Chapter XXXVII

When Esther entered Hannah’s isolation room and Eden and the guys began to set up their equipment in the corner closest to Abigail, Arianna turned to find four pairs of eyes watching her.  She cleared her throat awkwardly.

“I know I’m not in charge here or anything, so why are you all looking at me?”

“Because you kind of are in charge, Sweetie.  With Eli and Eden both busy with other things,” motioning around the infirmary, “it’s kind of up to you.”

“Why?  Didn’t we already decide I’m not really cut out for this whole leadership thing?”  She shook her head.  “Pretty sure we did.”

“Except you’re a natural, Az.  You took charge just now and even Eden followed your lead.”

“What about you, Jake?  I know you’ve taken charge before.”

He snorted.  “Only under duress, Babe.  Really not my gig at all.”

“Danny?  Kai?  Mimi?”

“No,” Danny answered for all of them.  “We’ll follow you and we’ll surely back you, but you’re our choice, Az, and not just because you’re Eli’s mate.”  He took her cold hand in his and chafed it gently in an effort to warm it.  “You’re a good leader in your own right, Sweetie.  You just need to believe it.”

Arianna held his gaze for a long moment before dropping her sight to the floor and biting her lip thoughtfully.  Then she blew out a breath that ruffled her bangs.  “All right then – I say let’s get the hell out of here and away from this Nebula as fast as we can go.  Jake, can you go to the bridge and start laying in a course for that moon, please?  Danny, you and Kai come to engineering with me.  I want to make sure we’ve got all the power and support we need to leave.  Mimi, I need you on the bridge too – you need to monitor... well, everything.  I’m sorry – I know that’s not really clear, but something out there is causing this, and I’m not sure....”

“It’s okay, Az.  I get it.  I’ll look for anything unusual and will let you know when I find it.”

“Thanks, Mimi,” lightly squeezing her hand.  “Let’s move, people.  The sooner we get out of here, the better we’ll all feel.”

“Second that,” Jacob said with a grimace.  “This place is giving me the creeps.”

“I just want to be at that moon before Mary discovers we’re not there,” Mordecai stated as they headed out the door.  “Pretty sure no one wants to be around if that happens, and I’m not even family.”

Arianna smiled.  “We’re all family to Mama,” she assured him.  “Besides, though I certainly don’t want to cause her any undo worry or grief, I’m confident Mama’s ire wouldn’t be focused in our direction.  And woe to the being that caused us to be late reaching our rendezvous point.”

Dark eyes widened comically as Mordecai envisioned the scenario Arianna painted.  “Oh,” he breathed softly.  “Dear.”

Jacob chuckled.  “I’d say that about sums it up,” as they reached the lift.  “I’ll let you know as soon as the course is laid, Az.  We’ll go on your mark.”

“Very well.  It shouldn’t take us long.  I mostly want to ensure that everything in engineering is up to speed and the shields around the fuission core are functioning at their maximum capacity.”

He nodded as he and Naomi slipped into the elevator.  “We’ll await your word, Cap’n,” giving her a smirk as the door closed and the lift shot up toward the bridge.  Arianna narrowed her eyes at the spot he had been, and Danny and Mordecai stayed well behind her so she couldn’t see their expressions.  When the doors opened a second time, she entered the lift with a huff, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her fingers on her arm.

“It’s not funny,” she ground out.

“As you say, Cap’n,” Danny replied with a straight face.   Mordecai just kept his eyes on the ceiling and prayed for them to reach engineering quickly.

************

“Okay, so this should be fairly easy, right?” Paul asked as they set the pieces of their equipment down in the corner closest to where Abigail was currently housed.  “I mean, we were trying to make the shielding work for the whole ship – one room should be a piece of cake, right?”

“Not necessarily,” Titus replied before Eden could.  “We’re going to have to project two different signals – we can’t encapsulate Hannah and Gay within the same shielded enclosure... at least not until the Doc and her team can discover how to protect Hannah from whatever is hurting her.  Once she settles, Gay should be able to reinstate her barriers.”  He turned to Eden.  “Did I leave anything out?”

She shook her head, her eyes never leaving the machinery she was already tweaking.  “I think you about covered everything.  Now, would you three like to join me down here on the floor figuring this out so we can get out of here?”  Before they could move, the feel of the engines shifted beneath their feet.  “What the hell??” glancing around at her compatriots.

“I think it’s Az,” Isaac commented.  When Eden jerked an eyebrow up into her forehead, Isaac shrugged.  “With the four of us here, she’s the only one left who would actually engage the engines.  And she knows how much we all want to leave this place.  It’s been a pretty craptastic experience for everyone... especially her and Eli.”

“You too, Isaac.”

“Yeah, maybe, but you know what I mean,” he said as he dropped to his knees beside her.  “C’mon... even if Az is getting us away from here as fast as she can, we still need to do what we can to make things okay for Hannah and Gay.  If Hannah hurts anything like I did....  I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy - except you know, maybe that Mischief guy.  Pretty sure he’d deserve it.”

Paul knelt, then clapped Isaac’s shoulder.  “Gotta agree with that.”  Then they settled into work.

************

“All right, Boss,” Esther commented quietly as she finished fitting the last of the noise blockers she and Deborah had been working on around Hannah’s ears.  “That’s everything we had.  I think put all together like this, it should cut every bit of sound from her vicinity.  It should make things better for her in the short term.  But I think leaving here and getting away from whatever is causing the misery is going to be the only real, long term solution to this problem.”

“So you believe this is coming from outside the ship?”

“Yeah.  This Nebula has caused us nothing but misery; I don’t think this is any different except for the target it’s chosen.”

“Do you think the Nebula is sentient, Es?” asked Luke while keeping his eyes on the monitors in front of him.  Already he could see a slight improvement and he nodded his head in approval.

“Ya know, I haven’t really given it much thought, but now that you mention it, it does seem to be more than a little vindictive.”  She turned to Eli.  “Do you think it’s the gods or is it just the Nebula?”

Eli checked the monitors over Luke’s shoulder before she stepped away from Hannah.  “As disappointing as it is to think that the gods might still be playing with us, it’s actually a lot less terrifying than believing that the Nebula is sentient and targeting us for whatever reason.”  She felt the shift in resonance under her feet and realized that someone – likely Arianna from the emotion she could feel swirling from her – had cold-started the engines and was preparing them to leave.  Eli smiled, glad within her very depths that Arianna was growing into her role beyond the brilliant scientist or the reluctant princess, but someone who would step in and lead when necessary.  “It feels like we may leaving this place soon,” Eli said with a smile.

“I got this, Doc,” Luke said.  “Hannah’s resting comfortably right now, and I’ll let you know if that changes.  But you need to go be Boss for a little bit.”

“You’re sure?” knowing what Luke said was true, but....

“Go,” he commanded firmly.  “I’ve got this.  You go do those Boss things you do so well, all right?”

Eli nodded her head.  “I’m going to check with Eden and her team, then I’ll be on the bridge.”  Another shifting in the deck plates alerted her that the ship was actually moving, and she gave an unconscious sigh of relief as she crossed the infirmary to talk to Eden and check on Abigail’s status.

************

Jacob carefully settled into the pilot’s chair, wiggling just a little to shift into the most comfortable position he could find; he was fairly confident he was going to be there for the duration.  He knew he was their best pilot – it was his primary job, after all – and given what everyone else was doing, he expected to be flying the entire first leg of the remainder of their journey to the moon they’d chosen to call home.  He felt Naomi slide into the seat beside him, and glanced her way before resuming his calculations.  Naomi didn’t blink; she simply started working on calling up all the monitoring systems that were available for her to utilize.  Then she started entering parameters – one set for each system, knowing she had a nearly impossible task, but determined to do what Arianna had asked.

She was so focused on her assignment that she missed the grimace that crossed Jacob’s face until he made a deliberate attempt to grab her attention.  His method was less than orthodox, but it was effective, and Naomi growled at him when she looked up with her own frown.  When she got a look at his face, however, the words she was going to spew at him died on her lips and she met his gaze with concern.

“What, Jake?”

“Can you search this area?” pointing out the portion of space that comprised the first part of their trip.  “That’s the direction we’re headed.  I’d like to know it’s clear before I let Az know we’re ready to go up here.

“Oh... oh yeah... sure,” turning her attention to that immediately.  She focused all of her scanners in that direction, not wanting to miss anything that could hinder their escape from the Nebula and eager to be able to do so.  It was an unfortunate decision, as it left the rest of space around them unobserved and unguarded.

************

When Arianna stepped onto the engineering deck, it was with the air of power and authority she always wore when working.  Only here and in her lab did she never question her ability to lead – she had been leading the project that developed fuission from the time she was eight years old.  In this instance, leading meant being the foremost expert in her field, and she was more than confident in her abilities on that score.  So she didn’t even slow down as she crossed into the reactor room, but instead began calling out orders to her teammates.

“Kai, I need you to start a diagnostic on all the secondary systems – every backup we have needs to be fully functional.”  He nodded and moved to a console on one side of the room.  Danny waited expectantly.  “Danny, I need you to go over the engines with a microscopic intensity.  Every conduit; every connection; every power point.  I know we’ve looked at it since we’ve been here, but that was mostly to ensure that there wasn’t any major stress damage we needed to repair... given the way we arrived.”

“I got it, Az.  It’s not like we’ve really had time to do much more than give everything a cursory once over since this whole mess started.  You can count on me – count on us both,” he added with a nod in Kai’s direction.

“I know I can.  You don’t know how much easier it makes my contribution knowing I can count on you both to help me get this done.  The longer we stay here....”  She shook her head and started walking off.  Danny laid a hand on her arm and squeezed lightly in sympathy.

“We all feel that way, Sweetie.”

“Let’s get to work then.  I’m going to cold-start the reactor to the engines and I need you to start looking for problems as soon as I do.”

“Is that a good idea?”

“It’s not the best or my favorite, but I think it’s the most prudent.  The sooner we’re off this rock, the better for all involved.”

“Even the gods?”

Arianna cocked her head slightly and gave the question some thought.  “In some ways, I think yes.  Because we’ve brought a lot of pain and unhappiness to them – however unwittingly – and I can’t help but believe they’ll be glad to see us go if only to lose the reminder that we are.”

Danny considered her words for a long moment, then shrugged.  “Maybe,” he agreed.  “Best if we get to work then.  I don’t think it’ll take Jake nearly the time it’s going to take us.”

So saying, they each turned to the task at hand.

************

“How’s it going?” Eli asked as she approached the engineers.  Eden was watching the monitor and calling out specific instructions to each member of her team.  She cut her eyes in Eli’s direction without actually removing her focus from the screen in front of her.

“We’re just doing a little tweaking.  This is a different application than what this system was designed for so a lot of it is educated guesswork.  But I think we’ve just about got it, and if it works, we’re going to put a unit around Gay’s room and probably Hannah’s too.”

“Maybe we should put them around everyone’s quarters. Can we do that?”

“That’s it!  Right there, guys,” Eden barked unexpected, causing Eli to jump at the swift change in volume.  “Sorry, Boss,” she muttered, getting a conciliatory pat on her shoulder.  Eden refocused her attention on her team.  “Okay... we need to calibrate – Paul, you go first.  Try the lowest setting.  Now Isaac,” she added after a moment.  “Take your setting up incrementally til I tell you... wait!  Stop right there. Titus?  You ready?”  He nodded.  “Okay, same as Isaac - slow and steady,” watching the monitor tensely.  “Good!  Right there.  All right – come look and see what you all think.”

“What do you think, Eden?” Titus asked as he was the first to reach her side.  She just nodded and slid out of the way.  He shifted as Isaac and Paul came up beside him to cluster around the computer.  Eden stepped back until she was standing beside Eli.

“To answer your question, Boss, we can’t... at least not right now.   To make this work means we’re going to have to stay here and monitor things closely because every time something happens to change the frequency, we have to manually adapt the shields.  We think it’s due to the proximity of having two different shield harmonics so close together, but until we have time to study and research and work on it?  Yeah... no.  We can work with Hannah’s rooms and Gay’s now because they are on opposite sides of the corridor.  Pretty sure we’d blow the system without intense scrutiny otherwise.”

“You’ll work on it?”

Eden smirked.  “Yeah... in all that free time I’ve got,” she smirked, then frowned slightly.  “Are we moving?  It feels like we’re moving.”

“Pretty certain we are, yes.  I’ve got to check on Abigail, then I’m headed to the bridge. You’ll keep me informed of things down here?”

“Whoever’s here will, absolutely.  I’ll make sure they know,” motioning to the guys who were still concentrating on the screen in front of them.  “Go be boss.  We’ve got this covered and we’ll go down to help Az too.”

“Thanks, Eden,” Eli offered with a brief squeeze on Eden’s forearm.  Then she crossed through the barrier and into the complete stillness of Abigail’s room.

************

Abigail blinked her eyes open slowly, not surprised to find Eli standing beside her bed.  Not only did concern and caring waft from her in waves, but Abigail had felt the precise moment Hannah’s pain had eased.  She reached out a hand toward Eli who looked up the moment she saw movement.  Without hesitation, she proffered her own hand, allowing Abigail to initiate the final contact between them.  A shy smile crossed Eli’s visage when Abigail grinned at her.

“How are you feeling, Gay?” she asked as she subtly checked her over.  Abigail squeezed the hand she held.

“Better,” she replied roughly before clearing her throat.  She gladly accepted the water Eli offered and downed several swallows before pushing it away.  “Things must be better for Hannah,” said as a statement but with more than a hint of a question in her eyes.  Eli nodded.

“They are.  We’ve finally got her isolated and cut off from... whatever was bothering her.”

“And we’re leaving?” feeling the difference in the hum of the engines.

“We are.  Arianna is in engineering to ensure everything is in pristine working order so we can get to that moon as fast as possible.  I’m already going to have a lot of explaining to do to Ma...ma when we arrive.”

“So time does pass differently here?”

Eli shook her head and shrugged.  “I’m still not certain about that one way or the other, but even if it doesn’t, I’m fairly comfortable saying we’re going to be late getting there.”

Abigail clenched her hand once more before releasing it.  “Best you go on and be the boss for a while then.  I’m all right here for now and there’s not much you can do for me anyway besides getting us out of this Nebula and away from this place.  The sooner, the better.”

Eli nodded and handed Abigail the glass of water again.  Once she had drained it, she accepted the glass and set it aside, easing her back into a more reclined position.  “Luke is here if you need anything.  Just call....”

“I’ll be fine, Doc.  Go do your boss thing.”

“I’ll be back,” Eli said as she walked to the entrance.  Abigail smiled.

“Pretty sure I’ll still be right here.”

Eli chuckled and shook her head, then headed out of the infirmary without a backward glance.

************

The gods felt the rumbling of the engines as Arianna pulled them out of passive mode and prepared them for the active mode necessary for travel.  Athena turned one scrying screen toward the ship to watch the Outreach leave the Nebula, while keeping the majority focused on searching for Mischief.  She felt Aphrodite sigh beside her and glanced her way briefly before resuming her search.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” she sighed again.  “Despite everything – despite the fact that I’m pretty sure those kids aren’t real happy with us – I’m gonna miss them.”

“So am I... but we owe it to them to give them a clean break from us.  They deserve the chance to grow without any kind of interference fro....”

Whatever she’d been about to say was cut off when the scrying screens blew up in her face.  She and Aphrodite both dropped to the floor unconscious, fire burning the consoles and causing sparks to fly as more explosions rocked the Nebula around them.  And it was only the beginning.

 
Chapter XXXVIII

The first explosion took her feet out from under her, and caused Eli to bounce off the wall then hit her head on the floor with a resounding crack.  Then darkness was all she knew for an undetermined period of time. 

When she opened her eyes again, she felt the wet stickiness of partially dried blood covering one eye and the better part of one side of her face.  It correlated directly to the searing pain in her head, though it did little to explain the agony in her back and legs.  She lifted a hand to clear the blood from her eye and realized almost immediately she had been pinned by parts of the walls and girders that made up the ship.  Panic set in briefly – she allowed herself a full standard minute to feel the terror of being trapped and alone.  When her allotted time was up, she closed her eyes and focused on centering herself – she wasn’t of any use to anyone until she got out of her current predicament.

With a start, she realized she could sense nothing from Arianna.  Another moment of panic before her rational mind took over.  There were several reasons that Arianna could be shielded against her… not simply her death... including Eli’s own head wound.  So her first order of business was to get out of the corridor and go find her mate.  Then she needed to find out just what the hell had happened and how the rest of her teammates had fared.

Eli lay still for a long moment.  Her head really was killing her and she was fairly positive she was going to need some of her alternate strength to be able to free herself from the rubble beneath which she was buried.  The concerning thing was the pain thrumming through her back and legs.  She devoutly hoped it wasn’t an indication of some deeper injury, but she had neither the time nor the means to discover the truth.

She slowed her breathing, feeling her heartbeat slow and with it, the pain in her head eased somewhat – not enough to stop completely, but enough for her to feel a little more in control.  She pictured her dragon form – the smallest version – and relaxed, allowing the transformation to take place.  It was painful... agonizingly so... but she could feel the strength flowing into her body.  And after a long moment, she shifted from her side to her stomach and pushed against the floor until she was on top of the debris.  She shook out her wings, keening in agony as more pain rippled through her body at the movement.  Then she took a step... and collapsed as her legs refused to support her.  This time she welcomed the darkness when it came.

************

Arianna felt the rocking of the ship when it was first hit, but it didn’t register as anything more than turbulence behind the shielding in which she was ensconced.  When the second blast hit, it knocked her off balance and she frowned and crossed from her reactor room to the doorway that led into the rest of engineering.  What she saw may her cringe and what she felt made her panic.

The reactor was still stable, the shielding strong and almost impenetrable.  But the rest of engineering, though also shielded, had not fared nearly as well.  The shielding was not as strong, since most of the systems here were redundant to others spread throughout the ship; but beyond that, there were a number of energy collection ports – places meant to attract the energy shock of an attack to divert the destruction of vital parts of the ship.  In theory, they were supposed to absorb the impact energy and redirect it back from whence it came – a theory that might have proven out had the ship been operating at peak efficient capacity... or even with all systems up and running.  The circumstances, however, were less than ideal when the blow fell, and instead of sending the energy back to its origination point, the ship simply absorbed it... causing an overload of massive proportions throughout the engineering section.

Now Mordecai lay several feet away from the console at which he had been working, and even from this distance, Arianna could see the yellow blood on his clothing and skin.  His chest was moving steadily, so she was assured he was alive, but beyond that, she knew he needed medical attention.  Danny was crouched nearby, hands over his head as though to protect himself from any more possible explosions.  She could see hints of purple blood spatter as well, but at least he appeared to be somewhat cognizant of what was happening.

The thing that concerned her the most, though, was the lack of feeling from Eli.  She hadn’t realized it before, but the ability to sense Eli had developed into a comforting background noise in her psyche – something she sorely missed when it was unexpectedly gone.  Where was she?  What had happened??   Why couldn’t Arianna sense something... anything... from her mate???

Before she allowed herself to panic too much, she called out to Danny to grab the medkit.  When he didn’t immediately respond, she crossed the room and knelt at his side.  A hand on his shoulder caused him to flinch, but after a brief moment, he raised his eyes to meet hers.  She moved her mouth in question, but he shook his head, pointing to his ears.  She signed to him then, and this time he nodded, indicating he was all right... all things considered. She took him by the arm and helped him to stand, holding him steady when he wobbled on his feet.  She grabbed the emergency medkit, then together they swiftly moved to check on Mordecai.

Mordecai groaned and shifted as they approached, and Arianna put a calming hand on his shoulder.  She knew he couldn’t hear her, so she waited until his eyes met hers before she started to sign. *Stay still.  We need to check the damage before we move you.*

Mordecai barely jerked his head once, then closed his eyes and focused on breathing.  He felt bad enough that he wanted to puke, and he was confident that wasn’t going to make the pain any less.  Another touch brought his eyes back to Arianna.  *We’ve stopped the bleeding for now.  Danny is going to give you a shot to help ease the pain.  We need to get you to the infirmary so Eli can take care of you.  It’s beyond our training to do much more.”

Mordecai nodded his understanding and smiled briefly as the narcotic allowed him to relax.  Then he closed his eyes again and drifted into a semi-conscious state.

Meanwhile, Arianna turned to Danny.  *Stay with him.  I’m going to try to contact Eli and find out what’s going on.*

Danny nodded and took up a sentinel post beside Mordecai, keeping a close eye on his slow, even breathing.  Arianna stepped away for privacy, even though it wasn’t really necessary given her companions’ current deafness.  She lifted the comm unit to her lips.  “Eli?”  Silence.  “Eli?”  More silence.  “Amado,” she commanded, her terror rising with each passing second of silence.  “Respond please!”  When the link remained silent, she broadened her call, hoping someone would answer.  “Eden?  Jake?  Is anyone there??”

“Kinda busy, Az,” Jake barked.  “Fuck!!” he yelled before he broke off communication.

“Eden?”

“We’re under attack, Az.   Can this wait?”

“I don’t think so, Eden.  Eli is missing.  She’s not answering my calls.”  Another blast shook the ship, and Arianna flinched as yet another console blew and the shock knocked her to the floor.  Fortunately, it was far enough away from her as well as where Danny and Mordecai were that it caused minimal damage to them, but she knew the ship – and they - couldn’t survive many more like it.  She crawled back into the reactor room, and began disassembling the warheads of the torpedoes they had concocted to be decoys.

“Damn.  All right – I’ll see what I can do, but it may be a little while.  Don’t know who or what is attacking us, but they seem intent on blowing us out of the sky.  Titus and Isaac should be on their way to you.”

“Good.  I’m arming and loading the torpedoes Paul built.  I’ll let you know when they’re ready for firing.”

“Do that.  And Az... be as fast as you can.  I don’t know how much....”

“I’m all over it,” she assured with a tremor in her voice.  Then she cut her comm link.  No matter how much she needed to know about Eli and how badly she wanted to go searching for her, Arianna still had a job to do.  This time it was personal, and whoever was behind this was going to pay.

************

Eden had been lucky – when the first blast hit, she had just stepped into Hannah’s cubicle to let Esther and Luke know that she was leaving Paul to monitor the shields in the infirmary.  And even though it knocked them all to the floor, they were far enough apart that they fell individually.  The guys – still gathered around the computer console - hadn’t been so lucky.  They’d been knocked into a tangled, dog pile mess.  So there was a lot of grumbling and cursing going on when Eden rushed out to find out what had just happened. 

“Jake!!  Report!!”  Silence.  “JAKE!!”

“Eden, it’s Mimi.  We’re under attack and Jake’s a little busy right now.  Can I help you?”

“Under attack?? By who??”

“Dunno, but they seem pretty intent on trying destroy us.  Jake’s trying to keep us from getting hit – we’ve got nothing to fire at them right now – the weapons systems are offline.”

Eden motioned to Isaac and Titus who had finally managed to right themselves, and without hesitation, they nodded and headed out of the infirmary toward engineering.  “I’m sending Titus and Isaac to help rectify that little problem.  I’m on my way to you.”

“Oka....”  The second blast cut off Naomi’s response, and pushed Eden to the floor again.  Eden chanced to wonder if something had happened to Naomi personally or the comm system itself, but she didn’t stop to find out.  Instead she called out to Luke and Esther, then hastened out of sickbay, intent on getting to the bridge as quickly as she could.

************

Eden used an emergency hatch to climb to the bridge, certain it was the fastest and easiest way to get there.  She was breathing heavy when she opened the hatch just outside the closed and locked doors, and she raised her comm link to her lips as soon as she caught her breath.  “Jake, it’s me.  Pop the lock and let me in.”

It took bare seconds before the doors hissed, but they didn’t open.  Eden forced her hands between them, and pushed them apart enough to allow her entrance, then shoved them together again.  She saw Naomi slouched against her console and crossed to move her.  There was blood all over, but the station was necessary, so she gently placed Naomi on the floor and took the seat beside Jake.

“Where’s Eli??” she demanded.  Jake didn’t respond with more than a bare shrug.  “Report,” she requested quietly when she realized he wasn’t going to elaborate.  Jake didn’t take his eyes from his console, but he answered almost immediately.

“They came out of nowhere... from somewhere behind us.  Still don’t know who they are, and I can’t get a bead on them.  Not that it matters as long as the weapons’ systems are offline.”  At that moment, Arianna’s voice cut in.

“Eden?  Jake?  Is anyone there??”

“Kinda busy, Az,” Jake barked.  “Fuck!!” he yelled before he broke off communication.  Another explosion rocked the ship and Jake struggled to keep them from plummeting back to the planet from which they had so recently departed.

“Eden?”  He was peripherally aware of Arianna speaking again, but he was straining to keep the ship under control.  He felt Eden turn to him and cocked his head slightly to let her know he was listening.

“Az is loading the torpedo tubes right now.  She’ll let us know as soon as they’re ready so we can fire on this asshat.”  Her eyes widened as she realized what she had said... and what Jake had informed her of before.  “Look for a power spike – I bet this is that Mischief character... back from the Void.”

“Seriously??  I thought nothing returned from the Void.”

“Apparently he can... and did.”

“Did he bring reinforcements??  Because I gotta tell you – there’s an awful lot of shit going on, and if he hits us again, we’re done for.”

“Eden, the torpedoes are armed and loaded.  Weapon systems are functional from here if we upload the input by hand.”

“I’ll give you the coordinates, Az.  Then you fire at will, you hear me?  Fire until I tell you to stop or you run out of rockets.”

“You got it, Eden.”

The comm unit went silent again, and Jake continued to struggle with the controls as Eden kept up her sweep through the Nebula.  It was merely a blip that she caught out of the corner of her eye, but her gut assured her she was right when she dropped the coordinates down to Arianna in engineering.  Almost immediately they felt the first torpedo leave the ship and then two more right behind it – one to either side of the center of the first.  It felt like forever, but in reality was mere seconds before all three hit their target and brought it into view. 

And what they saw before them made them gasp in horror.

************

“What about the planet killers?” Isaac asked as he and Titus finished loading the third torpedo into the tube.  Arianna had parts of several other decoys scattered around her and was rebuilding them with active warheads faster than seemed humanly possible.

“Last resort,” she muttered, laying a completed missile aside and reaching for another.  “Given the damage we’ve sustained, I’m confident it would kill us too.  We don’t have the wherewithal to move away fast enough.”

“That would absolutely suck,” Titus muttered as he eased the torpedo from her grasp.  “You should let Eden know we’re ready for the first volley.  Isaac and I’ll keep working to arm the rest of these things.  Hopefully, we’ll hit something with those and buy us a little time.”

“Fingers crossed,” Arianna agreed, then she contacted Eden.

It didn’t take long.  The coordinates came in from the bridge and Arianna’s fingers flew across the console to input them into the firing system.  Then it was simply a matter of launching them and waiting for results.

They knew by the shockwave they felt reverberating throughout the ship that they had hit... something... but before they could either celebrate or prepare to fire a second volley, Eden’s voice came down the pipe.

“Hold your fire, Az.  I repeat... Hold. Your. Fire.”

************

“Incoming encrypted transmission from Lt. Joseph Cornell,” the computer voice announced just before she heard the familiar voice.

“Mama?  I think we have a problem.”

“I’m pretty sure we’ve got more than one at this point.”  She squinted at the view screen.  “Where are you?”

“On the Storm Surge.  We pulled out of space dock a few hours ago.  This is the first chance I’ve had to contact you.”

“Is this part of the war games you were scheduled to be in?”

Joseph shook his head.  “I don’t know.  Nothing has come down the pipe since we left, but....”

“But what?”

“You know the games were postponed so they could install the new fuission reactors in the ship.”  Mary nodded.  “They finished the installation earlier today.”  His brow furrowed.  “But the scientists were escorted off the ship as soon as the last bolt was tightened.  They declared the reactor fit and ready for duty.  Mama, usually they remain until the new systems have been completely vetted – through the testing and tweaking phases of installation.  We haven’t actually done that part yet.”  He sighed.  “Also, in typical war games, the officers at least have some idea of what’s going on – the higher the rank, the more you know.  But I can’t find anyone who has the first clue about what’s really happening; we can’t even get confirmation if this is part of the war games exercise; if there is a true emergency we’ve been ordered to; or if something else all together is going on.  I’ve tried reaching Nat and Ian, but so far I’ve gotten no response from them.  I’m not even sure if we’re travelling in the fleet convoy or if we’re out here on our own.”

“Can you tell what direction you’re headed in?”

“That’s probably the most troubling thing of all.  I’m pretty sure we’re following the path the Outreach took – the same route you had me check earlier.  And I’m not a big believer in coincidence.”

“Neither am I.”  Mary wiped a hand over her eyes.  “Keep your eyes and ears open, and keep me in the loop as much as possible.  I’ll try to contact the boys as well – surely between us we can find out what we need to know.  I do think it’s time to rally the troops.  Given the head start you’ve got, it may be all over but the shouting when the rest of us arrive, but we’ll get there eventually.”

“Do you think that’s wise, Mama?”  He flinched when she glared at him, but he didn’t drop his gaze.  “There are hired mercenaries and entire cultures still searching for those kids – ready and willing to do anything to ensure they don’t succeed.  If you and their parents come blazing out here, it’s just going to bring attention to them.  And that’s going to put them in even more danger.”

Mary sighed.  She knew he was right, but that didn’t make the truth any less vexing.  And to add insult to injury, she should have known better – DID know better, in point of fact – had even been reminded of it recently.  Apparently, her forced R&R period had done nothing toward keeping her mind sharp.  “I know that.  I just keep hoping....”

“You want to make it better... just like you always do,” Joseph broke in.  “Not a bad thing usually, but in this case, not possible either.”

“I think I’m suffering from brain damage.”

“I’d still put my money on you, Mama, any day of the week.”

Mary snorted and shook her head.  “What about the Storm Surge, Joseph?  Assuming you’re right and you are pursuing the Outreach, how are you going to keep that many sailors quiet?  There’s no way their secret won’t get out.”

“You leave that to me.  Those kids will get their chan
Mary eyes him suspiciously, but Joseph maintained his impassive countenance.  “All right.  I’m trusting you, Joseph, but I’m trusting you to bring yourself home as well.”

“I’ll do everything in my power.”

“See that you do, my son.”  With that, the screen went dark.  Mary glanced at her chronometer, then rose from her seat at the desk and limped to the door.  Caleb was waiting when she opened it, and she took his proffered arm with a pained smile.  He patted her hand and they started down the corridor.  They had some talking to do and some decisions to make.

 
Chapter XXXIX

Almost the identical moment the screen went dark after their first conversation, Mary turned her attention back to the initial report Joseph had sent.  A knock sounded on her door.  She smirked slightly, having suspected that Caleb had been lurking nearby in case of an emergency.  “Come in,” she beckoned, then leaned back and waited for him to cross the threshold.

“You wanted to see me, Chief?”

“Should I ask how you knew I was going to need you?  Because neither one of us believe in coincidence.”

“True,” Caleb agreed with a sheepish shrug.  “I have alerts set to notify me whenever one of the kids call.  Almost without fail, you’ll call me right after.”

Mary frowned.  She wondered when she had become so dependent on him.  It was all so unfair to him to keep him with her, and yet, she couldn’t imagine her life without him in it. Caleb waited patiently watching the emotions flit across Mary’s face with more than a hint of curiosity in his own.  After a moment, she seemed to come back to herself and returned her eyes to his gaze, then cocked an eyebrow at him and tilted her head.  “What?” she asked.

“I was going to ask you the same thing. You looked pretty lost in thought there.”

“Nothing important,” she replied, brushing off any questions he had before he could give voice to them.  “Have you been keeping up with things?”

“As much as I can.  I sent out feelers to some of our old black ops teammates as soon as we knew those kids were going off the grid.  Thanks to Ian’s efforts, we’ve got a fairly good idea of where they are as well as where they’re headed, and it wouldn’t take a significant amount of effort to confirm things either – we have ships in the area.  It would take a little stealth, mind you, but not much effort.”  He smiled at the last and Mary smiled in understanding.

It had been a running joke between her and Edward – and Edward’s colleagues – that effort wasn’t an issue among them.  They were units that got things done no matter how unorthodox the methods.  Stealth, on the other hand – making sure they didn’t get caught utilizing those same unorthodox methods – that was an entirely different circumstance.  Fortunately, it was something they’d gotten very good at over the years.

“Get in touch with them and find out what they know.  Joseph says the kids are completely off the grid now – not on that moon or anywhere else that he can find.”

Caleb nodded.  “Will do, Chief.  Do you have him looking elsewhere... anywhere specific?”

“He’s checking out the Nusnaigewron Nebula.  Despite the rules and warnings concerning the phenomenon, it is the most likely area for problems to occur given their suspected route. Lots of things could be hiding there, and we have no way of knowing what any of them really are.  Tell the unit to be careful, though.  I don’t want to lose any of them to whatever unknown has found the Alpha Team.”

“They will, Chief.  You know they’re the best at what they do.”

“Doesn’t mean they’re invincible, Caleb,” she snapped.  “I’ve lost enough!”  She drew a shaky breath and drew a hand across her eyes.  “Sorry,” she apologized.  “I just... losing those kids....  And now I have to tell their parents.”

Caleb studied Mary for a long moment, pinching his bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger.  He could see the continued exhaustion and the residual pain lurking in her eyes despite the months that had passed and wondered how he could make it better.  “I have an idea about that,” he said when the silence dragged on awkwardly.  She gave him a questioning glance.  “Let’s bring the parents here... to Joy’s.  It wouldn’t be like it was with the kids – no security for one thing.  They could take the brownstones on either side of hers.  That way they could all be together, but still be relatively independent.  Joy wouldn’t need to play hostess unless she wanted to.”

“I don’t think that’s possible... at least in some cases.  Both Aurora and Eve are leaders among their people – they can’t simply drop everything to come hang out here indefinitely to support each other no matter what they desire to do.”

“Well, maybe it could be a temporary situation – you know, for a week or something.  Or....” he hesitated briefly before plunging ahead.  “I know it’s a prototype, but wouldn’t Queen Aurora have a fuission reactor?  The original that Arianna built when she was testing out her theories?”

“She should.  Why?” 

“Maybe we could borrow it – see about putting some of the more local black ops personnel on a ship to find those kids... give them some help if they need it until they get established.  That should give their parents some peace of mind and reassurance about their kids.”

“Isn’t that kind of like cheating?”

“Do you really care at this point?”

“Not as long as I get to go too.”

His eyes widened and his jaw dropped before he snapped it closed and shook his head vehemently.  “No, Mary.  No way.  You’re already on probation.  Pretty sure the Council would actually lock you up if you went after those kids.”  He rose and started to pace.

“We don’t need to tell them.  What they don’t know won’t hurt anyone in this instance.”

“And if they do find out??  What then??  Gods, I can’t believe you would be so rash... so stupid....”

“Careful, Caleb,” she warned, narrowing her eyes.  “You’re treading a very thin line.”

He whirled to face her.  “So are you!  And you know better!!”  He scrubbed a hand over his face, then turned toward the door.  “I need to contact the rest of the security team, and then I need to get ahold of the unit.”  He reached for the doorknob.  “You know where to find me if you need me.”

The door closed on silence.

************

The next time Joseph called – a little more than a week later – Mary and Caleb still hadn’t spoken beyond the perfunctory reports that passed between them.  He hadn’t waited for her to call him when Joseph made contact again; instead he knocked on her door and waited for her invitation to enter.  She didn’t even hesitate... even though she knew he was waiting on the other side.  The strain on their relationship had gone on too long due to her foolishness – it was her responsibility to fix it now.

“Come in, Caleb,” she beckoned, folding her hands together on the desk and meeting his eyes as he crossed the threshold.

“Is everything all right, Chief?” he asked with concern, startled by how exhausted she appeared.  “Are you...?”

She waved away his concern.  “I am a foolish old woman, and I owe you an apology.”

“You don’t owe me....”

“I was wrong.”

“Perhaps,” he conceded solemnly.  “But your heart was in the right place.”

“Unlike my mind, apparently.”

Caleb chuckled at her droll admission and Mary gave him a wry smile.  “Well, you’ve never done very well when you’re not in control of the situation – though in fairness, most of us don’t.  It couldn’t really be helped this time though.  Personally, I think we’ve done spectacularly... all things considered.

Mary nodded.  “I’ll agree with that.  I don’t think we’ve ever dealt with a cluster quite as massive as this whole situation.  Knowing doesn’t do anything to calm my inner control freak though.”

“Inner control freak... outer control freak – not really a lot of difference there, Chief,” Caleb commented with a completely straight face and the barest hint of a twinkle in his eyes.

Mary glared at him for a long moment before allowing herself to break into a smile... that was followed by a snort and then genuine laughter.  Only after that did Caleb break character and allow himself to laugh as well.

Finally Mary drew a deep breath to speak.  “God, that felt good.  Seems like forever since I’ve laughed like that.”

“It’s been a while,” Caleb replied.  “Are you certain everything is all right?  Beyond what’s happening with those kids, I mean?”  She tilted her head thoughtfully at him and hurried on.  “Something’s been off with you for a while, Chief.  We’ve all noticed it.”

Mary studied him a while longer, then leaned back in her chair and shook her head.  “I don’t know, Caleb – I really don’t know.  I can’t... I’m not....  She huffed out an impatient breath.  “I’m pretty sure I should have died from the damage that was done by that shredder bullet.  I probably would have if it hadn’t been for Eli and subsequently Eve."

“But...?” he encouraged when her words tapered into silence.

“But I’m not well.  I haven’t recovered back to where I was before I was shot, and even though things are certainly not as dire as they were when it happened, I don’t seem to be getting any better.  Granted, I’m not worse, but....  I don’t really know how to explain it.”

“You don’t have to – I get it.  Have you tried talking to Eve?  Perhaps there is more....”

“She is a clan leader and respected shamaness among her People.  I’m not going to keep her from the responsibilities she has to a planet full of People because I am always tired.  That’s the epitome of selfish, and I’m trying to be better about that.”

“You’re one of the most unselfish people I know.”

“Not really,” Mary argued, “but it doesn’t matter,” waving away his quarrel before he could utter a word.  “What’s the word from the ops team?”

“There is evidence to support the fact that the Alpha Team hazarded into the nebula, but without venturing in themselves, there’s no way to get a clear and concise picture of what is happening.  Matt says their readings are all over the place.”

Mary nodded slowly.  “That coincides with what Joseph just told me.  What kind of evidence?”  For answer, he simply handed her his Pad and relaxed back into the chair.  Then he leaned forward again when she reached her Pad across to him.  “Turnabout is fair play,” she answered when he cocked a brow at her.  “This is everything Joseph has sent me so far.  I reckoned you knew he called.”

“I did.  That’s why I brought Matt’s reports with me.  I assumed you’d want to compare them.”

“When did you get these?” waving towards the Pad resting on her desk.

“This morning.  I wanted a chance to go through them before I passed them on to you.”

“Anything pertinent I should know about?”

“Beyond what I already told you?”  He shook his head.  “Not really.  They are waiting for the arrival of a couple more ships before pressing forward into the Nebula.  None of them are really equipped for it, but at least with a few of them there, we should be able to get some reliable readings about what’s really going on.”

Mary sighed and absently rubbed her leg.  “I really do hate this.”

“I know.  Truthfully, everyone is a little frustrated at this point.  But on the plus side, everything here is mostly settled and the Beta and Gamma Teams are flourishing.”

“We should be thankful for small mercies, I suppose.”

Caleb gave Mary a half-smile.  “And big ones,” he reminded her.  “After all, we could have ended up with more Alpha Team type drama.”

“No,” she stated emphatically.  “We’ve had Alpha Team drama enough to last lifetimes, and apparently,” shaking the Pad she held, “we still do.”

“Keeps things from getting boring, Chief.”

“Never let it be said I’m not a fan of boring,” she replied drolly, then both turned their attention back to their respective reading.

************

“Do you think he really doesn’t know?” Caleb asked as Mary took his arm.  He had been in the room for Joseph’s last report, but had silently escaped to wait in the hallway when Mary once more mentioned wanting to go after the Alpha Team.  That more than anything cemented his belief that something was seriously wrong with her beyond the residual pain and exhaustion she continued to suffer.  He’d make some inquiries, but in the meantime, they still had a job to do.

Mary squeezed his bicep, and he slowed his steps further to accommodate her pace.  “I do,” she answered after a moment’s silent consideration.  “We both know the low men on the totem pole aren’t always kept in the loop.  Have you sent Matt the information?”

“Yes.  He and Grayson and Hank are close enough to keep an eye on things if things start happening.  Asher and Roland are making their way over as fast as they can, but if what Joseph just shared is true, they may not get there before the dust settles, but there’s not much we can do about it either.”

“I noticed you’re not commenting on my desire to go out and deal with this myself.”

“We’ve already had that conversation, Chief.  I’m fairly confident that Joseph said the same things to you that I did, and we both know you know that despite your... insane... need to do something about the situation, you won’t for fear of putting those kids in more danger than they’re already in.”

“I hate you sometimes, you know... especially when you’re being all logical and right about things.  Even more when that logic and rightness is completely at odds with what I really want to do,” she added, punching him lightly in the arm.  He caught her hand and placed it on her other, covering both of hers with his for a moment before grasping them lightly and releasing his grip.

“I know,” he said with a smirk.  “It’s why you keep me around.  Well, that and I’m exceptionally good at what I do.”

“No... it’s your modesty that I’m particularly fond of.”

“I learned that from the best, Chief.  Eddie was a great instructor.”

Mary snorted.  “The sad part about that statement is that he’d agree with you if he was here.”  A beat.  “I still miss him, you know.”

“I know.  So do I... every single day.  He was my best friend.”

“Mine too.”  Silence fell for a while, and it took a few minutes before she looked around and realized she didn’t actually recognize where they were.  “Where are we?  And where are we going, anyway?”

Caleb laughed and turned them around to head back the way they came.  “I was wondering when you were going to notice,” he teased.  “You didn’t even comment when we walked outside.  I decided you needed to get out for a few minutes... for a change of scenery if nothing else.”

Mary just smirked and shook her head.  “Considering I don’t even recall putting my coat on, I probably need more than that.  Too bad we don’t have time for more,” she added as she took a deep breath.  “I’m enjoying the fresh air... and the company.”

“Maybe we can do this again soon,” Caleb offered.  “But first we need to get back to Joy’s.  Everything should be in place, and everyone ready.”

“Everyone??  Who’s everyone?  And ready for what??”  She narrowed her eyes at him.  “What are you planning, Caleb?”

“Something that you would have, Chief, if you weren’t still suffering from the after-effects of that shredder.  But we’re going to see about taking care of that too as soon we get business out of the way.”  He held up his free hand.  “Work with me here a little, Chief.”

“Don’t I always?” Mary asked dryly.

Caleb snorted.  “Most of the time, but not always.  Otherwise, I’d have convinced you to give me a chance by now.  But that’s neither here nor there at the moment.  Right now, our focus needs to be on what we can do to help those kids.  The rest will wait until later.”

Mary didn’t say the ‘or never’, that was floating around in her mind.  Instead, she concentrated on the other part of Caleb’s statement.  “There’s not much we can do from here except wait and pray.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that, Chief,” he replied candidly as they slowly limped up the steps of the brownstone.

“God, that’s exhausting,” Mary muttered as they reached the landing.

“Do you need a minute?”

“More than,” she admitted with a deep breath, “but we really don’t have that kind of time to spare.”  She motioned to the door and he opened it without hesitation.  “Thank you, Caleb.  However brief, I really needed that respite.”

“It was my pleasure, Mary,” he assured her with a smile, watching her eyes widen at his familiarity.  “Come... we have work to do.  And people waiting for us.”

She stepped into the hallway and frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.  “Who is waiting?  Did you assemble the team?”

“Something like that, Chief.  Come on – give me your coat.  We don’t want to keep them waiting.”

Mary sighed loudly, but did as she was bidden, and a moment later, Caleb had tucked a hand under her elbow and was leading her down into the basement.  She limped as gracefully as she could manage, not having a clue what to expect, and feeling her jaw genuinely swing on its hinges when she saw what was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.


Chapter XL

After the stealthy departure of the Alpha Team, and before her hearing by the Council, Mary had surreptitiously arranged for both the Beta and Gamma Teams to be removed from public purview.  It wasn’t that she didn’t trust the Council, per se, but their track record regarding the Project and its participants left much to be desired.  She figured she’d get ahead of the game before they put her out of the running, and her team had unanimously agreed with her decision. 

They had worked out a rotating cycle, and a way to conceal their movement to keep from drawing attention to what they were doing, and the Beta and Gamma Teams were sequestered with no one the wiser to their whereabouts.  And since all of Mary’s agents – save Caleb who remained by her side to assume the role of leadership once she was suspended – were periodically seen out and about either working with other clients, meeting with Caleb or on apparent holiday, no one considered that they, under Mary’s instruction, had quarantined the remaining Project Team members.  In fact, it was generally assumed that the teams had taken it upon themselves to disappear to remain safe until they were ready to begin their own missions.

And since her six-month suspension was nearly up, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise – on the off chance that anyone was actually watching her for clues on the whereabouts of said missing Teams - to see that most of her agents had come together as a unit to rally around her for support.

So Mary wasn’t completely discombobulated to step into Joy’s broad rehearsal area to find her team standing around the circumference of the room.  They had always had one another’s backs even when they disagreed about something, and had continued their work for her despite her suspension.  She knew they cared about those kids – and their other charges, for that matter – almost as much as she did, and she couldn’t stop the broad grin that lit up her tired countenance when they all straightened at her appearance on the stairs.

She took a minute and let her gaze wander to each of them, meeting their eyes and nodding her head slightly at each salute she was given.  She was so wrapped up in acknowledging her team, that it took her a moment to realize they weren’t the only people in the room... not by a long shot.  She blinked slowly, and then again when nothing changed.  Then she shook her head and turned back to meet Caleb’s gaze with questioning eyes.  He squeezed her elbow and offered a gentle smile.

“They’re here for you, Chief.  They’re all here for you.”

“But how??  And why??”

Aurora rose from her spot and the people parted to allow her to elegantly make her way over to the stairs where Mary still stood.  Mary looked at her with a dumbfounded expression, and Aurora gave her an understanding smile and held out a hand for Mary to accept.

“All will be explained in good time, my friend.  But please... join us for some refreshment first.  Then we will regale you with our tale.  I promise it’s a good one.”

Mary took Aurora’s warm hand in her own and clenched it briefly, though she didn’t release it as she looked around the room, noting the twinkling eyes of the three children she had given birth to staring back at her.  She cocked an eyebrow.  “You instigated this?”

“We... facilitated,” Ian corrected, smirking at the second eyebrow rising at his smart remark.  He bowed his head slightly in apology when her expression hardened at his flippancy.  “It was necessary... and important... for all of us.”

Mary turned back to meet Aurora’s eyes.  She clasped the hand she held once more before completely relaxing her hand.  “Very well,” she agreed.  “It really is wonderful to see you all again,” glancing around the room at the smiling faces of not only the parents of the Alpha Team, but those of the Beta and Gamma Teams as well.  She risked a glance back at Caleb.  “This is your doing, I suppose?”

“Caleb... facilitated... as well,” Eve responded before he could answer as she took her place on Mary’s other side.  “We wanted to be here when you went before the Council again, and he ensured we were made aware of when that would be.  Anything else is simply fortuitous timing,” letting her healer’s eyes roam Mary’s body and frowning at what they told her.   “How are you really?”

“Crazy,” Mary responded immediately, garnering her the laughter from around the room that she expected.  But her eyes told the truth of her pain and exhaustion, and Eve snapped her lips closed to keep from betraying what Mary refused to share.

“Well, it’s good to know some things don’t change,” Noah quipped unexpectedly, drawing another round of laughter.  “You certainly shouldn’t be any different than the rest of us.”

Mary smirked at him.  “Oh, but I am, Noah.  They don’t call me the Head Loon for nothing, you know!” laughing when he held up his hands in surrender as Eve swept her gently into the seat Noah had just graciously vacated for her use.

“Fair enough,” he conceded.  “I’m confident you have actually earned that title.  Now... will you tell us why we were really brought here, please?  As nice as it’s been to visit everyone again and to meet some new friends, even I know we were brought here for a purpose other than your hearing.  Can you share now?”

“Noah,” Eve chided softly and shook her head the minutest amount.  Mary placed a hand on her arm before she could scold him further.

“It’s all right, Eve.  I’m a little curious to know the reason myself,” turning back toward Caleb and her kids.  “I had nothing to do with bringing you all here again.  I know you have responsibilities beyond....”

“We have responsibilities to our family,” Aurora cut in.  “And aren’t we family first?”

“Yes, of course, but....”

“No no... no arguments.  None of us has shirked our responsibilities to our planets or people to be here.  But this is important too.”

“What is?  My hearing?” Mary asked with confusion.  “It’s mostly a formality.  I haven’t done anything I wasn’t supposed to – well... not much anyway.  Caleb has been running the day-to-day business and the Beta and Gamma Teams were taken care of before I was placed on suspension.”

“And of course, you haven’t been monitoring the progress of the Alpha Team,” Eve stated dryly with a raised eyebrow.

“Not exactly.  Not directly, at any rate.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“I have managed to lose them, though,” Mary continued as though Eve hadn’t spoken.  Eve blinked and gaped at her a moment, noting everyone was listening intently to their conversation.

“You lost them?  Mary, how could you possibly lose them?  They are off the grid – those were your words to us when they left under cover of darkness.  I am fairly certain you cannot lose what you never actually had, and once those kids determined to make their own way, they were truly beyond your scope.”

“Not exactly,” Mary said again, absently rubbing her thigh.  Aurora took her hand and held it lightly, even as Eve began a gently massage.  Mary closed her eyes in relief for a moment, then realized what had happened.  Brown eyes popped open in panic, and Aurora gripped her hand a little more firmly, forcing Mary to focus on her calm and reassuring expression.

“Let us share your burden, Mary.  You don’t have to carry this alone any more.”

“THAT is the reason I asked them to come, Chief.  I knew if you wouldn’t listen to me, you might listen to them.”

She cut her eyes in his direction.  “We’ll be talking about this later.”

Caleb shrugged.  “As long as you listen to them now.”

“If you’re going to talk to Caleb, then you’re going to have to talk to us too,” Nathaniel interrupted.  “He talked to us about it first.  We’re the ones who encouraged him and helped arrange all this.”

“Enough!” Mary said quietly but with exacting authority.  “We will be talking about this LATER,” she added, carefully removing Eve’s hand from her leg and releasing Aurora’s grip on her hand.  Eve and Aurora’s exchanged sad glances as Mary stood, but let her go, knowing she felt embarrassed and put on the spot.  With a little luck, she would open up to them privately, but for the moment, she needed to feel in control of things that were currently spiraling away from her at a rapid pace.

Mary stepped away from the center of the room, carefully making her way to the stairs before turning to address them.  At least this way, she could see them all and no one could sneak up on her from behind.  She’d been ambushed enough for one day... or one lifetime, she thought sourly.

She drew in a deep breath and released it slowly.  “If you’ll all excuse me, I need to go to my office and retrieve my notes so I can bring you all up to date on what’s going on – what we know, anyway.  It’s going to take me a few minutes, though, so please enjoy whatever hospitality my daughter has provided.”  She smiled weakly.  “I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

She turned to make her way up the stairs, grimacing as she steeled herself for a trip she knew was going to hurt.  But before she could take the first step, she found Joy beside her, unobtrusively taking the arm that wasn’t holding onto the railing.

“I need to fetch more cookies from the kitchen,” she said in response to Mary’s unasked question.

Mary nodded abruptly and they headed upstairs without another word or a backwards glance.

************

It stayed still and silent in the basement until the door closed softly behind them.  Only then did everyone draw a deep breath, and every eye turned to Caleb.  He had actually taken a step to intercept Mary on the stairs when Joy’s hand on his arm and a shake of her head halted any further movement.  Instead, he waited with the rest until the furiously angry woman was gone, not at all surprised to find everyone looking at him for an explanation.

Noah actually crossed his arms over his muscular chest and reached up a hand to stoke his beard.  “I think you need to start talking, Caleb.”

Caleb nodded.  “I think you’re right.”

************

Mary didn’t protest when Joy continued to escort her further upstairs until they reached her office.  Truth was, she was exhausted.  She’d done more walking than she did most days, and this day wasn’t even half over yet.  She was confident the remainder of her day was going to be even more unpleasant.  She gently patted the hand curled around her elbow.

“Thank you, Joy.  You should probably....”

“... wait for you to get your notes.  Don’t even,” she said firmly.  “You don’t have to pretend you’re not in pain, Mama.  We know.  We’ve known for a while.  We just want to help.”

“So you staged an intervention?” Mary asked with a smirk, though her eyes remained shadowed.

“Sort of,” Joy conceded, “but not exactly.”  She huffed lightly.  “You may not want to accept help because of your pride or whatever, but we know this is serious and we’re willing to do whatever it takes to keep you here with us for as long as we can.  I, for one, have no desire to explain to my new little sister or her mate why you’re not around anymore, all right?”

Mary blinked slowly as the fervor behind Joy’s words burned a path into her brain.  Then her eyes widened in surprise.  Joy snickered, and Mary couldn’t stop the small smile even as she shook her head and turned her attention to unlocking her office door.  She and Joy crossed the threshold together, and Joy walked her to her desk before releasing her arm.

“I guess you feel pretty strongly about this then,” Mary said as she gently eased into her chair with a sigh of relief.  Her hand automatically went to her thigh and began massaging the ever-present ache.

“We all do.  It’s just no one has ever ‘manned-up’ enough to say something to you, instead of discussing it around you or behind your back.”

Mary snorted.  “Figures my girl would be the one to ‘man-up’ first.”

Joy rolled her eye and shrugged.  “Of course.  Have you met her mama??  Your kid learned from the best.”

“As long as she understands I’m still the Head Crazy around here.  I earned that title.”

“Mama, I don’t think I’ll live long enough to challenge that title.”

Mary chuckled softly and Joy laughed in sheer relief at hearing that sound.  It had been far too rare in the last few months, and it gave her hope.  Mary sighed after a few moments and closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the chair.  She blinked her eyes open slowly when Joy’s hand covered her own.

“Is there something I can get for you, Mama?  Or would you like me to call down and let the extended family know you’re done for the day?  They’d understand.  Caleb and the boys can answer any questions they have for the moment, and honestly, there’s nothing that won’t wait until your hearing in a couple days.”

“No.  They deserve to know... especially the Alpha Team parents, and I don’t think this is something that will wait.  Something is happening out there in that Nebula, and they deserve all the information we have, so they can be prepared in case....”

“You expect the worst.”

“Most of the time - because I usually pay very dearly for the few times I don’t.  I’ve learned I’d much rather err on the side of caution and be pleasantly surprised.”

“So what do you expect... really?”

Mary sighed.  “Worst case scenario?  A lot of dead bodies.”

Joy paled slightly.  “That’s kind of... that... just....”

“I know.  But we always knew it was a possibility.”

“No wonder you’re the Head Crazy.  That makes me kind of sick just to think about.”

“Exactly.  And that more than anything else is the reason those parents need whatever information I’ve got – so they can prepare themselves for the worst.”

“Do you think it will come to that?”

“I think it is a distinct possibility.  But I don’t believe it is inevitable.”

Joy smiled wanly.  “Eternal optimist, huh?”

“It helps me get through the day sometimes.”  She sighed again, and picked up her Pad and Caleb’s, closing her eyes briefly before pushing up out of her chair with a grimace.  Joy remained by her side, tucking Mary’s hand firmly around her elbow and easing them from behind the desk. 

When they reached the door, Joy looked at her seriously.  “I know you need a private space for your business office, but I think it’s time we considered moving you to the ground level... at least for a while.  The trips up and dawn the stairs are sapping what little strength you’ve got.”

“I’ve given it some thought,” Mary confessed, “but I’m normally not quite as mobile as I’ve been today.  Today’s been an exception.”

“Maybe,” Joy conceded as they slowly made their way down toward the kitchen.  “But you’re still expending a lot of energy and effort that you really can’t afford to be.”

“I’m not going to stop doing just because I’m not a hundred percent healed, Baby Girl.”

“Mama, you’re not healed at all!!  I can see you wasting away in front of my eyes!!”  Joy turned away so Mary couldn’t see her tears, but she never released her support.  Mary gripped her arm tighter and pulled them to a stop just as they reached the bottom landing.

“Joy?”

“We already lost Daddy too soon,” she replied quietly, feeling Mary flinch beneath her touch.  “I don’t blame him exactly, and neither do the boys, because he died being who he was – a warrior and hero to so many.  But we’re still angry with him for dying... for choosing to go out and put himself at risk AGAIN, for no other reason that it was his duty.”

“That’s who he was.”

“I know that, Mama.  It doesn’t make it hurt any less.  He chose duty over family.  He always did... even when there were others who could have taken his place because it wasn’t just what he did - it was who he was.  But at least as we got older, it was easier to understand – not accept, but we understood it. But at least when he died, he went out the way he would have chosen to go... doing his duty and serving others.  You’re not even putting up a fight!”

Anger flared in Mary’s brown eyes before it simmered into sadness.  “I have been, Baby Girl.  Just because you haven’t seen it.... I’ve been in touch with Tom on a weekly basis – sometimes almost daily.  And I’m pretty sure, that despite my rather clear instructions on the matter, he’s been in regular contact with Eve.  There’s nothing they can do, really – not for lack of trying, but simply because this... whatever it is,” motioning towards her leg, “is beyond their scope.  I might should have been a little more prudent about gathering information from those mercenaries before executing them.”  She sighed again.  “Ah well – act in haste....”

“You’ll at least let Eve check you out while she’s here?  Maybe seeing you directly instead of through Dr. Tom’s reports or via sat vid will give her a fresh perspective.”

Mary shook her head.  “I doubt it, but if it will make you feel better....”

“It would.”

“All right.  But for now, I’ve got work to do and you’ve got cookies to fetch.  I’ll meet you downstairs?”

Joy shook her head.  “Pretty sure the boys followed us up to retrieve the cookies.”  She cocked an eyebrow.  “When was the last time you ever knew them to wait for me when it came time to eat cookies in this house?”

“Point taken.”

“Good.  Then let’s get back downstairs and get business out of the way so we can have some family time.  Everybody brought something to share for dinner tonight and the smells have been driving me crazy most of the afternoon.”

“How did I miss that?” Mary asked, taking a big sniff.

“One track mind,” Joy replied succinctly.  “And when dinner’s finished, Eve can give you a checkup.”

“Pot... meet kettle.”  Joy rolled her eyes as they headed back downstairs where everyone was waiting.

 
Chapter XLI

“So Joseph has been monitoring them for all these months?” Drusilla asked curiously.

Mary shook her head.  “Not exactly.  Thanks to Eli’s efforts at teaching Ian the hand signals her clan uses to communicate silently, we had a fairly good idea of their intended destination.  But we couldn’t really monitor their progress.  For one thing, we don’t have the capability to maintain constant communication that far away – a number of things impede that possibility.  Even now when we send messages to our long-range ships, we do so on a schedule... or with the understanding that it may be weeks or even months before they’re in reception range.  For another, the fuission process made it fairly impossible.  It scrambles their signal.  And those kids released a myriad of decoys to confuse anyone trying to track them.  Pretty effective strategy, actually.”

“But you knew where they were going.”

“We knew where they intended to be... what their ultimate goal was.”

“And they’re not there?”

“No.”

“And they should be?”

“Theoretically, yes.  But we believe they got sidetracked by the Nusnaigewron Nebula.  We’ve lost ships out there before.  That’s the reason there’s a quarantine around the perimeter of the phenomenon.”

“Then why do you think they’re there?  Our children know better.  They more than most understand the risks and dangers involved in getting too close to something that could destroy them.”

Mary rubbed her eyes hard before pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.  “I’m not explaining this very well.”  She blew out a short breath and focused her attention on her audience once more.  “Okay, so – going by what Eli signaled to Ian, they were headed to this moon,” holding up her Pad so everyone could see where she was indicating.  “Given the parameters we had, they should have reached there some time in the last few weeks.  But when Joseph finally managed to get a communication beacon capable of reaching out to them....”  Mary shook her head.  “There’s nothing there – no signs of life or a crash or... anything, really.  It’s still a barren, empty moon.”

“And you’re sure this is the correct location?” Aurora asked.

“I’m sure,” Noah replied.  “Ian relayed me the hand signals Eli conveyed to him.  This is where they should end up, barring any trouble.”

“So why the Nebula?” Ketura asked.

“It makes the most sense.  We can’t read anything clearly from inside it, and from what we can determine, there’s no fuission trail on the other side.”  Mary absently rubbed her leg and sighed.  “And it appears that the Nebula is more... mobile... than we’ve previously been led to believe.  According to Joseph’s readings, it has shifted several degrees from its original location.”

“How is that even possible??”

Mary shrugged.  “I wish I had an answer.”

“You know what really bothers me about this, Chief?” Caleb asked quietly, drawing all eyes in his direction.  He smiled tightly at all the disbelieving looks.  “Aside from the obvious, I mean.”  Mary nodded, having understood exactly what he was saying.  She motioned for him to enlighten everyone else.  “Why is the Storm Surge headed out there? They have no business going out after those kids; it’s not their job to protect them any longer.  And how do they even know where to go?”

“You don’t think our kids deserve some protection??”

“Please don’t put words in my mouth,” Caleb responded.  He looked around and met the eyes of those staring back at him.  “The truth is, the entire point of the Project is to create newly terra-formed, self-sustaining worlds that we can colonize, correct?  That means they have to do this ON THEIR OWN without help and support from anyone in the Alliance.  True, we have long-range ships that can check on them periodically, but we’re not supposed to be sustaining or defending them.  It’s up to them to survive and flourish.”  He held up a hand before the murmurs could start.  “Besides, you’re missing the more obvious issue.  The Storm Surge shouldn’t even be aware of where those kids might be... much less where they are.  Until today, only half a dozen people beyond the Alpha Team were aware of their likely destination.  Yet suddenly, the Storm Surge has fuission capabilities – ahead of schedule and untested, by the way - and is headed directly towards what we believe to be their last known location.”  He shook his head.  “Not buying it.  I don’t believe in coincidences.”

“And are the individuals who knew their location considered trustworthy and above reproach?”

Caleb shrugged.  “You tell me, Highness – Mary, myself, Ian, Joseph, Nathaniel and Noah.”

“Actually, I didn’t know,” Nathaniel volunteered before anyone could comment.  “Not until Joseph called and left a message.”  He looked at Mary with concern.  “I haven’t been able to reach him since.”

“Nor did I,” Noah clarified.  “Ian didn’t ask me for an interpretation of the hand signs until last week.  And even then, I didn’t put it together until Mary mentioned it earlier.  I just thought he was brushing up on his skills.  It’s easy to forget things like that if you don’t keep in constant practice, and we’ve been over things a couple of times before.”

“So if we trust everyone who knew, and none of them told – how did someone high enough up the chain know to send the Storm Surge chasing after ghost trails?  To follow the exact trail that is thought to mark the progress of the Outreach?”  Drusilla shook her head.  “I’m with Caleb on this one – because I don’t believe in coincidences either.”

“I have a question,” one of the Beta Team parents said.  All eyes swiveled in her direction, and Mary nodded for her to continue.  “Does it matter who is behind the breach or only that there is one?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Would knowing who is behind the Storm Surge’s maneuvering to follow the Outreach make a difference in what happens next?”

“Possibly.  But action needs to be taken regardless.”

“Is she rogue then?  Is the Storm Surge and her Captain somehow acting on their own?”

“That is the most likely scenario,” Caleb replied before Mary could speak.  “Gideon is already looking into who or what could have ties to those stationed on the ship.  Everyone is being scrutinized, but of course his focus is on those in positions of authority who could manage this kind of action without staging a coup first – mostly the ship’s officers and the engineer particularly.”

“How long?  How long before we know something?”

Mary shook her head.  “I wish I knew.  Everyone on that ship was vetted long before those kids boarded the Outreach.  There haven’t been any personnel changes, so we’re looking for changes in circumstance.  But nothing’s been flagged in our system so far.”

“Have you been monitoring them then?”

“No.  But Gideon is good at what he does.  If there’s something to find, he will, and quickly.”

“Sometimes I wonder if this is all worth it,” Drusilla commented, rubbing her eyes.  “It just seems to have grown into one big mess from the beginning.”  She turned to Mary.  “What do you think... truly?  You’ve suffered as much or more than the rest of us for this damned Project.”

Mary thoughtfully gazed at the people surrounding her, consciously keeping her hand from rubbing her damaged leg.  She slowly released a deep breath.  “I think if it wasn’t worth it, no one would bother to try to destroy it – no one would care.  I think those kids – all of them – are on the verge of accomplishing great things.  We just need to make sure they have the opportunity.  Unfortunately, it means a lot of gray hair for the rest of us.”  She patted her head.  “Thankfully, the look is growing on me,” she added drolly, smiling at the laughter she garnered with her statement.

“So what’s the plan, Mary?” Noah asked.

Mary shook her head.  “I don’t really have one.  We’ve contacted some old friends who are in the area to do some reconnaissance.  But there’s not much I can do from here beyond give a few directives.  And as Caleb and Joseph have so aptly pointed out, any move I make in their direction only draws attention to them.  That’s the last thing we want.”

“So we wait and pray?”

“Pretty much.”

************

Joseph cautiously wandered through the empty corridors of the ship.  Something was wrong – that much was obvious just by the direction they were taking and the speed at which they were moving.  What concerned him more, however, was the total dearth of information.  As far as he could determine, no one below flag level had the first real clue of what was actually going on.  Even the testing of the fuission system wasn’t causing the kind of conversation he anticipated.  It was big news… or it should have been – especially since it appeared to be working beyond anyone’s wildest expectations.  And yet no one was talking about it.  If he hadn’t chanced upon the information – if he hadn’t seen it for himself – he’d never have known anything untoward was going on around him.  It was almost like....

Joseph shook his head.  It wasn’t possible, and he’d left that life and that possibility behind him a very long time before.  Although it would explain the uncomfortable, tingly feeling that had washed over his skin some days before reminding him of things long gone... and making him wonder who and how and why and especially why now.

But he couldn’t find anything to prove out his speculations, so for now he was left with unpleasantness and reminders of a past he had long buried and made peace with.

He glanced down at his Pad again.  He’d been happy to hear from Nathaniel, but he wasn’t sure what to say.  I really do love you – I’m sorry I lied?  Somehow, it wasn’t really comforting, and he knew it wouldn’t be for Nat either.  Maybe when this was all over – assuming they all survived – he’d be able to share his truth with those he’d come to call family, and they’d still love and accept him for who he really was and not just who he’d represented himself to be.

************

The three Alliance ships met some distance from the Nebula, holding their positions and observing from a distance.  They had tried to maneuver closer, but something continued to interfere with the ships’ systems.  When they had briefly lost gravitational control and life support, they had pulled back to their current positions.  Now the engineers talked amongst themselves, analyzing the effect the phenomenon had on their ships and everything around it; the scientists, ditto, though with much greater enthusiasm and more focused on the properties of the singularity.

The captains, however – they were concerned with discovering the secrets Mary had commissioned them to unearth without possibly causing more damage or destroying themselves in the process.  They took to their ready rooms for a private conference.

“What do you think, Hank?”

The gray haired man shrugged.  “I dunno.  My scientists refuse to speculate much beyond the information we already have.  To be fair, it’s not like we’re getting any kind of substantial readings from inside the damned thing.  If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was deliberately blocking us.”

Matt frowned.  “Isn’t that the nature of the Nebula??  I mean, I thought it was common to have dead spots and disjointed readings... something about the energy surrounding it or the energy that it produced or something.”

“Yes and no,” Hank responded.  “What I’ve been given to understand is that the level of interference we’re experiencing is far beyond the norm – multiplied exponentially apparently.”

“So you think the Nebula is self-aware? That it’s protecting itself from outsiders?”

“I think there is a lot more going on here that we have understanding of yet.  And I think we’re going to have to be a lot more proactive if we’re going to get more information than what we currently have.”

“I think he’s right,” Grayson agreed grimly.  “We’re gonna need a few volunteers to take a shuttle into the Nebula.  We need to know what’s going on in there, and we’re never gonna find out sitting safe back here.  But I’m not convinced we should endanger our entire ship or crews.”

“No... I’ll agree with that.  But it needs to be volunteers,” Matt insisted.  “I know we’re all a little crazy and like to walk on the wild side of the street on a regular basis – we wouldn’t be doing this job if we didn’t.  But this is something above and beyond even that – whoever goes in would be going in completely blind and without any of the normal support we generally utilize.  Hell, we can’t even be certain they can get in... much less in and out with any useful information.”

“How critical is this anyway?  I know Mary wants the information, but are we sure this isn’t just a wild goose chase?  I thought this project was taking place on the other side of the galaxy.”

Matt and Grayson exchanged glances, then stared at Hank for a moment.  “I take it you haven’t caught up with all the briefings yet?” Matt asked.  Hank shook his head and the other two sighed as they glanced at one another again.  Matt gestured and Grayson shook her head before she turned back to Hank.

“Okay... short version.  Due to some serious... unpleasantness, the Alpha Team was forced to choose a new destination, which Mary informed us was out this way.  She asked us to check the Nebula because they seem to have disappeared, and this was the most likely culprit along their route.”  She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes at him.  “How could you not know this?  How did you even end up here if you weren’t aware of this?”

Hank frowned and crossed his arms over his chest defensively.  “This is part of my regular patrol.  I got a message from Mary asking me to do another sweep over here, but we were engaged by pirates on the other side of the wormhole.  Reading reports and updates became secondary to survival.  And we were busy making repairs while trying to get here as fast as possible.”  He sighed and relaxed his pose.  “I knew because Mary asked it was something important and that was enough for me.  She generally doesn’t ask for favors without a really good reason.”

“Or a really bad feeling,” Matt commented.

Hank snorted.  “Yeah... that too.”

“All right, then,” Grayson said.  “Let’s find us some volunteers and get some answers.  This place is starting to give me the creeps.” Each captain offered a single nod of agreement, then they reached forward and cut the com link between them.  They and their crews had work to do.

************

Aphrodite groaned piteously as she cracked her eyes open, closing them almost immediately in an effort to stem the headache currently pounding its way merrily through her brain.  She tried to raise an arm to cover her eyes, but found it immovable.  For long moments, she concentrated on breathing, knowing for a certainty that anything else was going to be a far less pleasant experience than the one she was currently suffering.

With her vision cut off, she extended her other senses, trying to determine exactly what was happening around her.  She could feel the warmth of fire and smell the acrid stench of burning monitoring stations.  She could hear the soft trickle of rocks and dust as it continued to sporadically fall from the ceiling, and the moans from someone other than herself.  She blinked her eyes open again, then slammed them shut when she realized the light still burned and the smoke stung.  Besides, she couldn’t seem to move her head enough to look in Athena’s direction.  But she did manage to slide her hand slowly in the direction she thought the sound was coming from, only to stop when she encountered sticky warmth.

“The?” she whispered.  She awkwardly tried to clear her throat and succeeded in croaking out, “Athena?”

A cough was followed by a moan and a whimper before she heard an answer.  “Dite?”

She smiled, relaxing slightly with the knowledge that, despite everything, she and Athena were still alive. Then she frowned, wondering what had happened to bring them to this time and place.  The last thing she remembered....

Aphrodite would have sat up... would have gotten up and moved to the scrying bowls had she been able, but something was still keeping her pinned to the ground.  She wished there was a way for her to see what was going on... especially since the last thing she recalled was a view of the Outreach making her way slowly out of the Nebula.

“What happened?”

Aphrodite heard another large tumble of rocks, then there was the sound of fabric shifting.  It took almost a full minute before she registered the tender touch on her face and the sweet, spicy scent she had always associated with Athena.  When those soft hands cupped her face and shielded her eyes from as much light as was possible, she felt the warmth of Athena’s breath near her lips.

“Open your eyes, Dite.”  When she hesitated, Athena urged her again.  “Come on, Gorgeous.  You can’t leave me like this.  Open your eyes and let me see those beautiful baby blues.  You’ll be all right – I’m keeping out as much light as I can.  Now, come on.  Open your eyes for me.”

Aphrodite could hear the sadness in Athena’s tone and eased her eyes open very gradually.  She tried to smile when she saw tears in Athena’s gray-blue eyes, but it was more grimace than grin.  Athena leaned forward until their foreheads were touching, then brushed a light kiss where their heads had met.

“That’s my girl,” she whispered, a smile lighting her countenance even as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

“What happened?” Aphrodite asked slowly.  “I remember watching the kids leaving and then....”  She turned her gaze back to Athena and waited.  “What happened to the kids?  Did they...?””

Athena shook her head and reached up a hand to brush her hair from her face.  She didn’t even realize she had left a streak of blood and dirt behind.

“I don’t know.  I don’t think so.”  She swallowed and cleared her throat.  “We lost our scrying ability almost instantly.  That was almost the first thing to go during the attack.”

“So we were the target?  Who?  Why??”

Athena sighed.  “I think... I think it was Mischief.  He’s back from the Void.”
 

Chapter XLII

Consciousness returned slowly to Eli, and she was content with that circumstance.  The last time had been less than successful, and she vividly remembered the agony that had accompanied the action.  She was in no mood for a repeat.  So she lay quietly, trying to relax and take stock of what was and was not working properly.

A frown furrowed her brows.  Somehow she had managed to land on her back, though her memory insisted she’d fallen face first.  The smells were wrong too – there was no scent of destruction; or blood; or burning.  She could clearly smell fresh air and cold and the faintest hint of the sweet flowers that grew on her home world.  She inhaled deeply and froze, holding her breath.  Now she smelled something above and beyond the other scents she had classified - something she’d not known in years... not since the last time she’d seen her twin when she’d bade him goodbye before embarking on her journey to become a member of the Alpha Team.

She blew air slowly out from nearly closed lips, hoping it would help clear her senses.  Instead, she noticed the warmth of the sun and the chilly breeze and the softness of a touch she had missed for longer then she cared to remember.  It brought tears to her eyes, and she couldn’t stop the sob that bubbled up.  She reached up a hand to conceal her lips, pushing against her mouth hard to keep it from escaping.  Then a hand covered hers and curled around it, pulling gently and encouraging Eli to let go.  She reached up with her other hand to keep her sob contained, but that hand was intercepted on the way to her lips.  She bit her lips and scrunched her eyes more tightly closed, drawing a laugh from the warmth above her.  The tears came then, without a sound.

“Aw, come on, Ellie – I was never ugly enough to make the girls cry.  Don’t you be the first to break my streak.”

She started laughing then, despite the tears, and let him pull her to him and into his arms.  Then he held her and just let her cry.

************

“Am I dead?” she asked long moments later, still tucked into his embrace with her eyes closed.

He chuckled and she slapped his chest, causing a bout of roaring laughter to roll from his lungs, even as he rubbed the spot she’d hit.  “Ow, Ellie,” he grumbled around his continued laughter.  “I’d ask what you’ve been doing to add so much muscle, except, well....”  He bent his head down to look at her, not at all surprised to see her eyes were still tightly shut.  “Are you ever going to look at me?”

“No,” she replied starkly.  “If I do and you’re really here, that means I’m dead, and I’m not ready to be dead yet.  If you’re not really here, and I’m imagining all this, then I’m close to dying, and I don’t care for that idea either.”

“So you’re simply going to waste your time with me living in denial, hmm?  I’m not completely certain how I feel about that.”  He sighed.  “Tell me of your mate, Little Sister.”

Eli moved so quickly they both nearly ended up flat on their backs.  Only Elijah’s swift reflexes allowed him to jerk his head back before she slammed into it while keeping them both from falling over.  That alone told him how much she was reeling from his unexpected presence.  Though they were well-matched in physical strength, she had always been the stronger of them... in mind as well as balance and control.  Brown eyes met hazel squarely and he stayed completely still when she raised a hand to him, despite his uncertainty about her reaction.  His eyes only fluttered shut when Eli gently began to map his features, reminding herself of all the nuances she once knew and reacquainting herself with the brother she had missed so fiercely.

When she was satisfied that Elijah truly sat in front of her, she cupped his face and waited for his eyes to blink open.  It took a moment before he peeked at her, eyes widening at the sad smile gracing her lips and the confusion swirling in her eyes.  He took her face in his hands and leaned their foreheads together.  Eli sighed.

“I have missed you, Little Brother.”

“Little?!?” he echoed with mock outrage.  “Have you met me??” trying desperately to keep a grin from forming.  She gave him a droll look.

“Would you prefer ‘baby’?  I am the older of the two of us.”

“Semantics,” he replied, waving away her reply.  “Now tell me of your mate.”

“How did you...?  What did you...?”

Elijah smirked.  “Really??  How did I know?  Come on, Elli – you’re the genius out of the two of us.  How do you think I know??”

Hazel eyes suddenly blazed green.  “You’ve been spying on me, Little Brother?”  She blanched until her skin was almost gray.  “You’ve seen...??”

“No... NO.  No, Ellie, I would never watch your intimacy together.  Gross!!  NO!!  You should know better!!” crossing his arms over his chest and frowning hard.

Eli moved her hands until they rested on top of his taut arms.  She chanced to wonder what on earth he did in the afterlife to keep him in such fine hunting form before her attention came back to their conversation.  “I do know better, Eli - I do.  I just....”  She pulled her hands away and scrubbed them over her face, then blew out a shaky breath.  “Why are you here?”

Elijah studied her for a long moment, letting himself feel the myriad of emotions roiling through and around her.  He sighed and stepped into her personal space, wrapping strong arms around her and holding on firmly.  “There are several reasons,” he finally volunteered.  “I really do want to know about your mate, Little Sister.  I have never seen you as happy or at peace with yourself as I have since you found your half.  Had I been alive when that happened, I would have known her.”

Eli’s head dropped, and Elijah felt the warmth of her tears on his arms.  “I’m so sorry for that, Little Brother.  That shouldn’t have happened.  It should have been me that went.”

“No,” Elijah answered firmly.  “No.  It was my choice and my responsibility.  Your destiny lay along a different path.  And I’m so glad it led you to your half.  So tell me about your mate.”

“What do you know?”

“Only that she makes you happy, Little Sister.  And she makes you smile.”

“She makes me complete.  And she does things to me....  I mean, have you seen her smile?”

Elijah took her hand and sat down, pulling her down beside him before wrapping her in his embrace.  He was going to take advantage of every single opportunity he was given for as long as he could.

************

Eden and Jacob chanced a brief glance at one another before turning back to the visage that lay just beyond the view screen.  Jacob cleared his throat awkwardly.  “Is that what I think it is?”

“I hope not,” Eden muttered.  “But it sure looks like it.”

“Now what?”

Before Eden could respond, the comm unit crackled to life.  “Eden?? Report! What’s going on up there?”

Despite being Eli’s second, Eden didn’t hesitate when Arianna addressed her.  “It’s the Storm Surge, Az.”

“Excuse me?” her tone confused and disbelieving.

“Yeah, that was about our reaction.”

Arianna sighed.  “Have they reached out? Tried to communicate in any way?”

“You mean aside from trying to blow us from existence?”

“Good point.  Any idea why they stopped?”

“Notta.  But bets up here are on it being that Mischief character.  Personally, I think he’s gonna make a grandstand play to destroy us.”

“Then why hasn’t he?  Or why haven’t we scattered him from here to eternity?”

“And killed all those innocents??  Pretty sure that would put us on the universe’s most wanted list.”

Arianna’s tone darkened considerably.  “There are no innocents here, Eden.  Not them; not us; not the gods.  Now we have three more warheads armed and loaded in the tubes, and Isaac and Titus are working on rewiring the rest of the torpedoes.  You do what you think is right.  I’ve got other things to take care of now."

“Az?”

“I’m going to find Eli. I can’t sense her as long as I’m behind this shield, and if she hasn’t made it to you by now, something is seriously wrong.  If we’re going to die, I’m going to die by her side.”

Eden opened her lips to protest, but it died in her throat.  If the situation were reversed, she knew she’d want to find Jacob, and they weren’t even mates like Eli and Arianna were.  Instead, she cleared her throat softly.  “I’ll buy you whatever time I can, Arianna.  Go with your gods, and good luck.”

The only reply she got was a disconnected comm unit.

************

Coming out of the shielding that surrounded the fuission reactor didn’t change much of Arianna’s awareness of Eli but she didn’t allow herself to panic again.  Instead, she hastened her steps out of engineering... only to be hit with a wave of discomfort that nearly took her feet out from under her.  Most of her reaction was due to the ache that ripped through her being as she felt Eli’s pain as her own.  But a little of it was sheer relief – as long as there was feeling... any feeling... it meant Eli was alive.  And Arianna believed they could overcome anything – even Mischief’s return – as long as they had each other.

She took a deep breath to steady herself, then allowed her heart to guide her to Eli.

************

“She sounds amazing, Ellie.  I can’t tell you how happy I am….”  Elijah ducked his head.  “I was always afraid you had given up your chance at finding your half when you turned your attention to science and becoming part of the terraforming project.”

“I had,” she replied distantly, her eyes fixed somewhere beyond sight.  She heard his gasp and felt his head jerk up at her words, but she didn’t turn her attention from that distant point that was still searching for an awareness of Arianna.  “I never expected....”  She shook her head.  “I made choice, and I knew what that meant for my having a mate.  Finding Arianna....”  She inhaled sharply.  “Arianna?” looking around wildly to pinpoint the sharp pain she could suddenly feel emanating from her soul’s half.  “I’m sorry, Eli.  I’ve got to go.  Something’s wrong with Arianna.”

“Something is wrong, but what you feel is the echo of your pain that she’s feeling.  We only have a few more minutes left together, “ he continued, forestalling her words.  “You need to know that what’s coming will test everything you’ve ever been and ever known.  Follow your heart, Little Sister. Everything else will fall into place.”

“Not really helpful, Little Brother,” she grumbled.

He smirked at her.  “When was I ever??”  He took her into his arms and held onto her as tightly as he could, relishing the return embrace she offered.  He willed his strength into her body, which she only felt as the warmth she remembered as her brother’s love.  “Kick Mischief into the heart of the Nebula.  He will not survive."

“Will we?”

Elijah shrugged.  “I can’t say.  But I know it is the only way to destroy him.  If you don’t, he will plague you for the remainder of your days.”  He brushed a kiss over her cheek and loosened his hold.  “Be well, Ellie.  And think of me once in a while.”

“Goodbye, Little Brother.”

************

“Are we all here?” Matt asked as he looked at his monitor.  Aside from Grayson and Hank, Asher and Roland were attending this conference call, despite their lack of proximity to the Nebula.  They were still at least a standard week out from reaching the outer edges of the Nebula, but Mary had included them in her original request, and Matt wanted to keep everyone in the loop... just in case.

In addition to the five captains, there were the top scientists from each of the three ships closest to the Nebula, as well as the strike force leader for each command.  Once they had each checked in, Matt spoke again.

“Very well.  Ash, I know you and Roland are too far out to do anything at the moment, but the situation here is critical enough that you need to be aware of what’s happening.  The truth is, we can’t see into the Nebula... at all.  The feeling among the scientists on all three ships here is that the Nebula is becoming more unstable with each passing day.  It actually seems to making an effort to keep us out.”

“Are you saying it’s sentient??”

“We’re not ready to commit to that theory,” the most senior scientist replied.  “But there is enough oddness in our readings that we’ve not discounted that theory either.”

“But you’re getting no readings.”

“Not from inside the Nebula, no.  Our theories are based on just what we’ve noted from this distance and around the perimeter that we can measure.”

“And no one has ventured inside?”

“We have teams on each ship standing by to do so,” the highest-ranking strike team leader commented.  “We’re just waiting for the word to go.”

“Why the delay?”

“We’re trying to obtain enough information to allow our strike teams to formulate a plan that won’t put the Alpha Team in danger and gives them a decent shot at returning alive.”

“So we’re certain the Alpha Team is inside.”

“We’re certain we’ve reached the Nusnaigewron Nebula.  That’s about the only certainty we’ve got.  We know that those kids aren’t where their supposed to be and this is where Mary asked us to come and look for them.  Everything else?”  He shrugged his shoulders.  “It’s a crap shoot.”

“I’ve always sucked at that game,” Asher said.  The rest chuckled.

“We remember,” Grayson stated through barely contained laughter.  Asher stuck his tongue out at her and the others resumed their laughter for another moment before Matt reined them in.

“All joking aside,” he commented seriously, “I think we need to send in a small strike team – three or four people – to take a look around.  “Pete, you’re in charge of that,” motioning to the leader who had spoken before.  He nodded his head in acceptance.  “Gather as much intel as you can before you go, but you need to go within the next twelve standard.  Pull the people you need from all three ships, and plan to use the speeders instead of a shuttle.  You’ll be more maneuverable and much smaller targets if something is going on.”

“Aye, sir.”

“Commander, we have the latest information we’ve collected ready for you,” the head scientist said as she passed over a Pad.  “This includes our theories on the Nebula itself and the few oddities and consistently weak areas that have appeared in our perimeter scans.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

“We’ll continue to monitor things,” Grayson spoke.  “And we’ll try to stay in communication with you for as long as we can maintain it.  But the consensus among most of our scientists is that we’ll lose contact with you the moment you cross the threshold of the Nebula.  After all, none of us are actually sanctioned science ships.”

“Fair enough, ma’am,” Pete replied.  He turned to to address the doctor.  “Any ideas what we should expect?”

“Only the unexpected,” she answered grimly, and on that note, the meeting broke to allow the strike team to prepare for their coming mission.

************

“So what’re we doing, Eden?” Jacob asked without moving his eyes from the massive warship parked in front of him.

Eden shrugged.  “I wish I knew,” she mumbled.  Then she straightened and tapped her comm badge.  “Titus, Isaac – report.”

“Three locked and loaded; four more in various stages of readiness – one more is ready; two are almost complete and the last is just a lot of pieces at the moment.”

“All right.  Be as quick as you can.  This is going to be over pretty quickly once it starts, I imagine.  Jake will feed you the coordinates for the tubes, but I want you to wait for him to give you the signal before you launch.”

“You got it.  What are you going to do in the meantime?”

“I promised Az I’d buy her some time.  Open a channel, Jake.”

“Huh?”

Now Eden turned to him and cocked an eyebrow.  “I need to stall long enough to give Az a chance to find Eli.  They deserve that much peace.  So if we’re gonna go down, then I want to know for certain by who and why.  So open a hailing frequency.  Let’s see if we can get this asshat to talk.”

Jake stared for a solid ten seconds, then he smirked and nodded.  “You got it, Baby.  Hailing frequencies open.”  Then he sat back to enjoy his front seat to the show, but his finger never moved from the button that would signal Engineering to deploy the torpedoes they had ready.

 
Chapter XLIII

The shakes and tremors caused by the explosion of the torpedoes touched the outer edges of his awareness, and he blinked his eyes open slowly, exhausted by his efforts.  It had been a long, long time since he’d felt so drained, but it had been forever since he’d been called upon to exert himself as he’d just done.  He just hoped it would be worth it when all was said and done... and that Eli wouldn’t hate or resent him if and when she figured out the truth.  He sat completely unmoving – still in a mental place of relative calm and meditation - trying to determine what had caused his unease to spike. Joseph drew several deep, slow breaths before he realized it was the stillness and the silence that pulled him from the depths of his meditation.

He remained perfectly motionless – trying to understand exactly what was happening.  He’d never been on a ship that had no sound – no engine thrum; no hum of technology; no movement of air  - there was nothing beyond the eerie stillness and silence.

He chanced to wonder briefly about life support and gravity, but knew those would be the first emergency systems to kick in and the last to be lost.  But he couldn’t help but speculate as to the circumstances in which he found himself.  More and more, he believed he – and most of the rest of the Storm Surge crew – would not survive their encounter with the Nusnaigewron Nebula.  But he also knew that, if he was destined to die, he was going to do so on his terms.

So thinking, he closed his eyes and focused on returning to his meditative state.  It was time to once again reclaim the godhood that had been lost to him when he’d been pushed through the Void so many lifetimes ago.

************

She could just hear the sounds of groaning and grumbling beyond the thump of rubble and debris being moved, but Aphrodite kept her eyes closed, absorbing the warmth of Athena surrounding her.  She couldn’t say she felt any better, but at least she didn’t feel any worse than the last time she’d opened her eyes.  Trouble was – she didn’t actually know how long ago that had been.

She felt the reflexive twitch of Athena’s hand against her mid-riff and sighed, leaning back a little more into the warm embrace cradling her.  Athena tightened her hold gently for a very brief moment, then eased Aphrodite onto her back more fully so she could study her features again.

“How are you feeling, Dite?” asked softly as she brushed the blonde hair off the bloody forehead.  “Can you open your eyes for me again?”

“Ugh,” Dite responded with a groan.  “Feel like the Parthenon fell on top of me.”

Athena snorted.  “Yes, it kind of did.  Can you open your eyes?”

“Rather not,” Dite mumbled.  “Hurts.”

“I know it does.  But I’m not sure I can make it better this time.”

“... know,” Dite agreed.  “Not much we can do about it.”  She sighed.  “Who’s coming?”

Athena tilted her head in the direction of the sound. A small, sad smile crossed her lips.  “From the sound of it?  Everyone who’s not in this room.  So... the rest of the Pantheon and all their little minions....”  She turned a little more and narrowed her eyes as though that would help her to hear better.  Then her eyes widened in surprise and she looked down at Aphrodite, who still had her eyes closed.  “Even the war contingent, it seems.”

“Huh – wow.  That’s a lot of people.”

“Uh huh, but I’m only guessing.”

“You think they’re looking for us?”

“That’s a good bet.”

It was silent for a time after that as they listened to the slow removal of rocks and debris being physically eradicated from the doorway.  When the sounds grew loud enough for them to make out the actual words – both directions and curses – that were being uttered, Aphrodite blinked opened her eyes again, and met Athena’s.  They were both mostly gray now, and Athena reached forward a tender hand to cup Aphrodite’s cheek.

“We’re not going to survive this, ya know.”

“I know.  But if we can go to oblivion together, it will be enough for me.”

Then they turned their attention back to the commotion growing closer and closer to them.

************

Arianna moved as quickly her shaky legs would allow, but her steps were sure – no hesitation or backtracking.  She was close to their quarters - which was one possible path Eli could have taken to reach the bridge from the infirmary - when she smelled it.  It was the scent of destruction – dust and burning and....  It was the smell of blood that lent wings to her feet and she ran until she reached the hall, and came to a dead stop and stared for just a moment.

What she saw had absolutely no meaning to what the remainder of her senses were telling her.  She was expecting destruction – walls and girders out of place... pinning Eli to the ground beneath their rubble.  What she found was far more complex, and yet much, much simpler. 

Eli lay half in and half out of their quarters – unconscious and bleeding from an unexplainable head wound given her position, but otherwise appearing normal and unharmed.  Arianna had a passing thought to wonder about the scent of dust and burnt wiring and fire that hung heavy in the air with no obvious source, but the reality of Eli’s blood trickling down her forehead and onto the floor propelled her forward and she dashed to Eli’s side.

She knelt cautiously, reaching out a trembling hand but refraining just short of actually touching.  She let her eyes rake over every inch of Eli’s person, noting the cut along her hairline.  She continued to let her eyes roam, noting that there didn’t seem to be any damage aside from Eli’s head.  She eased the blonde hair back gently to study the incision a little closer and felt Eli move under her touch.  Arianna froze and waited for Eli to return to consciousness.

It was slow, but after another full minute of stillness, Eli blinked open her hazel eyes and winced at the harshness of the light. She reached a hand up toward her forehead, only to have it caught and held in Arianna’s.  She blinked again, and smiled a loopy little smile.

“Hi,” she whispered, pulling their hands to her lips and brushing a kiss over Arianna’s fingertips.

Arianna felt the tears rush to her eyes, but she blinked them back and smiled tremulously, even as she lightly squeezed the hand she held.  “Hi, Beautiful.  You sure are a sight for sore eyes.”  She looked around them.  “What happened, Eli?”

Eli shrugged once and flinched at the pain that rolled through her at that action.  “Ow,” she grumbled, raising their hands again before Arianna tugged them back down again.  She gave Arianna a dirty look.

“You’re bleeding... some kind of a cut.”

Eli frowned.  “A cut and not a scratch?”

Arianna leaned down closer, letting her eyes examine the wound carefully.  After a moment, she straightened and met Eli’s eyes.  “The edges are clean and precise.  I’d say definitely a cut.”

When Eli raised her hand this time, Arianna didn’t stop her, but it didn’t keep her from wincing in tandem with Eli when her fingers met green blood.  Eli sighed and wiped her fingers on her pants with a grimace of disgust, then held out her hand to Arianna.  “Help me up?”

“You going to tell me how you ended up there?” Arianna responded, even as she rose to her own feet and extended her hand down to Eli.

“As soon as I figure it out, yeah,” Eli promised.  “But right now, I believe we have far more pressing concerns than the cut on my head,” tugging them to a stop when Arianna would have led them into their quarters.  Arianna turned and scowled at her.

“Perhaps.  But perhaps not,” pulling more forcefully to ensure Eli knew she meant business.  “When I came to find you, we were in the middle of a cease-fire situation.”

“Wait... what?!  What cease-fire??  Who’s shooting at us??  I need to....”

“You need to plant your cute little ass in that chair and let me at least stop the bleeding.  I’ll catch you up on what you apparently missed in the meantime.”

“And then?”

“And then we’ll go take care of this once and for all.”

************

“Well... hello, Admiral,” Eden drawled to mask her unhappy surprise at the face staring back at her.  She rose from her seat and walked closer to the view screen.  “Fancy meeting you out here.”

Admiral Cortez was livid and the flush of her anger was apparent even beneath her naturally tanned skin tone.  “Outreach!!  What is the meaning of this??  How dare you attack my ship....”

“How dare I?? Eden asked calmly, though her eyes told the truth of her fury.  “You shot first – we merely defended ourselves.”

“What do you mean... we shot first?? We were simply....”

“Stop!” Eden barked so commandingly that Cortez bit her tongue trying to close her mouth quickly enough.  “Stop speaking.  I don’t know what the crap you’re playing at, but I’m not in the mood for games.”

“And I’m not in the mood for dealing with underlings,” Cortez sneered.  “Where is your captain?”

“Indisposed, at the moment – which puts me in command.”

“Really, Little Girl??” the woman snarked in an all too familiar tone.  “I think it’s time for you to learn some respect for your betters.”

Her widening eyes were the only indication as realization washed over her. “I’ve told you once, Mischief – I’ll tell you again.  You’re not my better.  You’re not even my equal,” smirking at him to get a reaction.  She wasn’t disappointed.

“REALLY??” he growled, though he still sounded like and resembled Admiral Cortez.  “How about I just blow you and your peon friends out of the sky then, hmm??”

Eden snorted, noting out of the corner of her eye that Jacob’s finger hadn’t wavered from its place over the torpedo release button.  “If you really wanted to and were actually able to do that, Asshat, you’d have already done so.”  She paused a moment to savor the rage she could feel boiling in him, despite the face he currently wore.  Arianna had been right about one thing, she acknowledged.  If they were going to go out here and now, they were going to do it on their own terms in a blaze of glory.  “You wanna know what I think?”

“Not particularly.”

“I don’t actually care what you want – I’m going to tell you anyway because you shouldn’t die as stupid as you’ve lived.  And because I’m pretty sure you’re going crazy wanting to share your perceived brilliance with someone who can understand it... even if you feel we’re beneath you on every conceivable level."

“Really?”

“Yes... really,” she replied amiably.  “See, I think your coming back here was a matter of choice.  You returned because you can’t stand the thought of us getting away.  Even though you and your family created the situation to begin with, we defeated you, and that just sticks in your throat until you can’t swallow or breathe.  And you can’t have that.  You’d rather destroy everyone here – your family, us, the people on that ship – than live with the knowledge that a bunch of humanoid kids kicked your ass.”

“I see,” Mischief drawled in the Admiral’s voice.  “And how do you suppose I got here?” gesturing to the ship around him.  “After all... nothing returns from the Void.  Right?”

“That may have been true once upon a long time ago... before technology caught up to your supposed ‘god’ powers.  But these days?  Yeah... not so much.  Would you like to hear my theory on what actually happened?  About the Void and your ability to return as Admiral Cortez?”

Hatred burned in the brown eyes staring back at her on the view screen, but the voice was cordial to the point of sticky sweetness.  “Please,” Mischief offered with an outstretched hand and a nod o Cortez’s head.  “Enlighten me.  I’m not in any great hurry at the moment, and I want to see if you’re anywhere nearly as intelligent as you like to think you are.”

Eden laughed.  “Oh, Mischief... you have no idea how truly amazing I am.  But you will,” she smirked as she returned to sit in the Captain’s chair behind Jacob.  “You see, I don’t think that very many of you petty little gods got sent to the Void – likely one or two tried to use the Void as a way to return to your home.  But it’s a one-way trip because that’s just the way wormholes work.  And there was no real viable means to return to this place by more... conventional... means until the last decade or two.

And I think – given your appearance as Admiral Cortez – that you, as a pseudo-god being, cannot function in our reality without borrowing a corporeal body that already exists in it.  Hence the reason you resemble Admiral Cortez – you confiscated her body to use as your own.  You’re an other spirit that has moved into her body while pushing her spirit out.”  She tilted her head thoughtfully.  “Is she dead?”

“Don’t know, don’t care.  She went kicking and screaming though,” he continued with an evil smile.

“You should probably keep an eye out for her, then,” not responding to his taunt and grinning inwardly when a flash of annoyance flitted in his eyes. “You really can’t trust those Navy types.”

“You let me worry about that.  She’s not nearly strong enough to defeat me.”

Eden shrugged.  “Maybe.  I will say you were overwhelmingly lucky that she’s an Admiral of the Fleet.  It certainly made it easier for you to seize that ship and come running out here.”

“Oh, Little Girl – that wasn’t luck.  That was research and effort.  Just like making certain that a little tweaking meant that damned reactor would get me here in record time.  The little bitch was brilliant – I’m just better.”

Eden blinked slowly as the truth of his words rushed over her and sent cold chills up and down her spine.  “So this was a one-way trip for you too,” she stated with unmitigated certainty.  Mischief clapped his hands slowly.

“Very good, Little Girl.  Very good.”  He leaned forward until the view screen was filled with Admiral Cortez’s face.  “Because you were right – I’m not going to let a bunch of bratty, trouble-making humanoid kids defeat me.  And since my family,” said with a sneer, “betrayed me and you’ve already proven your ability to overwhelm me as a group, I figure I’ll simply eliminate the lot of you.”

Eden furrowed her brows in confusion.  “Doesn’t it defeat the purpose if it takes you out in the process?”

“Not at all.  Because I will be the Hand of Fate.  I will be the one to deliver the killing blow – it will be my choice... my action.”  He smirked.  “I’ll get to have the last word.”

“Don’t be surprised if that doesn’t happen,” Eden said as she motioned for Jake to cut the transmission.  It was silent for a moment before she turned and looked at him.  He cocked an eyebrow.

“Now what?”

“I’ll tell you what,” Eli answered from just beyond the door, bringing up two pairs of stunned eyes and garnering bright smiles from both of them.  “Now I kick his ass so we can go home.”

Eden and Jacob exchanged high fives before tugging open the battle door.

************

“Hank, Grayson?  Are you getting anything new on your readings?”

“Yeah,” Grayson replied instantly.  “We’ve got spikes all over the place here.  My scientists are going a little crazy.”

“Same,” Hank answered.  “Whatever’s going on in there is causing a butt load of worry out here.  My guys are recommending a postponement of the recon mission, and have suggested we need to expand our perimeter by, well... it’s not quite a light year, but it’s pretty damned close.”

“I’m getting the same thing, Matt.  Whatever the hell’s being stirred up in there is making everyone antsy over here.”

“So neither of you believes we should risk the lives of our ships and crews to check on those kids?”

“I’m thinking those kids are in the middle of whatever’s happening in there,” Grayson said.  “From what my guys here are saying, there’s nothing we can do to stop or contain whatever damage is coming.  It’s big, Matt – really big.  Off the charts big.”

“We already know we can’t protect them – our ships can’t handle the Nebula, and the truth is, we have an obligation beyond the welfare of those kids.  I may make me a coward to say it, but I think we’d be better served to act as damage control and be search and rescue after this thing settles.”

Matt studied both visages before him carefully before he slowly nodded his head.  “I concur.  We’ll get Mary whatever information we can, but not at the risk of everything else.  We’ve got other responsibilities to attend to.”  He nodded again, and they returned his acknowledgement.  “All right, then.  Let’s back ‘em up to a safe distance.  And try to stay in contact, all right?  I’d like all of us, including those kids, to get out of this in one piece.

“It’s good to have a goal,” Grayson said wearily.  And the three ships slowly began backing away from the Nebula.

************

Joseph looked around his quarters one more time.  He’d already recorded and sent a message that should reach Nathaniel after this was all settled.  Another was coded for Mary, and there was one for the whole family.  He hoped they would find it in their hearts to forgive him.  He let his eyes trace the hologram of Nathaniel’s form once more, then squared his shoulders and closed his eyes.  When he opened them, he was standing amidst the stench and ruin of what had once been his home.

He took note of Athena on the floor, cradling the form of Aphrodite in front of her.  Fear seized his heart and he dashed forward to kneel beside them.  He cupped Aphrodite’s face, and waited for her eyes to drag themselves open.  Tears rushed to his eyes when he noted the gray of her once blue eyes and the pallor of her skin.  She gasped and reached up a trembling hand to cover his and he smiled weakly.

“Hi, Mom.  I’m home.”


Chapter XLIV
 
“Cue...,”  Aphrodite closed her eyes at the first sound of his voice, then blinked them open slowly.  Only then did she raise a shaky hand to cup his cheek.  “Is this...?  How di...?  Where...?”   She sucked in an uneven breath.  “Are you real?” asked in a whisper.
 
Joseph transformed until he resembled the son Aphrodite had once known.  He extended his wings behind him, and reached up his free hand to cover the cool hand on his face.  He smiled sadly.  “As real as you are.”
 
Aphrodite coughed and winced.  “That’s not saying much,” whispering as she closed her eyes.
 
Cupid let his bright blue eyes meet those of Athena, who had watched their entire interaction silently even as she had continued to cradle Aphrodite in her embrace.  She shook her head minutely at the question in his eyes and he bit his lip to keep from crying out at the unfairness of the circumstances surrounding his homecoming.  Before he could pose his question, Aphrodite drew in a deep breath.  “Wha... what are you... doing here?  How...?”
 
He took her hand from his face and cradled it in both of his much larger ones.  “It’s a very long, complicated story, and I promise to share it with you soon.  But first I have to know – what happened?  Who is behind this?”
 
Athena looked him over carefully, noting almost instantly that he was different from the nephew she’d known millennia before.  “Short answer?” smiling grimly when he nodded briskly.  “Mischief.”
 
Cupid’s blonde brows shot into his hairline.  “Mischief??  Really?? Are you sure??”
 
The look Athena offered was droll in the extreme.  “Pretty sure.  He was the only one missing when we took roll after Ares was sent into the Void.  Or at least... who we thought was Ares.”
 
“I’ve missed some important stuff, huh?” 
 
“Lifetimes, Cupid.  You’ve been gone for over a millennia.  But most of the really important stuff has happened in the very recent past.  Take a seat,” motioning to the space on the floor beside them.  “I’ll try to bring you up to date before the rest of the family gets through.  After that...?”  She shrugged.
 
“And you’ll tell me what happened to Mom?” turning his attention back to Aphrodite’s pale features.
 
“That’s part of the story.”
 
Cupid dropped to the floor and gave Athena his full attention, though he never released his grip on Aphrodite’s hand.  “Let’s hear it.”  Athena took a deep breath and started to speak.
 
************
 
It was quiet for a few minutes after Athena finished telling her story.  The only real sound was their breathing and the ever-louder sound of rocks and debris being moved away from what had once been the door.  He gazed in that direction without seeing, knowing he would be able to see his long lost family before they would see him.  He glanced at Athena who waited patiently for his questions, then turned his attention back to Aphrodite.  She had closed her eyes again and seemed to be sleeping, her chest rising and falling slowly with each breath.  Cupid watched for several long moments, then turned his eyes back toward the tower of crumbled marble still blocking their escape.
 
“So... Mischief.  Well, that at least explains parts of my story – recent parts, anyway.  The rest...?”
 
“Yeah, about that... what happened, Cupid?  We never expected to see you again.  I mean nothing has ever come back from the Void... until today.”
 
“I’m here because of Mischief, apparently.  I’m still trying to put it all together, but let’s say for now that humankind has finally caught up to us.”  He chuckled sadly.  “They’ve moved beyond us, actually... in so many ways.”  He shook his head.  “I promised to tell you my story, and I will, but I think I need to see about getting us out of here.  I know you have the gift of healing, but maybe Asclepius can do something for Mom.”
 
“I... I d-don’t think... any-thing can b-be... d-done... for me,” Aphrodite stuttered with her eyes still closed.  “I l-lost t-too... m-much while I-I-I was c-connecting with E...li.”
 
Cupid jerked his attention back to Aphrodite so quickly his wings shook in response to his neck popping.  “When were you connected with Eli??”  Surely he would have felt her when he was talking to Eli if they had been linked together.  After all, he had sensed Mischief just because of their proximity.  If both he and his mother had been trying to occupy the same space in Eli’s mind....
 
“It’s not like you’re thinking, Cue,” Athena cut in.  “Dite wasn’t in her mind – neither of them would have survived that kind of severing.  She was just trying to send Eli a warning.”
 
Cupid nodded slowly.  “That would explain a lot.  No wonder she was so confused.  She sensed and even to some degree felt your situation.  She was positive she’d been buried and paralyzed by the ship blowing apart and crashing on top of her.”
 
“And you know this how exactly?”
 
“Because I was in her mind... as the brother she first knew me as.  I was in her mind as Elijah.”
 
“Does she know that Elijah and Joseph and Cupid are all the same person?”
 
“Not to my knowledge.  I mean, I didn’t tell her, but she could probably figure it out if she tried.  She’s incredibly brilliant and more than a little intuitive.  I don’t think she wants to know that though.  I think she needs to keep Elijah as her brother and Joseph as her mate’s brother’s husband.”  He sat still as he went over his words, then nodded in satisfaction with the convoluted accuracy.  “And she’s never met Cupid, though eventually, she’ll know the truth about Cupid and Joseph - mostly because I felt Nathaniel and Mama deserved to know.  Long story,” shaking his head and waiving off her question before Athena could voice it.  “Let me see if I can help clear up...” waving his hand toward the rock pile, “... this mess.  I have a feeling, after what you’ve said and what little I was able to learn as Joseph and Elijah that it’s going to take all of us... especially you and Mom.  I’m not sure I can do what she can.”
 
Cupid felt the lightest squeeze on his hand and looked down to see Aphrodite giving him the barest of grins.  “You can do anything, Cupie... anything you set your mind to, ya know? I have complete faith in you.  I always have.”
 
He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss across the back of her knuckles.  “I know, Mom.  It’s one reason I survived alone in man’s world as well as I did for so long.”
 
“Ya did good, Kid.  I’ve missed you.”
 
“Missed you too, Mom.  Now let me go help the rest clean up this mess.  Then I’ll share my story and we’ll figure out what we need to do to finish this.  I dunno about you, but I think those kids deserve a chance to grow and be everything they can.  They’re the next step in humanoid evolution.”
 
“I hope they handle it better than we did,” Athena commented softly.
 
Cupid offered her a sad smile as he rose, then he clasped her shoulder gently for a brief moment.  “I think they will,” he replied, then turned to face the jumbled pile of marble closing them into the scrying room.  Instead of blasting it outwards and risk hurting the family working from the outside, he simply raised his hands and let his power flow, deconstructing the rocks as swiftly as he could safely manage one at a time.  It only took a few moments, and then he could see the rest of the family staring back at him, slack jawed and silent... until Psyche spied him, and with a glad cry, ran and jumped into his embrace.  Cupid opened his arms to receive her, and held on for dear life.  No matter the other lovers he had known in his lifetimes of banishment – including Nathaniel – she would always be his first love and home.
 
“Oh Cupie!” she exclaimed, catching his face in both hands.  “Gods, how I have missed you, Love.  I never thought....”
 
“I know.  Neither did I.”  He didn’t flinch as Aeolus came up behind Psyche and placed a possessive hand on her lower back, but met the god’s eyes squarely.  “We have a lot to talk about,” not dropping his eyes, but smiling when Psyche burrowed further into his neck.  “But first, I have a story to share. And we need to make a plan to settle this with Mischief once and for all.”
 
“But you’re home again?  You’re home to stay?”
 
And he knew right then that no matter what happened with Mischief or those kids or even with Psyche, Joseph would be no more.  Cupid smiled and kissed Psyche’s head before gently releasing her to the ground and meeting her eyes.  “I’m home for good.”
 
************
 
“So we’re expected to give up everything... even our immortality... for those kids??  For humankind??  Why??” Nemesis demanded.  “I’ll admit this isn’t the be all and end all of existence for us, but it is existence, and has been ours for thousands of years!  Why should we have to give it up??”
 
Cupid puffed out his cheeks in frustration and blew out a breath.  “Nem, I’m not saying we have to do anything.  But this is about more than us or those kids.  This is about one of our own running rampant in the greater universe!  I’m fairly confident that he did something to the crew members of the ship he stole to get back here – they were completely in the dark concerning the real situation... like it wasn’t even happening. I know he had to have done something to the flag level staff as well.  It would be the only way he could’ve taken control of it.”  He pinched the bridge of his nose.  “We still have a lot of unanswered questions – I know that.  But you already decided that our time as gods was past.  Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to grow old together and die.  Especially since we know for a fact that Mischief will continue to come after us as long as he can... no matter what happens to those kids.”
 
Aphrodite cleared her throat from her spot on the floor, still leaning up against Athena’s chest.  Asclepius had done what he could for her, but it was obvious even to the most callous observer that she was not long for existence on any plane.  If she played her cards right, she might get to see the denouement.  All eyes turned to her and waited for her to speak.
 
“We know... we all know... that what Cue... Cupid’s said is... is the truth.”  She took a deep breath and winced, then took another and began to speak again more strongly.  “We also know that - those kids out there – they belong to us – some more closely than others, but still.”  She sighed and they waited.  “We owe them.”
 
“And we have an unexpected advantage,” Athena cut in before anyone could protest Aphrodite’s words.  “Mischief doesn’t know about Cupid... nor the power he wields.  We can use that.”
 
“How’d you manage that anyway?” Nemesis asked with a sly look in Cupid’s direction.  He shrugged.
 
“I was the only Olympian around for a very long time, and the world is a much different place from what it was when we were at the height of our power.  Don’t get me wrong – it took a while for humankind to reach the level of peace and acceptance they have, and it’s not perfect by any means.  But they keep trying, and they’re making progress.  So that helped build my power.  Then I was exposed to those kids, and that just augmented my ability by infusing a rush of strength that I haven’t actually tried to test yet.”  He shrugged again and glanced at the hole in the wall.  “Aside from moving a few rocks.”
 
“Can you share?”
 
“I don’t think so,” he offered sadly as he shook his head.  “Otherwise I would have already shared with Mom; she’s the closest to me in terms of power and ability.  I’m still trying to figure out how I can channel my power to her – I think she’s going to have to be the one to defeat Mischief... if it comes to that.”
 
“You don’t think it will?”
 
“I don’t know,” he replied honestly.  “Those kids think he’ll come after them first.  But if he doesn’t, or he defeats them, we have to be ready to act.  I, for one, have no desire to let Mischief win.”
 
“And you think he will?”
 
“I think he has nothing to lose by trying.”
 
“I want to try something,” Discord commented softly, bringing all eyes in her direction.  “If Mischief, who by all accounts was among the weakest among us, was able to transfer power from an Olympian to himself, we should be able to bolster Aphrodite.”
 
“Easy for you to say,” Bliss sneered.  “You’re not being the one asked to give anything up.  Besides, why would you care?  You’re already mortal.  You’ve got nothing to lose either way.”
 
Discord grit her teeth together to keep from snapping at Bliss’ selfish stupidity.  Cupid, however, didn’t hesitate to cuff him hard on the back of the head.  “HEY!” Bliss snapped, glaring at his father and reaching a hand back to cover the back of his head when Cupid raised his hand a second time.
 
“Really, Son??  Are you being deliberately obtuse or is stupid something you picked up while I was gone?”  He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, returning Bliss’ look glare for glare.  “Think about it a minute.  The war contingent knows what Mischief did to take their power.  They may not have anything to lose, but they damn sure have something to gain.  I’m pretty sure revenge would make a powerful motive.  So why don’t you shut it and listen.  We don’t have much time.”  There was silence for a full minute while Cupid held Bliss’s eyes.  When Bliss dropped his gaze to the ground, Cupid turned back to Discord.  “What’s your idea?”
 
She sighed and wrapped her arms defensively around her middle.  Cupid had been right – one of the big reasons she’d spoken up was the delegation wanted the satisfaction of revenge.  Mischief had screwed them over royally, and they wanted to be part of taking him down.  But another real reason was they were scared of their mortality.  Having the rest become mortal would go a long way toward giving them a modicum of peace.  They had been together – bickering... fighting, but still together – as a family forever.  Losing that was something almost beyond comprehension.  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then started when she felt the warmth of Cupid’s touch on her arm.  Discord met his eyes and looked at him long and hard, offering a small smile when Cupid smiled and nodded at her gently.  She nodded slightly and looked around at her family.
 
“I think everyone, barring Cupid and Athena is going to have to do this to bolster Aphrodite enough.  And you’re going to have to want to give her your power.  If you’re not willing, it won’t work – not in this scenario.  Wrenching it from you – one individual to another – will diminish whatever power you do have.  The only way to take power forcibly and not lose its strength is if the Pantheon makes a unanimous decision and acts as a singular entity.  That’s out best theory anyway.”
 
“You think Ares willingly gave Mischief his power?”
 
“I can’t really say for sure – none of us were present when Mischief took Ares strength.  I do think it took a very, very long time – time we don’t have.  I can speak for the rest of us,” motioning to the war contingent that stood behind her in support.  “Because we were completely willing.  He didn’t take – we gave.”
 
“So why don’t Cupid and Athena have to be part of this?”
 
“We do,” Cupid replied before Discord could.  “Just... differently,” having caught onto that to which Discord was hinting.  “Your job is to juice her up – mine is to keep her running.  I can’t transfer my power – it’s too strong... especially in her condition.  But once she’s got some strength back, I can keep her going.”
 
“And Athena?”
 
“I’m the conduit,” Athena responded, having figured out where this was going.
 
“Do you have the power for that?” Asclepius queried.  He knew the damage that had been done to Athena – he had seen it as he worked on Aphrodite, but Athena had shaken her head when he offered her aid.  And he knew that she was almost solely responsible for Aphrodite surviving as long as she had.  She couldn’t possibly withstand much more demand on her resources.
 
“I’ll do whatever I have to do to make sure this ends here and now.”
 
Asclepius nodded.  “Then I’ll be standing beside you, supporting you all.  This ends here,” he professed, moving to stand behind her.  Slowly... surely, they moved as a group to stand behind Aphrodite and Athena.  When they were all in place, Cupid turned back to Discord.
 
“All right.  It seems we have a consensus.  Now what?”
 
“Now, Love God, you move and let us show your side how it’s done.  If love is really as unselfish as you claim, this should be a piece of cake.”  She cocked her eyebrow and gave him the tiniest hint of a smirk, reminding him greatly of those times so long ago when life and humanity were just one big game to all of them. He smiled sadly and motioned them towards the rest of the family. 
 
“Let me know when it’s my turn.”
 
“Trust me, Cue... you’ll know.”
 
************
 
Discord was right, of course.  He knew almost the exact moment when things changed – when it felt like they had a real shot at defeating Mischief at his own game.  Everyone looked tired, but not defeated – for the first time since all of this started, he saw hope and confidence and something resembling peace.
 
But the most startling change was most apparent in Aphrodite herself.  No longer gray and sallow looking, she reeked of strength and youth and power.  She practically radiated good health.  Athena, on the other hand....
 
“Mom?  How do you feel?”
 
“Like a new goddess... but better,” she said, giving him a dizzying smile... that dropped to a worried frown when she got her first good look at Athena.  “The?”  She reached out a hand to cup Athena’s face, clenching the arm that still held her in a weak embrace.  Athena blinked open heavy gray eyes.
 
“How you doing, Beautiful Lady?” Athena asked in a breathless voice, recognizing the agony in Aphrodite’s gaze.  “It’s okay, Sweetie.  This will be over soon, and then we can go into oblivion together, remember?”
 
Aphrodite eased into a sitting position, shifting around until she held Athena in her arms.  “I remember,” she whispered.  “I love you.”
 
“I know you do,” Athena replied with a hint of naughtiness in her glance.  “That’s what makes me the luckiest girl in the world,” the old banter between them making Aphrodite smile sadly as she blinked to keep the tears at bay.  Athena lifted a weary arm.  “Don’t cry, Baby.  You know I love you too.”
 
Aphrodite brushed a tender kiss over Athena’s forehead.  “I know you do.  That’s what makes me the luckiest girl in the world.  Now c’mon,” she said loudly enough to be heard by the rest.  “Let’s do this.  I am totally over dealing with this pissy little son of a bitch.”
 
The others clapped and cheered as they moved into position to end things... once and for all.


Chapter XLV
 
“Mom, if you’ll get everyone to the arena....”
 
“You gonna go get those gnarly kids?”
 
“Yeah.  I think that’s our best chance.”
 
“So do I,” Aphrodite said as she rose and hefted Athena in her embrace.  She smiled sadly when Athena naturally curled into her body, tucking her head into Aphrodite’s neck and sighing in contentment.  Aphrodite brushed a light kiss over the red curls, feeling Athena smile at the action.  She returned her gaze to Cupid.  “But make sure they understand the risks, Cue – we’re only gonna get one righteous chance to do this.  After that....” she trailed off with a raised brow.
 
“Yep.  Shouldn’t take too long.  They wanna take him down at least as badly as we do.  They owe him more than we do.”
 
“I’d be more inclined to argue with you,” said with a light squeeze to the body she cradled, ”except they’ve endured a lot longer than we have.  Now hurry up.  If we’ve only got a mortal’s lifetime left together, I want as much time as I can get.”
 
Cupid nodded and disappeared, not stating the obvious – in regards to his and Aphrodite’s immortal states. That would be something to worry about later... if they were lucky.
 
************
 
“Okay,” Eli said as she slid into the captain’s chair while the rest assumed one of the other chairs on the bridge.  “What do we know?”
 
“Aside from the fact that Mischief is an asshat and needs a serious lesson in manners?” Eden asked from her seat beside Jake at the helm.  Arianna kept her eyes on the screens in front of her while both ears were tuned to the conversation.  Eli kept her focus on Eden and nodded.  Eden sighed.  “He’s done something to Cortez – he’s wearing her face.  I don’t know anything about the crew – I didn’t actually see anyone but him... her... whatever – you know what I mean.”
 
“Eden, do you know what he did to the fuission reactor to make them get here so quickly?”
 
“No, Az... sorry.  All he said was that he tweaked the reactor.  Why?”
 
Arianna rubbed absently at her face, eyes closed until she felt Eli’s touch in her mind.  “Beloved?”  She looked up and met concerned green eyes.  “Tell me,” Eli commanded softly.  “I think we need to know.”
 
Arianna sighed.  “When I was first working through my theory, I worked on trajectories – you know, how far, how fast, how sustainable, how safe.  There were so many variables... so much to consider.  And of course we ran through a massive number of scenarios – trying to find something that was feasible and practical to the project... fuission theory, not the terraforming project.  That came much later.”  Eli nodded to show she understood and Arianna sighed. “Obviously, I eventually found a solution that was workable, but there were a lot of... mistakes – what would have been disasters in a real world scenario – had we proceeded to pursue those options.”
 
“So you think...?”
 
“I think, depending on what he did, that there is every likelihood he could blow us to kingdom come and gone, because until we reached the Nebula, we were traveling at our maximum safe speed.  It’s likely one reason he stopped firing.  His systems are freezing – they’re not going to be able to tolerate much more than they’ve already accomplished.”  She drew a shaky breath.  “I’m a little surprised he hasn’t already destroyed everything in the quadrant.”
 
“So if the ship blows....”
 
“... everything goes with it.  Likely everything within a hundred kilo radius.” She could hear the simultaneous intake of a sharp breath from each of her teammates.
 
“Crap, Az – that’s insane!”
 
“Something we won’t survive.  I know.  The only satisfaction will be that it will be instantaneous and he’ll go with us when we go.”
 
“Yeah... not a lot of comfort there.”
 
“What if I can help tip the odds in your favor?” came a voice out of the ether before a body was physically manifested.  Both Eden and Eli jumped to their feet.  Jake flinched, but didn’t move from his watchful position.  Arianna met his eyes, then furrowed her brow in confusion.  For a moment, she’d expected....  She shook her head to clear it.
 
“Who are you?” Eli demanded.  “And what are you doing on my ship?”  Both Eden and Jake smirked at her words.  For all her modesty about being their leader – their captain – Eli rarely owned the title like she was doing now.  Arianna simply beamed in awe.
 
“Allow me to introduce myself – I am Cupid... son of Aphrodite and the god of love.”
 
Eli narrowed her eyes at him.  “And where have you been?  You were not part of the gods and goddesses we met in the Nebula.”
 
“No, I wasn’t, but I’ve been around.  I know your story, and I have a very good idea of what it’ll take to defeat that smarmy bastard out there without killing you kids in the process.”
 
Eli continued to study him for a long moment before she nodded her head.  “All right – let’s hear it.”
 
“Can we get all of you together in one place?  I’d prefer not to have to repeat myself, and in all honesty, we really don’t have that kind of time – not if Mischief is as impatient as he ever was.”
 
“Always an asshat, huh?” Eden asked with a sneer.
 
“Never to this degree, but yes,” Cupid agreed.
 
Eli sighed.  “Let’s move this to the infirmary.  Almost everyone is already there, and the rest can join us from engineering.”  She turned to Arianna.  “Will you ask them to meet us?”
 
“Of course.  There’s not much they can do right now.  We’ve got a couple of planet killers ready, and it won’t take but one... especially if he did what I expect,” motioning towards the ship on the viewscreen.
 
“Boss?” Jake called softly without removing his eyes from the readouts in front of him.  “I’m gonna stay here,” gesturing to the helm, “just in case.  If we’re gonna die anyway, I’m gonna do it myself.  I won’t let the fucktard have the satisfaction.”
 
Eli let both hands rest on Jake’s shoulders briefly before squeezing them gently.  “Thank you, Jake.  Keep your Pad tuned to sickbay – that way you can participate too.”  He nodded, but didn’t move his eyes and Eli patted his back before turning and reaching for Arianna’s hand.  She brushed a kiss over Jake’s cheek, but didn’t speak.  Then she and Eli left without a backwards glance, Cupid following them without comment.  Eden waited until they were gone.
 
“Jake?”
 
“It’s gotta be done, Baby – you know that.”
 
“I know.  I just....”
 
“G’wan,” he said gruffly after a long moment of awkward silence.  “I’ll be listening, and I’ll be here when you get back.”
 
Eden didn’t answer except to wrap her arms around him from behind and brush a kiss over the juncture of his neck, smiling sadly at the shiver she knew was coming.  She stood and wiped the tears from her eyes before they could fall, and left the bridge. 
 
Jake released a shuddering breath when he was sure everyone was out of earshot and busied himself with keeping a close, close eye on the ship that floated just out of reach.
 
************
 
Paul, Isaac and Titus were at the infirmary doors when Eli and her party stepped from the stairwell.  Their eyes widened at the unexpected visitor, but without a word, they crossed into sickbay just ahead.  Everyone else was already waiting when they crossed the threshold.  Abigail sat up as soon as she noticed Cupid behind the others, but before her lips could form the first word, Cupid shook his head minutely – enough to keep Abigail from speaking, but not to stop Arianna from noticing with a frown.  Eli missed the byplay entirely, having crossed the room from where Hannah was ensconced as soon as she saw Naomi lying on a bed.  She turned to Luke, and he shook his head.
 
“It doesn’t look good, Doc.  Kai fetched her down as soon as Eden called him from the bridge, but....”  He shrugged.  “I don’t know.  She lost a lot of blood.”
 
Eli nodded.  “We’ll keep an eye on her the best that we can, but it’s going to be hard.  It may all be moot, considering.”
 
“That bad?”
 
“Worse, I think,” she muttered, clapping him on the shoulder before she moved to the center of the room.  “Everyone, this is Cupid.  He’s Aphrodite’s son.  Apparently, he has a plan that will allow us to defeat Mischief without us having to die as well.”  She motioned him forward.  “The floor is yours.”
 
“Thank you, Eli.  To get straight to it, I think... I think it’s going to take Eli’s gifts as well as my and Mom’s immortality.  You kids and this ship will be our fall back.”
 
“Oh, hell no!!”
“What the crap??”
“You have got to be kidding!!”
“I don’t think so!!”
 
Those were the comments he could make out amongst the cacophony of objections that followed his words.  Only Eli and Arianna remained completely silent, communicating silently through touches and looks.  Cupid stood silent and unmoving, but it wasn’t until Eli stepped forward with her hand raised that they finally quieted back down.
 
“It’s the best option we’ve got,” raising her hand again before they could resume their objections.  “There isn’t much time – not if what Arianna believes is true, and she more than any of us would know the likelihood of the engines being overworked to the point of destruction, and how long it would take for them to reach critical mass.”  Even their breathing was silent at that pronouncement, and they waited for Eli to continue.  “Our only other viable option would kill us as well.”  She sighed.  “I’d rather have a fighting chance.”
 
“What does your mate say?” Eden asked, not unkindly.
 
Arianna stepped forward with a shuddering breath.  “I could say a lot of things, and frankly if it was up to me, I would say screw him and take him with us... especially since it would only take the push of a single button.”  She looked down at the floor and blinked furiously, desperate to rid herself of the tears she could feel roiling in her gut.  “But Eli wants a chance to defeat him – to give us the chance to do what we were sent out here to do.  I’m okay with that,” meeting Eden’s eyes directly.  “Because if she fails, we WILL push the button, and I’ll reach eternity only a second behind her.”
 
Eden turned black eyes to bright green and smiled grimly.  “Well played, Boss.  Very well played.”
 
Eli shrugged.  “It’s the truth.”  She turned to Cupid.  “If it’s just you and Aphrodite who are going to be working with me on this, what are the rest of the gods going to be doing?”
 
“The rest are no longer gods – they gave up their immortality to heal Mom.  So they will be waiting for some kind of resolution, just like the rest of your team.”
 
“Then let them wait here,” Arianna commented unexpectedly.  “It’ll be standing room only, but at least we can commiserate or celebrate together.”
 
“You don’t think maybe we should go to the planet instead?” Eden asked, but before Arianna could reply, Abigail spoke up.
 
“NO.  Absolutely not.”  All eyes turned in her direction, surprised at the vehemence of her response, but it was Eli who asked the question.
 
“Gay?”
 
“Sorry, Boss,” she apologized.  “But we’re not going to the planet... not again.  The vibe is wrong.”
 
“Wrong how?”
 
“Hard to say, but... I don’t know.  It’s just... wrong... menacing.”
 
“You can sense that?”
 
Abigail nodded slowly.  “Like it’s being broadcast.  But it’s not like it was before.  It doesn’t hurt.  It feels more like a warning.”
 
Eli held her eyes a moment longer, then nodded her head sharply.  “All right.”  She looked back at Cupid.  “Can you get your... family up here?”
 
“I’m afraid not.  We really don’t have the time or the resources.  They’ll be all right.”
 
“You’re sure?”
 
“No,” he admitted honestly.  “But there’s not much that can be done about it now.  Say your goodbyes – we need to leave.”
 
Eli turned to catch Arianna in her arms.  “Wait for me, Beloved,” whispered so softly into her ear that Hannah almost missed it.
 
“Kick his ass, Amado.  Then come home to me.”
 
Eli caught Arianna’s lips for a long, timeless moment, intent on conveying everything she knew and felt in a single, last embrace.  As they separated, Arianna lifted her hands and cupped Eli’s face gently.  “T'estimo per sempre, el meu amor. Tornar fora de perill a mi.”
 
“Podozhdi menya. YA vernus' domoy.  Obeshchayu.”
 
Eli brushed her lips over Arianna’s forehead in benediction, causing them both to close their eyes and breathe deeply of one another once more.  Then she turned and caught Cupid’s outstretched hand in hers, and just like that they were gone.
 
Silence reigned in the infirmary for another very long moment before Arianna released the breath she’d been holding and opened her eyes.  A glance around the room showed her gazes that held a deep measure of respect and trust, and she sucked in another breath.  “All right  - I’m going to the bridge.” She cleared her throat.  “The rest of you....”
 
“The rest of us are coming with you,” Eden broke in without hesitation.  “If we’re going down, I wanna be with my family.”
 
“Luke and I’ll stay here to keep an eye on Naomi,” Danny offered.
 
“And me and the guys will head back to engineering,” Isaac volunteered with a gesture at Paul and Titus.  “There’s not much we can do at the moment, but we can make sure we don’t kill ourselves or anyone else accidentally after Eli kicks this asshat in the jiānguǒ,” smiling when everyone tittered a little bit at his comment.
 
Arianna nodded slowly.  “All right.  Turn your viewscreens to the bridge.  Jake will keep you in the loop.”
 
“Will do, Boss,” several different voices chimed.  Arianna shook her head.
 
“Oh no... no way.  That’s not my job, and that’s not my title.  And she’ll be back shortly to reclaim it.”
 
“You really believe that, Az?”
 
“Yep... she promised me.”
 
Eden studied her expression hard for several minutes before nodding her acceptance.  “All right, then.  That’s good enough for me.”  She looked around the room.  “Okay, boys and girls, you heard the Boss’s wife.  Let’s do this.”
 
Arianna gave Eden a looked that should have melted the outside of the ship – might have had she not actually been hiding a twinkle in the depths of her brown eyes.  “Boss’s wife??  Really??”
 
Eden smirked and shrugged her shoulders.  “Well… aren’t you?”
 
“Well, yes, but....”
 
“No buts.  Move it... before I miss out on what should be the ass kicking of the century.  Personally, I’m hoping she roasts the little turd.”
 
“I dunno, Eden,” Jake spoke up from the bridge.  “Given his cold, evil wishes-he-had-a-personality, she might have to melt him instead.”
 
Eden motioned around the infirmary, and people started moving.  She took Arianna by the arm, and led the way for the others to follow them to the bridge.  “Like the magician woman you told me about?  From that story with the green midgets?”
 
Jake chuckled and shook his head.  Leave it to Eden to mix things up so comically.  “No,” he said after a moment.  “She’s not going to use water – she’s gonna melt him like a snowman with the heat of the summer sun.”
 
Eden’s brow furrowed, having very little experience with that kind of heat... or snow.  “Just as long as she doesn’t send the rest of us to the moon in the aftermath, Jake.”
 
Jake smiled and shook his head.  “I don’t think she will, Babe.  But you’d better hurry.  I think things are heating up out there.”
 
At that moment, they crossed the threshold onto the bridge, and scattered to take seats to watch the next chapter of their story play out... live and in living color.

Part 6