Aberrant: Nova Reality - In From the Cold

[Madison 'Vali' West]

Vali had circled the place several times, before settling in for his target arrive. She was late, but that wasn't too surprising concerning the constant series of crisises Chicago was facing. Still, her rattling death trap would have alerted the dead and the weary cast to her shoulders spoke of a woman taking too much work home with her. For an instant, he considered other options. Adding another round of troubles to her plate seemed ... so unfair. The problem was, Vali didn't really have other options, not with the resources The Prince was capable of bringing to bear. His family came first.

Vali stepped out of the shadows and crossed the street with deft precision. She was almost inside, groceries in hand, when he cleared his throat and alerted her to his presence coming up behind her. He could feel her tense, but there was an almost resigned acceptance to it. She didn't speak, but raised one eyebrow. Vali stepped into the light of the porch and her eyes widened slightly.

"Sandcaster, its Vali." He knew that he looke different, but not so much that she didn't recognize him.

"I'm ... we're back in town and I would like to rejoin the team ... and we need to talk. Our situation has changed."

[Sandcaster]

Sandcaster gave the prodigal Knight a critial eye. He was speaking of "we", which meant that Clark was still in his company, but she and her younger brother were nowhere in sight.

Finally, she issued a trademark sighed and nodded. "C'mon in, Vali. And you can bring your friends in from wherever you've stashed them as well. I'll see about making us some dinner, and we can talk about this changed situation." Apparently considering the matter settled, she dug in her coat pocket, pulled out a keyring that must have contained a half-pound of jangling keys, unlocked the three deadbolts, and held the door open for Vali.

[Madison 'Vali' West]

"Thank you, Ma'am," Vali says and nods respectfully. "I'll get them and be back in ninety seconds."

With that, he moves back across the street and quickly springs and swings to the roof of the building across the street. He disappears over the rooftops.

A minute later, he reappears with two people in tow. He covers the last distance with one low arched leap and hurries his family up to the door. Vali scans the surroundings as he sets Clark and Adam down. He quickly gets them inside and shuts the door.

"Sandcaster, this is my wife Clark and her brother, Adam."

[z-Clark]

Clark studies the sand-skin woman in front of them, her bold green eyes piercing. An eyebrow quirks upwards when Sandcaster begins to rapidly blink at Vali's statement. The other eyebrow rises when Sandcaster presses her hand over her eyes and gives a deep sigh. "This is the changed situation, I take it?" she says.

"No," Adam butts in. "The 'situation' is that Clark is preggers."

Clark did not believe that violence was the best answer in any situation. She had always believed that there were better ways to deal with things. But now, she wants to hit Adam, more than she's ever wanted anything else.

Vali's hand closes over hers, as if he can sense her anger. Clark's voice is tight and barely civil as she says, "Adam... go somewhere else- no, don't leave the house. Just find another room to be in. Now, please."

Adam does as she asks, and Clark turns back Sandcaster. "The contraceptives failed," she says by way of explanation. From the look on Sandcaster's face, it isn't nearly enough...

[Madison 'Vali' West]

At the revelation that Clark is pregnant, Vali takes a half-step forward, letting his body language speak for him. He clearly takes responsibility for what has transpired. Vali also makes a mental note to pull Adam aside at the first available moment. There is petulance and cruelty, and Adam has crossed the line with Clark right now. For the moment, he keeps his eyes focussed on Sandcaster and hopes to soak up any forthcoming storm coming his and Clark's way.

[z-Roki Fuja]

At the look on Clark's face, Adam is a little sorry. But his mind is remembering the kids in his school, and the dealers staying lean and hungry and far away from them, and how they must be circling close now that he's not there anymore. I'm going to have so much work to do when we get back, Adam thinks, ignoring the part of him that's saying they're not going back. Until they tell him that for sure... Adam has faith that things will work out.

Grimacing slightly, he slips deeper into the house, looking around. A cat's sudden appearance startles him, and Adam bends to pet it. "Hey there," he murmurs, the soft fur and gentle rumble soothing his jangling nerves.

So I'm an ass, he sighs as the cat looks up at him with innocent jewel-eyes. Once we're back in San Fran, I'll find a way to make it up to Clark. Somehow.

Rising to his feet, Adam slips a little deeper into the building, his sharp eyes searching it just as he's been taught.

[Sandcaster]

"Children having children," Sandcaster mumbled more or less to herself, shaking her head in quiet dismay. Still, she hustled the three through the door and locked it behind her.

"Alright, let's move this to the kitchen. Follow me." She started down the hall, then stopped and looked at the young boy and Sherman rubbing up against his leg. Kneeling, she addressed Adam. "I'd like you to do something for me please. Sherman here doesn't get anywhere near enough attention, and if we all go into the kitchen, he'll do his usual underfoot tricks to try to keep me focused on him and not on dinner. Could you take him in there," she asked while pointing at the front parlor, "and keep him busy? It would be a huge help."

The boy looked back at her with a frown. "Lady, if you don't want me around, just say so."

Sandcaster restrained the building sigh; so much for the easy road. "OK Adam, I need to talk to your sister and Vali about" - she hesitated to use the word to describe the two youths watching this interaction, but there was nothing else to call it - "adult things."

Adam gave her a snide little grin. "Then talk." Picking up Sherman (and eliciting no protest from the fluffy feline), he headed into the parlor.

Sandcaster permitted herself the held sigh, then stood and led the others down the long hallway and into the kitchen. "I hope you eat pasta, because it's what's on the menu. Have a seat," she said, indicating the captains-style chairs around the round wooden kitchen table. She pulled out the steaks from her bag. The plan at Eicherman's Deli was to have them for dinner, but they would make a meager meal indeed for four hungry novas (or was it five; could Adam already have erupted?)...one of whom was eating for two. Instead, she pulled an old cast-metal meat grinder out of a drawer; after clamping it in place on the countertop and setting a bowl under the end, she proceeded to turn the lovely steaks into some very high-grade hamburger, which she then dumped in a pot with chopped onions, a copious amount of garlic, several large cans of chopped tomatoes, and assorted spices and seasonings. Once the entire mess was merrily burbling away, she moved to the table and took a chair opposite the couple...who were sitting next to each other, and rather obviously holding hands beneath the table. Children having children, she thought again as she took her seat.

"So let me make certain I understand the situation. Clark, you're the Prince's daughter. Vali, you're...well, I think the current rumor is that your Jager's son. Which makes you both part of that rare breed that is the second generation of novas. And now, you are working on the third...which is, if I'm not mistaken, unprecidented. May I safely assume that that is the real matter at hand here, or at least one of the major elements?"

[Dorothy Roberts]

Sitting on her bed with a textbook in her lap, Dorothy sighs. She hated homework. Almost anything was better than homework. So when she hears multiple voices downstairs, she's more than willing to take the excuse to drop her book and find out who it is. Best leave Bran here, of course. Most people have a hard enough accepting a teenage nova, let alone a cybernetic dog.

She pops out of her room and sniffs the air. Three guests, nobody she's met before. But, for some reason, two of them smell familiar, like someone she's smelled recently, but not quite. Family of someone she's met? If so, she can't quite place it...but she's sure the mystery will clear itself up when she meets whoever's downstairs.

Heading down to the parlor, she finds a young boy, perhaps ten, and definitely younger than her. He's holding Sherman, who would likely claw him if she got close enough to shake hands (he still hasn't forgotten who brought the dog into his house), so instead she curtsies at him - which is an odd gesture when you're wearing jeans. "Hi, I'm Dorothy. Nice to meet you."

[z-Roki Fuja]

Adam is playing with the cat - the lady called him Sherman, but he looks more like a Dexter to Adam - when a girl pops into the room. She's older than he is; maybe as old as Clark, but she has a sense about her that makes her seem older than that - maybe older than Clark. And with her gray hair and unnatural beauty, Adam immediately pegs her as a nova.

Adam instinctively tenses, and even her curtsy can't remove the caution from his face. Still, his voice is polite enough as he answers, "Hi, I'm Adam." A grin quirks up one corner of his mouth as he adds, "Forgive me for not bowing, and I seem to have left my top hat in my other car."

[z-Clark]

Clark lifts her chin to meet Sandcaster's gaze. "Your assumptions are both correct and incorrect," she answers the sand-skinned woman. "Part of why we have come here is to inform you of the pregnancy. Part is to discuss the birth itself; I can tend to my own needs up to a point, but I felt that getting outside help rather than forcing Vali and Adam to serve as midwife was prudent. But most of all, I must begin to move against the Prince. It has been four months, and every moment that I have wasted is time that my brother and mother are at his mercy - or, if Alchemist's information is to be trusted, in Cage's mercy.

"In many ways, Grey's conception works in our favor," Clark says, her voice becoming firmer as she continues to speak. "My father will be desperate to claim the first known member of the third generation, and that will make him careless. I hope to take advantage of that carelessness - and the potential political advantage that Grey will grant us through his or her existance. People who were unwilling to help Adam and I will defy the Prince for this prize.

"So my needs are simple - help with the birth, and a stable platform for contacting members of the Teragen for aid," Clark finishes. "Alchemist was unwilling to put the Knights in danger to protect my brother and I. As you are his replacement, I assume that your mindset is the same. To that end, can you recommend what I am seeking?"

[Sandcaster]

Dear God...this young, pregnant girl is so coldly calculating, so politically astute...and up to her carrot-top in trouble, Sandcaster realized.

She knew Alchemist's reasoning behind not harboring them with the Knights. Indeed, she agreed with it. It was a massive risk, and could wind up with the WCK neck-deep in the Teragen's internecine fighting - which had, from all reports, been on the uptick for the past year or so.

She knew all that. She also knew that there was this girl sitting in front of her, barely into her teens, pregnant and - despite her flat tone - obviously worried for herself and her child. She knew that this Cage character was by all reports a well and true sadist with a variety of unsavory habits, and that if this child's family was in his hands, they were living in Hell. She knew that Vali was desperately trying to conceal an equally desperate - if feeble - hope, and that he had contacted her as a last resort. And she knew damned well that there was no way that she could heal her soul if she cast these people back out into the cold.

"I am not Alchemist, nor am I exactly his replacement, and my mindset is my own. All things considered, I think that it's best for the three of your to stay here for the time being. I can't speak for the Knights as a whole, but I will offer you my protection, and when push comes to shove, I'll help you get your family back into something resembling safety. What I will not do," she added, in a weak effort to head off the litany of probable repercussions from her decision, "is get involved in the Teragen's politics beyond that.

"Do we have an understanding? Because if so, you can go get your things up into the empty guest rooms while I work on this sauce, and then we can try to address the particulars of this little arrangement."

[Stormwarden]

{whoops}

[Madison 'Vali' West]

The first thing Vali thinks is She can't be that naive. If we stay here, hell will be coming for us. Instead of saying anything, he rests his on Clark's shoulder and rubs a finger along her neck.

"Thank you, Sandcaster. I want to talk to my Mother ... and my Father as soon as possible, too. We've been keeping our secret under wraps, but they deserve to know."

[Dorothy Roberts]

Dorothy grins at the kid. He's cute and he's got a good wit. Whatever he was doing in Sandcaster's house, she would probably have some fun while he was here. "I'd shake your hand, but the cat doesn't like me. I think he's still annoyed that I brought a dog into his house. May I ask why you're here? While I realize that it's unforgiveably rude of me to ask, since I'm not your host or anything, I'm also an incorrigible snoop, and Sandcaster doesn't bring home a lot of guests."

Dorothy takes a seat in one of the overstuffed and slightly uncomfortable chairs in the room. She points out another one, since the couch is deceptively sharp and uncomfortable to sit on, despite looking very pretty.

[z-Roki Fuja]

Hazel eyes settle on her, wieghting and measuring Dorothy with a calculating gaze out of place in one so young. Adam walks to the door of the parlor, shuts it and sets down the cat - after all, he's still technically doing what is asked of him. His hands free, Adam walks to the girl and shakes her hand.

Dropping into the chair she's indicated - as Sherman promptly leaps into his lap - Adam slouches into the seat. Dorothy's sharp eyes catch something; a bulge in the shirt that indicates a weapon under his clothing. "We're here for help," he says, keeping the details general. "An asshole is looking for us, and we have to hide. Vali was protecting us, but he and Clark got married and then acted married for real, fucking and stuff." He rolls his eyes in irritation before continuing. "So we're here to talk to Sandcaster about adult stuff that I'm not allowed to hear because I'm a fucking 'little kid.' Like I'm not smart enough to help plan, when I was the one who fuckin'-"

He stops and his eyes dart to Dorothy again. "Needless to say, Dot, I'm not real happy," he finishes. "How about you? Is Sandy McSandra helping you hide, too?"

[z-Clark]

Clark's brain fires into overdrive, rapidly assessing the situation from all angles. She quickly gauges whether Sandcaster could provide the protection necessary, if Sandcaster is willing to do what is needed to protect her family at all costs, and just how many resources that Sandcaster can offer them. She evaluates them all... and finds them lacking. Yet, it was more than she had before coming here.

Another slow blink of her eye, and Clark has assessed the danger to Sandcaster, the house, Vali and even Adam... and she finds the potential damage acceptable balanced against Grey and Adam's long-term protection.

"Thank you for your generous offer," Clark says, casting a smile at Sandcaster. It lights up her face, gives it warmth, and emphasizes her youth and apparent innocence. "We'll be happy to stay, for a little while anyway."

Without a sign of the calculations going on in her head, Clark reaches up to clasp Vali's hand as she asks, "Why did Alchemist leave anyway? And who is performing his duties in his absence?"

[Madison 'Vali' West]

Its is clear that once Clark makes the decision, Vali's mind begins calculating how to implement it. Vali scans the surroundings even as he absently intertwines his hand with Clark's.

Looking over at Sandcaster, he asks,

"So its just you, the teenage girl, the cat and the dog here?"

[Sandcaster]

Sandcaster smiled; for better or worse, the die had been cast, and from here on she could only work to help it lean toward the better.

"Alchemist needed some time to himself; he's not gone for good, but it will probably be several months before he's back. That said, you're right, Vali; it's just me, Alchemist's daughter and the animals...and I believe I just heard her come downstairs. Dorothy?" she called out, turning toward the door to the long hall; "would you like to come here and meet our new houseguests?"

[Dorothy Roberts]

"Hide? Not quite. She's keeping an eye on me while my dad's on sabbatical." She grumbles something else far too quiet to be heard, but Adam gets the idea that she's none too happy with her father's 'sabbatical'.

"Mostly I just sit around here, go to school, wait for my brother or father to come home, hanging out with the Knights. Speaking of the Knights, wasn't Vali in the Knights not too long ago? Hey, do you wanna..."

At that moment Sandcaster's voice can be heard through the closed door. "Dorothy?"

Barely missing a beat, she continues, "...come with me to the kitchen? We should be eating soon anyway."

She goes through the closed door, Adam behind her. Seeing the two other novas in addition to Sandcaster, she stops and waves. "Hi, I'm Dorothy Roberts. Pleased to meet you."

[Madison 'Vali' West]

Vali moves around to greet Dorothy. In doing so, he also places himself somewhat between Clark and this new nova. He offers to shake her hand.

"Hello Dorothy. I'm Vali. I'm here to get back on the Knights."

Stepping only a bit out of the way, he adds,

"This is my wife, Clark."

[z-Roki Fuja]

Adam stares at Vali, his face pale. ... here to get back with the Knights... He's fuckin' going back to the Knights! They never intended to return to San Francisco. There'd been hints... lots of hints, and he'd gleefully ignored them all. It all crashes down around him like a house of cards.

I'm so stupid! But when Adam's rage pours forth, it doesn't wash over himself. Instead, his hazel eyes land on the one person in the room he feels he can attack.

"You ruin everything!" he shouts at his sister, his body shaking. He feel more things - worse things than he's already said, bubbling up, and he clamps down on them violently. He can't lash out anymore, and he does the one thing left to him: he runs.

He doesn't try to head for the front door; instead, he dashes out the back of the house, stumbling into the yard as tears blind him. Adam sags forward and catches his hands on his knees; his tears roll down his face and drip to the dirt below him. All he can thing about is the circling hyenas, and how they'll attack now that the protecting lion is gone.

And Serena's death was wasted. The sobs that accompany that thought nearly chokes him, but he can't deny it... she died for nothing, now.

[z-Clark]

Clark meets Adam's angry gaze without flinching; his words don't bother her that much, because if what she broke up was his infatuation with baselines, then she could tolerate his rage. In fact, in that case, she welcomes his anger. It was a sign that she should have done this a long time ago.

When he leaves the room, Clark gives Vali a look of long-suffering patience; her expression says, "I hope he gets over this soon."

Turning to Dorothy, she gives the younger nova a smile and says, "It's nice to meet you, Dorothy. I'm sorry about my brother; he's not handling the transitions in his life well. We're trying to give him space, but he's... unhappy, and I hope you'll forgive him."

[Dorothy Roberts]

Before Adam's outburst, Dorothy was smiling, glad to meet new people. Surprise crosses her face at his words and hurt expression. But at the calculating, slightly arrogant look that crosses Clark's face...that brings a frown of disapproval. The fact that she seems to think of her brother as a burden to her registers quite clearly as well.

"Pleased to meet you." Dorothy replies, out of courtesy, if nothing else. Then she turns her back on Sandcaster's new guests, and hurries after Adam.

[z-Roki Fuja]

Adam hears the back door bang again; looking up, he sees a greyish tear-filled blur that can only be Dorothy. Great, he groans to himself. She's gonna think I'm a big baby... He tries to stop crying, but all the frustrations of the past months, all his rage is pouring out in a teary, snotty mess.

He tries to wave Dorothy away; he certainly can't run from her, not in this fenced yard. Finally, he presses his fists to the solitary tree trunk, and presses his eyes to his fists. The pressure on his eyes seems to help, and he's able to choke out, "What do you want?"

[Dorothy Roberts]

"I just wanted to see if you were OK. You wanna talk about it?" Dorothy's voice is quiet, and her presence is soothing.

She doesn't get close to Adam, she just moves to the fence and sits against it, arms wrapped around knees. Her expression is somber, thoughtful, perhaps a little curious, but she doesn't pressure him to talk at all. She's just there, if he wants to tell someone.

[z-Roki Fuja]

"My dad's a guy called the Prince," Adam says after a long moment of silence. His voice is slightly muffled by both the afteraffects of crying and the tree. "He used to just be a brillant social reject, but when he went into Chrysalis, he became a monster. He wanted to turn me into a monster too. He hurt my mom, and my brother. So Clark ran away with me."

Adam lifts his red, splotchy face from his fists. Moving slowly, he sits down next to Dorothy, drawing his knees up in a mirror of her position. "The Hound was chasing us. It was terrible," Adam says, his voice quavering a little. "Clark was starving herself, and we were always running. Then he caught us. If Vali hadn't come along, then..." Adam doesn't seem to be able to complete the thought; instead, he moves on.

"Vali agreed to help us, and then Sam Grey told him to get married to Clark," Adam says. His fists clench as he says, "They were so gross, always touching each other. They said I was still first, but they were always mooning over each other. Sure, they say I'm first and say that they love me... I don't know if Clark can love anyone. She's so cold, and she's turning into Dad. He was just like that - stiff, calculating, awkward. You never knew what he was thinking. Sometimes... sometimes, I'm afraid of her, afraid of what she'll do."

Adam shudders, and falls silent, regaining control of his voice and body. Finally, he continues, "In San Francisco, things seemed better. Clark was... softening, and Vali was kinda happy. I had friends at school. Then... Clark gets wiggy - I guess that's when she realized that she was pregnant. And Vali gets all uber-protective.

"And then my friend Dustin's dad locks him in his closet because he got a "B" in history," Adam says, his voice thickening with rage. "So Dusty starts taking stims so that he can study longer, and then he's huffing because it makes him feel better. I don't know what he was taking in the end - we weren't talking anymore at that point. And when our friend Serena found out..." Fresh tears rise as Adam says, "He was so afraid that he'd be found out by his parents. Serena was going to tell his dad. He... went nuts. She... the wounds... had she lived, she would have been in a lot of pain. Maybe it was..."

Adam shakes more, fighting to continue. With white knuckles, he presses his fists into his legs, and starts to tell Dorothy things he's never told anyone. "I knew it was the drugs," Adam says, his words picking up speed until he's nearly babbling. "Dusty was smart and kind and gentle - he once wrecked his bike to avoid hitting a sick pigeon. He couldn't have ki- hurt Serena on his own. It was the drugs... the mother-fucking drugs!" Now Adam's fists are beating on his legs with each word, but he doesn't seem to notice. "They made him do it, and I knew... I knew that if I could stop them, I could save all the other smart, gentle, kind kids."

He's silent before he growls, "If I was a nova already, then I could save all kids. But... I can save a school, as a baseline, right, Dorothy? Just one school... just a few hundred kids... I could have done that until I erupted, and then I could save all of them, every last kid. I could stop all the bullies, and the fathers who hurt their families, and the drug dealers could get their needles and powders and pills shoved up their asses and I could save them! I just... god, Dorothy... I just wanna save my friends."

Adam's crying again, his head dropping forward to rest on his knees. Dorothy can hear him whispering, "Just save my friends... just save my family..." between the harsh sobs that shake him.

[Sandcaster]

Sandcaster's instincts were screaming at her. Every fibre of her being was telling her to go after Adam, to make sure that he was OK, to just hold him until he crying stopped. But she knew all too well that that was also the last thing in the world that the boy wanted. No, Dorothy would have better luck helping Adam work through whatever it was that he was working through; if her personality couldn't win him over, there was certainly nothing that Sandcaster could do to help.

Still, she couldn't refrain from glances at the window as she tried to pick up the conversation that Adam's explosion had left in tattered shreds. "So...you do want to return to active status then, Vali?"

[Madison 'Vali' West]

When she looks back to Vali, Sandcaster can tell Vali's mind is in the exact same place ... torn between going after Adam and staying here, in the room with Clark.

"If you can fit Clark into the Team somewhere, yes ma'am, I do."

At least Sandcaster can take comfort that he seems eager about this, as opposed to the boy-grim he has been manifesting up til now.

[Dorothy Roberts]

The first words out of his mouth shake Dorothy to the core, but she manages to hide it...not that he'd notice right now anyway. His father is...the Prince? The guy that sent the Hound after her? Events, names, her father's request before he left, it snaps into place and forms the outline of a very nasty picture for her as Adam starts to tell his story. But the shock isn't nearly enough to stop his emotions from coming through, to stop his words from resonating with her deeply. This kid has been through hell, a hell pretty damn similar to her own, including a lot of the same demons.

And then another realization hits her, the reason that he, and his sister, smell so damn familiar. 'Mom and Dad send their love, Clark.' The words ring hauntingly in her ears, as well as the feeling from that song. This is something she needs to share...but not right now. Now, Adam needs her more.

Without speaking, Dorothy gathers him up in a hug, holding him to her tenderly, stroking his hair. Adam sobs quietly into her shoulder, and she does her best to comfort him. She murmurs gently, "It's okay. It's alright. There's nothing you could have done. You can't save the world, not even a nova can do that by themselves. But you can make a difference. You can keep your friends safe, your family safe, no matter where you are. Everything will work out."

She lets him get it out of his system, and then she lets out a wave of soothing energy. It floods the garden, washing away Adam's cares and doubts and troubles. The tension that has built up in him ever since his friend died abates completely for the first time, allowing him a moment of perfect peace. And resting there on Dorothy, he falls asleep, tears still in his eyes.

Gathering him up gently, Dorothy carries the sleeping child - not much smaller than herself, but light as a feather in her quantum-powered arms - back into the house. At the looks from everyone else in the room, she just shakes her head, and carries him upstairs to her room. Not comfortable with taking his clothes off, she slips off his shoes, then puts the clothed child under her blankets where he can sleep. To Bran, she whispers, "Let him sleep".

Going downstairs again, Dorothy re-enters the kitchen. Her first words shock the people there, but the solemness in them shocks Sandcaster more. She knows from long experience - borrowed, but long - that Dorothy is barely concealing a deep-seated rage. "I saw your brother, Clark. Not Adam, but the other one."

And then she explains.

[z-Clark]

Clark is white by the time Dorothy is done, her freckles dark on her skin in comparison. "Leslie," she whispers, the pain clear on her face. The uncertainty lasts only a second; then Clark gathers herself and asks, "Did he look okay?"

Once again, the cold mask is in place, and Clark's mind is already rolling forward, trying to determine the best way to proceed. Emotion and pain are locked away where they can't interfere with decision making, and it is this cold, calculating face that Clark is showing when she adds another question, "Is there a recording of this performance? Assessing Leslie's state of mind will help us determine how deep Cage's manipulations run. Also, I need to note the lyrics and compare to the original song to see if there is any deviation; perhaps a clue lies in there... and if there is any special emphasis placed on any of the words. Leslie might have been passing us clues through the song, but I must see his performance to determine that."

[Dorothy Roberts]

"He looked...restrained. But unhurt, physically. But I don't think the party was recorded at all. I'd have to ask Wakinyan to be sure, but if there were security cameras or anything, he probably would have had them turned off. Of course, there were a few people there who could show you. Samhra, she's the Knights' new psychic. And Laon. They were both there, and both telepaths. I don't know if either one has perfect memory, like my father."

Normally she'd admonish Clark for bottling up her emotions...but right now she was just as guilty. She had no one to rail against, except those who did not deserve it.

[z-Clark]

"Laon... TeleRhyde?" Clark asks. At Dorothy's nod, Clark says, "Absolutely not. He's a member of the Primacy, and not to be trusted. And a telepath's mental recording will be affected by their perceptions, whether they were paying attention to the performance... no, a recording is best."

Clark looks up at Vali. "We need to get in contact with Wakinyan to see if there was a recording made. Do you think he will respond to a request from you, or should I rely on his obvious weakness for women to get a copy?"

[Dorothy Roberts]

As Dorothy realizes what Clark means, she flushes in both anger and embarrassment. *She's in a relationship with Vali, and she talks like that while he's right there?*

"I'll send him a message. Despite what you might think, I doubt you'd have much luck 'exploiting his weakness'."

Without further comment, she leaves the kitchen, looking for a bit of privacy. She had a few messages to send.

[Sandcaster]

As Sandcaster listened to the turn of events, the familiar pangs started to kick in, and her stomach started to churn. With what was now almost a reflex action, she ran herself a glass of water, tore open a foil packet, dropped two chalky tablets into the water, waited a few seconds, then chugged the whole mess, semi-dissolved tablets and all. On some level, she knew that it really wouldn't do any good other than as a sort of placebo, but at this point, she was willing to take what she could get.

That done, she called after Alchemist's silver-haired daughter. "Dorothy, wait. I'm on something resembling a good basis with Wakinyan. Let me give him a call, and see if he has a recording of this thing. It would probably be a good idea for the call to come from me; there should be less screwing around on his part."

The young nova came back to the room; "Sorry, but I've already sent it."

Sandcaster sighed. "OK, fair enough, here's hoping that he's reasonable."

[Madison 'Vali' West]

Vali listens stoicly. His hand massages Clark's tensing neck as she focuses on Leslie. He looks over to Sandcaster and says,

"It was at StarLords, so they would security tapes of the whole place ... for insurance purposes. Can we have the resident tech-whiz take a look?"

Vali doesn't seem to overly pleased at the thought of dealing with Wakinyan again. Nor does he take Sandcaster's distress well. Still, his mind is still turning at the task at hand.

"This was to be expected, actually. This sounds like a move that The Prince would pull."

He looks down at his wife with a sense of pity,

"This is clearly a element of a larger manipulation to draw us out as well as control the tempo of our actions. We stick with our plan. We know what his goal is and we can stay focussed on that. Let him keep leading out with his resouces while we plan or moves."

His gaze goes from Clark, to Sandcaster, to Dorothy.

"Miss, please don't tell anyone that we are here. We will make our presence known when we are ready, not before. That goes double for Adam."

His voice is level and steady, being half-command and half-request.

[Sandcaster]

"Well that's going to present a bit of a problem, Vali." Sandcaster waited a tick for the prodigal Knight to realize the problem; when he didn't immediately comment, she explained. "I can keep Clark and Adam out of sight, but you have just asked to return to active status with the Knights. That means that - at the very least - the other Knights will need to know that you're back on board. And while I don't pretend to know exactly who has allegiances to whom in the Teragen, there is the small matter that one of your teammates is a Terat...or have you not been following the news regarding Sean McCline? Now, what you choose to tell Sean regarding where you have been is your business, and I don't know how well you have managed to maintain your assumed identity during your absense, but at the very least, it will be known that Madison 'Vali' West is once again a Knight in good standing."

[Dorothy Roberts]

Dinner is a subdued affair, with everyone pre-occupied with their own problems. While the food is good, the conversation is even worse than usual. Finally, Dorothy's wrist computer beeps with a reply from Wakinyan.

She hits a few buttons, and then says, "Oh, that was fast. He's sent along the recording as an attachment. Here." She takes off the wrist computer and hands it over to Clark. It's one of the Knights' communicators, but with most of the security protocols removed (preventing anyone who got this comm off her from tapping into the Knights' communications). It doubled as an OpNet device and a highly portable computer, which is what Dorothy used it for.

Attached to a message from Wakinyan is a high-definition video file containing Leslie's performance.

[z-Clark]

Clark watches the clip on Dorothy's computer, her face impassive. When it's done, her eyes close, and she releases a shuddering sigh. But when her exhale is complete, the hesitant emotions are gone, and the cold, calculating woman is left.

"I think now is when we should inform Father that his position is less superior than he surmises," Clark says softly. "And we need to contact Count Orzaiz; while he was unwilling to extend his influence before, he certainly will now. And even if he is unwilling, once the news spreads, someone of power will offer their services." And seek to control us, Clark adds to herself, knowing full well that everyone else they involved in this would have their own agenda. Even those in this room.

"I think that your father should approach him, Vali - they do know each other, correct?" Clark asks, focusing on the problem at hand.

[Madison 'Vali' West]

Vali watches in his own detached silence. He doesn't know Leslie, but it doesn't matter. The person he is studying is Clark.

"Yes, Dad knows Count Orzaiz. How well and to what depth ... I don't know. He's not open to me with those kind of details."

His hand remains firmly on Clark's shoulder. After a few seconds hesitation, he adds,

"And we need to talk, privately."

[z-Clark]

Clark nods and excuses herself from the table, saying to Vali, "Then we should talk about it. Sandcaster, we need to use one of your rooms." She leads the way to one of the many empty rooms and turns to Vali. "Yes? What do you want to discuss?"

(Continued in THE Talk )