Thanks to Malady for his help in editing this!

I woke up sometime later. I was in my bed, and Mama was sitting in a chair beside me, keeping watch.

“How long have I been out, Mama?”

“A couple of hours, Rosie.”

I looked around and seemed to remember opening my eyes and seeing the real world around me. “Did we get Carla?” I tried to sit up, but I was woozy.

“Yes,” Mama replied. “She’s in your crystals for now.”

I reached out with my mind. I had a better idea of how to navigate my crystals now, and I tried to find her. I could tell there was something there, but not what. I felt deeper and started to feel like there was another consciousness, but there was nothing else I could find.

“We’re going to let you rest up for a day, then you and I have another job to do.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“We’re going to transfer her into her body.”

“How come I’m home?”

“Jack and Sylvia are in the other room. I’m sure they know you’re awake, but they also know you’re doing okay.”

I had a massive headache. I’m sure that my bots were working on it, but I’m not sure they knew how. “I have a question. I know we had to go into Carla’s crystals and retrieve her consciousness, but why couldn’t it load into her mind from where it was?”

John answered. “Marc kinda explained it to you when you and Mom dove. Her consciousness needs to reboot.”

I nodded my head.

“To do that, it needs to be in her brain, not her crystals. The crystals aren’t alive. No connections are being made unless the computer is doing it.”

“So why couldn’t the computer hold her consciousness?”

“All that computer does is acts as a file server.”

I thought about that. “Then how can the people downstairs be programmed?”

“If I understand it correctly,” John said, “What happens is the programs are written into the crystals, and the firewall was programmed to allow only certain ‘files’ to be accessed.”

I wasn’t a computer programmer, but I understood the basics of operations. “So, if we change out the memory in each file server…” I stopped, as John was shaking his head.

“The file server's programming is in the read-only memory.”

“Then we can’t change it back!” I paused as something occurred to me. “Wait a second. How was the new programming put in then?”

“I asked the same question. Essentially, it was a computer virus that changed the underlying code of the server.”

“So if it’s read-only memory, how can we change it?”

Mom smiled. “We write a virus that changes it back.”

-=#=-

The next day, John and I made our way to Daddy’s lab. He and Mama were working on a new bot for Carla. These were tuned only to Carla’s crystals, so we weren’t concerned with Amos hijacking her body.

I went home and began working in the kitchen. A few minutes later, there was a knock on my door. I went over and opened it. Paula floated in. Not that she was in the air, mind you, but there was absolutely no mistaking the fact that she and Marc had consummated their relationship.

"How was it, " I asked, intending to tease her.

"Oh, God!" She said. "You'd never believe it. I can hardly believe it myself. I wouldn't have thought it possible…"

I held up my hand. "Sis. Yes, I would. Enough said."

Her eyes were as wide as saucers as she sat down in one of my dining chairs. She started off into space, twisting some of her honey blonde hair around her fingers. I glanced at her after a few minutes of rolling some egg rolls. Her eyes were closed and she was still playing with her hair. She had a beatific smile on her face, and I assumed she was off in her own little world.

I couldn't blame her. The same thing happened to me almost every night. Since I was doing much better now that my legs and arms had healed, John and I were making up for lost time.

I dropped the egg rolls into my deep fat fryer, and even the sizzling sound didn't seem to bother Sis. She was gone.

I started in on some General Tso's chicken for everyone in Daddy's lab. Two kinds. John, Mama and I loved my super spicy kind, but the rest couldn't handle it. I made the sauce, then added the extra ingredients to heat up part of it.

I looked at Paula and decided to give her a bit more time, and maybe fill out her day. While she enjoyed my General Tso's, my Orange Chicken was her favorite. It wasn't hard for me to make some sauce for some of that either. After some Chow Mein, I figured she'd had enough time. "Sis?"

"Uh huh?"

"Ready to help me carry this to Daddy's lab?"

"Uh huh." Twirl twirl.

She didn't move.

"This century?"

"Uh huh." Twirl twirl.

I carried the orange chicken over to her, set it down in front of her. I lifted the lid, and she simply said, "That smells nice."

Bonds were wonderful, but was I this far out after I'd…? yeah, I was. I shook her by the shoulder, and her eyes opened and slowly came into focus.

"Did you have to do that?"

"Well, I figured since you were here, I'd ask you for help."

She looked at the dish in front of her. It was enough for the main course for eight people. "Carrying it or eating it?" She inhaled, and I was afraid she might drift off again.

I grabbed the serving dish and clanged the lid onto it. "Oh no you don't!"

She slowly stood. "See if I come here after a fun night again."

"Sis, it's one in the afternoon."

"Is it?" She asked innocently.

I shook my head and determined that I would not exit my house until at least 3 PM when John and I had fun in the morning. "Do you think I might get some help?"

She sighed and picked up the dish. We made a couple of trips out to the garage where the cart was parked. We set everything on the flat trailer and I started the cart, flipped the switch that activated the remote for the trailer, and we were off.

The cart was very nice in not having wheels. Instead it used some of Trent's fields to levitate and then move forward. The trailer followed obediently behind, responding to my controls a predetermined amount of time after I changed them on the cart. The faster I went, the quicker it responded. It was a clever system, but I had no idea how it worked, just that it did.

I was moving slowly, as I hadn't bothered to tie down the food. We still didn't have far to go, so before long, we were sitting outside the lab. Sis seemed to be a bit more with it, but I wondered how long that would last. Marc was inside.

We carried the food in, and I was pleasantly surprised when she put the food on the table and then melted into Marc's arms for an long kiss.

Not that I could say much. I didn't react much differently with John. Such was the nature of bonds.

While we were eating, Daddy told me that he had to run some tests on the bots, then we would be ready to put Carla's consciousness where it belonged.

He spent six hours testing them, and then Mama and I prepared. I took my younger sister's and placed my necklace inside it, wrapping her fingers around it. Daddy taped her fingers closed so she couldn't accidentally let go as we placed her back in.

I could sense her body now, as my bots made the connection between us. Around my arm, I had Mama's bracelet, where her crystals we're set. I felt Mama enter my mind through the link, then we dove into Carla. It was so strange being in her body rather than her crystals. Everything seemed turquoise, but there wasn't a glow to it.

"How, Mama?" I asked.

"At this point, Baby, your guess is as good as mine."

"Thanks, Mom, " I said sarcastically.

"Do you know anyone who's done this?" she asked me pointedly.

"No, " I said contritely.

"Neither do I. We're just going to have to try it."

I looked around. I could see Mama, and I could see the walls around me. "Do you think this should be glowing too?"

"Maybe, " she answered thoughtfully.

We joined together and mentally imagined a copy of Carla's spirit moving from my crystals to the mind around us. We knew when it was done, but nothing glowed. And there was no response from Carla.

"We need to run the program, Rosie, " Mama said after a moment.

We thought about how it might happen, and all the sudden I felt like I was Carla and Carla was me. I was lying flat on a table, and memories came flooding back into my mind—all the things Amos had made me do. My eyes flew open, and I screamed!

-=#=-

I screamed and screamed—all the things I had done at his direction. I heard Daddy's voice. "Carla!"

I saw him looking down at me, and then he gathered me into his arms and sat me up, hugging me. I could feel his fingers in my hair and the warmth of his body as he comforted me. Then, I started to recede, and the sensations got farther and farther away. His voice got softer and softer, although I could tell from the timber that he was still speaking at the same volume.

Then I was myself again. Mama was there, as was Carla. She had stopped screaming and was weeping. Her arms we're around Daddy now, and I could feel everything she did, but very faintly. I was seeing three ways now, and it was very disorienting.

Daddy looked at Mama and asked, "Can she let go of Rosie's crystals now?"

"I believe so, Vern." I wasn't looking at Mama, but I knew she was smiling as wide as she could. I could feel it through our link.

I was shocked at Carla's reaction. I had felt it from her perspective, but in retrospect, her last experience had been being tortured for information she didn't have. I remembered it. It was excruciating!

Suddenly, I felt Mama put her arms around me while Daddy removed the tape from Carla's hand and gently removed my necklace from it. Suddenly, the link to Carla was gone. Gently, Daddy removed the bracelet from my arm, and I was alone in my head.

For a moment, I wished Mama was back, but John stepped up and gently put his arms around me. I couldn't get that feeling out of my head—that torture. I looked at Paula and felt a momentary hatred, but then it was gone. I had to remind myself that it was not Paula's fault. She had not known that Carla was the one experiencing the torture. She had no way to know that Carla didn't have the information that she sought.

Still, Carla was weeping. I stepped up to her and embraced her. I whispered in her ear. "Please don't tell Paula."

I felt her nod slightly, then she said, "I'm so sorry," between sobs.

I shook my head. "You have nothing to be sorry about."

"I did all those things."

"Amos was responsible."

"This body. It was his!"

I'm not sure when Paula realized the implications of that, but I don't think Carla did. When I looked back toward Paula, she and Marc weren't there.

I stayed with my little sister for a couple of hours; then, she started to get tired. I guess the weeping had tired her out.

I went outside with John, and I explained to him what Carla had said, and the implications that Paula must have realized.

"Oh shit, " John said.

We hurried to Paula's home, but no one was there. We started around the lake, and in the dark, I thought I saw some movement ahead. I definitely heard talking. We moved toward the people, and it was my sister and her new husband, sitting on a rock, talking. Marc waved us off, but without even looking up, Paula said, "How bad was it, Rose?"

"You don't want to know that, Paula."

"Yes, I do, Rosie. I tortured our sister until she died."

"She's alive, " I told her.

"She'll remember what I did to her forever."

"Paula. You didn't torture her."

"I authorized it!" She screamed at me. "I was there, watching! So was Fred. And you know what?"

"What?" I asked.

"I was happy when she died!"

"No you weren't, " I said. "You were happy when Amos died."

"He didn't!"

"But you didn't know that, Paula!"

"Go home, Rosie."

"Paula!" I began.

"Go. Home!"

"No." There was another large rock a few feet away. I sat down, and after a few moments, John joined me. He was looking at me strangely, but he wasn't arguing.

"I hate you, you bitch!" Paula yelled. I looked in her eyes, and I didn't see hate. I saw hurt—intense pain at what she realized she had inadvertently done to Carla.

I tried again. "Paula..."

"Leave. Me. Alone!" She screamed.

"I can't," I said calmly.

She glared at me, and then started to cry. She buried her head in Marc's chest. She spoke in between her sobs, and I could just make out what she was saying. "All... I can... do... is hurt... the ones I love."

I stood and quickly moved over to her, my heart breaking for what she must be feeling.

Marc started to say something, but then he stopped. He nodded, and I sat on the other side of her. I put my arm around her, and Marc released her into my hold.

"I'm not hurt by what you said to me, " I said quietly as she put her head on my shoulder. "I hurt for you, Sis. I understand why you feel the way you do. I can't imagine what you're feeling, but there is no way I won't be here for you."

She nodded and continued to sob. God, I have no idea how she felt, but I couldn't leave her. Marc put his arm around her again, and we sat there with our arms around her. A few minutes later, John was there, in front of Paula, lending his strength as well. Several times, Paula stopped crying, but then started again. I knew she would stop eventually, but with perfect memory, it would be a very long time before other things covered the hurt enough to lessen the pain.

Eventually, Paula stopped sobbing, and her breathing slowed. She had finally slipped into sleep. I released her, and John helped me to my feet. Marc carefully picked her up and took her to their house. I followed and hurried around him to open the doors. He gently laid her down on the bed and thanked me. I hugged him, then went home and climbed into bed just as the sun was beginning to rise.

We got up around noon that day, and went to see how Paula was doing. She was still sleeping, so Marc said he’d call us when she woke up.

Next, we went to see Carla. Daddy and Mama told us that she had cried the whole night, and finally went to sleep in the early morning.

“None of us got much sleep,” I said.

“That’s not surprising,” Mama told me. “It was a rough night for us all. Your daddy and I didn’t sleep very well either.”

“Mom?” It was Carla calling from the next room.

“I’m here, Sweetheart.”

We both walked into the room that Carla had spent the night in. She was sitting up in bed, and I rushed to her and gave her a big hug. “Carla, I’m so happy to see you back!”

She looked at me strange and pushed away from me. “Who are you?”

---

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Thanks! Rosemary