a sight that had never been seen inside of Anslaw and one she did not like for an instant.

"Whoa!!" Alex yelled as he yanked her around and put himself between her and the occupants of the tube carriage. "Shiva, don't!" He forced her eyes into focusing on his, distracting her before she could do something everyone would end up regretting. "Admiral, please send those two men back to your shuttle with their weapons." Alex stated quickly as he snapped back around to salute someone inside the elevator, giving Shiva a chance to calm herself and her raging instincts.

"Shiva?.. um.. right. You heard the Colonel, I should be fine on my own for a while." Another voice murmured as two shadows stepped out through the doors before they closed. "I apologize, I hadn't even thought about them.."

"It's all right, sir." Alex told him as he ended his salute and slipped his arm around his back to offer his hand to a now calmer Shiva, who was soon drawn around and into view. "If I had known you were coming we would have arrangements for your arrival, sir. But I think you can understand that it is not a good idea to expose the children to weaponry, especially in light of recent events, better that they feel safe with the current stressful situations taking place."

"Yes, yes, of course you are right. But with the recent arrests, more precautions have been advised after General.." He caught Shiva's eyes and seemed realize that it might not be advisable to continue those words. "After what has happened." He finished uncomfortably.

"You're safe here, Admiral.." Shiva whispered up to him with a smile for his attempts to be mindful of her feelings. "Most of the children can sense ill intentions from a long way off. Anyone harboring such things would quickly find themselves in a very uncomfortable position."

"Yes, of course." He agreed with a chuckle and a smiling nod. "After reading some of the reports I found myself more than a little curious about how things were proceeding here, and was hoping to meet some of the children." Shiva felt Alex hesitate and knew that he had all sorts of things happening all over the place.

"Admiral, if it's all right.. I can introduce you to my brothers and sisters and show you around Anslaw. Alex has like a hundred things going on right now, it would let him free up some of his time to talk with you about all the stuff no one tells me." Shiva suggested hoping at the very least to earn a few Karma points with the higher powers that had been so kind to her recently.

"Sir, I would be willing to brush everything aside for you, but Shiva does have access to just about everywhere you might wish to go, and she is perhaps the best guide where the children are concerned." Alex stated for his sake and for the sake of the com-unit in his pocket that started beeping.

"Oh?" He gave Shiva a gentle smile as if to make up for the earlier near incident. "Than by all means, it is far too rare for me to get to escort around a pretty young woman." That teasing compliment and the mischievous light in his eyes was easily enough to pull Shiva across the distance to accept his offered his arm. "As you were, Colonel." With his assistant chuckling in the background and Alex smiling his silent gratitude there was a second exchange of salutes before he answered his phone, nodded, and hurried off. "So.. I can guess you have high level access, do you?" He murmured down to her as she drew him into a slow steady pace through the still empty corridors.

"Mmm, yes sir. I actually had it before the Series 6 program was mothballed, I.. well I stole from the old command, but it made it possible for me to get access to the vaults and the central databanks where Alex's people could effectively 'change the locks' to Anslaw and put him officially in charge. He let me add myself to the Command staff protocols mostly out of gratitude." She told him with a small smile, he chuckled and patted her hand as if he would have let her do the same.

"Considering the reports from the Antarctic, there wasn't much you couldn't have accessed before." He commented teasingly down to her.

"Maybe.. but the vault was designed to stop a talent of even my caliber.. well I suppose you could say I got lucky and I had some help. It was pretty dangerous, but if I was going to have any chance against a prepared force of Series 5 troops I was going to need the added advantage my old research materials would provide. It would have been a lot harder for me to bust into the central core here and still try to get into vault." She told him with a smile.

"I find that oddly reassuring." He murmured back to her with a warm smile. "I must say you are not quite what I expected."

"I don't suppose anyone could live up to the cataclysmic force that those reports must have made me out to be." He and his assistant chuckled at that. "Some of the others are pretty good at figuring us out, and they told me once that each of us reacts to different people we meet based on what all of our senses are telling us, not just the normal five. So with another person, I would react in a completely different way, and therefore seem like a totally different person."

"So you don't think you are a cataclysmic force?" He asked softly as he relaxed a little more.

"I can be.. it would be a lie to not admit that, but.. I would hope the fact that not everywhere I go and everywhere I have been hasn't been left in utter ruins would count for something." She commented back to him much to his deep and delighted amusement.

"This is true." He agreed and then seemed to pause as he considered something. "The Advocate General was quite eloquent when she quoted your apology the night of your return to Digel base." Shiva was stunned to hear that and he seemed to know instantly what she was feeling in that moment. "And your requests for you siblings, was quite touching."

"I.. I.. really wish she hadn't quoted me in something official like that.. I mean I suppose she had her reasons, but.. that was really meant to be private.." She whispered back to him uncomfortably.

"The most dangerous of the known Series 6 children offering to give up her freedom and her life on the outside so that others better suited to the same chance might get that opportunity. I would have been most displeased if she had chosen to withhold it." He told her in return rubbing her hand affectionately. "We aren't lost, are we?" Shiva smiled back at him and shook her head.

"I just wanted to be sure that you were relaxed, if you were nervous.. some of the children might react badly to you, I wanted to be sure you got to see them at your best." Shiva told him as she drew him around the turn at another intersection and towards the nearest transport tube in the distance.

"Appreciated, but I think I am ready." She nodded and gestured off into the distance, he chuckled and patted her hand. "I am curious to know, what do you know about me?" He asked as the boarded another transport carriage.

"Four star Admiral. Someone important.." She murmured looking up at him as she programmed their destination. "Alex had enough respect to ask that the weapons removed, and he knew you instantly.. but not much else. I hope you are not offended.. or anything, but I am not really impressed by rank or anything like that.. but you are being nice to me so that counts for more a little. Anyways, Alex is really busy and for all that he has done for my brothers and sisters, I am just as glad to be able to repay him in some way."

"Nothing for yourself?" To this she smiled and shook her head.

"As long as I can stay with Vala and she's happy.. that's what is important to me now, and I wouldn't want that to ever change." Shiva told him with a bright happy smile. "Anyways, there are a lot of officers up here but since they have been cleared by security and the children aren't.. you know.. doing bad things to them, I would think you are safe enough. However since you are important enough to have security in a secure facility, I promise you that you'll make through this alive." Shiva murmured teasingly, to which he gave a hearty laugh.

"From you my dear, that is deeply reassuring. But you are right anyone allowed near these children would be above reproach." Shiva smiled up at him as the doors opened onto a busy intersection in the heart of the visitor's area and the Admiral was greeted instantly by sharp salutes and smiles from every virtually officer who saw him. "At ease, just visiting." He told them all quickly returning the gesture before smiling down at all the curious watching children nearby. Those few who took in his large size with a touch of fear saw Shiva smiling as she hung on his arm and relaxed. Sierra one of the recently awakened little ones was by no means intimidated as she wandered up to him and tugged on his sleeve. "Well hello there." He chuckled as he released Shiva's arm to scoop her up. "What's your name?" She giggled and playfully shook her head.

"This is Sierra, she was just woken up last week." Shiva told him laughing as she tugged on the girl's foot as she guided the two of them to one of the nearby play rooms.

"That's a pretty name, and what do you Sierra." Giggling even more she created a fireball between her fingers that turned into a ball of ice a heartbeat later. "That's a really great trick sweety." He murmured as they settled in the room of happy children.

"Martin said that already." She told him before point off to one of the nearby Colonels who was being used as giant doll. They lingered there for an about an hour with the Admiral happy and lighthearted, with the children swirling around them curious enough to gather nearby attracted by his strong gentle aura. After a while he looked ready to move on, and Shiva drew him past other such scenes and took him to visit with some of the older kids on the way to other things.

"Poe, have you see the twins?" Shiva called as her sister appeared through the crowd, the response was a smile and pointed finger out to the west and the nearest gardened dome that was another gathering point for the visitors. Blowing the younger girl a kiss which made the little ones giggle on mass, Shiva drew the Admiral into that heading. A few more minutes and a great many salutes and warm greetings later they were emerging into the warmer light and cooler air of the massive domed space. It was not at all hard to guess where the twins were in the shifting crowds of adults and children as fast spinning objects dipped, curved and dove through the air in complex patterns above the tree tops. More than interested enough to follow her lead they were soon walking through the fringes of the playing field as the twins were at the heart of the chaos. They were surrounded by nearly all of the telekinetics awake playing in a high flying game of speed and telekinetic finesse as they used dozens of foamed bladed versions of the weapons the twins had debuted at the Hyperion attack. "Trust some of them to find a reason to show off, but.. the children who live in fear of their gifts they will never achieve full control and that is dangerous."

"Of course." He agreed thoughtfully as the wandered along and he watched with interest.

"My mother-in-law was telling a few of us about the Series 3 projects the other day." She commented to him when she thought she saw an opening. He looked away from the scene long enough to smile down at her and nod for her to go on. "About the end of the war and how they were put into stasis because of how some feared that if they released into the public there would be some great disaster, and the fears that humanity would change when their altered DNA was added into the gene pool."

"Ah, yes, your mother-in-law sounds like a very wise woman to bring that up at a time like this one." He commented down to her. "Two of those girls out bear a remarkable resemblance to you, my dear."

"My daughters, Isis and Athena. My mother-in-law has already been approved to adopt them and Poe, the girl who sent us this way." She told him with a warm smile for the two figures dancing through the air and across the fields quite happily. "The reason I mention it, sir, is because it would allow me to add some context for something I'd like to say to you. We aren't dangerous because we were made to be, we are dangerous because we might not know any better. Series 6 was created to be the weapons of the next war.. maybe they got it right, but they also made us human. Series 5 is dangerous because they don't know any other way, because of the same people who stripped them of that humanity. Those.. truly unfortunate people who didn't know what they were volunteering for.."

"So very true.." He agreed with a sigh.

"In time, humanity will probably have to face some sort of turning point as our DNA mixes with yours, but you are already facing that with inclusion of Series 3 into the gene pool. I know because my girlfriend is the result of our would be grandparents." He nodded thoughtfully.

"You are right, our predecessors brought you into this world, and the blithely pushed all of you into the shadows to be forgotten. It is up to us now to see that the right thing is done, even if it comes a little late. I was convinced of that before I came here, but your tour has done so much to ease even my most intense worries, thank you." Shiva smiled back at his down turned smiling expression.

"Well.. there is still a lot of work to be done, and some of those still sleeping might have been lost to what happened to us back then, but.. I think it is worth it." She told him softly.

"You've put a lot of thought into all of this." He commented gently.

"Most of us probably have, because all of us want to prevent another genetically engineered disaster." She agreed with a slightly sad smile. "Whatever else, there will always be some of us dedicated to helping those that remain behind."

"Ah-ha.. this.. 'Sanctuary' that Captain Hornton just dropped on some of us." He commented suspiciously.

"My mother-in-law's new home, sir." Shiva corrected gently, he looked at her with a question in his eyes. "Rei Winters, sir. Devin told me she was teaching a class somewhere nearby."

"Do you think I could meet her?" He asked gently as if afraid that to make that request.

"As long as she won't be displeased to see you for some reason." She warned just a little he shook his head and gave her a look that made it clear that he was concerned more about the death of her husband. Shiva nodded and drew them to a stop as she turned to reach out and grab one of the spinning objects as it raced over head. She redirected it and fired it down towards Athena's exposed back. Being far too into the game to ever be fooled by that kind of attack, she launched in a high arching backwards flip as she caught another weapon to launched right down towards Shiva. Rather than continue the back and forth attacks, Shiva held out her hand and caught the center of the spinning foam and canceling its' momentum in a heartbeat. "Where's Mom?" She asked as a giggling girl dropped in to the edge of the field. She smiled at the Admiral before closing her eyes and clearing her mind to point off to the south and outside of the dome.

"She's with a lot of people near the border of the next quadrant." Shiva nodded, smiled, kissed her forehead as the weapon was passed into her keeping and she was telekinetically tossed into sky and sent back into the fray.

"That was Athena, the other one is Isis." She told him as they moved off towards quieter pastures.

"That toy?" He asked simply.

"A hybrid, of a hybrid, of a hybrid." Shiva told him and laughed at his sudden confused expression. "It was part of my research into telekinesis, types of metallic objects that react uniquely under telekinetic pressure. The twins took some of that research and created lethal versions of those those foam toys that they used quite effectively during the assault on Hyperion, and then they made those toys when we got back. Anyways they are very good exercise and perfect practice for telekinetic gifts."

"You are not dangerous because you were made that way, you are dangerous because you might not know any better." He agreed with a thoughtfully pleased expression as they left behind the dome and entered the nearest transport. "Too bad there aren't many who could benefit from such a toy, that looked like a lot of fun." They all shared in a warm happy laughter. Shiva used the security systems to locate the occupied rooms in the area Athena had indicated and set the destination as she figured out which room of the three that where Rei could be found. Within a dozen minutes they were slipping into the back of the space.

".. all of them will probably have a trigger. A sound, a smell, my daughter-in-law reacts to motions seen in her peripheral vision." Rei was saying to the massive crowd of people settled in the tiered seats of the large lecture hall. "The point is, it's important to watch for those signs, and help them become less reactive. It's pretty much agreed that this is fall out from the attempts at military psychological conditioning most of them underwent at one stage or another. Fortunately, this conditioning doesn't seem to have any permanence in terms violence or less desirable things, and unfortunately there are side effects."

"Just how dangerous are they if something does set them off?" One of the people in the audience called out.

"It depends on the child. Most of the children who will need foster parents are pretty young so their exposure to violence and the conditioning is minimal. The real danger lies in not doing your best to make sure they know how to control their gifts.. because it is a good idea to encourage them to experiment and practice. The better they understand what they are capable of, the less likely those gifts will do something unexpected. Fortunately the children have taken it upon themselves to pass the most up to date techniques along similar talent groups, and we plan to have regular visitations so as they learn, all of them learn." The Admiral gave her a questioning look.

"Telepathic implants." She murmured softly to him, he smiled, nodded, and patted her hand.

"This is also why we would hope that the children be adopted in pairs. The emotional support of having someone going through the exact same thing they are, provides something none of us can. She probably wouldn't be happy if she knew I was telling people this, but my daughter-in-law was alone for nearly two years. She had no friends, no family, and no one to talk to about her problems. She was expelled from twelve schools, had problems with violence, and was considered to be extremely anti-social. Until the point when she met my daughter and now people who knew her before don't recognize her half the time. She still isn't a social butterfly, but she has become more open and will even smile once in a while." There was a chuckle from the crowd. "We realize that asking people to bring two children into their homes is a lot more of a burden than just one child. But ultimately, we believe that it is better for the children, and will prove easier on the parents. These children have grown close, some of you may have noticed when they talk about the other children they often refer to them as being their brothers and sisters. They understand that they can't stay together as a family, but it seems unfair to try and break them up completely." There was a long silence. "Any other questions?... Ewan will take you back to the gardens if you would like to follow him." The lights rose up and the people began to filter down the steps and out through the front. They waited until the last in the back rows were leaving before she guided the Admiral down the steps. Taking a few moments to answer some last minute questions, they lingered in the background until the last of them had left.

"Walter." She smiled warmly as she crossed the room to hug him, Shiva stepped away and watched as they spoke quietly for a few minutes.

"How much of that did you catch?" Rei asked after their quiet conversation came to a conclusion.

"It doesn't do me any more harm than it already did, and if it helps them understand the children they may be bringing into their homes just a little better than I certainly don't have any grounds to complain." Shiva told her with a smile and shrug, Rei smiled warmly at her and nodded in grateful understanding.

"I know they had the tunnel dug, but I have no idea where it's suppose to connect." Rei commented giving Shiva a questioning look.

"Did you want to take the Admiral to the dome?" Shiva asked as she consulted her mental maps.

"If it isn't too much trouble.." Rei gave her a pleading smile.

"Well Alex, did tell me to take him where ever he wanted to go." Shiva murmured as she hopped up to her feet to lead the way. "Anyways, you'd need me to get through everything that is probably in the way."

"You'll forgive me for being forward, I hope, but what kind of budget is this enclave going to require?" The General asked diplomatically.

"None." Rei told him, he gave her a startled look as the three of them followed Shiva onto a nearby transport.

"None?" He asked after a long silence.

"All of the children who are thus far electing to stay close to Anslaw will be here helping their newly awakened brothers and sisters, doing research, and otherwise providing useful services for their family as a whole. Alex already figured in salaries for all of those we know about, they saw no reason why they couldn't help pay for food and other essentials we all will need. The dome is mine, free and clear, the purchase agreement provided for a full upgrade so we don't expect any problems for at least 20 years. Water and power are self sufficient, and we will even be growing crops to help keep our budget down to a minimum. Since the dome was designed for nearly a 2,000, I am certain we won't have much to worry about. I am certain that Devin only mentioned it because he was quite proud of his solution to allow us an easier commute back here once everything has been built." Rei told him sounding quite pleased with the plan as a whole and her new home specifically. Even Vala had been forced to admit she liked it a great deal once the gardens were looking less jungle like.

"Can I ask why?" He murmured gently as they were moved towards their destination.

"When I first came here, I was running for my life, blinded by the first attack and barely strong enough to get off world. And these children were so amazing to me.. Just when I thought I had lost everything, I found a purpose here." She told him with a choked voice. "Poe, probably won't ever be comfortable outside of a controlled environment for a very long, but she wants to stay and help the others. All of this is going to be the hardest on those who do stay behind, because even though the Anslaw they knew is changing for the better, the family they created to survive those times won't be here with them. At the dome, they can have that.. a family that isn't going to go away, a home that will be theirs to change or to keep exactly the same. It's their refuge and mine, we all need that. And because.. we couldn't be sure how bad things were going to turn out for Shiva." He smiled and nodded smiling back at Shiva's glance.

A little while later they were stepping off the transport and almost immediately leaving through a shiny new security door that lead from the old tunnels of Anslaw to the new tunnels that crossed the northern border. At the halfway point was the three way air lock that separated Anslaw from the Dome and the Dome from Devin's new headquarters still under construction nearby. After an hour long tour of the dome's gardens, the bare walls of the tunnels that hadn't yet seen much redecorating, but a very thorough cleaning. Alex and Kali soon enough caught up to at last greet the Admiral and spend a quiet time explaining some of the changes at Anslaw, their status as tenants of the dome and a dozen minor details as they settled in the shade of the large trees beneath the light of the large artificial sunlight floating down from above. The Admiral's approval of Devin's work, Alex's efforts, and Rei's Sanctuary was made clear soon after and with those assurances the last bit of tension seemed to drift away. It was not until much later that Shiva would learn that he was Admiral Walter Tesla, the supreme commander of the Fleet and a person who answered only to Prime Minister and the Alliance Senate.

The Visitor's Weekend had passed and the rare quiet of the weekdays was already almost over, racing by quietly in comparison to the total nightmarish chaos of the two day invasion that would soon follow. Devin's staff was nearly all assembled and their nearest neighbor was moving in to their new facilities, or at least the parts that were ready for occupancy as the remaining finishing touches and last few parts and pieces were added to tunnels below and connected on to the spaces above. The speed of construction had amazed a lot of them, but was a clear sign of the changing times and how eagerly the brass were pursuing this peaceful resolution with Series 6.

Alex's own command had expanded by even more than Devin's as he added scientists, researchers, doctors and security forces, as he began the dynamic shift away from running an empty locked down military facility towards creating a strange combination of sanctuary space along side the restored research facilities and office spaces. The new security protocols being put into place would confine the spaces where those still asleep were still waiting, locking down the embryo storage facility to all but command staff and cutting off the northern sector for the use of Series 6. And hopefully preventing any of those new arrivals from wandering into trouble and disturbing the newly awakened and the ill-adjusted that were starting to appear with a bit more frequency. The first adoptions off of the base were beginning by ones and two, slowly filtering away those that had gotten to know the transitory stage of Anslaw's changing faces as those recently awoken adjusted to their changed world and would be ready to assist those who would follow them.

For the moment, the military forces were handling the Series 5 units that they were uncovering and it had been implied in their hearing that a sizable number were being located still in stasis and in the keeping of the military leaders that were being arrested in droves, or the civilian criminal elements who had obtained them through the black market. While Shiva and others doubted that this would be the case across the board, nor that they would be left in to linger in the background forever. The 43% of Series 5 soldiers that had been smuggled off-world over the previous 15 years totaled nearly 10,000 souls and the small handfuls that were being collected did not even stack up in comparison to that whole number. It was already suspected that while the smuggling operations had been massive and expansive within the structure of the military that there had been an even greater conspiracy whispering in the background of those events they were learning about. While that was hardly a reassuring prospect it was easier to focus on nicer things.

Escaping from the mixture of efforts to improve the tunnels of the sanctuary and ready them for occupancy and the efforts to waken their brother's and sister's as well as prepare them for the next invasion of strangers, Shiva slipped into the deeper tunnels below the dome to get a few minutes of quiet. She would not have expected that Kali would be there doing the same thing as she was, nor that the older woman would be so distracted that she would remain unaware of Shiva's presence. Under normal circumstances there would have been no way anyone could have sneaked up on a talent of her caliber, but as she stood in the heart of the room stacked with crates of supplies staring down at her belly as she touched her stomach uncertainly, Shiva's time on Earth provided her the reason why she would be so very distracted.

"Congratulations." Shiva whispered to her. Kali snapped around in an intense glare more than half ready to attack.

"How.." She demanded with a narrowing gaze.

"I saw a couple of pregnant women on Earth who looked just like you did just now." Shiva whispered back to her as she slipped inside and moved to perch nearby on one of the plastic crates. "How long?"

"I ah.. a little less than two months.." She whispered as her anger faded and was replaced with bone deep worry and intense uncertainty.

"And Alex doesn't know.." An accusing glare returned even as she shook her head slowly. "Why not?"

"I.. at first.. thought.. what if the baby wasn't healthy so.. I.. ran a genetic analysis, and.. then.. I thought maybe the results weren't.. so I ran another, and then another.." Kali whispered to her.

"What did all of them tell you?" Shiva asked without hesitation.

"A healthy boy, telepathy, pyrokinesis, and a touch of geo-sensing." She murmured back as a smile appeared on her face as she seemed to be imagining what their son would look like. "What am I going to do Shiva, what if the brass.."

"Let's start with the father first." Shiva announced hopping up to her feet.

"Shiva, no!" Kali ordered hurrying across the distance to grab her arm.

"Kali we are family.. you can't do this on your own, so let me handle this part." Kali took in that scary shadow in Shiva's eyes and let go of her arm.

"Don't scare him.." She whispered back.

"It's the brass that should be afraid if they think they can violate the rights that we have earned by surviving Anslaw." Shiva told her as she wandered off. Wasting little time, Shiva had little trouble reaching the tunnels of Anslaw and easily located Alex using the tracking signal of the com-unit constantly in his possession. He was on the far southern end of Anslaw and the time it took to home in on him gave her more than enough time to consider the words she would soon use, and to truly take his measure once and for all. For as much Shiva might respect him for all that he had done for her siblings, she had not yet been convinced that he was worthy of her sister. When Shiva entered the the massive chamber at the southern end of the tunnels that connected to Aerisa military base to the south, she was surprised to find Vala and Devin there with an unknown woman wearing a Fleet uniform. Pushing that aside, she approached straight across the chaotic space, took Alex's arm and excused the both of them rather hastily before pulling Alex towards privacy.

"What is it Shiva?" He demanded with a ghost of anger in his expression.

"What would you do if one of us was pregnant?" That question quickly faded his anger and it was replaced by a very strong and determined expression.

"Who.." He demanded with a narrowing gaze.

"I was told in confidence, now answer my question." He tried to glare her down but Shiva was not about to break under that gaze. "Try your scary act on someone else, it doesn't work on me."

"What does the girl want to do?" He murmured dropping the glare even as that look of determination grew by some measure.

"She wants to keep the baby but she is worried about the brass." Shiva told him quickly.

"Series 6 deserves whatever happiness they can find in this world, if the brass really wants to try to pull something stupid, we fight them. All of you might have once been military property, but I'll be damned to a firey afterlife before I let them try the same with your children. I don't care if I have to betray this uniform and reveal the truth to the public, I won't let that happen. Better we make a stand now when our standing in the eyes of the brass couldn't get any better." He told her with an echo of pure and absolute truth that was enough to make Shiva feel just a little proud. "Now tell me who it is so I can make sure of her feelings."

"Convince your wife of the same thing and then maybe you'll learn the answer to that." Shiva told him, he nodded and hurried off with a presence that bristled with determination and unwavering resolve. When Shiva turned Vala was watching the scene with a touch of concern even as she gestured Shiva over to her side.

"Problem?" Shiva shook her head and smiled as she let herself relax.

"So I assume this is the other of my newest students." The unknown naval officer commented as Shiva's arrival was noticed by the adults. Shiva looked up at Vala who gave her a look that pleaded for good behavior in the next few minutes.

"I don't know, ma'am.. some people do things on my behalf on occasion." Shiva commented back to her.

"We wanted to be sure that you would be willing to dealing with Shiva's.. 'unique' situation before we discussed Vala's plan for the two of them at the Fleet academy." Devin confirmed giving her a pleading half smile.

"I would hardly object to adding a psuedo, under-aged Lt. Colonel to my student body." She agreed with laughter in her gaze and a relaxed posture.

"I would guess there are worse options.. as long I was expected to salute all the time, or follow orders.." Shiva commented to them with a sigh, clearly sensing that Vala had more than enough reasons to make this kind of decision.

"At least within reason." The commandant agreed with a smile. "The Aerisa research division is eager for the chance to add you to their 'math class', and we have access to just about anything you might wish to learn." Shiva smiled at her as she nodded, willing to give it a chance for Vala's sake.

* * *

Devin had expected Shiva to fight them about the Fleet Academy wanting nothing to do with the military establishment, but Vala had known that Shiva would only want her to be happy, and that had been enough to convince her to take a deeper look. Shiva's remaining concerns had faded away when Vala had explained her reasoning and at the start of the next term they were included in the student body as first year cadets with a few privileges. Neither of them would be staying in the dormitories, being less than an hour away from the Dome and their family if they took the tunnels connecting Anslaw and Aerisa together. As long as the completed the class requirements for each year, both of them would advance at a pace of their own choosing. With a psychology program on par with the best schools on Earth, Vala had more than enough motivation to push herself a little. For Shiva who was almost constantly at her side, she had more than enough motivation to slow down and let Vala set that pace as she glided through virtually ever class.

While their classmates were surprised by the relationship that the two of them openly shared on campus, they were even more confused by the 'unusual' rules that applied only to the two of them. While they played the part of a cadets according to the rules, Shiva would never salute anyone lower than a teacher and sometimes neglected honorifics for days at a time. All it would take was one of her scary looks for most upperclassmen to get the idea that she was best left alone and Vala lingered under that protective umbrella of the rage that rested beneath the surface. Shiva might have been annoyed by Vala's near unilateral decision, but had relented under the knowledge that Vala had a guaranteed position with either Devin or Alex when she reached the time of graduation. For her part, Shiva would probably be court-martialed the moment she reached the end of her time at the Fleet academy, since insubordination was a source of amusement for her. But the brass had been pleased that she would willingly linger in the safety of a controlled environment that they hadn't even put Shiva under any restrictions when they finally closed their discussions of her case in the tribunals.

"You've been quiet today." Vala commented to her as they wandered towards their last class of the day and the flight simulators waiting for them nearby. Shiva made a curious noise and then smiled in a far off sort of way.

"I was just thinking that we haven't really discussed children before this." Shiva commented to her. It wasn't hard to guess why this was coming up since Kali had officially announced her pregnancy to all of them at the Sanctuary earlier that week to a stunned crowd and a proudly smiling Shiva. Her son would be the first child of a mixed Series 6 heritage, but by no means the last, that much was certain in Vala's eyes.

"Because of Kali.." Vala murmured speculatively, knowing that there was perhaps other reasons.

"And the twins." Shiva agreed with a brighter smile. "I was figuring out what it would take for me to really want a child of my own.."

"And?" Vala asked far too familiar to not know her fiancee had not failed to come up with an answer to that.

"It would have to be our child.. and our daughter would be something amazing.." She chuckled at that.

"A daughter.." Vala whispered surprised by the idea and deeply amused by idea of adding to the Imp-lets of trouble at the heart of their new family.

"Combine our DNA.. double X chromosomes no Y's around here, automatic girl." Shiva told her with a giggle at that thought.

"You're right, our girl would be something amazing, just like her mother." Vala agreed as she suddenly found something for her to look anticipate in the years to come. "We'll definitely be discussing this later, but how about we slip away before we get home and see if we can't get you barefoot and pregnant the old fashion away." Shiva laughed brightly and nodded eagerly as the two of the hurried it up to make it too class on time.

*~ ~*~ ~*

A few notes from the Author

I'd like to begin by thanking you the reader for enduring through one of my never ending epics. Typically novels are about 80,000 words and I unfortunately have not yet managed to write a short story I liked much less a novel that was anything less than 100,000, and this particular 'opus' is just over 133,000 words. So congratulations on surviving through it to reach the end. Above all else I hope that you enjoyed the book, and enjoyed all the time you spent reading it, because overall that was why it was written for my own enjoyment and the hope that it would be enjoyed with all you people out there.

Please note, aside from our first and (eventually) last names, the main character of this story and I have almost nothing in common. Her character was based on a friend of mine who has all too often jealously threatened to steal my name before she was to run off on her whirlwind of adventures. So 'Shiva' was actually named for her, thus allowing my good friend to complete her long prophesied theft of my identity, while giving her some other-worldly adventures in a far different time. While I seriously considered changing the character's name so there would be no confusion over this issue, Shiva the Hindu god of destruction was perhaps too aptly a namesake for the character, even if he's a bad namesake for myself.

(Future time-line author steps in to drop in some changed knowledge.)

Believe it or not but this was my first book ever released, but far from the last. My published works, as of this edit, now number close to a dozen books that I have written and released with plans for more in the future days, including a third book in this series. In addition I have two other series just beginning or well under way which are the Salak'patan Series, and the Relics and Remnants Series, both of which are part of my ongoing efforts and ever-changing focus. So if by that one in a million chance you read this book and actually liked it, than please visit the sites listed below for more information about my ongoing efforts and the other works I have already published.

Blog: http://shadowed-dreamz.tumblr.com/

Smashwords Author page:  http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ShivaWinters

Author's Website: <http://shivawinters.wix.com/home>

Anyways, I said 'a few notes' a whole page ago so I will cut myself off there, thank you for reading. ^^
