Randall barged into the Pirate Tavern expecting to find Nine up to her eyeballs in trouble. Actually she seemed to having a decent time of it, having struck up a conversation with some sort of orange demonish creature while she occasionally leaned over the adjacent table to snag one of Zigg's playing cards. The vampire was trying to toss them into a hat while he fumed, wanting so desperately to beat the snot out of the young rabble rouser currently standing in the center of the room shouting insults at any and every one. Nine was clearly ignoring the punk. Instead she folded the playing card into a tiny paper airplane and sailed it over the vamp's head to land it squarely into the hat. Randall almost chuckled. Nine was playing unfairly since he had been intensely trained in aviation; a must-know topic if you were to pilot any sort of craft, space bound or otherwise. She smiled at the vampire. “You will note that I Am still speaking to you, yes?”

            The vamp raised a brow, then slowly nodded. If his “curse” had been just that, it was now broken since it had been a week since he swore ill would become of that brief kiss. At least it would give him some pause to think for a while.

             It amazed Randal that she could keep tabs on several conversations and actions at one time, yet would forget pretty much everyone, including Randall himself, if she was not constantly exposed to the same people. Here she was keeping an eye on the vamp, on the bar, on the front door, and keeping up a conversation with some sort of demon. "No," the big orange fellow had replied to Nine's previously unheard question. “I’m not part of the crew. Just wandering muscle."

            "Muscle," she snorted. She had to as she still looked as if much of her muscle mass had been stripped from her bones, making look anorexic. "I guess being muscle is a good living."

            "My name is Dagn," he introduced himself. "My real name is Gafgarion Xandren Dagn, the forth."

            "Got a fancy name there," she nodded, then turned as she caught a puff and flash to her right. The offending youth had burst into flame, then crumbled into a pile of ash. Zigg seemed quite smug with himself, then turned to look Nine over. Without a word, he handed her a bowl of stew. She didn't argue. Instead she dove into the meal, shoveling it down in a ravenous fashion.

            Randall made his way through the crowd towards her. At times he wished he had the mental command Rooslan used to hold her, but that wish quickly gave way when he remembered the look of hatred and loathing that seemed to ooze from every pore on the girl. He definitely didn't want that kind of emotion directed at him. It was clear that she would not take any instruction from him, and he would just have to deal with it. "I thought I'd find you back at BS's when I got back from the supply run."

            That was about as close to chastising her he could get away with safely. She just looked at him with one eye, still shoveling the meal down, but talking between mouthfuls. "Have you Seen the crap he's got stockpiled? No mutant could eat that stuff."

            “Which is why I went shopping.”

            “Good,” she nodded. We needed the food.” It seemed the stew had almost magically vanished as she didn’t even remember eating it. She sat the empty bowl back on the counter.

            Dagn managed to catch her eye as he was curious about the woman. She seemed nice enough, and it made him wonder who would want to do her such harm. He wanted to ask, but he figured a light chat first, to get to know her some more. “What’s your favorite type of creature?”

            She almost said mutant, but due to the latest antics by her alternate- reality kindred, she was a bit sour on them. Her thoughts drifted to the reptilian matched set that barely passed as guard dogs in Brimstone’s lair. “Dragons, I guess. I kind of have to be since I’ve got some of the blood in me.”

            Dagn seemed pleased with her last answer and held out a pouch containing a type of biscuit. “I am part dragon myself,” he smiled. “Perhaps you will like these Churos.” She could smell the meats and cheese, but there was another scent she couldn’t nail down. “Dragon’s glory wine,” he quickly explained. She pulled out a sample and bite down cautiously on the bread.

            Within a minute, the entire contents of the bag were gone and she was shaking the last crumbs into her palm before handing the pouch back to its owner. “Thanks.” Indeed it had filled her up and made her feel warmer, and stronger. “They’re really good.”

            Dagn didn’t seem perturbed. In fact he smiled, pleased that she had enjoyed the meal so. “I learned how to cook when I was about seven.”

            Nine was nodding, but more notably, she was nodding off. A full belly and a warm place quickly put the ailing mutant to sleep. It was only Randall’s quick reflexes that stopped her from tumbling off the chair. He flung the limp body over one shoulder in a fireman’s carry, then turned to see Zigg smiling at the scene. “I guess I need to get Sleeping Beauty here home. Gnight.”

            “You take care of her, Randall,” the vamp called out after him.

            Randall was rummaging through the equipment in Brimstone’s lab to find some equipment to try to get a better reading on the DNA trace on the shuriken that nearly killed Nine when he found a surprise. He found a small personal recorder similar to the one he used to record his personal copy of his research logs, which he later downloaded to his own PC. The laboratory surveillance system always recorded the events and the conversations in the lab and stored them on the facility’s main computer, but Randall always made a copy for himself. He had managed to find his personal recorder in the wreckage of the starship, but it was heavily damaged. He made several attempts to repair it but he just didn’t have the proper components to make it work. Funny, but it looked that Brimstone somehow had gotten a copy of one of these surveillance tapes and was trying to salvage the material himself. Cautiously, Randall pressed the play button, his curiosity getting the best of him.

The video monitor flickered to life. The screen showed 4 separate images. An overall view of the main lab, his workstation, the adjacent room with the test chamber, and the interior of the test chamber. He hit the playback button, and the recording started. Randall then heard his voice coming from the unit and saw himself and Nine standing in front of the console of his workstation.

“Science log, Today’s date 42-39 DXB calender, propulsion experiment # 9 starship MSF NX-74205, formerly known as the Sulaco, Commodore Nicolae Rooslan commanding, Chief Science Officer Randall Riggins reporting.

“Now that I have all the formal crap out of the way, today’s experiment is a tethered engine to test the power generation levels that can be achieved with test subject A-Nine powering the ship’s light speed engines with the new upgraded generators. This should not tax the abilities of the test subject as much and generate 3 times the power of the previous generators.”

He turns to Nine, “You ready Nine?”

“Yeah Doc, I’m ready to go.”

They then walk to the other room where the test chamber is. “We are in the test chamber room. I have modified the standard interface to provide a less stressful interface for the person in the chamber. The old style bodysuit has been replaced with a more lightweight version that also has a better conductivity rating. The power chamber also has been upgraded for better power transfer and also places the subject in a more comfortable position so they do not fatigue as fast. Ok Nine hop in and let’s see if this works.”

"OK Doc." Nine then enters the chamber and straps herself into the chair.

He walks over to a console in the room, "I am starting the interface sequence." He then starts keying in commands and the door closes, and then he moves to his console in the main lab. He switches on the intercom, “You ready in there Nine?”

“Yeah Doc, all ready for you to fire it up”, and gives a thumbs up.

“Beginning power up sequence”, then the sound of generators buried deep within the ship coming to life. On the chamber monitor what looks like blue bolts of electricity crackling across Nine’s body.

He once more opens the intercom, “Ok Nine power generators up and running and power levels stable, how are you feeling?”

“Doing good Doc, I can hardly feel the generators drawing on me, I can definitely last much longer in this new unit.” Her back was slowly beginning to contort, the first signs of strain, but compared to the last tests, she was doing much better.

“ Ok Nine stand by, I’m calling the bridge for clearance to proceed with main light speed engine startup.”

“10-4 Doc.”

“Engineering lab to Bridge, ready to proceed with light speed engine startup”

“ Commodore Rooslan here, proceed with your experiment Mr. Riggins.”

“Received Commander, proceeding with startup sequence.”

“Ok Nine here we go, make me proud to have you as my partner in this test.”

“I’ll do my best Doc.”

“Initializing engines”, he then throws a series of switches on the console, and then a small insert screen showing a series of gauges appears on the monitor.

“Engines operational and power levels stable, proceeding with throttle up in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4.... ”

Suddenly a shadowy cloaked figure pops out from behind a console in the test chamber room and fires at the power control console and it blows. This mystery man then pulls out a small box and presses a button.

“....3, 2, 1.”

Suddenly the generator power and engine power levels shoot off the scale. The ship is rocked by an explosion just as Randall pushes the throttle lever forward. Randall is then thrown from his chair by the violent movement, alarms sound, and panels explode. The picture flickers as the entire deck begins to list , then the monitor goes blank.

Randall stands there with his jaw agape. “So we were sabotaged, and the saboteur was apparently on a suicide mission. I need to show Nine this. It seems I was not just being paranoid when I suggested that we were sabotaged.” But there was an additional piece of information that he hadn’t known. The picture at that crucial moment may have blinked out, but the senors monitoring the engine flow were on for a few more seconds. The engines had seized and failed, but Nine energy flux was still at optimal, and growing when the ship exploded. 

"Call the Canadian Air Force!"

"Harold, it's after 6pm. He's gone home."

              Red Green Show

            Megan had slipped into the Red Dragon Inn way after the bar had closed. She had hoped it would be devoid of all life.

She thought wrong. "Megan? Is that you?"

Sitting on the counter in the dimly lit room was Morgaine, Megan's sword wielding, bar fighting, vodka drinking Soothsayer. Of course Megan hadn't spoken with the girl in so long that she wondered how Morg had remembered her at all. Their lack of communication wasn't due to a break up in their friendship so much as a drifting apart; Megan dealing with her insane kindred while Morgan found solace with Renea and Danielle, even to the point of marrying the vampiric owner of the bar. Megan didn't have an opinion of Morgaine's chosen lifestyle. It was just part and parcel of the packaged deal. All that was on her mind at present was if she and Morg were still on friendly terms. "Oh, Hi. Yeah.. it's me."

            The smile on the girl's face told her everything. "Where have you been?" she scolded playfully.

            "Well, of late, looking for a killer. We've got some sort of mutant slayer on the loose, at least that's what Hybrid keeps tellin' me. We spent all week lookin' for that Rooslan creep and haven't found hide nor hair of him. I had to come back to reload." She made her way around the counter to the ice box, rummaging out something nasty, green, and moldy. Megan had often wondered if the girls purposely left stuff in the back of the fridge to rot just for her, sort of like feeding a stray cat.

            When she turned around, she saw Morgaine tending to a tiny toddler, wiping the little girl's mouth before letting her have a drink of juice from a wooden cup. "Whose the kid?"

            "Oh, this is Tatiana Axlea Torrez. Jill's daughter." She paused, seeing that glazed confusion that always came to the mutant's face when talking about the girls. Morgan had to admit that even she had a hard time keeping track of all the people that visited the bar. "Jill was an ex- slave and my adopted sister, so this is my niece, I guess."

            "Jill," Megan paused between mouthfuls of rotten potatoes. "Wasn't that the chick with the stutter?"

            "No, That's Sydney, one of Re... Renea's.... " Morgaine looked away for a second, then back. "You haven't met Jill, I think."

            Megan could be dense, but not That dense. "What happened to Renea?"

            "Uhm... well.... about a month back Odin had parts of her memory erased. She went to the Earth realm to get it fixed, but I haven't heard anything since." She reached down and picked up the doe-eyed Lexy from the counter and sat her back on the ground, right in the sights of Alanna, the dark wolf that didn't stray far from her friend's side.

            Megan snorted sourly. "That Odin guy needs an ass kicking. He needed one since the first day I met him..." She would have stayed in her foul mood but for the pathetic look on the poor wolf's face as Lexy climbed all over the beast, using an ear or a fistful of fur to climb aboard. "You're turning into quite the mother type, aren't you? Guess your vodka drinking days are over."

            "Dunno, maybe. I guess I haven't had the time to drink like before."

            "Neither have I." Megan's head seemed to drop a bit, along with the volume of her voice. "You may have to teach me how to deal with the little tykes."

            It was a strange request, but one Morgaine couldn't follow up on as Goury suddenly rushed in, his eyes almost falling from their sockets. "Meg?"

            The mutant rolled her eyes. "Doesn't Anybody sleep at night? Yes you big doufuss, it's me."

            "Where have you been!?"

            "Looking for some psychotic yahoo who tried to take Nine out. Hy's been in a tizzy about it for over a week now. That Rooslan guy is slippery."

            "Come to think of it," Goury mused. "I haven't seen Randall or Nine for a while now."

            "And I haven't seen Tim or BS. You can bet that if They're involved, this whole affair just got that much more messier. Which reminds me. Goury, you seen Zel anywhere? I try not to fret about the boy, but he's taken to tailing Tim, and that is inherent a dangerous job."

            It was clear she was worried about her golem mage. "No," the swordsman had to reply. "I assumed he was with you, wherever you had gone off to. By the way, what were you two talking about just before I came in?"

            Megan's head snapped away. "Nothing. I was just asking Morg for some help, that's all."

            Goury looked even more confused, if that were a possibility. Morgaine just gave the mutant one of those "you can't fool a fool" looks but kept mum on the subject. Instead she smiled as Alanna padded forward with Lexy sprawled across her back, pausing at the mutant's leg and looking up at her, pleading with lupine eyes. Megan took the wiggling bundle of energy, lifting the tyke aloft, holding her this way and that before parking her on her left knee, bouncing the limb to give the girl a "horsey ride." Lexy gripped the skirt material and held on tight. "at least this one doesn't have fur," Megan commented wryly. "Where's the rest of the menagerie?"

            "Slowly dwindling away. Alanna's the last. Cristine, my younger sister, has just a couple of cats..."

            "Wait," Goury interrupted, still somehow firmly on his one track mind. "Is Megan trying to hide something?"

            Megan shot Morg a hellacious look, full of wrathful fear. The Soothsayer wasn't exactly sure what the mutant was trying to keep under her hat, but she would abide by her friend's wishes for now. "Hell if I know," she replied, which was as honest an answer as she could word.

            While Goury pondered, Megan relaxed, taking more time with the child in her lap, skillfully measuring out the girl like she was judging a goat at a Festival. "Kid's gotta good grip; good muscle; nice balance; good tone. she's a keeper."

            Morgaine had to laugh. "I'll make sure to tell her mother she's been judged, stamped, and approved." She took the child as Megan handed her back. "You're grade A material, Short Round."

            "Now only if she had horns and a tail," Megan added.

            The child now garbled a bit, pointing upwards. "Mog gos gess mummy."

            "No. Mummy's busy," the sorceress answered.

            " 'Mog'? " Megan snorted. "Geez, your name is getting mangled all to snot nowadays."

            Morgaine was becoming quite the jungle gym for the tyke as Lexy climbed and tumbled up and down the spell caster's long frame. "You shoulda heard what she started calling Cristine after a while. 'Bogar Cat Lady'."

            Goury had continued to study Megan closely. "There's something different about you....."

            She now changed the subject, trying to derail his fascination with her general being. "I've got Hy back, see?" She shifted her head a bit so the blond swordsman could see that the missing weapon was once again perched behind her shoulder, purring amiably. "But I haven't seen anyone else; not Zel, not Tim, not even Brimstone."

            "He's probably cleaning up Tim's messes," Goury suggested.

            "Probably, or causing them. BS ain't as goody- goody as he makes himself out to be. Of course next to Tim, Satan would be considered goody- goody."

            Goury nodded in agreement, then gestured to her blade. "Did Nine give much of a fight giving up Hybrid?"

            "Actually Hy found me about a week ago. He sort of slammed into my chest right out of the blue, yammering up a storm about that Rooslan character attacking her. From the images, I gathered it was much nastier than when Tristan drilled into my head. Needless to say, I sympathize, and I'm a bit concerned. If this Rooslan guy can take down a trained kinetic like Nine, what can he do to us?"

            "Rooslan attacked her?"

            "Yeah. Kind of ripped as much excess mass as he could from her body. Something about genetic material. And from what Hy says, he didn't use any aesthetic." She rubbed her arms as the memory drudged through her brain, setting painful goose bumps on her skin.

            "Holy shit! Is she still alive?"

            It sounded strange, hearing Goury swear since he was normally so careful around others to be overly non-offensive, but the attack had been just that, offensive. "Yeah, it wasn't pretty. she survived, or was still alive when Hy took off to get some help. He says that Rooslan also attacked Tim, but he didn't cause as much physical damage. Still, it all makes me wonder why."

            As Goury and Megan suppositioned one scenario over another, Morgaine continued to watch them quietly. Damn, had she been out of the loop. It just seemed inevitable considering she didn't see any of them. Ever. She shook her head a bit. No one from he old gang hung around the bar anymore. Only the Goddess knew what happened to Renea and her sister Danielle. Odin was gone for sure.

            Then there was Megan. Something was way different about her. and not just the new influx of determination either. Megan was always a thin, wiry person, yet she seemed a but more.. hefty? Thicker? Perhaps a bit more hale than one of her species normally was? A stretch of the imaginations would say that Megan was more womanly than normal.

            She was so entranced with the puzzle that she almost missed Megan's question. "What's wrong, chick?"

            "Oh.. nothing.. just thinking."

            Megan wasn't fooled. One answer came from the room itself, the lack of business for what should have been a bustling bar gave her one angle. "Cash woes?" she guessed. "Or is it perhaps Renea?" A non-committal shrug made Megan move up and place a hand on her lost friend's shoulder. "You've become too settled. You need to roam. You should sell off what little investment you have in this place and come with me. I need your sword, and your advise."

            Morgaine had to smile. "But... this is my home now.. and Renea's."

            The mutant shuffled a bit. "Look, I know I haven't been right at your side every second of every day but... well.. you're still my friend. I ain't got many of them, and the way things look, I may yet lose a few more. If you need me to stay until Renea gets back, I can stay... unless you think it too dangerous for me to hang around. You Do have young ones to think about."

            "Stay!" Morgaine almost commanded, then amended, "for as long as you need. Cristine's pretty damn good with the magiks now. If we need protection, she's our girl. I can't do much, being human and all."

            "Fine. I'll stay." She looked about the place, purposely avoiding Goury's questioning eye. "Yeah. If Tim and BS have abandoned this post, then I'll just have to raid their inventory... starting with that basement BS has all boarded up. If you all will excuse me." She stood up and headed out the back door towards the greenhouse. They followed, only to watch the petite mutant hack away at the padlock on the door with Hybrid. The blade glowed brightly just before each overhanded strike, but the lock held. "What the heck did he use? Admantium?" she panted.

            "Megan. Move that sheet of plywood. There's a gaping hole." Heeding Morgaine's instruction, Megan pulled at the bowed plank, letting it fall back. Sure enough, there was a massive hole in the wooden north side of the framed green house. Morg answered her questioning look. "compliments of Sydney's insane rage. She threw one of the bouncers through it."

            "Sounds like a staffing problem," Megan snorted as she slipped inside. The place had already been stripped of almost every usable item. All the gardening equipment, seeds, pots, and plants were missing, yet Megan rooted inside the cabinets, feeling around the corners. Finally she found a small lever and triggered it, letting a panel slide back to reveal a treasure trove of expensive junk. Jewels, gold, coins, armor, weapons; a mish- mash of medieval and modern commodities. "I know he was hoarding stuff around here," Megan nodded.

            Morg looked at the literal gold mine. "Wow, talk about right in my own backyard."

            "BS was always a packrat. You should have seen his bar before it got trashed. Loaded with crap everywhere." She stood up and dusted off her knees before picking through the booty. "I knew he was using the Inn as a safe house, just in case something bad happened to the bar, which it did."

            "I remember," Morgan mused. "There was that neon sign we found on the beach."

            "Yeah. You said it was too tacky," She continued to poke through the jumble of goods. "Yep. Standard black market cash crop. He does seem to be trading high end weaponry though." She picked up a nasty- looking hand held laser pistol and showed it to them. "We got any futuristic gangs hanging around here? That would give us some capitol."

            Goury's eyes lit up. "That looks like the one I saw hanging off of Randall's belt the last time I saw him."

            "Really?" Megan looked the gun over again. "This isn't Militant issue. I wonder if BS is arming Militants now? That would be an interesting twist." With a shrug, she tossed the weapon back onto the pile. "Tell ya what, Morg. I'll donate the profits form whatever I can make on this junk to the bar. This way we can keep it solvent until Renea gets back. I may not be as adept a salesman as that walking garbage can, but I Am a diplomat."

            "Diplomat?" Goury snorted. "Maybe with the business end of a sword!"

            "I'll have you know I Am the Del marian ambassador, and despite what you think, I was pretty damn good at my job."

            "I think we could make more money by billing you as the Amazing Rotten Food Eating Woman," Morgaine joked.

            "At least I don't do projectile vomiting.."

            The mood was definitely lightning up. Megan pulled out several small items form the pile of treasure then kicked the remaining mess back into the secret panel and dragged toe door shut. She pocketed the items then headed back to the tavern, Morgaine at her side and Goury a few paces behind, still staring at her.

            The Soothsayer watched Megan as she walked when she suddenly realized what the girl had been hinting at the whole time. Having finally guessed the mutant's secret, she leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

            "I wasn't sure," Megan whispered back. "I'm still not sure, and I don't need the testosterone gang knowing. They'd never let me out of their sight, capish?"

            Morgaine nodded softly before crossing her heart. Twice. "Got it. Not a word."

            Megan had rightfully guarded her words as Goury was almost falling over as he strained to hear them. that was compounded by the fact that Dracon Draghkar was sitting at the counter, waiting for them. "I swear," Megan grumbled. "Do I leave some sort of mutant magnetic trail for you all to follow?" She drew herself up next to the dragon mage. "Have you at least been looking for this Rooslan creep? What's this guy after?"

            Drac just smiled in that irritating casual know-it-all manner, though for once he admitted not knowing it all. "Other than the fact that he seems to be bent on making Nine's life a living hell since he took her DNA? I'm afraid I have no idea. He did send a clone of himself, but it didn't live long. Didn’t look much like him either, though it sure felt like him. Come to think of it, it sort of looked like Tim. If you want more information, I would suggest giving BS a call."

            As he filled her in on the Commander's latest exploits, she began to unload what she had take from the stash, laying the items out on the counter: a jewel-encrusted golden goblet, an elvin- made short blade, a heavy caliber hand gun, and several strange coins too large to be normal Rydin mint. "So where is the metal head hanging out now, the sewers?"

            "Pretty much," Drac sighed. "What's left of them, or so Claw tells me."

            She gave the mage a double-take. She had meant it as a joke. "The sewers? Man he must be bad off. Well, I know where my next stop is... tomorrow." she gave an extended yawn, her jaw seemingly unhinging as she did so. “I’m headed up. Morg? You wanna come with me a sec? I need to do a quick inventory in their rooms and you have the master key, right?” She scooped the new found treasure into her skirt and headed up the staircase. Morgaine, carrying Lexy, followed suit. Megan waited for the Soothsayer to put the toddler to bed and return with the keys before pouring herself out. “You see my problem? I can’t seem to lose these guys and I can’t do my job with the reptile fan club tailing me. Imagine how bad they’d be if they figure things out. And I need to tell Zel. He doesn’t know.” Her face turned sour at the prospect. “Not like we discussed things or made plans. There wasn’t supposed to be much of a chance...” The worry leaked out in tears of frustration while she rubbed her arms again. Not even Hy’s humming seemed to calm her.

            Morg just took the distraught mutant by the arm and escorted her down the all to her room. “It’s okay. If we must, we’ll resort to magic to talk to Zel. C’mon. You need rest, first and foremost.”

            Drac and Goury looked up at the head of the staircase. They couldn’t hear clearly what was being discussed, but there was enough tension Megan’s voice to concern them. “Do you think she’s hiding something from us?” Goury asked.

            The red reptilian king shifted into his draconic form, finding the shape more comfortable to deal with. “If it is important, we’ll find out in time. That’s all there is to it.”

             Something had clearly gotten into Mevlina when she left the Inn, she had a strange compulsion that drew her away from the people she knew. She felt like she needed to get away, get away from them all, including Draco. She had started out trying to get away from Draco, but only to find that Draco felt that he must follow along on her journey. She truly felt like she needed to do something about this person that was causing so much pain and turmoil for so many people that she knew. She felt like traveling North in a sad attempt to find him would do some good, so she set out Northward on the open roads.
Mevlina looked ahead down the road and decided to break the silence between her and Draco. "It grows early and soon others will be on the roads," she said to him, knowing that he would take this as a hint that they must now travel off the roads, or find someplace to stay.
         Draco nodded and after looking about some darted off towards a group of large boulders, for what could be someplace to sleep.

            After seeing him run off into the boulders she took this as an off chance to lose him in the woods. She started off through a brush thicket into the woods, looking for a good place to hide and sleep at the same time. She knew she hadn't lost Draco, because she could hear him darting through the woods after him. "Why?" she thought to herself, "does he follow me so diligently?"
         Mevlina stopped under the base of a very large tree and stared up the tall, wide trunk and looked at the branches. She smiled when she noticed that the tree was seemingly empty of occupants. "What's up?" Draco asked as he nearly slid to a stop next to her.
         She said nothing in reply, instead she looked around for a low branch and upon finding one she hopped up and grabbed it, and she then climbed up on to the branch. After she had climbed a short distance she looked down to him and said "Just a good tree."
         At this he jumped up, vanishing and then reappearing next to her on the branch she had stopped on. She shook her head and she climbed up a bit more and settled on to a large branch that remained hidden from the ground by other branches filled with green leaves. "We can sleep here," she said to him as she settled in a little better. She dug out her extra cloak she carried in her side pouch and held it out to Draco.
          "Agreed," he said as he went hopping from branch to branch to get to one close to her's. He looked at the cloak being offered and said "No thanks."
         "It's going to rain today."
         "I won't need it," he said proudly.
          "Ok, but it's your wetness not mine." Mevlina happily covered herself up with her extra cloak, covering her head as she settled into her branch for some sleep.
         Draco reached into the pouch at his waist as he pulled out a few crystal shards, scattering them into the limbs above and with a few words in the ancient tongue the area between the shards shimmered then vanished right above him. She peeked her head out from under her cloak. "I don't think that's such a good idea," she said.
          "This spell is hardly noticeable 'Lina," he said simply.
          "If you say so..." She then vanished back under the warmth of her extra cloak.
"Can't be seen and the energy required is so little it doesn't matter to anyone,” he continued, defending his position.
         "What about psions?"
         "Nothing more than a passing thought. A lot of travelers use these umbrella spells."
         By the time he had said this she had fallen asleep on her branch.
         Mevlina preferred a more human approach to travel. Simplicity was the only way to travel for her. Time passed by slowly as Mevlina kept herself neatly tucked beneath her cloaks asleep, and Draco slept silently with his spear balancing on a nearby limb. As the rain began to fall Mevlina stirred from her spot and sat up slowly. She pulled her cloak's hood over head and folded her other cloak and put it back into her side pouch. Slowly she climbed down from her branch to Draco's. "Draco?" she spoke softly.
         "Hmm?" he muttered as he woke up easily.
         "It's time to go."
         Draco nodded in compliance and grabbed his spear and dropped down between the branches to the ground. She climbed down after him and quickly started off through the woods in the direction of North. Draco followed her occasionally darting ahead and weaving in and out of trees around her.
The clouds rumbled above them as they walked through the woods. Falling back to Mevlina, Draco smiled to her and said, "And thus the storm threatens."
         She paid him no mind and continued onward. Slowly they began to approach the main road North. She paused at the road briefly before crossing it and continuing through the woods. "He's near," she mummbled.
         "Who?"
         Mevlina walked on not replying to his question. "We'll travel with the river soon, but until then we should keep up our guard."

            They traveled on, as night fell they arrived at the river. As they traveled along and the night drew on, they never encountered any sort of river boat.

            After some ferreting in the greenhouse, Megan found the access to the sewers. She merely had to follower her nose from there to find the entrance to Brimstone's hideaway. What should have been a secret door flush with the brickwork of the tunnel, was not open and slightly ajar as if shifted by a large explosion. Megan pulled Hybrid from her back then leaned against the wall, trying to listen inside.

            "You sure where we are, Meg?"

            "Definitely," she grumped back. She had tried to out run and out wit the normally witless Goury but she had little luck losing him in the tunnels. Apparently he had grown quite skilled as a tracker. She wished Zel has stayed by her side, but he had picked up Tim's scent and had opted to track the psi down, a task that was quickly becoming an obsession. Not that she could blame the chimera. After living on Del Mar, he surely knew all her convoluted connections with her father, and he probably had a few painful questions to beat out of the psi's hide. With a snort she spun about, kicking the door in and feeling it bounce off a heavily plated hide before she darted in, holding the blade in front of her like a gun. At its tip was a young black dragon staring back at her with wide eyes.

            Morgaine had followed Megan's trail into the sewers, curious that the mutant would once again start off on an adventure without her. She founded Goury staring at the open doorway in the time. "What in the Goddess' name are you tow doing down here?"

            "Goury!" Megan called from inside the darkened room. "Shine that sword of yours in here now!"

            "Light come forth," Goury commanded of his blade as he charged in. The sudden wattage sent the black beast scurrying backwards into his reddish sibling. Both then turned tail and ran down the narrow hallway into a darkened room.

            "Nine!" Randall called out in a hushed whisper as he shook her shoulder, trying to rouse her. "Somebody's here!"

            "Not again," she yawned and stretched before reaching over to pick up the aluminum baseball bat.

Randall took point, drawing his pistol just before the red drake plowed into him, followed by his darker brother. The two reptiles cowered behind Nine while Randall stumbled back to his feet. "What the hell spooked them?"

            "I dunno ... and I don't care to find out." Changing her tactics, Nine grabbed Randall by the collar and bodily dragged him up one of the passageways to the upper decks. He struggled in her clutches, trying to pull out his scanner to identify the intruders.

            Megan reached the infirmary, flipping on the wall switch to lighten up the room. "Teeth and Talons. It's like a crash ward in here. Morg? Need anything in here? Supplies? Drugs?"

            The spell caster found herself staring into a strange misshapen specimen suspended in a gallon jar of alcohol. "No," she replied, not wanting to accidentally come across any live creepy crawlies that could be hidden in the room.

            Hybrid shifted on Megan's back as if the sword had heard something up one of the tunnels. Suddenly it dropped from its perch and zipped up the dark corridor towards the upper levels. "God-damned bull-headed blade! Hy! Get back here!" and Megan stormed along the dim passageway, flanked by Goury and Morgaine.

            Hybrid zipped around Randall and slammed hilt- first into Nine, sending her sprawling. "Hy!" she coughed, elated to have him back, despite the rough re-union, so much so that she hugged the blade as it purred against her chest. Randall was so entranced with Nine's sudden fortune that he almost was run over by Megan and her crew. It was now that the similarities between the two mutants were clear; downright eerie. Megan may have had almost fifty pounds of muscle on Nine, but the militant mutant had two inches on her wilder counterpart. Despite side and depth, both had the wiry build, the sinewy arms, the same straight brown hair and speckled brown eyes that each bore and intense tenseness. Even the movements, clipped but determined, echoed off each other.

            "Hi Meg!" Randall smiled, trying to break the tension that seemed to build by the second. "How've you been?"

            Megan never took her eyes off Nine. "I'm doing okay. Seems you all have been doing better than what I've been lead to believe."

            "Am I seeing double?" Goury asked as he stared, watching the duo slowly circle each other.

            "I don't think so," Morg replied quietly. "I've seen the other one at the RDI before."

            The women completed their circle, then both relaxed, a little. "So... where is Tim and the Tin Man?" Megan asked.

            "I have no idea where the dynamic duo went," Nine replied in a guarded voice. "Probably causing trouble."

            "That would be normal." Megan nodded then turned her attention to her surroundings as she kept a tight grip on Hy. The blade seemed just as confused as everyone else, twisting in Megan's grip to look at Nine, then back at Megan. For now, Megan kept it simple. "Seems to be some structural damage. How's the new bar holding out?"

            "Uhm... what bar?"

            Randall intervened. "Part of the mountain top sort of got blown off in a recent fight."

            "Figures," Megan snorted then once again focused a hard gaze at Nine. "How much damage did that Rooslan fellow do to you?"

            "Enough," Nine grumped back, clearly not wanting to get into that discussion.

            While the mutants dogged each other with cold glances, Goury took it upon himself to get the other introductions out of the way. "Randall!" he smiled. "I'd like you to met Morg. She's one of the owners of the Red Dragon Inn."

            Nine's eyes flitted to Morgaine. "Human," she snorted, this time with a sneer.

            "Soothsayer," Megan correct with a smile of her own.

            And with good reason. Nine's eyes bulged. "You brought a spell caster here?!" she shouted then brought the baseball bat up to bear since Hybrid was still happily glued to her chest and not letting go. Megan moved like the wind, slamming Nine against the rock outcropping that served as a wall while pinning the bat behind the weaker girl's back.

Both Randall and Goury moved as well. With some effort, along with Hybrid assistance as a crowbar; they managed to pull the second generation mutant off her victim. Nine tried to struggle but was clearly out matched. "You don't Touch my people!" Megan frothed, even as each man grabbed an arm, giving Nine the inches to squeeze out from between mutant and wall.

            "Geez," Nine whined. "Whose idea was it to bring the psycho bitch along?"

            "Hey! Hey!" Morgaine stepped in. "Watch it! Spell caster here, remember?"

            Nine turned and gave the woman a repulsed snarl. "Bring it on!" she challenged, waving the bat menacingly. Hy suddenly bounded off of Megan's chest and flew into Nine, keeping her out of striking range.

            It was during the height of the threat match that Timothy showed up. He was smiling all kinds of emotions from his tired eyes, but proud seemed to be the dominant setting on his face. "Man, I missed these squabbles. Hello, girls."

            Both mutants turned and spotted the psi, the sight redoubling their efforts, but now towards a common goal to kill. Hy kept Nine at bay while Goury and Randall struggled to hold Megan back. Morgaine turned to look the dark clad man over, it having been some time since she'd seen the wayward psionic. "Wow. You're quite popular, aren't you?"

            "I bring out the best in them," he smiled back. The 'best' seemed to be making them both froth at the mouth. With a sigh Tim made a slight gesture and both women dropped to the ground, unconscious. "There. That's better."

            Morgaine rounded on Tim, quite concerned. She had been flattered with Megan's fiery protection of her with Nine. She wasn't about to let Tim slide another curve ball into her drinking buddy's life. "What did you do to her?" she demanded, glaring down at him as she easily had a foot on the brainy mutant.

            The psi took a step back, holding up his hands to ward off the attack, but he seemed more amused than afraid of the Soothsayer. "Whoa! Easy! I just turned off the hormones. Yeesh! Try to do a good deed.... Would you rather they rip each other to pieces?"

            "Maybe we should tie the both of them down." Randall mused.

            Tim turned to the scientist. "Why Doc! That is a wonderful suggestion. Restraints are in the infirmary. Get the red- banded ones. They're steel reinforced."

            The scientist paused only long enough to see Morgaine nod her head in agreement to the course of action. While he rushed off, the duo stood over the prone bodies. "I'll use my magic on them if I have to," Morgaine offered.

            Tim shook his head. "You forget, Spell caster. You are in a mutant stronghold. Magic is unreliable at best. That little mishap to the bar that used to be above us was due to a spell gone awry. I'd hate to see you halve poor Megan with one." After he set the Soothsayer back, Tim turned towards Goury with that obnoxiously greasy smile. "So my fearsome fighter! How are things between you and Megan, hrm?"

            "I'm doing fine, Tim. Meg seems to be her old self again since she returned from her little trip." He didn't know why, but Goury got the distinct impression that he was missing something.

            "Yes." The psi's grim grew. "She seems to be More than her old self, yes? Downright Radiant, dontcha think?"

            Suddenly the mutant's body stiffened then dropped to the ground. Brimstone stood just behind him, holding out a glorified cattle prod. "What a putz," the metallic man grumbled just as Randall walked back into the room. BS turned and took the restraints from the scientist and used them first on the unconscious psi.

            All Morgaine could do was smile and look to Goury. "It's like a family reunion gone horribly, horribly wrong."

            The 'borg hefted the scrawny body and dropped it head first into the couch. "Sorry about that, folks." He then turned as if noticing Morgaine and Goury for the first time, "Hi, kids. Glad you could find the place. Sorry it's a bit of a mess."

            Randall stood, a bit confused. "Uhm... those restraints were for Nine and Megan. They were trying to kill each other just a moment ago."

            "Of course they were," Brimstone agreed as he took the second set of cuffs and shackled Nine. "You have two headstrong Del Marian females vying for dominance." He lifted Nine with a bit more care than her psionic counterpart and placed her on the couch opposite Tim. From under that couch he pulled a third set of shackles and bent down to bind up Megan. "She's coming along," he noted as the cuffs clicked into place. "She's packing on the weight pretty good."

            "But why did you zap Tim?" Goury asked, even as the restraints snapped shut around Megan's ankles.

            "Did I need a reason? He was being a putz."

            "But he always has been one."

            Brimstone shrugged off the reply as he stood up and dusted off his hands. "Do we need to detain anyone else?"

            “No,” Randall answered. “I think we have it all covered.”

            BS smiled, then turned to look Morgaine over. “So... what brings you two to our happy home?”

            The sorceress jerked a thumb at her unconscious friend. “The usual. Following her to see what trouble she was getting into.”

            “Meg apparently was trying to track you and Tim down,” Goury added. “We just came along for the ride.”

            “Well, you all found us. Not that it’s been difficult to do of late. You know about our current dilemma?”

            “Some of it. Meg got some of the info from Hybrid.”

            It was then that the metal man drew back his trenchcoat, revealing the extensive damage to his iron hide. It was a miracle he was moving at all. Chunks of metal were still twisted and pulled from the frame. Gears wobbled on bent axles. Light flickered with bad contacts. The entire presentation brought a sympathetic hiss from Morgaine. “Ouch! How are you gonna get all that back into place?”

            “Very carefully, Chica. Even the nanotechs are have conniption fits. Like something was disrupting them.”

            Randall frowned at this news. “You didn’t tell me your nanobots were malfunctioning.”

            BS allowed the leather jacket to flop back into place. “I can’t very well tell you All my secrets now, could I? Besides, I didn’t want to worry you all.” It was very clear that he was indeed concerned about his current state, but he had other problems to contend with. “We need to calm those two down. Probably the first thing to do is to get rid of him.” With that, the ‘borg leaned over and picked up the psi by his belt strap and carried him from the room, toting him like a suitcase.

            A minute later Megan stirred then groggily sat up, followed shortly by Nine. Hybrid seemed to shuffle between the two girls as if confused as to here his fidelities drifted. He ended up leaned against the wall, an equal distance between the two mutants. Randall broke the uneasy tension. “I apologize for the restraints, but we couldn’t have the two of you trying to tear each other apart.”

            “Understandable,” Megan concurred then turned more or less to face Nine. “Sorry about that.”

            “Whatever,” the younger Nine answered back in a clipped voice.

            Morgaine looked between the two girls. A short stretch of the imagination Could make these two sisters. “So, you’re Aurora?”

            “My name is A-Nine,” the weaker girl insisted.

            “We come from a different reality,” Randall added quickly to clarify their position. “It’s a sort of parallel time line.”

            “I know,” Megan dove in. “One where mutants sold out to the Militants.”

            “Beats blowing up the planet!” Nine snapped back.

            Megan was just a tad calmer, being the older and more experienced of the two and confidant in her position. “I heard you took out a fair chunk of real estate yourself, sister.”

            “I am Not your Sister,” Nine bit back. “Besides, You’re not even a mutant!”

            “Enough!” Randall roared as he placed himself in front of Nine, even as Brimstone returned empty handed.

            The big man had to snicker as he sidled up to Morgaine. “Ever wish they came with an ‘off’ button?”

            “Nah,” Morg smiled as she leaned against the wall next to the cybernetic cowboy. “Everyone else’s problems are more entertaining than your own.”

            “I used to think that, until they started remodeling my establishment. Seems we suck Everyone down into our problems. There’s no ‘safe zone’.”

            Randall was waving a finger at both girls. “We’ll keep the two of you tied up until you learn to cooperate with each other,” he warned.

            “Ain’t gonna happen, Randall.” The ‘borg stepped away from the wall while under the glare of his two confined charges. “Goury, you may have to take Megan home tucked under one arm. And Doc, those shackles just might make courting Nine a tad easier.” The metal man gave a wink as both woman raised their voices in protest, this time aimed at BS. He smiled a bit, then folded his arms across his chest, though he had some difficulty with the right rotating shoulder joint. “Actually this is working out better than I hoped.”

            Randall was still stirred up and he now tried pleading with the girls. “We need the two of you to work together or else we may all end up dead, courtesy of Rooslan.”

            The girls clammed up but continued to glare at each other. They didn’t say they would Not work together, but the didn’t exactly say they would either. It was Megan whom became vocal first. “Won’t do any good if we can’t find this Rooslan punk.”

            “And we’re sitting ducks if we can’t see him coming,” Nine added.

            “Drac and Claw are working on that by trying to draw him out into the open.”

            Both women snorted in unison. “Yeah,” Nine replied sourly. “Like they promised to guard me?”

            “Guard you?” Megan replied. “That old geezer Drac can’t even guard himself!”

            Randall rolled his eyes, but at least they were Talking to each other.

            Megan looked over her off-centered kinswoman. “Ain’t you supposed to be the hoity- toity kinetic that can sense energy flow?”

            “Rooslan stripped that outta me,” Nine reminded her.

             “Soooo.. That makes you more like me then? Boy, am I relieved.”

            “What’s That supposed to mean?”

            “That you’re pretty much useless now, just like me.”

            “Useless? You? You’ve got Hy!”

            “No I don’t,” Megan corrected again, tossing her head towards the wall where the indecisive blade fretted.

            “Enough bickering, you two,” Randall insisted.

            “Yes,” BS agreed, then closed his eyes. The girls suddenly slumped in their seats, once again asleep. The ‘borg sighed. “I cannot believe that both of them would be so... petty.”

            Everyone looked to the girls then back at BS with amazement as none of them fathomed that his talents were that palpable. All had thought that Tim was the only one capable of such a stunt. “That’s a cute trick,” Randall commented cautiously.

            BS seemed to brush off most of their suspicious glances. “It’s convenient, but not easy.” He likewise slumped against the wall the shuffled over to the open seat on the couch next to Nine.

            “You okay?” Randall asked. He knew that none of the mutated kinfolk were well, but he hadn’t guessed the extent of Brimstone’s damages, and the half machine half man was awfully evasive on the subject. 

            “Just.... tired. That’s all. Now.. What’s this big plan the Vashtalian tag team have concocted?

            Goury eagerly jumped at the chance to contribute vital information. “The plan is to use us as bait. They want to get all of us to Vashtalia for the rededication ceremony. They figure Rooslan can’t pass up the chance to get all of us together.”

            “Oh joy,” BS groaned. “A party... with us at the appetizers. What fun. Okay. Question. You saw what one clone did to the five of us. What’s gonna be different next time?”

            “They plan to have wards all around the perimeter to alert us. And Drac has a mobilizing force of warriors and mages to move out on a moment’s notice to mail him.”

            “Okay. Dumb question number two. What if he doesn’t fall for it? What if he takes out one of the weaker factions while we’re all holed up in Reptileland? And how Do we stop him? We’re sort of running out of mutants able to handle his little cloned toys.”

            “We can try that jammer I whipped up, “Randall added hopefully.

            “Doesn’t matter.” This came from Tim as he walked back into the room, pausing a moment to dramatically drop the mow unsecured restraints back into Brimstone’s lap. “Not if he’s able to make more clones. He’s to the ability to make a massive mutant army so here’s the question of the year.. Why hasn’t he done so already?”

            “Well, if we can take a clone alive, maybe we can figure that out.”

            Both mutant men turned to look at Randall as they seemed to smile simultaneously. “Good idea,” Tim agreed.

            "The main idea is to flush Rooslan out from whatever rock he's hiding under." Goury pointed out. At least he still understood the basics. "According to what Meg said Hybrid told her, Rooslan is trying to rub out all mutants, so you guys are one that hit list too."

            The battered cyborg looked over his shoulder at Morgaine. "You fancy being bait?" he asked.

            That brow of her rose questioningly. "Not really. I'm up for the hostage taking and maybe a little recon."

            Tim seemed elated by her response and in turn gave the metallic man a raspberry for his efforts. "Looks like you gotta go stag to the party, Tin Head."

            "Oh like you could talk either Megan or Nine into going with you?"

            "I could too!"

            "WITHOUT using your powers?"

            Tim snapped his fingers, his trick caught. "Rats.. well.. I could try to find Tabitha. She's a party type of girl."

            BS had to roll his eyes. "Can't you find Somebody of legal age?"

            Morgaine snorted behind her hand, seeing a trend. Sure the boys were jesting, mainly to lighten up the seriousness of the business at hand, but these barbs were scraping very close to the skin. Even now Tim's eyes narrowed slightly. "Oh, you mean like the tattooed lady you've been consorting with? Talk about a cold fish!"

            "Hey, she just wants You dead. Not me. That's a plus in my book."

            Goury tired to break them up. "What we need to do now is get Zel up to speed on what we have planned. His attack spells could be invaluable."

            Tim turned slightly towards the blond swordsman, even as he kept an eye on the metal man. "That Might prove to be a problem. I sort of kind of lost him... somewhere.."

            "Couldn't take the competition, could you?" Brimstone sneered.

            "But I just saw him the other day," Goury insisted. "He said he spent nearly two years on Del Mar before finding a way back. And he sure looked pissed."

            Both mutants just stared at the swordsman, each one wondering his fate at the hands of one well informed chimeric mage.

            Nine woke up in a somewhat deflated mood. Apparently it was good to vent as it seemed to take all of the tension out of her, for a while. She was once again in the recovery part of the infirmary, a room that was deemed "hers" since she was in it often enough. "'Morning!" Randall ventured as he peeked in with a smile on his face, having heard her moving about.

            "...'morning," she replied in less-than-chipper tones as she stretched, noting that Hybrid was once again attached to her back, though he felt a bit lighter. Feeling a bit smug at having the blade take her side, she stood up and padded to the closet, only to catch her image in the full- length mirror that hung from the door. "Wha... what in the Wide World of Sports happened to Hy!?"

            "Oh yeah," Randall answered quietly, trying to keep his firebrand contained. "Hybrid sort of split himself between the two of you. Don't quite know how. We all went to the kitchen to get a bit to eat, and when we came back.. well.. It looks like you got Defender. Megan got Destroyer. I think that’s what Brimstone called them."

            Nine continued to stare dumbfounded into the mirror. This blade was fully silver, save for two spots where his brother had crossed; one mark at the hilt, the other blemish halfway up the shaft of the blade. On closer inspection, that mark looked more like a smudge of charcoal ingrained into the steel, but it didn't seem to affect the weapon's manner any as it hummed cheerfully. "She Stole my Hy!?" she barked then swung her fist into the mirror, shattering the glass and cracking the wooden framework.

            Randall had expected the tantrum and already had the bandages out. "Megan was out cold, just like you. She didn't 'steal' anything. Now, let me see that hand."

            "It's fine, she insisted but showed him the fist anyhow. The skin around all four knuckles was split.

            A soft knock at the sewer entrance door brought BS from the kitchen where he'd been listening in on Nine's rampages. He had to bodily push the black drake and his smaller reddish sibling back to get to the handle. On the other side was the psi hunter Mevlina. "Hon, you don't have to knock!" Brimstone insisted as he swung the portal open and allowed her to enter. "Besides, it might look a bit suspicious if somebody saw you hanging around out there."

            Mevlina reached out to the "dogs," letting the dragonlings snuffle around her palm and the hem of her cape. Brimstone escorted the visitor to the general gathering den. He still didn't look much better than from a few days before. The chassis was still twisted and bent, though the nanites had done quite a bit of repair work to his face. There was more metal, but it had a smoother finish. Mevlina made her observations under the guise of paying attention to the guardian reptiles, patting their heads while they wagged their tails in unison. "Feeling any better?" she ventured.

            "Some. It's just sometimes it gets under my skin; the things they say, but I know they don't know better. Stupid humans." He looked at her quickly to see if he'd offended her with the remark. "Pardon my French."

            Randall was still tending to Nine's injuries, but was listening in on the 'borg's complaints. "None taken. I know it wasn't directed at us."

            "It's just I get to thinkin' about all the times I fought for their causes, and yet they treat me like crap." He gestured for Meli to sit in a push rocking chair. "Need any tea, Hon?"

            As Mevlina shook her head, Nine finally snapped her hand back now that Randall was finished. She looked like she was wearing a white oven mit, the cuts being covered with a ton of gauze and antiseptic. "Quit treating me like a china doll!" she complained.

            "Look," Randall replied as he put up the supplies. "I'm just concerned because you're still recovering. I don't want anything else happening to you. You may be the toughest woman I know, but even you need someone to watch your back. Besides, I'm still technically in charge of you and your health."

            She sat staring at him, her arms crossed as she pouted, but she didn't seem as irate as normal. "Most people would be dead if they'd gone through what I have. I'm fine. Really. Once we get rid of Rooslan, I'll be ecstatic."

            As Randall explained the Vashtalian plan to lure Rooslan out, and as Nine echoed every possible concern that could go wrong, Mevlina had continued to study the cyborg's face, as if looking for some sort of sign. "I am sorry for how that man treated you before."

            The metal man dismissed the event. "I could have vaporized him, but what good would have that done? Get me banned from another bar? Have the law chase me around? No, I'm far too rusty for that gig."

            "Rusty? Shouldn't those nano things of yours be taking better care of you than that?"

            Brimstone raised a brow. She hadn't caught the full gist of the allegory, but she had brought up a more valid point. "I thought so too. They seem confused. I'm guessing there was some sort of electrical pulse that scrambled them up a bit. They'll adapt. They always do, you know."

            The tattooed woman just shrugged her shoulders as she continued to study her subject without directly looking at him. "What if you had a chance to be your old self again? Would you take it?"

            The big man sighed quite heavily as he paused. "That was a long time ago.... too long really. No... probably not... at least not that far back." He turned to look at her directly. "Actually I was more concerned for you. I picked up your vibe the other day. That's what lead me to the bar in the first place. You were afraid...." He held up a finger before she could protest. "Okay, maybe not exactly afraid. Maybe more like shorting in and out of focus, and it had you rattled. I'm guessing you've been having episodes for nearly a week." As she hung her head, he sat down next to her and leaned in close so the others couldn't hear. "How long have you been channeling other people?"

            "Too long," she confessed. "I think I'm losing my touch, and my edge. I'm having trouble blocking. I'm too weak."

            Brimstone seemed to betray true concern in his singular living brown eye. "What can we do to reinforce you then? Maybe we can block out the incoming transmissions."

            "I don't know," she moaned. "It's just been so long... I .. I think I'm dying."

            The big lug couldn't help but gently wrap the fleshed arm around her, giving her a hug to bolster her strength. "It's okay, kid, We'll figure something out." He began to rock her slowly but his "henny" activities seemed to irritate her and she pushed him away. He couldn't blame her. He must have been a horrid sight being only halfway repaired. "What about a neural blocker?" he offered as if her sudden rejection hadn't occurred as he allowed the gesture to slide off. "It would at least turn off all that noise for a while and give your head a chance to clear."

            She looked at her own hands, avoid his gaze with purpose. "I know the best way, but I fear it."

            "Okaaaaaay... " He now looked up as if expecting the ideas to drop on his face. "I've got several wave modifiers as well, but if I don't have the frequency you operate on..." he paused and opened an eye, watching her sideways, only to catch her look, as if she would bolt from the room if he gaze her an inch. "You okay?"

            "Can I have a bite to eat?" she asked all too quickly.

            "Sure." He stood, then gestured for her to follow him to the galley where the breakfast nook now held a spectacular view of the ocean front property.

            "I'm telling you there was something about that clone. Like it wasn't quite up to par. Like it was... unstable?" Nine was pacing now, as if her mind and body needed to be actively engaged.

            "It Did seem to have an aversion to magic,” Randall agreed.

            "Yeah..." Nine nodded slowly, running a finger along the slight dip in her chin. "Just like me."

            "Come to think of it, you weren't very stable when we crashed, Nine. It took you weeks to get adjusted."

            "And from what I hear, I had it easy. Megan was caught in some sort of peripheral temporal flux. I'm guessing the others didn't fare much better." She ventured a quick glance at Brimstone, wondering how much of his hardware was Rydin based. "And none of us deal well with magic."

            Conversations were stalled as her stomach announced loudly that it wanted to be fed. Without a word, she slipped out of the nightgown and rummaged through drawers, looking for something to wear in mixed company. Randall blushed, thankful that she couldn't see him and his reaction. Of course he'd seen her naked before, but now that they were an item he found himself flustered by her actions. It was the military mind that she relied on. Modesty in the ranks was not an option, especially when treatment for wounds and breaks took precedent. The more recent battle scars were still raw and red and Randall felt she would never gain all her physical mass back. As she found a t-shirt and shorts and wormed her way into the clothing, he turned, looking out the window as a pretext, watching the building storm.

            Meli stood by the open expansive view, watching as the skies out distant filled with clouds that steadily darkened. Lightning struck between the spiraling cumulus. BS moved next to her, holding out a bowl of porridge as he watched the building storm. "You doing that?" he asked, "I thought you were just a 'path?"

            "I am more than people understood."

            "Okay. I'll by that. Why are you boiling up some hurricane sized trouble then? You gonna trash what's left of my place?" He looked about the battered shelter. "Heck, maybe that would be a good thing. Nobody will insure me anymore anyhow."

            "I'm not going to 'trash' it," she insisted as she turned to look at him, her eyes wide and dilated. "Out?" she inquired.

            BS gestured to a passageway. "That'll take you to the beachhead."

            In the end, she didn't take the pathway. She nodded, giving the growing storm a hard stare. "It's about to die," she announced coldly. A thin waterspout wagged its way about a hundred feet from shore, just as the thick clouds rolled in. The funnel reached up to the dark strata and slowly spun them down its throat, taking the temper from the tempest. Once the clouds were gone and the weather subsided, the spout sunk back into the sea. "My link is weakening," she confessed once again.

            The ‘borg wondered what she was like at full speed.