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The next day was a slow and somber one. Almost everyone was feeling the effects of the the previous day's misadventures. Alicia was feeling well enough to teach her class again, though, so everyone who was able joined her. She seemed to feel a very strong need to keep going with it, despite her initial reluctance. I suspected this had something to do with the abortive attack on the club.

Afterward I pulled her aside. "How are you doing?" I asked.

She shrugged, "I'm fine. I only took a knock to the head, after all."

"What did you see yesterday, anyway?" I said.

"I noticed a wire snap back as you were stepping inside. I think your talons must have cut it. My eyes kind of automatically followed the movement of the wire and I saw what looked like explosives. So I tried to pull you back. Then Melissa grabbed us both, and the rest you know." she said.

"I wonder if all the entrances were rigged." I mused.

"Probably, though they might have put the tripwires further in to make sure you were all the way inside the building. Judging from what the others have said it sounds like it was rigged to blow upwards more than outwards. They probably had you in mind, specifically." Alicia said.

"You're probably right. I guess I'm still on their most wanted list." I said, sighing. I hoped a day came soon when I wouldn't be fighting for my life all the time. It was getting tiresome. Especially when other people got hurt as a result.

Alicia shrugged again, "I imagine you're on a lot of people's most wanted lists, in one way or another. You are the most powerful person in the world, after all."

"I suppose so." I sighed.

"I'm going to go practice flying again." she said and wandered off. I thought about following, but I got the impression she wanted to be alone.

Melissa found me a little later. "Hey Cat, good news! Looks like Jimmy's going to make it after all. It's still too early to say for sure, but Jessica says his pulse is stronger and he looks a little less pale."

I sighed in relief, "Thanks, that's great news!"

"Yeah, it is." she agreed, looking down at her feet.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Well, I was just thinking... That club, the people who run it, anyway? They must have long since moved on somewhere else. And I bet these people are going to be keeping the mutants they have under their control hidden now that they know we're here." she said.

I nodded, "Yeah, that makes sense. What are you getting at?"

Melissa shrugged, "Well, that pretty much removes our reason for being here, doesn't it? I mean, we have to take care of these people until we can get them back to the island or wherever they might want to go, but after that there's no reason to stay. And then there's the grave."

"What about the grave?" I asked, though I suspected I knew where she was going.

"Well, there were a lot of mutants in there. Too many. I suppose they could have come from the Bangkok Zoo, but if what Alicia experienced is anything to go by they didn't. I doubt we'll find the people who ran that club, at least anytime soon, but Genarm is bigger. Them we might be able to find." Melissa said.

I nodded, "Yes, that's true. From what we've learned so far, it seems likely that Genarm are behind the grave, and most of the mutants we've found here."

"Exactly." Melissa agreed. "And we really need to deal with them. I mean, mass graves?! They're killing and mutating and torturing people by the dozens or maybe even hundreds! Shouldn't we be doing something about that?"

"I've thought about that, too." I said. "But going after Genarm is a more dangerous proposition. We'll need all the help we can get for that. We can't possibly do that until we've got all of these people out of here. Even then we'll need all the strongest mutants we can get, and maybe other help as well. From what Kim and Carl have said they probably have some strong mutants working for them, after all."

Melissa sighed in frustration, "I know! It's just so wrong. And I bet they were behind that clinic where I mutated, too. Although I got what I wanted out of it, mostly, other people really suffered because of that place. How many other clinics might there be out there? The only way to stop this is to go after the source, right?"

"Yes," I agreed, "and we will. But we have to be patient. You saw what happened in the club, both times. We've already lost one and may lose one or two more. You almost died, and so did I. It's just too big to go in unprepared. Plus, we have to find out where they are. Taking out clinics and dump sites isn't changing anything, you're absolutely right. But that means going after the research sites; maybe even the people running the company. But if we go after executives and such, we'll have everyone after us. We might not be able to do anything until Thomas gets the United Nations on our side."

"Nobody's going to like hearing that." Melissa said.

"No, but it's reality. We jumped in here without knowing what we were doing. We're lucky we've been as effective as we have. But like you said, they're ready for us now. They'll be in hiding. The best thing we can do right now is to get these people to safety, along with any others we might run across while we're here, and wait for word from Thomas." I said.

"I know you're right, but I think we're going to have trouble convincing some of the others. They want payback, and I really can't blame them." Melissa said.

I sighed, "Yeah, I can't either. I'll bring it up when everyone's together at dinner tonight. And I'll talk to Paul before then and brainstorm. Hopefully we can convince everyone. But we can't hold them back if they really want to go after Genarm, either, as much as I'd like to."

Melissa nodded and went looking for Kim to see what she'd heard from the others. I went looking for Paul.

I found him before long and we talked. He had noticed much of the same sentiment in the others that Melissa had. Mostly the people who came from the club.

At dinner that night everyone was on edge. Nobody was happy about how things had gone at the club. Once the discussion got going it was very heated. The ones rescued from the club were eager to fight the people who had abused them and Alicia was, if anything, even more eager. Most of the rest of us understood the need to wait. Kim was the only other one who wanted to stay and fight.

We went back and forth for an hour or more. I could tell that several were wavering and would probably go along with us when we left. But Alicia, Kim and Stefan, along with a couple of others, were more stubborn.

It was Muay who finally convinced them. She had been watching the arguing going back and forth silently but suddenly stood and spoke, "We almost lose khun mae, and blade girl. We lose other. Many get hurt. We stay, it get worse. Lose too much. We go, we live. Not lose khun mae. Not lose anyone. Maybe save others later. Get help."

Lek stood awkwardly by her side and nodded her agreement, her tail lashing anxiously. The sight of those two girls standing up against everyone else had tears streaking down my face. Lek turned towards me and nudged Muay and they came over and hugged me. "No tears khun mae, we no stay." Lek said.

"Thank you, girls." was all I could get out as I hugged them back.

I guess the others were as moved as I, because the arguments stopped. Some still weren't happy about it, but they realized that they weren't going to get anywhere on their own and decided it would be best to stick together. Alicia took it the worst, as I expected.

Jeannie and Janet had been there, as they usually were at these dinner gatherings. Jeannie called to me once the arguments were over. Lek and Muay stayed with Paul; they still didn't trust the twins.

"What's up?" I asked once I was seated on the pier near them.

"You're talking about leaving, right? Going back to that island?" Jeannie asked.

"Yes, once we've gotten everyone healthy enough and get them wherever they want to go. Why?" I asked.

Jeannie looked to Janet, but she just nodded to her to continue, "Well, we've talked about it and we really don't want to be left all alone out here."

I nodded, "Of course, you can come along if you want. Or we can drop you off somewhere else."

"We would like to go to the island, but we're not comfortable getting on the plane. We feel very vulnerable out of the water." Jeannie said.

"Hmm, are you sure you couldn't manage it? Going by water would take a long time." I said.

Jeannie looked to Janet again, but she shook her head, "I think we'll have to. But how do we find the island?"

"I'm not sure. I suppose I could guide you, but I think Thomas is going to be needing me soon for the UN thing, and that would take too long. Let me think about it and I'll get back to you, okay?" I said.

"Sure, thanks." Jeannie agreed.

I went back to Paul and filled him in. We decided we should talk to Carl about it, since he knows the route better and probably has some maps.

With the decision made the atmosphere was calmer over the next couple of days. Three days after the club explosion Carl returned.

Paul and I waited on the pier as he pulled up to it. We helped him secure it and then sat inside. "So, how did it go?" I asked.

"Fine, we didn't hit any problems. Had some rough weather on the way back, but nothing unusual." Carl replied. "I did manage to track down Thomas, though."

"Really, what did he have to say?" I asked.

"I gave him the pictures of the grave and told him about it, and the club. He said that should be enough to win over some of the more reluctant, if you come and talk to them." Carl said.

I nodded, "I thought that was coming. That's going to complicate things. Our situation here is still dangerous, especially since we're looking to move out. Our numbers will dwindle and without me here to help I'm not sure how things will go."

"I anticipated that, actually. I talked to Thomas about it and he managed to scrounge up some supplies for you in time for me to take them here. There's a lot of non-perishable type stuff in the plane that should hold everyone over for a while so you're not needed for hunting as much. And Thomas promised not to keep you for long. If we can arrange a time to meet so you can speak, we could probably be back in two or three days. About the same time it takes to make the trip to the island and back, without side trips." Carl replied.

"Okay, that might work. It would probably be better to do it sooner rather than later, though. While we still have a lot of people here." I said.

Carl nodded, "Okay, I'll call Thomas and see when he can get you in."

"Before you do that, do you have any ideas how to help a couple of mermaids find their way to the island from here?" Paul asked.

"I take it they don't want to fly?" Carl asked and Paul shook his head, "Okay. Obviously the first option would be to have someone show them the way. But that would either mean Greg, who isn't here, or Cat. You could wait until everybody else has left and then take them back yourself, but I'm not sure you'd know the way all that well yourself underwater."

"Right. What about the compass? Would that give them a precise enough heading to find their way?" I asked.

Carl shook his head, "Not likely. Not at this distance. And I'm pretty sure a direct route would be impossible without going over land, anyway."

"So we're pretty much stuck with me guiding them, unless we get Greg out here. Then again, we'll be sending you back a few times, so that would be doable. But could he make the trip and find his way?" I wondered.

"He knows the ocean around the island like the back of his hand. If anyone can find his way there it'd be him." Paul said confidently.

"At least with him traveling with them he could go on land to ask for directions, couldn't he?" Carl said.

Paul and I exchanged a glance and nodded, "Okay, if he's up for it we'll have him lead the twins back to the island. Obviously when this happens depends on that phone call, so we'll leave you to it." I said.

We left Carl to make his call on his satellite phone.

"So do you think Greg will be willing? It's a long trip." I asked Paul.

He shrugged, "Probably. He loves the ocean, always has I think. I know he's ventured out a fair ways before, just for fun. It'll be difficult, of course, but at least the three of them are perfectly capable of getting food on the way. And I suspect he'll appreciate the challenge."

"Okay, so that's one problem probably solved. I wonder what it will be like when I have to talk to the UN?" I wondered.

"I'll be there with you." he said.

"No, you probably won't." I said, putting my finger up to his lips to keep him from arguing. "I'm going to need you here to keep things going in my absence. You're good at organizing people and they are used to following you."

"But you can't go alone!" he protested.

I shrugged, "I won't be alone. Carl and Thomas will be with me. And I'll just be there to talk, not fight."

"Like that's ever stopped you from getting into a fight before?" he said.

"True," I agreed with a wry grin, "that does tend to happen a lot. But I'll be as prepared as I can be. Besides, this is the UN! There will be a lot of important people there so there will be plenty of security. I doubt anyone would try to attack me there. It would be suicide."

Paul didn't look entirely convinced, but dropped it. But I caught a gleam in his eye and knew he had something up his sleeve.

Carl came out a few minutes later as we were sitting silently on the pier together. "Cat? Thomas has arranged for you to talk at a UN meeting in four days, if that's okay?"

I nodded, "Sure, that will work. How long will it take us to get there?"

Carl sighed, "It's going to be in New York, so it'll take a couple of days to get there. I thought it would happen in Europe, but that's the way it came out."

"It's not that much longer than what you said already. Go ahead and tell him I'll be there." I said.

"Uh, I already did, with the understanding that I'd be calling him back if there was a problem. I hope that's okay?" Carl said hesitantly.

"Sure, that's fine." I agreed.

We left him then so he could get some sleep after his long trip. Paul said he had something to do and wandered off. I was sure it was some scheme to give himself an excuse to go with me.

At dinner that night we told them our plans. Some were annoyed that it would delay their departure to the island, but most agreed it was a good thing in the long run. The only ones who really seemed to have a problem with it were Muay and Lek.

After dinner they ran over to me, "No go khun mae!" Lek was crying over and over again.

"Girls, it's just for a few days. It's not dangerous at all, I'm just going to talk to some people who will hopefully be helping us out. There's no reason to worry."

"You no go without us khun mae!" Muay said, or rather ordered. Lek nodded as she held on for dear life.

"Maybe I'd better come along to keep the girls out of trouble?" Paul suggested as he walked over with a satisfied grin.

"That's low, Paul." I said.

He nodded, looking at least slightly remorseful, "True, if I'd done anything. But I didn't have to. One mention of you being gone for four days or more was enough to get this reaction."

I sighed, "We'll see." is all I said. None of them looked too pleased at that answer, but it was enough to calm the girls down. For now.

I told the twins the tentative plan and they were happy with that. They weren't in a great hurry to leave, it seemed, only anxious about being left all alone. I could certainly understand that.

In the morning Carl got his plane refueled and ready to go. We decided to leave the next day. I'd do some hunting to stock up and supplement the supplies Carl brought. Mike and Paul unloaded the supplies, which included more medicine, bandages, blankets and a few other odds and ends.

The next day we got ready to go. As expected, Lek and Muay stayed glued to my side and insisted on going. It seemed clear that I wasn't going to get away without them.

Paul approached with a hopeful expression, "So, what's the verdict?"

I shook my head, "Okay, the girls can come. But I still think you need to stay here."

Paul sighed, "Yeah, I figured you'd say that. I don't like staying behind, but I have to admit there's still a lot of work to do here. At least this time you shouldn't get into any fights, I hope."

"I'll do my best." I said. I hugged him and kissed him goodbye before getting on the plane with the girls. Carl was already strapped in and ready to go.

"All set?" he asked. I nodded, so he started the engine. I waved to the people who had gathered on the pier before closing the door.

Soon we were in the air. The girls were a little anxious but happy. I just hoped there wouldn't be a problem with bringing them along. Carl didn't seem to think so.

The flight was long and boring for all of us. We had to stop to refuel a few times, stopping longer for Carl to sleep on occasion. We'd kept enough food and water on the plane for the trip so we didn't have to try and find food as well. I wondered about the amount of money Carl must be spending on fuel, but he seemed unconcerned.

Finally we arrived in New York. That's when things got crazy. Thomas had made preparations for our arrival, we soon learned. We were met at the dock by police, FBI, Homeland Security and I don't know what other groups. They weren't too pleased by the presence of the girls. The fact we three had no identification of any kind didn't make them any happier.

I was about ready to pick up the girls and fly away when Thomas arrived. It took an hour, but he finally got everyone to back off. "Hi Cat, sorry for the circus." he said once he finally made it through the crowd. The only ones he wasn't able to get to back off were the press. They arrived a little later, but were quick to swarm in. There were camera flashes coming from every direction and it was clearly scaring the girls.

I pulled them close and wrapped my wings around them as best I could, which seemed to calm them some. "Yeah, I should have expected it, I guess. What now?" I said.

"The meeting isn't until tomorrow, so I've arranged a hotel room for you. I wasn't expecting these two, though. Why did you bring them?" he asked, looking curiously at Lek and Muay.

"This is Lek and Muay. They've sort of adopted me and wouldn't let me go without them." I said.

He shrugged, "Okay. The room has two beds, so that shouldn't be a problem. There's another room for Carl, so he doesn't have to sleep in the plane again."

"Okay, let's get away from all these cameras." I said. He nodded and led the way. The government people who had been such a pest just a short time ago were becoming much more useful as they made a path for us through the crowd of reporters and the curious.

A large stretch SUV was waiting for us. I had to wrap my wings around me to get in, but it was pretty spacious inside. Lek and Muay shot in quickly to get away from the cameras and Thomas and Carl followed them in. "Traveling in style, huh?" I said, looking around with interest.

Thomas laughed, "You are kind of a visiting dignitary, in a way. Besides, I figured we'd need something this big for you to fit inside!"

"A good point." I agreed. "So, we just sit in the hotel until tomorrow, then?"

"Mostly. I don't think it's safe for you to wander the streets right now, and the government wouldn't let you anyway. At least not without a substantial escort. But there is something else I'd like you to do, if you're up for it." Thomas said.

"What's that?" I asked.

"A press conference. I want to put all the pressure on the UN we can. If you tell your side of things publicly before the meeting it might help us." Thomas replied worriedly.

I had to think about that one. I knew better than to think that the press would necessarily be on our side. It was at least as likely that they'd brand us terrorists like that officer on the aircraft carrier. "Won't they just try to make me look bad?" I asked.

Thomas shrugged, "Some probably will, but not all. You've got more friends than you know. Chrysalis isn't hurting matters, either. There's been some bad press here and there, and there will always be those who put people they don't like in the worst light they possibly can, but a lot of the mutant coverage lately has been positive."

"Really?" I asked in surprise. "I was under the impression mutants aren't exactly popular."

"In many places they aren't, but the worst excesses are usually not in the more developed countries or are out in the country away from the big cities. There are exceptions, of course, but public opinion has been slowly shifting in our favor." Thomas said.

I nodded thoughtfully, "Okay, I guess I could give it a shot if you think it will help. But there is the matter of the girls. I doubt they'd be happy being left alone in the hotel while I'm doing the press conference, but all the noise and lights would probably scare them if they were there."

"We brave, khun mae, we stay with you." Muay said.

"Are you sure? It's likely to be very loud and chaotic." I said. Muay and Lek both nodded emphatically. "Okay, you can come then." They both smiled nervously.

"Okay, so it will be the three of you, then." Thomas said, not seeming bothered by the change in plans. "There's one other thing. While your current appearance will play up the 'downtrodden' angle, I think it would be best that you all look more presentable for both the press and the UN."

Frowning, I said, "I don't have anything nicer than this with me, and the girls don't have anything else. I don't have any money to buy anything."

Thomas smiled, "I know, so I took the liberty of getting you some help. A woman named Emilia Carter will be meeting us at the hotel. She'll get your measurements and go find something suitable for all three of you. I'm assuming by the way they are clinging to you that you'll want to bring these two with you to the UN meeting?"

I nodded, "I hope that's not a problem?"

He shook his head, "No, I don't think so."

"How are we going to pay for all this?" I asked worriedly.

"Don't worry about it. Remember I said you have more friends than you know?" he asked. I nodded, "Well, some of them are wealthy enough to donate funds for this trip. They're paying for the limo, hotel, food and clothes. They're even paying to refuel Carl's plane."

"Really?! That's the first I've heard of that." Carl said in surprise.

"A charitable foundation was setup to help mutants, and they're footing the bill. I put in the part about fuel since I figured you could use a break from paying for it yourself." Thomas said.

"I could have handled it, but thanks. Anybody we know in this foundation?" Carl asked curiously.

Thomas shook his head, "I doubt it. Several wealthy, but not overly well known, people are funding it. Most of the funds come from them, though they're starting to raise money from the general public as well."

That surprised me and gave me something to think about on the drive to the hotel. It was a big building, called the Millenium UN Plaza Hotel. It looked like it would be expensive so I was glad we were getting help.

There was another media frenzy at the hotel for the thankfully short walk from the limo into the lobby. As soon as we stepped into the lobby everybody stopped to look at us, although most went about their business quickly. One woman didn't and started walking towards us.

"Cat, this is Emilia." Thomas said, gesturing towards the middle aged woman. "She'll be helping the three of you with clothes for the conference this afternoon and the meeting tomorrow."

"Three?" Emilia asked in surprise.

"Yes, there was a small change in plans. I hope that won't be a problem?" Thomas asked.

Emilia shook her head, plastering a professional smile on her face before turning to me, "Hello I'm Emilia Carter." she said, holding her hand out expectantly.

I shook her hand, "I'm Catherine, but everybody just calls me Cat. This is Lek and Muay." The girls waved shyly while trying to hide behind me.

"Well, I can see you are going to need the works. I'll go get that arranged. Room 386, right Thomas?" Emilia said.

Thomas nodded and she walked off. "Works?" I asked with a sinking feeling.

He smiled weakly, "She probably means haircut, manicure, that sort of thing. Everything should be able to be done from the room."

"Manicure?!" I repeated weakly.

Thomas chuckled, "I keep forgetting you used to be a guy. It should be painless. Come on, I'll show you to your rooms."

I numbly followed Thomas. He and Carl started talking about a sports game on the elevator ride up while Muay giggled at the stunned look on my and Lek's faces.

I shook it off when we got to the room. It was quite large. Lek and Muay immediately began jumping on the bed and giggling like they didn't have a care in the world. I realized for the first time that they might never have had a real bed, at least not one as nice as this.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Thomas said.

I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes, "So, what happens now?"

"Emilia will be back with her helpers soon, and that will take up several hours of your time. But they'll be doing most of the work, so you can use that time to think about what you want to say to the press." he said, tactfully ignoring my tears.

He took Carl to his room and left us alone. The girls were having fun, so I left them to it and looked around. I was standing at the door to the bathroom contemplating being able to take a real shower when there was a knock on the door.

When I came back out Lek and Muay were calm again, quickly rushing to my side as I walked to the door. I looked first, but it was just Emilia and some other women. As soon as I opened the door she breezed in with the other women close on her heels.

"Okay, first things first!" she said. "We need to get your measurements."

And that began one of the most... interesting experiences of my life. First we were measured, then told to take a long shower. It felt great to have a real shower again, and the girls certainly were having fun when they had theirs by the sounds of it, but we weren't allowed to linger too long. As soon as we were clean they started working on our hair. With many a frown they washed, conditioned and cut it. At the same time someone was trying to work on my fingernails and toenails. That proved a bit more difficult than they were accustomed to.

They couldn't do a thing with my talons, finally deciding to just leave them as is. My fingernails proved too tough to cut, but they were able to shape them somewhat once they tried using a metal file. They painted them black, to match my talons. They tend to look that way anyway since my claws, which are just below my fingernails, are also black. They had much better luck with Lek and Muay. Muay seemed to enjoy all of it, but Lek was much more reluctant.

Next came a pile of clothes to try on. All of mine took my wings into account, so were low-backed or backless. They also took our tails into account, thankfully. Because of my wings they didn't bother trying to put me into a woman's business suit, so it was dresses for me. The girls got the same, though Lek chose a much longer skirt than Muay or I did.

Finally the clothing was sorted, a huge pile being taken away while a smaller one remained with us. Then they started on our hair. I didn't even try to keep track of everything they were doing. After that came makeup. I tried to protest that it wasn't necessary, but they insisted.

I felt like an entire day had passed by the time they were done making us over, but at last Emilia declared us ready. There were no mirrors in the room, so she shooed us off to the bathroom to see what we looked like. To say I was shocked would be an understatement.

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To Be Continued…