Rook opted to head for the ship, it was closer than the apartment she shared with Hawk and probably more secure. It wasn?t large by any standards, but Hawk would talk of its, or her as he was prone to insist upon, specifications for hours.

Currently only two people could enter, and the door slid open as she pressed her palm to the interface and it took a reading of the nanites in her blood, confirming her identity. Ducking as she entered and crossing toward her cabin, located closer to the back of the ship.

A sultry voice broke the silence, it was all too apparent who had chosen the personality for the AI, ?Rook, you are trailing dirt.? The voice sounded as though it were attempting to be helpful but Rook knew better.

?It?s blood.? She said in that flat tone that she adopted when she was pushing all emotions aside. It wasn?t her blood so that made it easier.

Rook would have sworn she could hear the AI sigh at her. ?Notify Hawk, I need him to do some cleanup.? She was speaking as she entered her cabin, and was in the process of shrugging out of her jacket and then pulling off the shirt beneath.

?He will not be happy.? The voice sounded petulant now.

?Amato, I need you to focus.? One hand brushed across an interface, allowing some of the nanites to merge with the AI and give it the necessary details. A wave of her other hand and four images appeared just to the side of her, all displays hanging midair and showing her images of various locations. One was showing her vitals on the ship and other pertinent information that she might need.

?You have three broken ribs, will you require time in stasis??

That made Rook laugh, and then wince. ?Karma is a harsh mistress some days.? Still it would not take long for the nanites in her blood to repair the damage to the point where the pain would subside. She paused to take a look over her shoulder at the mirror behind her, the majority of her right side was a purple-black hue, she?d taken a fair amount of the force from slamming into the wall. She would need to stay away from Arlin for at least a day unless she wanted to have to explain that. She sighed, she was unsure that she could force herself to stay away from him.

Then, because she knew she would have to tell him sooner or later she added, ?Inform Hawk that the Black Rose ops have found us. He is to step up security.?

?Information transmitted. I can not repeat his reply but it was colorful.? Amatos soft voice chimed in as Rook was switching what was being displayed with an arc of her hand through the air in front of one of the displays. Hawk had programmed the AI to never use vulgarities, he didn?t find it attractive.

?Do a sweep, find the ship they arrived in. Let me know immediately when you have it. Send a transmission to Admiral Rooks, encode Alpha Sigma four four nine Zeta, Special ops sighted. Situation controlled.? She laid down on the bed, prepping a cigarette to dull the edge of pain. She?d used a lot of her strength on that fight and needed a few minutes to convalesce.

There was an art to what he did, and it required a light hand. Her dreams were bright in the landscape of the night, so easily identified as uniquely her. His people all possessed the skill to craft a persons dreams to some degree or another, Vegas excelled at the manipulation of nightmares.

His approach had gone without notice, infusing his consciousness into one of the trees that spread languid arms over the silver waters below. Beautiful white flowers in bloom served as eyes as he watched Rook relive her day with Arlin on Karpathos, the landscape distinct enough to recognize even with so narrow a view.

The couple were entangled, Rook?s back was pressed to a tree and Vegas shifted so that he was one with it. He could feel her flesh against the bark, the light colored sundress was hiked up by questing, greedy hands and he could sense Arlin moving his body to merge with Rooks. Sounds of pleasure filled the air and Vegas could smell the rose and almond of Rook blend with Arlin's more masculine scent.

He, like many of his kin, was a voyeur and the scene unwrapping before him aroused a passion that stayed his hand for the moment. Both Rook and Arlin were well formed, fit and pleasing to the eye; the way they consumed one another was impressive. It was no wonder that Rook found this a subject of her dreams, the expression of rapture on her face was nearly too much for Vegas and he nearly snatched her from the scene to fulfill one of his own devising.

Suppressing the urge with difficulty he waited. When he sensed the lull in activity, both having temporarily spent their lust was when he brought a curtain of night down upon her thoughts; sending her into a deeper sleep while he set up his trap.

A successful trap was simple. Too many made the mistake of believing that the dream needed to be elaborate and full of stimulus for the victim to be fully immersed. Vegas knew that what was required was basics that were detailed and touched all of the victims senses.

It was with that in mind that he created the room that was mostly barren, white washed walls with harsh white light. He placed her on a slab of metal, a cold steel table that he set upright and then fastened around her wrists and ankles metal bindings that would cut if tested. The air held the sharp bitter tang of copper and little else.

When all was in readiness he reached out and prodded her consciousness, bidding her to enter his world. The expression of confusion was sweet to behold... he did so love his work.

The spaceport was nearly deserted, it had been every evening this week, some festival in town had drawn the populace and left the remaining areas resembling ghost towns. There was a portion of her mind focused on tracking any oddities in her surroundings, her military training would allow for no less, the rest of her mind was shifting through the recent events in her life and possible solutions. How she had managed to collect so many enemies at once was astounding, considering it was only a few months prior that few would dare make challenge. Perhaps she had grown used to the safety that came with the title of technomancer, there was nothing to do about that now except adjust and move forward.

It had been days since she allowed herself to simply sleep, she started going to the ship to put herself in stasis instead; that was her current destination. Vegas was eluding her attempts at finding him and she could not be sure any precautions she took against him would be successful, as she had never tried to shield her dreams before. It prevented her from spending nights with Arlin and that made her... what? She had spent her nights alone for years, why should a few nights now make any difference to her disposition? And yet it did. She would not risk another episode like the one the other day; she had done damage both to Arlin and to his home.

Hawk was still hiding something from her, she was sure of it. She had caught him researching files on odd topics twice now; walking into his room as he hastily tried to change the view. It probably wasn?t regarding Arlin, what other things could he possibly hope to find that was not freely given?

She rounded the corner and entered the private bay where the Sparviero waited, everything was silent. It wasn?t that she had forgotten about the mysterious messages, they were filed away to deal with when they became more pressing. Someone sending her vaguely threatening messages simply could not compete with the very real threat that Vegas or the Black Rose represented.

Her hand was hovering over the control panel that would slide the door to the ship open when she sensed something wasn?t right. Slowly she turned and tried to parse what it was she sensed, as she communicated via her uplink silently. ?Amato, scan the bay and the surrounding area, look for heat signatures. Also, check the footage outside they bay in a one block radius over the past 24 hours and tell me if there was anyone, anyone at all.?

The sensation of being watched increased and she reacted by pushing her shield out. It redistributed force and if there was a larger area it would mean less to absorb by motion or pain. She could see nothing, heard no sounds beyond the hum of the lights and the ship waiting.

Amato transmitted images to her optical uplink, a method by which she would be able to see things privately. It produced the image of a monitor hovering about a foot from her, it was a construct her mind created to help her process the information that was being fed through the technological link.

There was a flash of movement, then for a moment there was someone caught on one of the video feeds that Hawk had hidden around the port. ?Freeze that, enhance the frame.? One hand rose, her fingers moving to just in front of where her mind projected the image, a quick flick of fingers outward caused the image to enlarge and a push of her palm forward zoomed in to the persons face. It was blurry, and even as Amato enhanced it there was still too much distortion to positively identify the figure... not positively. ?No. She is dead.?

Amato mistaking the softly spoken statement as a question replied. ?Cross-referenced photos have come up with two possible identities.?

Her pulse was picking up and she could feel her defenses building without conscious thought. ?No. She. is. dead.? Each word emphasized as though she could imprint that on the universe and make it comply with the facts as she knew -- needed -- them.

?The first is unlikely, as I have a record of your whereabouts at the time the image was taken.?

She shook her head, one hand moving to strike the access panel so she could retreat into the safety of the ship.

?The second is Calypso...?

?Silence.? She hissed the word as she stepped into the ship, swiftly moving toward the stasis chamber. ?Lock the ship down Amato. Only allow Hawk access if it is an emergency.? She needed to think but not now; now she wanted the quiet oblivion that stasis would offer. For just a short time she wanted to believe that the name Amato was going to speak was not that of Calypso Rooks...

The past week had been spent scouting the bay and infiltrating the systems with her nanites; on the fly a technomancer was powerful but given time to lay a trap she could be devious and elegant. It was a simple matter to shutdown the security cameras as she made her way through the corridors with Hawk slung over her shoulder, the nanites left behind her as she went would clean up the trail of blood.

Marching up to the Sparviero like she owned it she pressed a palm to the interface, and the door slid open. Amato?s voice called out to her as she continued toward the stasis chamber in the back of Ciani?s cabin. ?Rook, what has happened? Hawk?s vitals are all wrong. Is that his blood that you?re trailing? It is!?

Calypso had finished reprogramming the sensors on the ship earlier that day, replacing Ciani?s imprints with her own. It would work for most of the functions of the ship, she would be unable to control the weapons, there were too many things to change in a ship built specifically for her daughters DNA and nanites to complete in a week; but navigation and sensors were hers and that would suffice for now.

?Oh I would not concern your pretty little head, Amato. He is still breathing.?

?What?? Came the confused reply.

?Gods why have they not upgraded you yet? You are an antiquated piece of crap. I suppose I should thank them, you have made my job so much easier. If they had a real AI it might have taken me longer to get the information I needed on Hawk and Ciani. I have no idea where the girl gets her sentimentality from, that must be why she keeps you.? As she spoke she made her way toward the stasis chamber.

She sensed Amato trying to send out messages, and them being captured in the net of interference she?d cast over the bay. ?Finally caught on, did you? I would be careful not to anger me, Amato. Hawk lives only because I allow it.?

?You can not hope to win against Ciani, she is more powerful than you.? Amato was trying to stall Calypso as she tried again and again to contact Ciani.

?More powerful?? Opening the door to the stasis chamber she threw Hawk in with a force great enough to crack one of his ribs. The man made a soft noise of protest but put up no resistance. She leaned in close as she spoke, certain that Hawk could still register her words. ?She may excel at certain types of technomancy.? One hand reached out to touch the wall and send a potent bolt of electricity through the ship, shorting out the communications module and some of the other systems.

?But she cares too much for others. Like this one.? She said as she laid a hand on Hawks chest and sent a shock of electricity through his body. He jerked like a marionette on a string and she laughed. Slamming the door to the stasis chamber shut and turning on her heel, ?And for the other, Arlin Du?Masseuir, now he is an interesting specimen. I have some lovely plans for him. Now be a good girl and call her to me.? She forced the AI to send a message she had crafted, it would bring Ciani to her, and then she would send the other message to bring Arlin here too.

Ideally she would incapacitate Ciani and then bond her man while she was aware. Her orders had been to bring Ciani in alive and unharmed. There were many definitions of harm though, and the wounds she intended to inflict would be far more damaging than any physical ones.

?He's mad that trusts in the tameness of a wolf...? Shakespeare

There was just enough time, she thought as she positioned herself in the corridor. The ruined metal doors to the bay were behind her, as were the broken bodies of the men she?d sent in as fodder. Ciani was in the bay and as near to unconscious as made little difference.

She ran her fingers through a pool of blood and combed it through her hair, streaking her cheeks with the viscous fluid; it was a deep red color but she didn?t think that Arlin would pause because it was not the ruby red that technomancers bled.

One of the things about being long-lived is at a point in her twenties she had stopped showing signs of aging, so despite being Ciani?s mother she could pass for her twin. The scientists on Alterra had taken note that the daughter of a technomancer seemed to draw most of their genetic makeup from the mother, the father?s traits swallowed beneath the burden that the active nanites produced.

He would be there soon, she was positive on that. The corridor that led from the outer bays to this one had been laced with her nanites, and now they were broadcasting on all frequencies; creating a net of interference that blanketed the area.

Arlin did not disappoint, he raced around the corner, a blond woman at his heels and stopped dead in his tracks, staring at Caly. She was on the ground, one palm flat against the unyielding floor, the other she reached out toward Arlin, a silent plea. She just needed to touch him for a moment, one moment and he would be trapped.

No one knew where, when or who came up with the process of bonding, Caly suspected it was a scientist. Done the way it was ?supposed? to, the way that was approved by the government, it would hand over control of a technomancer; giving whatever person they bonded with the ability to bypass the defenses and effectively shut a technomancer down.

It was a form of slavery that many technomancers willingly engaged in for the chance to have an intimate relationship that was supposedly free of fear. Caly would not be the slave, no, she had tested the process of bonding on a dozen men and half a dozen women until she successfully create a one-way bond. It would give her control over the other person without giving up any control in return. It made for some handy allies in the past few years, even if they started the relationship unwillingly. Next would be Arlin... just one touch.

There was indecision in his gaze and Caly began to wonder if she had underestimated Amato. Had she given Arlin more than the information she provided? The blond was pushing past Arlin,?It?s her Arlin!?

That seemed to get him moving again, holding his hand up to the woman in a hold signal. ?Keep back though, I don't trust uncontrolled nanites.?

?Nanites? She's bleeding over there and you are worried about what her nanites can... ? The woman with him began as Arlin slowly paced down the corridor toward Caly.

Ciani was not yet done with her interference for in the space between where Caly waited and Arlin approached a shelf sprouted from the floor, a six-inch wall of concrete. It could do nothing, but it was odd and that caused Arlin to pause again.

This would not work, it was clear to her in that moment that he hesitated. Well if it would not work she would leave them with a parting gift, the walls began to spark and lightning arced from one side to the other, Arlin and the blond caught between the two.

To say that she was angered by what happened next would be an understatement, Arlin did something to his arm and took her lovely lightning and redirected it away harmlessly. In a fit of anger she expended a torrent of energy to ignite the remaining nanites, a forest of white-hot filaments exploded in the air.

She did not stay to see what damage might be caused, activating her stealth she dashed off down the side corridor and out of immediate danger. Before it was a game, taking Arlin from Ciani was a prize that seemed worth taking, now she added it to her mission. If she would be forced to bow to the one man that held the key to her defenses she could make it entertaining. Besides, she planned on using Ciani to rid herself of that obstacle, and then life would be fun again...

They arrived back on Rhy?din and Ciani felt refreshed and loved. There was still a lot to be dealt with but she felt more prepared. On Evo they had bonded, both in the Evoian fashion and the Alterran and the connection she had with Arlin now was embedded bone and soul.

The night had started so well, there at the Red Dragon Inn until Vegas called to her from a room above the bar without voice, and she answered without warning Arlin. When she entered the room she had been prepared to fight, she wasn?t prepared to see Tresa?s necklace hanging casually from one finger. It did not mean Vegas had Tresa... but it was a unique piece and it could have meant he did.

It was not a risk she was willing to take. Later her own arrogance in that moment of decision would haunt her but she followed Vegas when he leap down from the room out of the window of the room.

For a brief moment she thought she saw Arlin, standing in the ruined mess that had been the room at the Inn as Vegas took them high into the sky; the explosion that erupted just after they vacated the room had to be Calypso at work. The man had an arm around her waist and despite his slender build she could feel the steel of his muscles and the strength that lay within.

Ciani did not fear heights but she did prefer to be under her own control when she was at them, or at least feel that she had some control. In this situation she was at the mercy of Vegas and that did not sit well, she could feel her defenses ramp up as they banked and then descended toward the northern section of the town.

They landed on a rooftop of what looked like an abandoned warehouse, the spaceport could be seen in the distance but it was at least a mile away.

?I love night time flying, it?s rare I get to stretch my wings when on assignment, something about keeping a low profile does not work when you look like some peoples idea of an angel.? He chuckled as he switched his hold from her waist to her arm, tugging at her as he moved toward a door.

Jerking her arm from his grasp she stood still. ?We can speak here, Vegas. I will go no further with you until I know you have solid proof for me that I need listen anymore to your words.? In a very obvious fashion she extended her personal shield, the air surrounding her body shimmering for a moment before settling.

?Tresa is below us. You want solid proof you will need to follow me. Oh, and don?t try to search with your little machines, they won?t get past the field Caly set up to keep your nosy little buggers out.? He did not even turn to look at her as he spoke but continued toward the door, confident that she would follow.

Drawing in a breath, she tried to make contact with Amato and, in an unsurprising event, found she could not. Caly could not have gotten here yet, she was close to the Inn when they left and traveling on foot, or even by horse would have taken longer than the flight. Squaring her shoulders she started off after Vegas, entering through the door just a moment behind him.

The staircase was dark and made of metal, each footfall caused an echo effect down and into the depths of the building. ?Just through this door and we can begin our negotiations, Ciani.? He had stopped at a landing and was pushing a thick iron door open, it swung inward on oiled hinges and a dim light spilled into the hall.

Arrogance, she was too self-assured in her ability to get out of impossible situations, but she?d gotten this far so how much of that arrogance was deserved?

She stepped into the room without bothering to do more than scan it quickly, one hand moved to hover near the butt of Morte holstered at her waist. The first EMP wave that struck her had little effect, she had begun shielding herself against that type of attack ever since her training with Arlin.

Her body whipped around, gun in hand, took aim and fired. Drawing on her power she tried again to send forth nanites to work her technomancy and found the way blocked. Had Calypso discovered a way to block even that? If so she was in more trouble than she thought, especially if she could do that at a distance.

The rapport of her gun rang loud in the small space, Vegas moved enough that the bullet struck his shoulder rather than his heart. She reached for Vita as she tucked and rolled further into the room. A shimmering metal rope whipped out and wrapped around her ankle, it didn?t seem like anything worth worrying over but she felt like someone hit a shutdown button and her technomancy was quite suddenly inaccessible.

There was pain and confusion but she still tried to complete the action to get to her feet, and that was when the second EMP wave washed over her and she felt her limbs go limp and unresponsive. The only thing that saved her from a bruising fall was the fact she was already on the ground.

Vegas was chuckling softly as he approached her, a boot kicking at her as though to test for response. There was pain where the chain wrapped around her ankle and he was crouching over her now, and he was busy wrapping it around her wrists while the EMP had her disabled. When he was done he circled her, and she noticed that he had some type of recording device in his hands.

?Calypso will be happy with this you know. Not as happy as she seems at the fact she is, at present, dealing with the nuisance that you call Arlin, but still happy.?

She felt her face to contort in a mask of anger, it was a reflection of the emotion she sensed from Arlin. He was somewhere far from her but still very much alive and although the bond felt muted it was still strong and solid.

?She?ll be back soon, then we?ll be heading to your home for a family reunion.? He didn?t wait for her to respond, turning his back and walking out of the room.

?My family is here, and they are fierce.? She whispered softly to the dimly lit room. Hawk and Arlin would both come if they felt she needed it. For now she focused on keeping calm so that Arlin would not feel the need... she wanted to deal with Calypso and she would do so soon. Again, later her arrogance in that moment would be played over and over as one of the bigger mistakes in her life.

There was darkness.

When she tried to move she found her movements restricted, a burning band of foreign metal cut deep into the flesh of her wrists and the hiss that tried to escape her lips informed her that something covered her mouth as well.

There was motion nearby and she froze; not that it would do much good being bound, gagged and blindfolded. She reached for her power and found it slipping from her grasp like sand through open fingers. Confusion filled her until she remembered that Vegas said that the chain he used was made specifically to hold technomancers.

?Most women would be trying to scream about now, Ciani.? The voice was silk and honey, and it made her stomach crawl. ?Can you figure out where you?re at, I wonder??

There was the sound of footfalls striking soft ground. Shifting slightly against the surface she was bound against she felt a rough surface claw at her clothes, her boots had been removed and she could feel grass and warm earth beneath her feet. When she tried to move her legs she found that they had also been bound by chain, the loop of it now pulling tight against her ankles. Her head canted slightly to better capture the sounds that the wind brought; the bird song coupled with the babbling of the nearby stream brought the image of her surroundings crisp to her minds eye.

?You can! What a lovely creature thou art! I wish I could keep you awhile. I bore easily but I think you could amuse me for longer than most.? The words had told her that he moved closer so when she felt the touch of his hand on her cheek it was not a surprise.

The fingers drifted across her jaw and traced a path down her neck, when they reached the collar of her shirt she felt a tug and heard the fabric tear. For the first time she could remember she felt a stab of fear strike deep into her heart and it was all she could do to keep her knees from buckling. She pressed back against the tree and desperately jerked her arms up and toward where Vegas must be standing; the bite of the metal stung but it could not compare with the bitter taste of shame that was crawling up her spine.

?You?ve never been helpless, have you Ciani? Even as a child you could handle the adults around you like rag dolls. Even when they ?punished? you at that Academy you still knew that you could control the situation if you had the need. Somewhere in your mind I can see them surrounding you, those other technomancers suppressing your skill so that the bad men could give you ?medicine. I can see it in your dreams but even then you could handle such things, couldn't you??

She could feel his breath against her neck as he spoke, ?And now you have Arlin, surely he'll understand that you had no control over this, right?" By the end of the sentence the melodious voice had descended into a dark growl.

There was a hand at her waist now, strong fingers slowly marched down to grip at her hip and in a savage motion her body was pulled forward to crash against his even as he brought his mouth against her neck to bite the tender flesh hard enough to bruise.

Fear. She could feel it flood her and she tried to channel it into anger. Arlin was not close enough, she told herself, he could not be close enough to sense her weakness. Shame snaked up again and she prayed to all the Gods that Arlin could not sense this through their bond; she underestimated Vegas and this was her punishment, she thought it rather harsh.

Again she pulled against the chains, and the sensation of having been here before overwhelmed her, it was a blending of the two dreams; one so beautiful, her day with Arlin and the other where Vegas had her chained to that cold, impersonal table, blood flowing from the rends in her flesh where the chain bit hard.

Maybe this was a dream? The dreams had all been so very real, so perhaps? No, no this was different, it was too raw and uncontrolled to be a dream. Despite her best efforts she felt a scream try to force its way out through the gag, her frantic tugging at the chains now tearing her wrists open in an effort to free herself and get away.

?I have been waiting for this Ciani. You feel as sweet as I imagined, and that is quite the accomplishment.? He gripped her hair and pulled her head fiercely to the side and she felt teeth rake across her neck, his other hand pawed up and under her shirt; greedy for the flesh beneath.

And then the weight of his body was gone and she heard him move away. ?About time you boys showed up to the party. I was beginning to think I'd have to start without you.?

She stiffened, she hadn?t heard anyone else approaching, she renewed her efforts to free herself of the chain right up until the time she heard the reply. ?More mind games...?

Ah gods no, no, she thought, freezing like a statue. Please, don?t let him see me like this, the words filling her thoughts like a mantra.

?Ah, she heard your voice, Arlin and it soothed her, how sweet. Maybe you could continue talking while I work? Though I am thinking I will turn the camera just a bit, do not worry I'll talk you through the action parts.? His voice was so calm, and so full of dread promise.

She drew herself up and willed a calm facade, Arlin should not be able to sense anything via a vid feed but she could not take that chance. It didn?t matter the words she tried to speak, just the tone and she was satisfied that she kept the fear from leaking out as she barked out a command.

?I think she's getting impatient. How do you keep up Arlin?? And then he was moving closer again and she felt the touch of his fingers exploring under the bottom of her shirt. It took every bit of control she had remaining not to whimper and cringe, but she would not, NOT, show that weakness to Arlin.

He moved away and the words were lost to her as she struggled to master her emotions. She caught the words, ?In return you get Ciani back, in a close approximation of how I found her...? and a moment later Arlin. ?Of course in the mean time it could take us quite a bit to get to Karpathos by ship.?

Quite a bit of time? It would be too much time. There was a howl welling up from her core, despair and desperation warring with her will to let the sound loose. She needed to get out of these chains, needed to get away from Vegas. There was too much she underestimated or perhaps would not allow herself to consider. She thought him dangerous, yes, but she had never considered that he might assault her sexually, had never considered any man would attempt to assault a technomancer sexually.

Again and again she tried to get a grip on her technomancy, and each time it slipped away like a ghost.

?Give me your word now or I promise by the time you, even in your very fast ship, arrive here that I will have had my way with your woman and taken her elsewhere.?

?Over the matter of the kidnapping of Ciani Rooks, Vegas, the Brigade shall not suffer from any retaliation sponsored by myself.? That was from Arlin and she felt her panic rising, the kidnapping of her was not enough. He did not realize that it was no mind game that Vegas played, he had every intention of doing what he threatened.

?You're a bright boy, I am sure you can figure out how to make the portal work for you. In the meanwhile... ? And then she could sense Vegas moving toward her again and nearly as quickly she felt Arlin?s presence disappear, leaving her alone; bound, blinded and gagged with a predator.

Arlin... she never needed anyone to save her from anything. It was good that the feed had been terminated, she would not have wanted Arlin to hear the whimper that escaped from deep in her throat as she felt hands reach out to touch her again.

Arlin?s ship could get impressively close to the ground quickly and the plan was to jump out, get the advantage of surprise and then save the girl and go; because that plan always worked. Arrive, kill the bad guys, get the girl.

Problems with the plan:

He was still hurting from the beating they took at the warehouse, Vegas had left a fair number of traps that Hawk had managed to trip. Who the hell used poisoned darts any more? They weren?t just poisoned darts, they were advanced projectiles that sprung from every angle and left him and Arlin looking like unhappy porcupines.

He was pretty sure that there was something wrong with Arlin, he?d over heard Mother, the man?s AI, arguing about his tech not being right, and in imminent threat of failure. So that meant both of them weren?t quite up to par.

The enemy seemed, not only in possession of better technology, to have an advantage of natural ability, Vegas had wings for Gods sake. The ?girl? was the strongest technomancer his world had ever seen and she was captured by Vegas and was being held successfully by him.

That last worried Hawk most of all, what the hell was the man doing to prevent Ciani from escaping? He had mentioned a chain to disable a technomancers abilities and that had seemed far-fetched but that had to be the reason.

It was a measure of the woman they were going to rescue that the two of them dismissed these issues as obstacles to be overcome. Still when they leapt out of the plane they had anticipated trees to break their fall, this area had been lush with forestry just days ago; instead there was broken, barren, scorched land. Not for the first time he thanked the Gods that he had good tech, the boots he wore soaked most of the brutal impact and a diving roll managed to soak most of the rest.

Hawk scanned the area and he saw Vegas near by, the man was sitting outside a line of cottages on a boulder and to the casual observer might have be mistaken for a statue. The image ruined only by the presence of broken and singed feathers on the great wings that rose from his back and were spread wide. He was crouched down, his weight resting on his heels, a sword was at his feet, his hand near it's hilt. His long hair fell to frame his down turned face and it was impossible to tell if he was aware of his surroundings or not. The area around him was quiet but it too showed signs of a recent battle. The earth surrounding him was scorched and torn, great chunks of it had been overturned and tossed aside like a child at play in a sandbox.
In a lethargic manner one wing shifted to give him a view of what the men that had just appeared at of thin air. For someone in the face of an imminent danger he did not appear to care. The shift of the wing allowed for a view of his body which appeared wrapped heavily in blood soaked bandages. His amber eyes were dull and his expression looked bored as though to say 'So, more to battle.' The only indication he planned to do anything at all was his hand wrapped around the hilt of the blade at his feet, though he did not lift it.

There was a boom to the north of their position and both he and Arlin turned to face it. Vegas did not seem to care enough to engage them so they both did focused on the noise coming from the north. Arlin seemed to come so some conclusion and began to dart into the ruined landscape toward the noise.

It was then that Vegas choose to acknowledge them and he spoke in a surprisingly strong voice, ?I would not go there just now if I were you. She is not in a very rational state of mind.? As though to punctuate that statement there came a rolling wave of earth that passed beneath their feet, throwing them to the ground and scrambling to recover. That was definitely Ciani?s work, Calypso was no where near strong enough in using earth to create that type of tidal wave of dirt.

?Either am I.? Was Arlin?s growled reply as he tried to steady himself and make progress toward the north.

There was madness in the churning of the earth, leeching into the air like poison. The crack and boom of what could only be the lightning produced by Calypso was present as well and coming toward them; a storm of earth, fire and pure power like the tsunami after the quake.

Arlin said something in a language Hawk did not understand but it was obvious from the tone that it was a frustrated expletive. Vegas shifted and Hawk began to circle back to keep himself between Arlin and Vegas in case of attack. He could do nothing against the coming storm of elements so he thought it best to get to a ranged position and figure out what he could do from there.

Arlin was standing near the edge of the chaos, the earth bucking beneath him. From where he stood Hawk could see the two women coming toward them heedless of the men they were about to trample with the forces they were throwing about.

His gaze shifted to Vegas for just a moment, but he was not on the rock and immediately he went on high alert, scanning the landscape for him. When he passed over the spot that Arlin had been he saw Vegas there; kneeling with his wings spread wide like a penitent come to confess to the raging storms.

?Arlin! Where are you?? He screamed, it was necessary as the sound of rending earth was rising to a fevered pitch and the winds howled in rage. ?Arlin!?? He screamed again as he cautiously approached the kneeling form of Vegas. There was no answer and now he could see Ciani as she rode a wave of earth; she was headed straight for Vegas. He did not know what Vegas was going to do but he trusted that it would not be good for Ciani. He would not allow it, whatever it was the man had in mind. Light sprang from where Vegas was kneeling, he could see Ciani look at the man and her rage seemed to falter, the mound of earth she had been controlling lost cohesiveness and Hawk saw her fall down into a cloud of dust and stone.

With a roar of anger opened fire and shot six times at the back of Vegas. He had gotten close enough that there would be no way he would miss, even with the rocking motion of the earth. He was close enough that he could hear the wet, tearing sounds produced by the bullets as they tore through flesh and bone. He continued forward until he was standing over the body, loading another clip into the gun when he realized that he had been fooled; beneath his gaze was the stunned form of Arlin, there was blood pouring from his back, he was on his stomach and groaning softly.

Suddenly Ciani was there, turning Arlin over to look at his face, her hands pressed to his blood soaked chest as she spoke in a soft but insistent tone. ?No." It was a demand. "I will not forgive you if you leave me."

Hawk could see silverly veins showing on every visible portion of Ciani?s flesh and knew that meant she was working some powerful technomancy, over and over she said, ?Wake up. Wake up...? As she bent over Arlin?s unmoving body.

The adage ?what was done can not be undone? was coined long before evolutionary and technological advances in the area of memory manipulation had been accomplished. With a simple use of Evoian crystals the memories of Karpathos could be erased without trace, or so Arlin promised. It had been days since their return and she still could not look at him, could hardly stand the sound of his voice. The pain that was a ball in the fore of her thoughts would not allow her to sleep without remembering, both the events and the terrible loss of being close to Arlin.

It was a week before she agreed to use the crystal. It seemed too small to be able to contain the memories she wanted gone but she could not bear being distanced from Arlin any longer. When he told her how to use it he likely believed she would remove the entirety of the events from her memory, but that was not what she did. History, we were doomed to repeat it if we did not remember, and it should not be completely forgotten. No, the memories she erased were those that put Arlin?s face and his voice on the deeds done, it was delicate work and took her some time to encapsulate each moment to extract the correct pieces. In the end it was still a sloppy job, she was too worried about losing the lesson that she kept a bit too much in the end, but it served to allow her to be around Arlin without flinching.

The only problems she was running into was keeping the information she retained from Arlin. The bond was going through changes on a daily basis, she was at a loss to explain how it could go through so many evolutions in such a short time. If she let her guard slip he seemed able to pick up her thoughts without issue, just as she could read him through and through if she tried. She could sense him from blocks away, far further from a bonded male than she had ever heard of being done before.

Most of this was not dangerous as far as she could tell but when she laid down to sleep that seventh day after removing the memories and slid into a dream that was not her own the changes to the bond would alter the way this one would go.

When the image of Arlin appeared, he looked disoriented and curious. The landscape was nothing from his own experiences so it was not a memory for him. Unlike Ciani he did dream, and sometimes his imagination took him places that it created but this felt different, it felt real.

?Ciani, what is going on? Where are we?? Fixating on the one thing in this place that he did know, and trust.

Vegas spoke before she could answer. ?You are spectacular! None of the others could master even the easiest of tasks in the dreamscape and here you are pulling in another persons complete psyche, the others will be jealous that I get you first.?

There was so much in that sentence that was wrong, Ciani could feel her flesh grow cold despite the fact this place did not seem to have any temperature of note. ?You have gotten all you will ever get, Vegas. There will be no more for you or any other that I do wish. Take what you have stolen and do what you will with the memories but leave me alone or you will pay dear.? Her tone was calmer than she felt.

Arlin finally seemed to be adjusting to the sudden shift of reality, he had been dreaming of something pleasant and this was far from it. ?You were beaten, Vegas. Try to be a man about it and go away.? He moved to stand beside Ciani, he did not touch her, something about her stance told him that would be a bad move. He did want to warn her that something was wrong here, something he did not think she knew yet. It would have been easier if he could put his finger on what that thing was, but all he knew was that his instincts were on high alert.

?You should not make such bold statements Arlin. You will find out sooner than late that I have only just started the game and my next move is a hell of a good one.? The smile that formed on a face so lovely it should have been a portrait of an angel was chilling.

?For all your bravado we all know that you are nothing but a pawn in your own society. Nothing but a foot soldier that few pay heed to, let alone respect.? Arlin?s voice carried well in the barren landscape, seeming to echo off the jutting spires of stone.

?You know nothing. I will be exactly as I am now when you have been rotting in your grave a thousand years. With the exception that I will be with one of the descendants created between myself and Ciani and you will have nothing. If all goes as I wish perhaps the children will have that long a lifespan, there is potential. The first truly potential match since we began the project, so very long ago.?

There were images that seemed to drift through Ciani?s mind as Vegas spoke. Women of different ages, races, across a span of time that was inconceivable to her and the suffering they endured at the hands of Vegas and some of his brethren.

She took a hold of Arlin?s hand and spoke very softly. ?Your long life will end if you continue to pursue me, I promise you that Vegas.? The air around her shimmered, reacting to the force of her will alone. ?Do not attempt to draw me to this place again, I will not give another warning.? With that she forced herself awake, pulling Arlin with her out of harms way, she could feel his presence lending her strength and together they woke.

They were in bed, the sheets were bloodied and Ciani could feel the wounds on her back closing slowly as her nanites worked to repair the damage done. One look at Arlin told her that he had shared that ? what? It was no dream, dreams did not feel that real. Arlin opened his lips as though to speak but she forestalled him with a raised hand. ?No, not now. We can speak of it later.? She did not give him a chance to protest, rising from the bed and heading to the bathroom. She needed a shower and time to think, later would be soon enough.

There was a good reason she had not allowed Amato or Mother to run medical examines on her and perhaps some of it might have been valid. If either of the A.I.s had found out the true reason Ciani had little doubt that Arlin would be made aware within minutes. Part of it was she was lying to herself, if she examined the information her nanites were sending to her brain regarding her current heath status then she would have to address it. So she refused to pay heed to the warnings sent.

Common sense told her that the suspected condition would not just resolve itself, but there was such a deep rooted fear there that she could not bear to face at this time. Arlin had met with Qwen of the Brigade and it seemed that the actions taken on Karpathos against Vegas were being used as an excuse to find Arlin in breach of his verbal contract with Vegas and, by extension, the Brigade. Evo was an advanced society but she had little doubt that the outcome of a war with the Brigade would mean thousands of causalities, perhaps millions and that Arlin would no sooner allow that to happen then he could allow further harm to come to herself.

Further harm. Her dreams were haunted by broken pieces of that time on Karpathos, her mind trying to mend together the missing pieces as if to spite herself. The pieces she had already recovered were causing her to retreat into herself and she did not like what was waiting for her there.

The morning had been spent adjusting her weapons, stocking herself on items she thought would be useful for her foray to Alpha 32. She was in the process of checking her guns when she sensed that Arlin was close, the bond had been going through radical changes and she had been avoiding Arlin because she was no longer sure that her thoughts were not completely transparent to him. ?Amato, did you tell Arlin where to find me?? She could hear the anger in her voice but she had no room to mitigate it, she was in pain, and now she would need to try and wrap her thoughts away.

?No, he must have found out on his own. He is a capable man, Rook. That is one of the things you love about him, is it not??

She was mid-growl when Arlin knocked and entered, not waiting for her to give him leave to enter. ?Well, I suppose it?s a good a sign that you didn?t have Amato blow me up.? He teased, he wasn?t a fool and he knew there was something bothering Ciani. The images that came at him when she turned to see him were a surprise and that showed on his face. ?Ciani? What was that??

And when she was forced to review what flashed through her mind upon seeing him made her pause. Lying now would not be easy, and she was so tired... tired from the pain, from feeling alone when there was someone that she loved, loved, standing in front of her. More than that though, it was a man she loved and he deserved to know. ?That would be the worry I am feeling at the fact that I am with child.?

She loved Arlin, there was no doubt of that but sometimes she wanted to scream at his rash decision making. Somewhere there were gods laughing about that, considering she was in the process of negotiating a trade, herself for Arlin. Why he would have agreed to submit to Vegas was beyond her, maybe if they both lived through this he could explain it to her in a way that didn?t make her want to scream. How had they both gotten to this point? Her life was spinning out of control and there was nothing she could do... nothing but trade herself for the man she loved.

Mothers? message had not been necessary, she felt the moment Vegas took Arlin. Vegas had taken him to a place that severed their bond so unexpectedly that she had nearly killed Hawk. The shock translated into a burst of fire and destruction from her and he had been in the way. Now she had a bond with Hawk, it had been the only thing she could think of to save his life, and her own. Without that bond the pain had been overwhelming, she would have taken the entire town with her in the haze of it.

An expression of satisfaction was so clearly writ upon his face she wanted to slap Vegas but instead she whispered,?I accept the terms.? The shift from the glen to the tower was abrupt. The words had hardly left her lips when she found herself situation in the center of room made of the whitest marble she had ever seen. It was sparse, holding just the necessities to label it a sitting room without extra adornments.

Vegas was nowhere to be seen, he had disappeared along with the lush rolling hills dotted with trees that decorated the southern glen. In his place there were two silent servants that were staring at her with bottomless black eyes. They could have been twins for all the lack of difference between them. Over six feet tall, lanky and full of awkward angles that reminded Ciani of nothing less than a very large bird that had outgrown it?s skin. That image was enhanced by the bat like wings that sprouted from spiny shoulders that seemed just a bit off kilter, it was as though a very clumsy hand had created them in a moment of peek.

There was a moment where everything seemed to stand still and then a wave of pain and nausea hit her so violently that she fell to her knees. It was then that the two servants moved forward and spoke in raspy but calm tones. ?We have been instructed to settle you in and prepare you for treatment to rid you of your ailment. Nausea is a side effect some suffer when traveling to this Plane, Lady, and will pass shortly. Will you allow us to assist??

Reflexively she reached for her power and found it slippery, as though coated in oil. There were somethings that she sensed she would be able to do and other things she knew, just as certainly, that she would not.

The two creatures kept their distance waiting for a response and so she kept her anger in check, it was not with these two that she had issue. Did she have any right to be angry at anyone but herself at this point? By the nine hells she did not know but just then it made no difference to her situation.

?Si. You can assist me.? Her words were strained and clipped.

For two so awkward in appearance they were very delicate in their handling of helping her up the wide spiral stairs to a waiting room. It was as sterile as the other but was obviously meant to be used as a sleeping chamber. When she laid down on the bed she was surprised at how very comfortable it was and within moments she was asleep.

The two men were waiting, in the distance the gleaming white tower rose up and pierced the crimson sky. Hawk spoke as he tried to contact Ciani via the bond they shared. Everything he?d gotten from her so far was fragmented and odd. She seemed to refer to what felt like weeks slipping past when it had only been days. ?Have we made a plan on how we?re getting into the tower? It?s not looking very welcoming.?

?Storm the tower. Take Ciani back, go home.? Arlin?s response, while not very logical, sounded very certain.

Meanwhile in the tower Vegas rose from the table where he had been sharing a meal with Ciani and gave her a look that chilled her bones. ?What is the matter, Vegas?? His tone was cold and edged when he replied. ?Where is your honor, Ciani? I am asking because there are men coming that mean to help you break your word to me. We had a bargain, I have kept my end to the very letter.? Vegas was rising from the chair and moving toward the hall that lead from the room. Tick and Tock moved to take up sentinel positions at the door in anticipation of their Masters wishes.

She was still trying to figure out what was happening, she felt sluggish and ungainly of late and it was showing. ?Vegas, I do not know what you are talking about, but surely you did not really think that Arlin or Hawk would accept the decision I made. The methods you used to get me to make that deal were not precisely noble or honorable.? She rose from the table and made to move after him, getting stopped by Tick and Tock at the entrance, she was not positive but she thought she saw a hint of empathy in their alien countenances.

?Vegas, what do you plan to do? They will not give up. If you kill them then Evo will respond, not for me but for him? For Arlin they will. I am not worth this. You can find a willing partner if you would just...? Her voice fell silent as she realized that Vegas would not be able to hear her anymore. Besides, what did she think he could do that would make him a desirable mate? He was beautiful, and there was some good qualities in the mix but most of what he had to offer was rotted, and twisted.

The child growing within her kicked at her ribs and the harsh exhalation of breath brought Tick, or Tock over offering her an arm. ?You will allow us to assist you??

Her gaze pulled toward the wall of the tower, she hadn?t seen the outside since Vegas brought her here, over six months without seeing the sun. Hawk was near, she could feel him now, it was so much stronger than anything she?d been able to manage and it made her choke up. She wanted to see him again but more, she knew that Arlin was nearby as well and there was nothing in all the worlds she wanted more than to be with him again. ?Don?t get yourself killed Arlin Du?Masseuir or you will have me to face.?