The Elephant Ep2.21: If It's A Girl

The great hall was filled to more than capacity with hordes of her former brethren. Their faces stared back at her from all sides. The eyes digging into her with contempt and disgust. "A traitor." That's what they were all thinking. Meryl pushed the guard's hands off of her and stepped forward. The chains around her wrists were more than enough to ward off thoughts of escape. Doors opened before her. Up on the stage, the contraption sat innocently with its keeper alongside. "Meryl Raynor, you are charged with-." She didn't bother to listen. The charges were always the same.

"You were a mistake. A disappointment. I should have left you in that medical facility." She looked up into the eyes of her mother. Helen stood over her with a frown that brought thoughts of death with it. The High Counselor pushed the keeper aside and took the lever in her own hands. This would stay in the family. "Why don't you stop this?" Meryl blinked several times before accepting what she saw. Tom was there. He walked onto the stage and shook his head. "Tell them why you're here." Something that wasn't supposed to happen did. She felt tears stream down her cheeks. A sign of weakness.

"I'm here for you." Tom grinned maliciously and shook his head again. He took a step forward and pushed the lever in Helen's hands. Meryl screamed in pain as her body was twisted within the metal confines of the machine. She tasted blood in her mouth. "Lies! This has nothing to do with me." Her head slid downward in defeat. She knew what he was talking about. Tom was right about her. Meryl was here because of what she had done. "I brought her back. It's all my fault. I could have prevented this." Tom nodded his head solemnly. "And now we both pay the price."

Tom opened his eyes slowly and stared up at the ceiling above his head. Surprisingly, he had slept soundly this time. No dreams of dead bodies in space or fiery explosions. Only darkness remained when he left the real world. He could not say the same for his companion. Lying on the floor nearby, Meryl was twisting and turning in her sleep. "Sorry." She said the word several times before becoming still again. Tom lifted himself off the cold, steel floor and stretched his legs. The archiving station had been a safe haven for them. No one had come looking yet. He considered waking Meryl but quickly changed his mind. "Let her sleep."

The door slid open without so much as a creak. Peacekeeper technology surpassed anything he had ever seen. Even in the smallest details. The hallway appeared to be empty from his point of view. No sounds of footsteps or anything else. Tom slipped one of his feet outside the station and let it touch ground. It didn't make any noise. "This is a really bad idea." He took another look around and sighed. "Where the hell do you find a bathroom around here?" There was no answer. He stepped out completely.

<<<<>>>>

Sil checked the computer console again and frowned. How could these people be so stupid? One of the archiving stations had apparently been used in the past few arns. This was of course routine. But the materials looked up where most unusual. Meryl Raynor and the mysterious human were still on the ship. She knew exactly where. "Shall I report this to Madam Raynor?" The tech who had alerted her walked back up to the console. Sil erased the notification and turned to him. "No. Keep this to yourself. I'll check it out first." Normally, a break in procedure would have alerted the young man. But this girl was no ordinary peacekeeper.

"I can't believe I just did that." Red-faced, Tom stuck the trash receptacle back where he had originally found it. He buttoned up his pants and moved out of the side corridor. The main hallway was still empty. Off in the distance, the sound of talking soldiers alerted him. Going back would have to wait a few minutes. "Just Relax Tom. You can do this." Who the frell was he kidding? They were gonna find him, and kill him, and mutilate... A female's voice stopped his train of thought. It wasn't Meryl, but similar enough for him to take notice.

Sil stared up at the pair of soldiers and frowned. Frelling special forces brutes, they always thought themselves superior. "Aren't you a little young to be working for a high counselor?" The bigger of the two smiled garishly and winked at his cohort. Sil backed up slightly and pulled the pulse pistol from her belt. It wouldn't be the first time she needed to use it. "Move along. I don't want to file a report." As the minor incident occurred, a figure in the background made his move. Tom kept one eye on the scene while making his way towards the archiving station.

She caught the movement out of the corner of her eye. There was no more time to be messing around with idiots. Sil fired her pistol far less than a metra away from the lead soldier's assets. Shocked, he backed away and motioned for his friend to follow. "Get the frell out of here." They obeyed. Turning back to the figure, she raised her gun. "You there, freeze!" Tom stopped and slowly turned around. He had almost made it to the station. Sil walked up to him and smiled. "You're the human?" She looked him up and down. "I expected more."

<<<<>>>>

She let the last drops of cold, soothing water wash over her face and drop softly to the floor. The shower felt good after so many arns spent working and planning. Helen opened the door and grabbed the towel that waited for her. Stepping outside, she checked the message log and began pulling on her uniform. "Do you need anything Madam Raynor?" The automated voice came on immediately. After so many cycles out in the dark reaches of space, that voice was one of her few constants. "Patch me through to Sil." There was an electronic buzzing sound. "Hello?"

The word came out with a hint of nervousness. Helen caught that immediately but said nothing. Her assistant always seemed to be upset about something. That was one of her many duties after all. "Any signs yet?" She touched one of the controls on the panel and Sil's image appeared on the screen. The young girl was inside a grey room. Not unlike any place in the ship. "No, they are still in hiding. Our sensors haven't picked up anything unusual yet." Helen nodded. She was about to sign off when something else came to mind. "What about the leviathan?"

Sil pushed a strand of hair out of her view and nodded. The other part of their plan was still working smoothly. She turned away from the image of her superior and brought up the signal's position. There was no sign of it anywhere. "Well?" Helen was becoming impatient. "It dropped off our scanners a few microts ago. There's no way to track the ship during starburst." The High Counselor nodded. This little problem had been anticipated. The Velorion was strategically placed within range of all possible exits. Once it entered normal space again, Moya would not be difficult to catch up to. "Very well. Notify me with status changes."

<<<<>>>>

Meryl's dream ended as most nightmares do. She shot up off the floor and barely contained herself from screaming. Sweating profusely, the ex-captain stood and looked around. There was something strange about her surroundings that she couldn't quite place. "Frelling idiot!" The realization came quickly. Tom was gone. Checking every corner of the station, she finally gave up in frustration. He could be anywhere on the ship. Most likely he had been captured again. Meryl groaned and went for the door. Something caught her eye first.

The archiving computer sat unused since the last time. She made her way towards it slowly. A thought that had been lurking in the back of her mind now came forward. Something she had almost forgotten. Her stomach, or more precisely her womb, started burning. It hadn't done that in a while. Zhaan had said something about a quite period. It was gone now. Meryl forced herself to stand up straight and walked over to the computer. Now might be the perfect chance to find out more about the problem.

"Frelling natural pregnancies. Haven't I suffered enough?" Thinking back to her dream, she thought not. Typing quickly, she entered the proper keywords for the system to search. With any luck, it would hold something of importance. Millions of files ran before her eyes as the machine did its work. Meryl would know the answer soon enough. "INTRUDER - SECTION 70!" She froze in place. This was exactly what she didn't need right now. Bright red lights filled the room and gave away her position. The computer locked down. Somewhere not too far away, a young tek had changed his mind.

<<<<>>>>

He held the black pistol firmly in his hands. Flecks of dried blood were still visible on the handle. D'Argo growled and flung the weapon against the wall. It hit loudly and smashed into tiny pieces. Not surprisingly, the action didn't help. "I thought about it, you know. When we first found out. I considered just killing him and ending it." The feelings of guilt and regret where not new to him. Since arriving on this ship, those feelings seemed to be growing more prominent by the day. The peacekeeper's face was burned into his memory. It might never go away.

"Don't even think about blaming yourself. This was my doing. I could have prevented it." Those were the first words out of her mouth since the incident. Zhaan had run from the lab, her shoulder wrapped in a tourniquet, to the comfort and isolation of her cell. She had not allowed anyone inside except for the Luxan. He had been there. He had seen what happened. "He did what you would have in the same situation. Those kind of sacrifices could be called honorable." D'Argo looked over at her. She was helped by the words.

Chiana rolled and unrolled the piece of paper again and again in her hands. She couldn't quite describe what she was feeling inside at the moment. The Nebari had never felt anything like it. There was a bigger picture she was supposed to look at now. That's what John would say. But he wasn't here right now and she didn't know what the frell that meant. A very close friend of hers had almost killed her. A man had died in the process. Death and sacrifice weren't new concepts to young woman. But this ship didn't feel as warm anymore.

She could hear the smack of her boots against the hard ground as she walked. The halls of Moya were quiet for once. Aeryn made her way slowly through them, wondering just what the frell was going on. An air of depression had settled in over Moya. As much as she enjoyed the silence, this didn't feel right. A round object shot out of the door in front of her and hit the wall. It settled at her feet. "John, is that-?" The human wasn't there. Chiana forced a half smile from her place on the bed. Aeryn felt herself pulling back inside. The words came anyway. "Do you want to talk?"

"So, what exactly are you?" Rachel watched him carefully as he struggled to find a comfortable spot on the bed. Kithara looked up at her and smiled. The human seemed nice. "I'm a boy." She sighed. Did all aliens have to be so damn ambiguous? "Yes, but what kind of boy?" The mischievous look on his face was not unfamiliar to her. Memories of Tom at the same age crept into her thoughts. "There isn't really a name for people like me. I just am." He slipped off the bed and walked over to the mirror. Rachel watched him study his face with a strange wonder. Truthfully, she wasn't sure what to make of him either. Something about the eyes though. She couldn't quite place it. "I don't know either."

The den was quite once again after the disturbing activities that had taken place there in the past few arns. Pilot watched from his console as the DRDs scurried about. Cleaning up what was left of the unpleasantness. He was glad to see it go. The memory still burned inside his head. Moya was no better. Their connection only made it worse. "Ow! Please Rygel, not so rough." The tiny Hynerion had chosen to remain with him as a sort of caretaker. Floating beside him, Rygel held a damp cloth. The wound left by Zhaan had not yet healed completely. There wasn't much pain. On the outside at least. "If you would stop moving, I wouldn't have to push so hard."

The two of them eyed each other carefully. Obviously, Rygel had an ulterior motive for being here. He wasn't the type to play nurse. "What do you want?" The floating dominar looked hurt. "Is that all I am to you? Fine then." He turned and headed for the door. "Wait, I'm sorry." Pilot watched his demeanor change immediately. There was always something. "You saw what that blue bitch did to us. Let's get rid of her." The words shocked Pilot. Considering who they came from, they shouldn't have. But he could hope. "You're angry Rygel. It'll pass." The Hynerion grunted something unintelligible. "You care about her as much as the rest of us." There was no response.

<<<<>>>>

The door slammed open loudly and she kicked herself for not being careful. Anyone nearby could have heard that and come running. No one did. Meryl slipped out into the hallway and raised her gun. They would be here soon either way. Moving stealthily, she headed to the right. Her progress was stopped cold seconds later. The sound of footsteps coming closer was getting louder. Meryl pointed her gun at it. "Don't think that's going to work." One gun against who knew how many. She headed back towards the archiving station. "Raynor! Drop the gun." She ignored the voice and ran.

"She's in the archiving station. Shall we get her by force?" The soldier raised the comm up to his ear and waited for a response. This was the High Counselor's daughter he was dealing with. There was no room for mistakes. "No. Order her out. If she refuses, let her go." It didn't make any sense to him. "What the frell." He moved forward. The squadron of soldiers walked up to the door and waited. No sound came from inside. If she was there, Meryl Raynor was well hidden. "Come out slowly with your weapon lowered. It doesn't have to end like this." The man next to him gave an odd look. "I always wanted to say that."

Meryl watched the scene from farther down the hall. They had assumed that she went inside. It would prove to be a costly mistake. The lead soldier pushed through the door. He and his comrades stepped inside. "Dren." Spilling more blood only made her feel worse. No doubt they had already seen the pulse pistol. She had overloaded it and left it on the computer console. "Evac now!" The man's shout was in vain. An explosion ripped through the room and engulfed the squadron. There were no survivors.

Helen heard the entire mess through her comm. She was actually surprised by what happened. Meryl would never just surrender. She knew that. But the killing of fellow peacekeepers for no good reason was unexpected. "I guess that means she refused." Standing from her desk, the High Counselor left the room. As she made her way down the hallway, something else came to mind. Helen stopped the first tek she came across. "Have you seen my assistant?" He shook his head and continued on. It didn't matter. She would do this alone.

There were only so many places she could go. That sounded strange considering the size of the Velorion. But getting lost in its interminable walkways was not the way out. She would have to find a hangar. "You've been here before. You know the way." Meryl did know they way. It ran right through hostile territory. "Meryl, can you hear me?" The voice made her freeze in place. A memory she had never really had. It was her mother. "I'm sure you can. Listen carefully." She considered making a run for it. There was no point in it. "No officer on this ship is to harm Meryl Raynor. If approached, do nothing."

The words didn't shock her as much as she would have thought. Meryl looked around the hall she was standing in. A tek was coming down the corridor towards her. He stopped briefly but said nothing. She nodded at him. "Move along." Mother wanted daughter for herself. "Frell." Meryl started to run. As she made her way down the passage, hundreds of soldiers stared in confusion. The cafeteria was up ahead. She stopped at the entrance. A thousand pairs of eyes looked back at her. The comm went on again. "The hangar is through there, Meryl."

<<<<>>>>

Moya floated into the Uedo system without any interference. At least not any that she could see. John and Zelaya stood on the terrace without saying a word. He had wanted to since they were reunited. There were plenty of things to talk about. "I'm sorry." The Ferrian turned around to face him with a frown. Behind the mask of confidence, he thought he caught a glimpse of real pain. "What the frell do you have to be sorry about?" At least she was talking now. John stepped forward and kept his eyes on the stars above. "We all thought you were dead."

Zelaya stared into him with all the anger she could muster. Truthfully, she hadn't even thought about it until now. Leaving had been her decision. Even before what happened on Nyid. She had sworn to kill Scorpius. Somehow that became secondary to what her new employers wanted. There was no satisfaction in destroying the Artanis. It was their victory, not hers. "Well, I didn't. I'm still here." John finally looked her right in the eyes. That was what she feared most of all. The Zelaya he knew wasn't there anymore. "Crichton!"

Pilot's voice interrupted whatever conversation was about to begin. His sensors had been picking up strange signals since they had arrived in the system. Something was surrounding Moya. Something they couldn't see. "What is it Pilot?" John searched in all directions but he could see nothing. "It's everywhere. Moya, I, we don't recognize it." Suddenly their answer came. A rippling effect that both John and Zelaya had seen before filled the air around them. Large grey ships appeared out of nowhere. "Scarrens? How the hell?"

General Quelnor imagined the confusion that must have been going on in the leviathan in front of him. He imagined the looks of surprise on their faces. It had all been necessary. Without the assistance of General Hallin, he couldn't know where the Velorion would resurface. But something told him this ship held the key. "Open a comm channel." The officer closest to him executed the order. John Crichton's face appeared on the screen. "Yeah? What the hell do you guys want?" Quelnor smiled. "We're your escort."

<<<<>>>>

Meryl pushed past the maze of tables and stumbled into the passageway beyond. She turned briefly to see what she had come through. The faces were still trained on her. A hint of what felt like shame passed through her. Only for a moment before she remembered what they really represented. "Frell, frell, frell." That made her feel a bit better. Meryl turned back to where she was going. A large steel door stood directly in front of her. It was the way to the hangar. That much she knew. Whether or not escape was possible was a different story. "Meryl!" Her mother was coming.

Helen spotted her across the cafeteria and started running. She had been right about her daughter's destination. Better to escape now and formulate a better plan. The human was still loose on her ship somewhere. He would eventually be found and killed. "Meryl, there's no point in this!" The younger version of herself did not listen. Helen pushed past her subordinates and entered the hallway just as Meryl closed the hangar door. "Madam Raynor, we have a problem." Her comm was going off. "Not now."

Meryl stared at an empty room in dumbstruck fascination. Somehow her mother had known what she'd do. There was nothing left for her to fly in here. All the ships had been moved to other hangars. "The hard way then." She reached for her gun and didn't find it. That trick had already been used. A glowing control panel caught her eye. She went for it. "Meryl, I told you." The door opened next to her. Helen walked in slowly. There was no gun in her hand. "Let's go back in and talk about this." Meryl shook her head angrily. "I'm not a child." Her mother smiled. "Yes you are." The massive hangar doors opened.

Both women turned towards the sound and gasped. The doorway to space had opened up and cleared a path to freedom. Meryl's mouth hung open as she recognized the ship that sat between the Scarren entourage. "That's Moya." A loud curse came from behind her. Helen grabbed her daughter's collar and pushed them both back into the ship. The grey vessels outside began firing wildly into the hangar. Flames engulfed the area. The Velorion was under attack.

<<<<>>>>

"This is embarrassing." Tom shook from side to side but could not free himself from the restraints. The girl had put him up against the wall. His hands were spread out and cuffed alongside him. She had been gone for a while now and his arms were starting to get tired. The sound of footsteps gave him hope. The door across from where he stood opened. Sil walked in quietly and raised a finger to her lips. No one could know that he was here. "Will you let me go now?" The young girl smiled. "No, not yet." She moved quickly across the room until they were face to face. Tom braced himself.

Sil took a step towards the human. The scent of fear and sweat was heavy on him. She could see the vulnerable look in his eyes. "Humans? After everything that I've heard, you don't seem so tough." They were mere inches apart now. She smiled and slid closer. The idea had popped into her head quite a while back. The so-called human curse. Time to try it out for herself. Sil leaned forward and kissed Tom firmly on the lips. His eyes went wide but he made no attempt to struggle. That's not how things are done in outer space.

They stayed that way for what seemed like an eternity. As the girl kissed him, Tom became more and more aware of how young she looked. "Is this long enough?" Her words came muffled through the locked lips. He had no answer for her. Sil took a step back and stared at him. She wiped her lips clean and frowned. "I feel nothing. Does it take a while to kick in?" Tom was confused. "What are you talking about?" The young girl shook her head angrily. "Don't toy with me. I know about Meryl Raynor and Aeryn Sun. What you did to them. Do it to me." Tom almost laughed.

"I can't just do it to you. Humans don't have any kind of curse." Sil didn't understand. What else could possibly explain the defections. "Then what is it?" Tom thought the question over momentarily. How could he explain this. "There has to be an emotional connection. It's more than just physical contact." Sil nodded her head slowly. "I see." She brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes. "How old are you?" The question surprised her. "16 cycles. Why?" That only made Tom feel worse.

<<<<>>>>

"What do you want us to do about the Scarrens?" Helen looked up at the nervous tek and frowned. Couldn't they do anything by themselves anymore? "I want you to kill them." The man nodded several times and then left the room. She turned her attention back to the daughter she hadn't seen in quite a while. "Shouldn't you be out there? Seems more important than me." Meryl sat in the chair across from her. No restraints or harnesses were necessary. She wouldn't try to escape anymore. "You are my top priority Meryl. The reason I'm out here." They locked eyes momentarily.

"Do you remember the day I was born?" The question caught Helen off guard. It was the last thing she expected to hear. Meryl seemed to have undergone a change in the past few microts. She wasn't fighting anymore. "Vaguely. Why?" Control of the conversation had switched sides. "Was there a woman there? Did she save your life." The shocked look on Helen's face was confirmation enough. "I've never told anyone about that." Meryl nodded. "That was me. The only reason you are here is because of me." Helen said nothing. She couldn't think of anything to say.

She had known of projects run by the peacekeepers. Things so secret that some members of the high council didn't even know about them. What Meryl was saying was possible. It actually made sense in a twisted sort of way. "Why tell me this now? Should I spare your life because you spared mine?" The daughter shrugged. She would say nothing further about it. "I'm surprised Meryl. Did you really think I was going to kill you." Meryl just stared forward. "No matter what you've done. I wouldn't take it that far. Not personally anyway. The council's decision is out of my hands."

There was something else on Meryl's mind. Something she had been wondering since the day Tom had come back from Earth. "If you're so willing to spare me, why not my father?" Helen smiled momentarily before looking up at the ceiling. The man her daughter spoke of had never really left her thoughts. There was no real love there. But respect at some point. "You chose to leave the peacekeepers. Your father did not. He would have destroyed everything if we hadn't stopped him." Meryl took that in. "So that's where I get it from?" Helen was not amused.

<<<<>>>>

The odd little moment had ended. Tom and Sil sat across from each at the table. He looked up and caught her staring at him. Nothing romantic. More like disappointment. "Who are you?" She nodded her head as if the question had been expected all along. "I'm angry at you. But I'll tell you anyway." Tom was still getting over the fact that she was 16. The picture etched into her face had made her seem older. More experienced perhaps. "Ok." That was all he could manage at this point. Sil leaned back in the chair. "I'm a sewage depository. In a manner of speaking anyway."

Her face remained stone cold as she spoke. This was not like talking to Aeryn or Meryl. The girl was still a peacekeeper in his eyes. Sil kept talking. "I've worked with Helen all my life. I can't remember not knowing her." A question formed in Tom's mind. "She's your mother?" Sil shook her head and laughed. "No. Although she is the closest thing I've had to one. Helen is my boss. I am her conscience." This wasn't making sense to the lowly human. He had plenty to think about already. "I consider the rights and wrongs of a situation so she doesn't have to. It's crazy, I know. But it works for her."

Tom shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Why did he suddenly feel like a therapist? "We helped blow up a peacekeeper science vessel a few days ago. Hundreds of good men and women killed." The example helped to connect things in his mind. "I can see their faces every time I close my eyes. Helen is unaffected." He leaned towards her and raised his hand. Sil shook her head and moved it away. She didn't want his sympathy. It just felt good to talk about. "She has Meryl you know." That got Tom's attention right away. "Take me to her." Sil laughed. "Ha! she would kill me too." A click made her freeze. "But I've got your gun." She sighed. "Frell."

<<<<>>>>

They had sat silently like this for half an arn now. Apparently the momentous meeting between mother and daughter wasn't so momentous after all. Helen wanted to hit her badly now. The smug look of accomplishment on her daughter's face couldn't be taken back. Meryl was proud of what she was now. She had betrayed her heritage and upbringing without any remorse or guilt. At least none that Helen could see. Maybe killing her wasn't such a bad idea. "You leave me little options." Meryl smiled. "I see only one." There was a knock at the door.

Four soldiers came in from a side entrance and trained their guns on Meryl. The main door had been restricted. No one was to come through it. Which meant someone else was on the other side. Helen stood and aimed her gun at the metal partition. "Open." The door slid to the side and revealed Tom Wells. He was holding his own gun. It was aimed right back at her. "Let her go or I'll shoot you." The mask of confidence on his face was thin. She noted that. "If you kill me, they'll kill Meryl." Tom looked past her and saw the guards. Their prisoner was becoming agitated.

Meryl understood what was happening. Tom was there. She could here his voice off in the distance. Everything sounded far away now. "Let her go!" He repeated the phrase several times. Helen did not respond. Rustling up whatever nerve she had left, the ex-captain stood up from her chair. The armed guards followed her but did not fire. They knew better. Madam Raynor would have their heads. "Consider your situation boy. There's no way out of this for you." Helen was counting on his fear to take over. So far it was winning the battle.

"Tom! Shoot her!" Both Tom and Helen turned their eyes toward her at the same time. "Shut up!" They said the words in unison. Meryl wouldn't let it go this time. "It's my fault. I did this. You know that. Kill her!" The guards watched her shout but did nothing. They didn't move without orders. "I said shut up!" Tom's nerves were shot. All he could do now was keep the gun trained on Helen. He could think of nothing else. Meryl started to shout again.

"Tom, I've been thinking. We never decided on a name for the baby. What do you think of Ayexssa if it's a girl? The words stung coming out of her mouth. Tom froze. "Ayexs-?" He suddenly realized what she was doing. "Meryl No!" It was too late. Realization came for Helen as well. Her face twisted into an angry snarl. The very idea was horrifying. She fired the pulse pistol. The shot burst forward and embedded itself in Tom's shoulder. He cried out in pain and squeezed his own trigger. Helen clutched her chest and went down with him.

Meryl smiled but the feelings inside were not of happiness. She knew only too well what had just happened. There was shouting from the guards and then her legs were pushed out from under her. She hit the ground in a trance and felt the gun move to her temple. "I'm sorry." Laughs came from above. The gun moved away from her head. Meryl heard two shots. A terrible burning started in her chest and stomach.

Tom lifted himself off the ground and ran to her. The guards raised their guns towards him but stopped short. Behind the human, Sil ran in urgently. "Let him go! No one touches them." She was Madam Raynor's right hand. They obeyed. Tom knelt over Meryl as tears streamed down his cheeks. "Sorry, sorry..." She repeated the words over and over to him. He leaned in closer. "You didn't have to do that!" Her eyes closed slowly and she lay still. "She's still breathing! Someone help me." Sil came up alongside him. "Get her out of here. I'll make sure no one stops you. She shouldn't die in a place like this." Tom nodded his head and picked Meryl off the ground.

"It's too late for her. She'll never make it off the ship." Sil ignored the soldiers and moved over to Helen. The only mother she had ever known was dying as well. There was more pain than she had ever imagined. "Sil, come here." The young girl obeyed a final time and leaned in closer. "I'm not sorry for what I did to you. But forgive me anyway ok?" Sil could only nod dumbly as her superior slipped away. Soon there was nothing left. She pulled the High Counselor pin off Helen's uniform and stood. The soldiers watched in fascination. They saluted her immediately. She wasn't going to cry. "Frell all of you." She dropped the pin and ran out of the room.