Our Secondary Base, the Beta site it was called was in a huge frigging cave buried under a mountain. Looking around as I got out of the helicopter that had delivered me I recalled the conversation in the Colonel’s office the day before yesterday.

“Keyes, Xaing, as you know we’re planning expansion of our facilities and even have things in place for an even safer facility to back this one up as the influx of emerged rises.” Harris told us both. “Keyes, you’ve seen the new facility and I’ll follow your recommendations for someone to — oversee the construction.”

I passed looks at both of them and had this horrible sinking feeling in my stomach as they blandly returned my looks. “Why do I think I’m getting another whammie here?” I questioned then hastily tacked on, “Sirs.”

Probably because you’re smart enough to realize who Keyes recommended for the job, Master Sergeant.” Colonel Harris answered with a straight face.

“But, sir,” I countered, knowing I’d already lost the battle but still willing to fight it just because I could, “I don’t know the first thing about construction, I wouldn’t know if something was built well or not and that’s the honest truth. You both know what a hopeless klutz I am with construction, tools, and things like that.”

“We aren’t asking you to build the place, Xiang.” The colonel chuckled, actually chuckled at my horrified, outraged expression. “All we want you to do is make sure the new facilities fit our needs, and those you are well acquainted with.”

“Consider it more of a quality control position.” Kris soothed before I could get in another word. “You’ll basically be there as a consultant to tell the work crews if they’ve done something wrong, or haven’t done something that should be done. You won’t have to actually supervise the construction, just watch and guide the people doing the work. Now does that sound all that difficult?”

“No.” I answered carefully. “Which is what worries me here. How do you think the people on a construction crew are going to take being told what to do by a slip of a girl who obviously doesn’t know the real difference between a claw hammer and a rubber mallet?”

“Because.” The colonel answered in the tone that meant he was done with nonsense, period. “Everyone there will be informed that you are in overall command of the operation regardless of your actual rank, and that you are number three in the pecking order of the Center. If that isn’t enough clout, you can always call on either myself or Keyes here.”

“Can I say no to this?” I questioned.

“You could,” he shrugged, “but it wouldn’t do you any good. The orders are cut, the notifications sent, and you’re flying out in two days. That should give you enough time to get the gist of what’s going on there and get your head around the fact that it’s your responsibility to see that the new facility is capable of handling the newly emerged and veteran teams. You know what all that requires, so fuss and fume all you like, just do it on your time, not the Centers.”

I’d been sooo had. And I knew it. With a sigh, I nodded. “Yes sir, understood. I take it pertinent information will be waiting in my office once I get back there?”

“It’s already on your computer, Xiang.”

Why wasn’t I surprised?

I’d gotten my goodbyes said, made sure Ariel was doing her homework and attending her psych sessions with Doc Tipps, and more importantly would continue doing so while I was gone, packed and was on the plane heading to Colorado to do a another job I really didn’t want, but was also kind of looking forward to.

I know that sounds like a contradiction. What can I say? I’m kind of a contradiction myself after all. I was also wearing the dress uniform appropriate for a Master Sergeant in the US Army. The one with skirt and short heels. It wasn’t the most uncomfortable thing I’d ever worn, but it still felt odd, especially with all the saluting and stuff I had to handle — both getting and giving. The colonel, bless his little black heart, had simply told me that if I was outranked I needed to salute, and if someone saluted me, I should return it. My arm was already tired.

And I was getting a lot of speculative looks from the regular troops travelling with me. For one, I looked like a sixteen year old girl playing army. For another, I was a really HOT sixteen year old girl playing army. Oh yeah, one more thing with all this. These people were directly under my command. Joy of joys. Not a squad, mind you. That would have been bad enough even though I was used to that by now, but I had a whole damned platoon on my hands.

And now it was time to introduce myself, and tell them what their job was going to be.

Gathering my courage, I unstrapped from my seat, which was kind of a relief, the bench seats in a military transport aren’t all that comfortable, and moved towards the front of the cabin, or whatever it’s called. Feeling everyone’s eyes following me was actually something that didn’t bother me any longer, which was kind of weird in itself but not something to dwell on at the moment.

“Okay everyone!” I spoke into a microphone that one of them obligingly handed me and watched as all of them gave me curious to wary looks. “Listen up.”

When I had their attention, I nodded remembering not to smile and waved those who had started to stiffen to some form of attention down. “As you were, as you were, I’m no stuck up officer who needs people stroking her ego, so relax and just pay attention when I talk or give an order. Got that?”

Some of them looked a little surprised, others grinned, and others gave me speculative looks. I let them size me up for a few seconds, returning their regard with what I hoped was a cooly collected calm then nodded.

“Some of you already know me, most of you don’t.” I started. “I’m Master Sergeant Lucinda Xiang, and before any of you new people wonder out loud if I’m for real just ask Cpl. Donahue or anyone in his squad about me. I’m most definitely for real, and will expect you all to obey any orders I give. If you feel I’m wrong, that’s your right, but don’t question me about my decisions in public, air them privately with me even if it’s just whispering to me that you think I’ve screwed up. I will listen if there’s time for that and if not we’ll talk later.”

I waited for them to digest that and let them talk among themselves for a few seconds before starting again. “You’ve all been briefed about who and what I am, correct? If not read your briefings and trust me, I’ll be having talks with those of you who haven’t done that yet. Our job is going to be tough enough without anyone being ignorant of what is and what isn’t in our mission purview.”

Okay, I’d been reading a lot, and studying, and talking with Leon Donahue and my squad members, and the colonel, and… Well, you get the idea. I was young, looked it, and knew I had to convince these soldiers that I was capable of doing the job before anything else could happen.

“You all should know about the ‘emerged’ by now, right?” I looked and everyone showed they did in some way. “I’m one of them, as you should know already, and there are more popping up all the time. Our job is to get to them before they do too much damage or get snatched by some bunch of bad guys. Our area of responsibility is basically the Pacific Northwest along with Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. Lots of ground there, I know, but we’re still spread pretty thin at the moment. When we get alerted about an emergence you are the people who get sent to retrieve them. I’ll expect you to be as gentle as possible, but at times force will be needed. Follow the general guidelines in your preliminary briefings and things should go fine. Most of the time.”

“Fuck up with this, and trust me I will be kicking ass like you never thought possible, people.” I told them with an evil little grin that faded into an expression of determination that I’ve been told is more than a bit intimidating. “If you think I can’t, dream on. I’m new at this, but I’ve been trained by the best, have been on missions, and have run the gamut of possibilities that could come up on jobs like the ones you’ll be thrown into. I’ve done it, all of it, even the messy things.”

“If anyone doesn’t want to believe her,” Donahue spoke up after a stretching of silence that had lasted an eternity of several seconds, “I’ll tell you right now that the Sarge has not only seen the elephant, she’s killed it a few times. When older, more experienced and so—called tougher people were crapping their drawers over what she faced down. I’ve seen it, so any of you got problems with my Sergeant, I’ll be talking with you. Real close and personal.”

He’d called me his sergeant. I’d never heard him talk that way to anyone about me, but the rest of my squad voiced quiet agreement with him while I simply watched for a few seconds then cleared my throat. “Thanks, Donahue. Now to the rest of you. You got a problem with me, bring it to me or I probably won’t be able to keep him from ‘educating’ you. Trust me, he’s very good at that.”

I gave them all a bland look, nodded and moved away from the front. “That’s all for now. I will be talking with each of you individually as soon as possible.”

“That a promise or a threat, Sarge?” One of the new people, a heavyset Spec 1 questioned with a grin.

“Either way you like — Savinsky.” I answered after doing a quick run through of the names and faces of my people from my own briefings. “But I don’t make threats.”

The rest of the trip was fairly quiet. For them. Me? I had specifications to go over, already in place personnel to read up on, and even found a little time to worry about being up to the job I’d been handed. Though I was careful not to let that show as I casually read the information on my laptop.

Beta site was in Colorado, very close to Colorado Springs which I’d actually visited once or twice as my old self. It was an old NORAD facility that had been mothballed during a financial crunch and had never been reactivated. Until Homeland security took it over and gave it to the Center. And little me got to oversee the installation of the amenities that would make it a home for at least fifty students and a lot more staff.

Staff that I’d get to Vet until Daniel got up to speed and could take over the place. I so much enjoyed my fantasies of Colonel Harris and Kris slowly roasting over a nice open fire.

After that I actually felt better.

I barely saw any of Colorado Springs once we’d landed. First I was supervising the unloading of our equipment and getting my own emerged team together so we could travel to our destination as a group. Yes, I had other kids with me, given some of the things we’d be doing in Colorado and the surrounding environs. What? You thought that soldiers, no matter how well trained were going to be left with picking up newly emerged kids on their own, or that I was going to be the only ‘Child of the Tainted Waters’ on hand to make sure they were successful?

Johnny Harris, no relation to the Colonel, and our precog/telepath/empath sniffed the cool air and watched several helicopters landing very close to where we all waited. “This is going to be an interesting month or so, Luce.”

I gave him a sour look that he returned steadily with his clear grey eyes while the wind played with his only halfway tamed sandy hair and he shrugged. Johnny wasn’t as powerful as Dani — Danielle Marks — but he often had insights that were uncanny even for a precognitive, like seeing further into the future than Dani could even if what he felt was less clear.

“I won’t ask you to define ‘interesting’ just now, Johnny.” I answered with a sigh. “Unless you feel like it’s some kind of emergency I really should know about.”

“Nah, nothing but an observation, Luce.” He responded while grinning at me. “But I do know that you’ll do fine here. Better than fine, in fact.”

“That’s comforting.” I grumbled but smiled back at him.

“That one’s our ride.” Kelly Guiterrriez, our finder/tracker announced while pointing out one of the helicopters just landing. Kelly was a petite Hispanic girl who pretty much managed to look both like one hot little Latina, and a shy little girl who’d much rather be reading some novel than being out in public. Her big brown eyes were so soulful that over half the guys at the Center were not so secretly in some sort of love with her. A fact she managed to blithely ignore most of the time.

The last member of that small group, Laramie Jones, simply watched things while hugging her coat tightly around her slim, athletic form and trying not to shiver. Laramie, who knows why she chose that name because she came from Mississippi, was an African/American girl who narrowly missed looking like Diana Ross in her heyday. I knew who the singer was because my parents had liked her music and had more than a few videos of her performing. Oh, Laramie had been a not so lily white cracker with a black girl friend before the change and had spent a lot of time in psych counseling afterwards just getting used to her new self. She was our healer and a good one. I was more than happy to have her along.

A helmeted figure wearing an air force flight suit jumped out of the chopper Kelly had pointed out, saw us, and waved us over. I picked up my briefcase and carry bag while saying. “Okay, kids, here we go.”

More saluting. The one waiting on us was a warrant officer, but he didn’t make a big deal out of things, just got us and our stuff aboard made sure we were strapped in and had our intercoms on, then went back to the business of helping fly the thing.

Things were a bit better once we reached Beta site. At least once inside I didn’t have to constantly worry about saluting people unless I got saluted first. I guess word had gotten around that I was third in the chain of command regardless of my actual rank. Just like Kris and Colonel Harris said it had. Not that I didn’t get my share of disbelieving looks from the delegation awaiting my arrival in spite of that. I’d even gotten used to that part of things since I’d been ram-rodded into being a Master Sergeant and overall third in the Center’s still tenuous chain of command.

A siren interrupted the introductions even before they got started and one of the ubiquitous black SUVs screeched to a halt in the hanger bay as armed guards and medics rushed to meet it. I glanced to Johnny who made hurry gestures towards the commotion.

“What’s going on here?” I questioned while moving towards the hub-bub.

“We have another new emergence arriving.” Answered a stick of a man wearing Major’s insignia and a nametag telling me his name was Martin Shu, the overall commander of the military contingent of the site.

“Bad one? I snapped out while still approaching the mess of armed and ready guards, hovering medical people and a still tightly closed SUV.

“Routine, I understand.” Shu shrugged.

“The why all the ruckus?” I questioned.

“Some of these — kids, go berserk with no warning.” He told me with a shrug. I just have standing orders given that proper precautions be taken when a new one is brought in.”

Johnny sidled up to me and whispered. “She’s terrified, Luce. These guys ripped her away from home without one word about why.”

“STOP!” I shouted at everyone in the vicinity. “Everyone but my people get out of the area, NOW!”

“Now wait a minute here, young lady…” Shu started but I interrupted him with a savage glare and barely managed to keep from grabbing his shirt and pulling him into range for a nice solid punch in the face.

“No, Major, you back off, and do it right now I happen to be one of ‘these kids’ that you seem to have been treating like some kind of plague carriers and your methods have this one so terrified she is about to go ballistic on you. Now get the Hell out my way and let me and my people deal with this cocked up mess before it turns into a real disaster.”

The armed soldiers were looking to Shu for orders and I was out of patience. I moved them away myself. Just a few yards, and made sure their weapons were all unloaded before returning my attention to the Major as Laramie and Johnny opened the doors of the SUV. “You and I are going to go over the proper methods of approaching a newly emerged as soon as things settle down, Major.”

“This is insubordination, Master Sergeant.” The man huffed and started drawing himself up for a tirade I neither had time or patience to deal with.

“Call the president to complain about it, if you like.” I snarled at him. “I have his number if you need it. But for now, get the Fuck out of my face and way.”

I didn’t spare the man a second glance as I climbed into the vehicle to join my team members. Laramie spared me a quick look then went back to soothing and healing some burn marks I recognized as after effects of a tasering. There were a lot of them. “Got her calmed down, boss, and I’m sucking up the pain for her.”

I nodded then shot a look to Johnny. “First or second stage?”

“Second.” he responded while stroking the poor girl’s forehead gently. Great. Not only had the poor kid emerged, but she’d already been through the physical transformation before the goon squad snatched her, and none too gently from what I could see of things.

“Powers?”

“Air related, and fairly strong.” He answered. “She tried to ride a wind to get away from these guys. After they’d tasered her.”

“Yeah, I can see some re-education in pickup techniques is high on the priorities list around here.” I muttered while moving to not only get a look at the poor girl but let her see me. Kneeling beside the gurney she was strapped to, I let out a long, heavy sigh and gave her a smile I wasn’t sure she recognized or not. “Hey. I’m Luce, the gorgeous chocolate skinned gal hovering over you like a mother hen is Laramie, and this guy whispering sweet words of comfort to you is Johnny. We aren’t going to hurt you, but you have to calm down a little, okay?”

“You just came and, and kidnapped me!” The girl, wild eyed, with some of the brightest red hair I’d ever seen stared at me out of half maddened steel blue eyes.

“No, honey, we didn’t.” I answered as gently as I could while Johnny still worked to calm the girl down. He was telepathic, and had some empathy, which made him a rare triple threat, so to speak, but each power was also weaker than it would have been in someone with only one or two of them. “My team and I just got off the plane here, and you’re safe with us. We’ll take care of you and I’ll explain what’s going on with you. I know it’s a pretty crappy thing to just say right now, but my first priority is you being calm enough to listen when I do tell you. Can you do that for me? Please? Stop fighting so hard now, you’re safe with us, I swear it.”

I took the time to give the driver and front seat passenger an expressionless glance and motion with my head for them to get out before returning my attention to the new girl. My hair had escaped the bonds of the beret I’d been wearing and was stroking, hugging, and generally doing soothing things to her.

“She’s asleep.” Laramie leaned back with a sigh of relief. Larmie’s style of healing takes more guts than I think I’d have. I watched the angry burn marks of a tasering she hadn’t gone through slowly fade from her chocolate colored skin and nodded.

“Then let’s get her somewhere safe.” I told the others then grimaced. “I don’t suppose either one of you knows how one of these things work?”

Both gave the gurney a look and Laramie nodded. “Yeah, isn’t that tough. Let’s get her to where she can get some real medical attention, I couldn’t get everything fixed that’s wrong with her in here.”

“Let’s do it.” I told them.

Once outside the vehicle I noted in some amusement that Kelly had picked up a loose SMG and was practically daring anyone to even think about approaching. Little girl like her waving an automatic weapon around, and confident enough with it that the surrounding soldiers knew she was competent with the thing. Now that was a picture I wish I could have gotten for later.

I waved the medical people up and at their hesitation, Kelly lowered her appropriated weapon and smiled at them. The first to move forward was wearing a lab coat over her simple but stylish dress, and didn’t seem all that bothered by the fracas itself. She muttered something like. “Dr Anna Somerville.” And immediately started examining the new girl.

I definitely heard her cursing someone and saying aloud. “About damned time someone who knows what they’re doing with these poor kids showed up around here.”

“Containment.” I ordered the second and third people to arrive. “With med facilities nearby.”

“Got it, Miss.” The first one answered while his partner went to the head of the gurney and started slowly moving it towards one of the open doorways that seemed miles away.

On the way past, I peremptorily motioned for the Major to join us. Once he had I asked in deceptively quiet tones. “You do have adequate, and humane containment facilities in place, right?”

“Of course we do.” He started to bluster again but I just waved him silent.

“You better be right on this one, Major Shu.” I growled. “I’ll be having a talk with you once we get this poor girl settled in. Got it?”

“Well, we got here.” I told Kris over my secure phone. “And I already have a problem to deal with.”

“I heard.” Her voice as a little grim, but I kind of expected that. “Shu called Colonel Harris about an hour ago about you.”

“I told him to call the president if he wanted.” I answered with a sigh. “Not the best way to get started here, was it?”

“Not that bad.” Kris let some amusement show. “People around here are starting to call you The Dragoness, you know that? You took control of a potentially nasty situation, got it settled down, and proved beyond a doubt that you’re the boss over there. All in less than fifteen minutes, too. I’d say it didn’t turn out too badly.”

“Maybe not.” I grumbled. “The kid they brought in is still in iffy condition, they pretty well brutalized her to get her here at all. I don’t know if it was ignorance, deliberate maliciousness, out right fear, or a combination of those things, but I am going to find out.

Which raises the question of just how in the hell did untrained teams end up being trusted with pickups out here?” I raised my voice enough to show my anger over that one.

“Your job to find out on that one.” Kris told me.

“Oh, I intend to do just that.” I growled in response. “If this kind of thing was deliberately malicious, I guarantee someone is going to wish they were never born.”

“Our Dragoness has spoken.” Kris gave a mirthless chuckle over the phone. “And those nearby will tremble because of it.”

“What is this Dragoness shit?” I finally asked her.

“Well, let’s see…” She paused then launched into the explanation. “One, you’re very powerful. Two, you’re very scary when you get going with that power, or just on a tear over something like you are now. Three, what you can do, powers wise, and on a personal level often seems like magic to a lot of people. Four, you are VERY protective of the people you choose to associate with and take care of. Which pretty much includes everyone working for the Center, by the way. The only thing lacking is that you don’t breathe fire.”

“You’d change your mind about that if you could see me right now.” I ruefully answered.

“Handle it, Luce.” She told me quite seriously. “It’s part of what you’re there for, getting that place fit for other emerged kids.”

“I will.” I promised. How, I wasn’t exactly sure of, but I knew I couldn’t allow the kind of things I’d witnessed earlier to happen again in a place I was working out of.

“I know that Master Sergeant.” She told me then softened her voice a bit. “Colonel Harris and I both have a great deal of confidence in you. We know you won’t disappoint us.”

I closed the connection after a bit more inconsequential conversation, hoping their faith in me was justified.

I felt as much as heard Johnny approach me from the side as I watched the still unconscious girl through the observation window of her containment cell. He stood with me in silence for a few breaths then started giving me information he knew I’d be asking for. “She was Gerald Nakamura, fourth generation Japanese/American. Straight A student, star halfback and high jumper, popular guy and good looking, the girls really loved him from what I’ve been able to find so far.”

“What happened when she emerged?”

“Not much, really.” Johnny shrugged. “Jerry’s family was out of town visiting friends when his first emergence happened, some damage to the house and contents, but that has been blamed on some freakish winds in the area. He didn’t hurt anyone, was just really scared about what was happening.”

“Okay.” I kept watching the ex jock and waited for more.

“Second emergence came at night, when he was sleeping.” Johnny went on, so she was pretty well knocked out for the next twenty-four hours. Things got a little exciting when she woke up, screaming, running, winds doing funny things in the area, but she still hadn’t hurt anyone seriously until the pick up team showed up. That part you’ve seen already.”

“Yeah, idiots.” I shook my head. “Let me know when she wakes up, I have a meeting with someone right now.”

“Luce.” He stopped me for a moment and gently put a hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “You did good. Don’t let anyone tell you different, okay?”

“Not a chance in Hell of that happening, Jon-jon.” I used the nickname his friends called him by and left him to watch over our newest charge.

I knew I probably had an office somewhere in this maze, but didn’t want to take the time to find it, track Shu down, and get him there. So I went to his office instead. After grabbing some luckless corporal and telling him where I wanted to go.

“Thanks, Chavez.” I smiled at the poor guy, who’d been crapping his pants all the way up to Shu’s office, which overlooked the immense ground floor receiving area. And wonder of wonders, my office was right next to his. “Go back to what you were doing, I’ll be fine from here.”

“You’re welcome, Sarge.” The guy nodded then scurried off as if he were some fat juicy mouse under the scrutiny of a skinny, hungry cat. To be fair I don’t suppose the expression on my face during that walk was something that would have inspired warm, happy feelings in most people.

I did knock before entering the major’s office, and waited at least two seconds before opening the door and walking right in.

The woman seated at the desk, more of a girl than a woman given how young she looked gave me the wary eye and nodded. “Can I help you, Master Sergeant…?”

“Xiang.” I provided then just walked towards the door behind her desk. “He’s expecting me. He is here, right?”

“Yes, sergeant, he is.” She answered and keyed the intercom on her desk. “Sir, I have a Master Sergeant Xiang to see you?”

At a muffled response from the inner office she jerked her head up, gave me a long, hard and not so friendly stare then tilted her head towards the door I was already in front of. “Go on in.”

“Thanks, Rowan.” I gave her a real smile, after all I did appreciate someone doing their job the right way and with a first name like Rowan, the girl deserved a few breaks here and there. “I’ll go easy on him, if I can. But just in case, you might want to turn that intercom off?”

She goggled, actually goggled at me as I opened the door and entered Shu’s office.

The man was going through things on his computer and didn’t even look up as I entered. “It is customary to salute a superior officer, sergeant.”

“Cut the crap, major.” I told him while seating myself — uninvited, of course — in a comfortable leather chair to the side of his desk. “You know who and what I am, and my position in this facility.”

If I’d had the least bit of respect for the man I would have saluted him, but nothing I’d seen or heard so far gave me one bit of inclination to do that. Though there were hints that he actually was deserving of some respect I grudgingly had to admit to myself as my initial anger began to dissipate.

“Called the president yet?” I asked as he shut down what he’d been working on and took the time to give me a twelve megaton glare. I ignored that and went on. “I know you’ve already spoken with Colonel Harris.”

“What do you want from me, Sergeant?” He questioned. “Besides undermining my authority here, that is.”

“I have no intention of taking your job from you, major.” I answered with a shrug. “And I suppose some form of apology is in order for what went on in the receiving area earlier. But before I even think of giving something like that I need to know a few things.”

“If I have answers, you’ll have them.” He told me simply then waited to see what I’d do next. Okay, points to him on that one.

“Was it you who came up with the idea of sending out untrained collection teams to pick up newly emerged teens?”

“No.” He wasn’t going to offer more so I pressed the issue.

“Who then?”

“Our security Chief.” He was not going to make this easy at all.

“And that would be?” I kept on patiently on the outside while coming to a not so slow boil inside at his deliberate unwillingness to give me answers longer than a few words. I already knew who the man was through my own briefings but it wouldn’t hurt to let Shu think I didn’t have all the cards in this exchange.

“Captain Shaugnessy.”

“Well please get Captain Shaugnessy up here.” I gave him a cold smile. “Now.”

He looked at me for a few moments, obviously surprised that I’d used the P word, then nodded and keyed his intercom. “Rowan, page Captain Shaugnessy to my office ASAP, would you?”

I gave him a smile and leaned back in my chair. “Okay, major, first off, I’m not the bad bitch come to upset every apple cart I see. You’re an engineer, not combat or anti-terrorist and from what I’ve been looking at you’re doing a good job here when it’s within your purview. Like I said, I won’t stop that, I’m a big fan of ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ Your people are doing a great job on this place and you’ll have my commendations on that once I can get some hard data to back up what I’ve seen and heard so far. The containment facilities are better than we have at the original center, by the way. Nice work on those.”

He nodded his thanks, somewhat less inclined to hate my guts right away but still not sure I wasn’t just setting him up for a long, hard fall. Okay, I may have been doing that, but if someone is innocent, the fall isn’t that bad and they hopefully land on a nice pile of foam like those stuntmen who jump/fall/are thrown off the top of buildings in the movies. It doesn’t always work that way, I know, but one can hope, right?

“Look at it this way, major.” I told him. “I’m like the mama bear who sees her cubs playing with something she considers to be very dangerous, like a human, and I react to protect my cubs even if the human involved meant no harm. I’ve seen way too many kids die or cause others to die, because of something stupid happening that could have been avoided. Like the way this new one was treated. I was more intent on saving her, and everyone else in the general area, than on being polite. That’s one of my jobs and I’m good at it. People skills, I sometimes lack in, but I’m learning.”

“No wonder they made you a Master Sergeant.” He sat back and actually chuckled. “Don’t sell yourself short on the people skills either, Sergeant. You just set your priorities and get the job done, I see that well enough. Okay, truce?”

“Works for me.” I nodded and grinned. “Now tell me about your security chief.”

While Shu filled me in I finally took the time to look out the wall sized window in his office. What I could see of the facility was very impressive. The first thing one noticed was the huge, and I mean really humongous, vault like doors that opened to the outside world. Imagine the biggest safe you’ve ever seen in your life then multiply that by a factor of at least one hundred and you might get the idea. Well the place had been originally designed to withstand a direct hit during a nuclear attack, after all.

Off to one side was a hanger bay where the Cougars that had brought is here were parked. Those, if you don’t know, are small, fast helicopters used for rapid deployment or simple travel. The jets were hangered at the local air force base about five miles away.

There was also a very large motor pool that stretched for acres into the surrounding cavern. There were repair facilities, parking areas, offices, and a wide range of vehicles down there. I saw motorcycles, and what I was sure were more than a few APCs there. With several tractor trailer rigs and just about anything else between size wise. Impressive.

And that was only part of the picture. There were lower levels, reached by stairs, ramps, and elevators that were for offices, housing, recreational facilities, labs, and a complete, well stocked and staffed hospital. I’d personally seen that last because the containment cells were placed close to that one.

Overall the setup was both impressive and intimidating. I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to come into something like this and know you had to revamp, modernize, and make sure everything was structurally sound.

Okay, more points for Major Shu there. And I had to admit that my introduction hadn’t been one of the best I’d ever managed. The man was quite obviously very good at what he did, and I started to think he deserved a higher rank than Major and more respect than I’d given him so far as I watched things and listened to him tell me about his security chief.

The Captain was taking his own sweet time about answering the major’s summons. We passed the time with general conversation about the facility, Shu’s pride in his people and the job they were doing, and some of his own views on the people the place was being designed to house.

“I don’t have a stick up my butt about you ‘emerged’ people, you know.” He told me with a shrug and rueful smile. “Though I do have to admit that the thought of teenagers with the kinds of power I’ve heard about, and seen on occasion is more than a bit frightening.”

“Tell me about it.” I nodded with a sigh of my own. “Major, I’ve seen the good, the bad, the indifferent, and the really, really ugly in that regard. I don’t blame you at all for your concern. I’ve personally had to kill more than one of us just to keep breathing myself, or to make sure people I was responsible for stayed alive. It isn’t fun, but with the current situation it’s necessary way too often. That’s why I reacted so badly when that kid was brought in the way she was. We lose too many of them as it is without driving them to do things that are going to get them killed and a lot of innocent people hurt in the process.”

“Shame that someone your age has to go through that kind of thing.” He shook his head.

“Someone has to, Major.” I answered a little tiredly. “Overall, the ones I’ve saved make up for the bad stuff.”

“Just what is your power, if you don’t mind me asking?” He shifted subjects while watching my hair play with things from my government issue hand bag.

“The animated hair is what they call a secondary power.” I grinned as one strand reached out to pick up a glass while another poured water from a nearby pitcher into it then brought the glass to my hand. “Handy, sometimes annoying, but not all that impressive when you get right down to things.”

“Being an engineer, I think I’d disagree with that assessment.” He answered while I took a sip of the water.

“Maybe so.” I grinned and set the glass on a coaster on the table in front of me. “My main power is something called probability manipulation. That’s a term they hung on it because no one really understands what it is I do or how I do it. Within a certain range, I can literally change reality as long as it’s usually in small bits. Like the way I moved your troops away from that SUV earlier. Fortunately, I can’t change the past, and wouldn’t if I could, that’s just too scary all around to consider at all. The best way I can describe it is that when I look at something, or someone, with my power, I see it in ways that other people don’t. I see the linkages to reality that it has, and how those links interact. If I want to change it I see some kind of thing the science types call a glyph and change that. It’s something I do without a lot of thought needed for the execution, but trust me I generally put a lot of thought into the act itself. At times it scares me to death to be honest.”

“Rightly so.” Shu leaned back in his chair and gave me a long, penetrating look. “That’s almost like being a god from the sound of it.”

“Not really.” I grimaced. “I have a line of sight and range limitation. About a hundred yards is the farthest I’m able to reach and I have to actually see what I’m altering with my normal vision. Plus, using the ability too much exhausts me to the point of physical collapse. So happily, I can’t wave a hand and change the whole world, just the small bits close to me, and even then it’s exhausting. I worried, still do at times, that I’m some kind of monster that would be better dead for the good of humanity as a whole. But then I start thinking about the other side of it, the good I’ve already managed to do. I freed a twelve year old girl from mental bondage to a very bad person not too long ago. I’ve saved lives, and kept a lot of innocents from harm. So I suppose I’m not a complete monster after all.”

“When fighting monsters, beware that you don’t become one yourself.” He quietly said with what sounded like a quote.

“That’s about it.” I agreed then asked. “That was a quote, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, though I mangled it, from a nineteenth century German philosopher named Nietze. You might want to read his works. I think they could help you put things into a different perspective and one you would be able to live with during the bad times and the good.”

“I’ll look him up.” I promised. “Sounds like an interesting man.”

“That he was.” Shu nodded then frowned and keyed his intercom. “Rowan, has Captain Shaugnessy responded yet?”

“Not yet, sir.” The young woman responded. “I’ve tried his office, his cell, and everything else I can think of. His office says he’s off base and won’t be back until this evening but I’m still trying to reach him.”

“All right, Rowan.” Shu answered. “Leave him a message that the new base commander is waiting for him. See if that speeds things up some.”

“Well, I’ve taken up enough of your time right now.” I rose and this time saluted him. “I know you have things to do, and I’ve been neglecting some of my own duties while we talked here, enjoyable as that turned out to be. I need to get my own office set up and running and make sure the rest of my team is going to arrive tomorrow as planned. Should you hear from the Captain, please send him to my office, or have him come to yours and call me, I’ll be available.”

He took my gesture as it was intended and snapped a salute in return. “I think it’s going to be a pleasure working with you, Master Sergeant, once we get used to each other’s little quirks that is.”

Little quirks. Oh yeah, I had those. In abundance.