Vantier a Whateley Tale.....Ancient and Powerful Vantier awakens in a foreign world, struggling to find her place in it.

He is saved from the death of his race and planet....to start all over again....but can she survive?
A human high school and being a teenager? Will she remember what was? And grow in power?

This Chapter---dealing with school, work and sudden call to examine a strange find AND now what is that FIND??
dun dun daaaaa!!!!!!

We take a break for the madness of Rohanna and join Vantier in her first weeks at school!

I have to tell you this, switching from writing a crazy Drow to a level headed older GOO is not easy!---lol

BIG NOTE for my readers!
In this chapter I am trying something new to show Kyley's learning of English and her missing words.

When she skips a word like this...."I hope ___ see you?" She is leaving out the 'to' by accident and sometimes I will use this as a plot point but not all the time. So remember that when reading that this new way to show her learning the language, it will show up time to time?
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Saturday September 15, 1:10 PM
Berlin Germany, deep under a construction site

The vault door slid silently closed behind me as those few tossed chem-lites chased away the darkness on the far side of the inner chamber of this huge box and that is when I spotted the first moment of something else in this dark place with me!

As I spotted that movement across the dark chamber from me, that is when I felt something or someone trying to grab my life-force right through my armor! But my black armor was not only made to keep my life-force safe within it's shell, but kept attackers from sucking it from me and killing me in the process!

"What are you?" I whispered at the darkness and the movement within it.

A misshapen tentacle of horrid flesh and other strange parts slid across the dark void between me and the light given off by the bundle of chem-lites at my feet. When my eyes fully made sense of what it was coming to me, I knew right then why the humans in the control rooms or the ones that watched the film or video of this being went insane...nothing like this, looking like this should exist in their simple human minds and upon their seeing it, it shattered their minds instantly.

Only a creature utterly mad could even ponder such things!

This horrible tentacle of corrupted flesh timidly reached out for me, then came close to my leg...next the tip of it touched me and now I felt something new, strangely something familure?

My mind opened up to 'feel' out and find if this being was sending out any emotions? What I felt back was hunger, curiosity and pain, with fright falling away from the surface to be replaced by relief. Relief that this creature had just been saved from long torture?

Since I felt no real threats come from this creature, I slowly walked across the chamber closer to it and when I came closer, it sulked away from me as I felt an emotion of 'shame' flow over to me.

"Humm what are you, can I touch you and find out?" I asked the ever changing horrid shape and it reached a very small, not too threatening tentacle towards me in a reply.
The tip slipped across my now out stretched hand and left a gooey oily mess in its wake. Then it wrapped a turn around my hand, then flowed down my arm in a smooth gesture of nonviolence even though I felt hunger from it, a desperate need to feed that was being held back deliberately.

Since I felt no real danger from this being so far, I let the armor of my outstretched hand slide away and expose the skin of that hand to the tentacle. The tentacle found my newly exposed skin and flowed like water to wrap around all of my fingers and palm.

As that 'skin' to 'skin' contact was made, I felt something very familiar, something close to me, a something that I had not felt in forever within that new connection!

"TAM!" I shouted out as I slumped to my knees on the floor, "What did they do to you my cousin...what?" I cried on as my chin now rested sadly on my chest.

Tam was that younger cousin of mine, one that was born only a few seasons from my own and we were very close at times during our younger days. He and I practiced fighting, flying and other kid things in the safe place that the home capitol offered to us.

He journeyed along with me on some of my first adventures away from home and I was on more than a few of his...he saved my butt more than once during them and I his. Tam was a great envoy in my ruling years and when this world came under duress I thought to send him first, because I trusted him...and this is how he ended up!

Tam was now a misshapen blob of horrific flesh that had been tortured and nearly driven insane from his centuries under the Dark ones thumb. Here he was, placed within this box as his final slow death and humans made to guard him till he died!

As his tentacle flowed over my hand, I could feel his thoughts and they were a jumbled mess that might take me years to see with any real clarity. But I understood most of it because of what I knew the Dark ones did to one of my kind in those last days of my home world...they broke him, his mind and showed him that we would surely die as a race.

I felt that slim glimmer of hope he now felt at seeing me and yet he knew at the same time as he read inside me...we were the last two of my race that I knew of! Tam was angry at me and yet happy too? I felt his want for me to heal his body and we rage out in to the universe to destroy any dark ones we came across!

"I can't heal you old friend, family of mine...that is far beyond me to grant for right now. I was sent here after they all died, to start over I think? But if you want it, crave it? Then take all of me and seek that revenge you want now!" I asked him.

Tam recoiled at the thoughts and I felt that mental 'slap' from him and Night at the same time, "NO!" was his answer as best could be given to me right now and wait until he healed...then we all hunt!

Soon enough I stood back up and wandered over to one of the chambers corners and sat back down again. Tam flowed one of his tentacles over to me as I began telling him about the end of his home and mine. I knew it might take him years to fully understand what I was saying to him now, because his mind was a so very jumbled up and a tortured mess right now...but I had to do this for him...for me, because even Becky did not fully realize what I had lost and Tam did!

We chatted I hoped, even though most of the chat was one-sided? But I knew Tam had some input on his part when I felt something emotional flowing off his tentacle laying on my hand and we chatted like that for the few hours until the vault door cycled open once again because of the time lock I had set.

When the door cranked itself open again, I started to cry even harder to Tam, "I have to leave and see...find...find somehow to fix this Tam? Please stay here till I come back and don't hurt anyone intentionally...please? I know you hunger for life to heal your wounds, fix what the dark ones did to you and will suck any human dry that even comes near you...but please stay in this box till I come back...for me?"

I barely felt his agreement at my leaving for now over the waves of horror and pain he gave off, it was small, but still there and I slipped from the room, then closed the door. After I closed the door fully, I spun the lock as best I could and then wiped the board clean that once held the way to open it...in hopes that no human would be silly enough to open the vault door without me present and die because one of my family killed them...Tam.

With the door safely shut and the smaller entryway room or air lock sealed too. It was safe for me to lose my armor, going back to my regular street clothes for now and start the elevator on it's long climb back up to the waiting research team and my Becky.

My hand slapped the start button for the elevator to ascend, while my thoughts dwelled on what I was going do next for Tam? How could I get him fed with life force to heal from his millennia of torture and make him whole once again! I could not expose him to the city to let that natural flow of the area heal him. Because in his current state of need, he would suck the city dry of life and kill who knows how many thousands of humans in the process?

On the ride up I pondered what I could or mostly could not do for him...my cousin and readied myself for facing the research team. I had to convince them all to leave what they thought might be some object of vast importance alone for so long, that they would be in fact long DEAD when the rest of the world found out what was down there?

'How does one get very curious humans to leave well enough alone? Telling them NO just seems to make them want it even more and that MORE is their collective deaths, or at the least the city above all of us!' that was the main thought in my head while other parts of my mind worked on how to get Tam fed and fully healed?

Back at the lowest human occupied level of the immense Nazi era bunker.

Becky was waiting for that telltale nudge in her mind that Ky was done and coming back up to tell all the research team what was down there in this cube or what some of them called a prison?

She felt that little door open in her mind a small crack, that alone told her all was fine with Kyley and the light of her life was still with Becky. ~"Be up there with you in a few seconds love, then I will tell you later what I found. But for now go along with my lead, with what I offer the researchers and back my plans or words with them...they are not going to like what I tell them at all I think?"~

When the elevator stopped at the top level, a guard of the complex peered out a thick armored window at me standing in the lifting cage and then nearly squeaked out asking me, "You okay in there, no demons took over your body...did they?"

"And if they did, would I tell you or wait till it was too late to stop my nefarious plans and then add this small fact...could you even stop me if they did?" I giggled at the facts of the matter at hand.

"Good points Miss Baron, please give me a sec to key the cage door open?" he said as the thick door side aside to let me out to the rest of the research team waiting for me to come back with word on the 'find' below us.

"WELL, WELL!" Mia squealed excitedly at me as I entered the room they all waited for my return in.

I stopped to compose myself one last time before I spoke, "Well what I found is good and bad in all ways. The good is, if left alone it can help this world. The BAD is, if you disturb it before it is ready...this city above us will most likely die in the carnage you release and I can not stop that from happening."

"Well that told me nearly nothing, can you say more?" Mia huffed at me.

"I can set up a plan to get that find all ready for the world at large, but my plan will take decades to see to its end is my bet...unless you WANT to sacrifice the city to move it along faster?" I said and hoped dearly this woman and her team were not that insane!

"What would harm the city, a blast, poison, radiation...what?" she asked and one of her team added next, for her..."Would it suck the life out of the city, like happened to the others who died this week and back during the last war years?"

I pointed at the man who asked that last question, "This man should lead your team Mia, he seems smarter___the rest of you and I feel___he___more cautious...then add, he is most afraid of this 'finds' power to just let it lose on the world by accident?"

"Well John does not run this team, I do and I need a workable plan from you that can open that find to farther research by this team." Mia almost growled at me, but kept her composure just barely!

Right now I felt waves of anger flow off Mia and took it upon myself to dive deeper into her mind while she was this close? What I found by just skimming the surface of her blazing thoughts, was a need to succeed in this project at any cost and all done for her career goals...to heck with anything that got in the way of them!

"Mia just my making a plan up will take quite some time to make sure it is wholly safe for you humans? Then add, this project can not be 'fast tracked' so that___can get a promotion or whatever you are after...you___down there to soon and opening that box, or vault...you all die and I can not stop that from happening. I only withstood what___down there because I am not human in the least and know far more than you do about finds like this one!" I angrily barked at her in hopes she might listen to me.

Even with a fresh stern warning, Mia still gave me an impression that she would ignore all of my warnings and explanations on why her plans to open the vault again might be dangerous? Becky could tell that I was becoming very cross with Mia and she in turn with me!

"Ky let Mia and me have a little chat while you get a snack and something to drink?" Becky said to me with one of her 'I will deal with this' smiles and shoved me towards a small room that held an even smaller food service.

After I gave Becky a short nod of my agreement and left the hallway, she pulled Mia farther down the very long hallway to chat more in semi-private away from the group, "Do you understand that yours and my bosses asked Kyley to come her to save your project? Then add to that, they will believe what she says over your objections because they understand what Kyley truly is!"

"Well I know that she is some kind of mutant and a very smart one?" Mia said.

"Let me see your security keypass and let's see if I can tell you more by verifying its clearance level Mia?" Becky offered to the woman.

Mia offered the lanyard around her neck to Becky...who smiled back to her, "Now Mia, please...give me the one you were handed when you became the team lead...The one you show no one...the one you think I don't know about honey?" Becky smiled at her like a knowing predator!

Mia pulled a hidden lanyard from under her blouse and handed it over to the waiting Becky, "How did you know about these?" the scientist asked, as she watched Becky simply pull her's from a jean pocket.

Mia instantly spotted a silver strip on Becky's badge and that alone outranked Mia's deep purple color one! Becky smiled back now to the surprised woman, "Because mine is bigger and Kyley's is even LARGER!" she joked to the woman with a sudden hint of a male voice rolling over each word.

When Becky tapped her pass on top of Mia's, it lit up a green strip on the edge and then Becky placed both cards on top of one another in perfect alignment, then shone a small flashlight under it. Becky nodded at the small hologram that showed up, "Yep yours is real and just high enough for me to tell you this?"

"Well spit it out already!" Mia demanded taking her passcard back and replacing it under her now ruffled blouse.

"Kyley is not a mutant or a teenager...she is what can loosely be called a GOO." Becky told the now even more shocked Mia, who now started backing away from Becky.

"And you are?" she gasped out in shock taking a few more steps back in her caution of the blond.

"A good and close friend that watches over her. Kyley is very new to this modern world and does understand it very well...'yet' and then you might have noticed her issues with english from time to time?"

"Yes I did...but you did not answer my question?" Mia asked once more firmly.

"I am a simple mutant with a knack for ancient languages and a little exemplar like a cherry on top!" Becky beamed back at the now relaxing Mia.

"Humm they sent a GOO, that makes this whole issue with the vault a very complex issue then and should we believe her or not?" Mia stated to herself and Becky at the same time.

"Well if you don't believe Ky, please tell me now so we can go and be out of the line of fire!" she laughed at the researcher.

"I want to ask her a few more questions first...then I will act from there?"

I had just finished a coke and a small muffin from the meager offerings of the small break room when Mia came into the room. Becky was right behind her and Mia seemed a little upset even now after Becky's little personal chat?

"Miss Baron...Kyley, so how long do you think we will have to wait till you think of a way to safely open the find for us?" Mia asked me and defensively crossed her arms.

"Did Becky tell you what I am then?"

"She did just that, as best she could right now?" Mia huffed at me.

"Well time wise, to me it's a month...to you fifty to a hundred years? Unless you want to sacrifice the life force of say thirty or forty thousand humans to give the find the energy to leave the box safely?" I said taking that last bite of muffin and tossing the wrapper in the trash.

"So whatever is down there, is very much alive and needs life force as fuel?" Mia questioned me next.

"Yes alive and the life force that flows through most beings is needed in great amounts to fuel it so it can wake from out of its very long slumber." I more than lied to her and hid the real needs of Tam. He needed that energy to heal and in his current state even these humans could kill him...maybe forever? Right now I could not tell what dimensions he was currently linked too, if any at all and if he could escape into one of them to avoid a FULL death at their hands!

"Humm....well team any ideas?" she asked the three men present with her.

John was the first to answer her, "Well could we use animals in the place of humans?"

"Yes, but you would need far more of them...like ten times more? Almost a million or more in the case of smaller ones?" I pondered over where he was leading too?

"How about a slaughterhouse hidden here, that the 'find' kills the animals like cows or pigs and then we use the meat anyway?"

"Would not work that way, you have to take the animals all the way into the vault and that does kill them...but all that is left is bluish dust for the most part afterwards." I admitted to them that small fact about how GOO or beings like me feed when stressed or in great need.

"Ohhh so we only have seen the results of limited exposure and full exposure is more than just fatal...its very destructive!" John gasped a little and made a quick note on his electronic note pad.

I found this John researcher the one that really should lead this team like I had said before and now I found his mind was even sharper than Mia's! When we got back to the hotel I was going to call up Taiwan and tell him this one should be the new team leader and Mia needs to go in my opinion!

"That is why I said before, that I have__come up with a viable plan that does not cost millions or billions___dollars and makes sense to all of you. But for right now, just seal up the site, guard it well like the bomb it is or could be and leave__alone for now. It has waited over seventy years since the Nazi's found it and even longer before them?" I told Mia...who just glared back at me with more than a angry sneer covering her face and John just nodded like the smart man I took him for!

"Are you going to write up a report on all of this for us to read and use as the main reason why we are ceasing operations?" Mia almost demanded of me.

"Yes I am submitting a report directly to Twain and when your bosses finally read it...you will know very soon right after...that I am sure?" I warned her.

"Well if we are done, the team needs to get back to researching the find more and study what readings we obtained while you were down there with it?" she told me and turned back to her team to get them all back to work.

"I think we should go now Becky, they might do something silly and let what is down there loose?" I whispered to her and started to pull at her elbow.

~"What is down there Ky?"~ she asked me mentally.

~"I will tell you the sad truth when we are safe again, like back at the hotel. Because if Mia lets what is in the vault out, I can't stop it from harming you at all...its hunger for life is that strong."~ I warned back to her and now Becky was quickening her pace to leave the long hallway and get back to the elevator that lead to the buildings garage, then into the offered safety of our waiting SUV's!

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Saturday September 15, 8:30 PM
Berlin Germany area hotel, our room

On the way back to our hotel, the driver stopped the SUV just long enough for us to pick up a nice dinner that he recommended over the room service we had and then escorted us both all the way back to our room just like the last time. And just like last time, our room had two guards in the hallway, plus I was sure there were more in the adjoining rooms of the floor.

No sooner than the guards left our room is when I pulled my gem out and started its magical ward against anyone listening in or watching us in the room. Becky noted my action and tapped a remote control pad to close the drapes and turn on the TV for now.

"Well are you going to tell me what it was down there or what love?" she asked me.

"What is down there...is my cousin Tam and the dark ones hurt him so badly that he is not even healed up after all of this time trapped down there...AND I have no real idea on how to help him out right now Becky.....I sent him here with a small team to help out the elves, to help Aunghadhail their queen and I sent them all to nothing but pain and death!" I sighed and tried as hard as one could to keep from drowning in the sadness that was starting to grip me now.

"Ohh sorry Ky...love," Becky said and grabbed me into a fierce hug, "You sent family to help us here and now you had to see him in pain as a result of that kindness?" she said into my ear, as her head nuzzled closer to mine.

"Tam grew up with me, he was only a few years younger than me and weeee...." I stopped thinking about all of those days, those years we had as family...now this?

"Shhh...we can talk about him later, but right now I feel that we need to do something about Mia and her crazy research team goals? Am I right love?" Becky asked helping wipe my face free of tears.

"Call Twain, I hope he can do something for us?" I sniffed back still very much sad about Tam's situation.

Becky quickly pulled her cell phone from her backpack/purse bag, then started making the call and as the phone searched for a signal she asked me, "Hon, does the gem block cell signals too?"

"Yes, just place the phone on speaker mode and lay it on top of my gem, you doing that will tell the gem to let that signal in and out of the room for right now." I told her and grabbed a few tissues from the kitchenette counter to wipe off my face and clean up a little better.

After Becky laid the phone on top of my huge gem the call connected instantly and a lady came on, "Homestake, Twains office can I help you?"

"Jan dear its Becky and Ky. We need a private chat with Twain about this Berlin job and be quick please?" she sang to the phone.

"Ohh hi hon, and Ky is there too?" she asked.

"Yes I am here and we are secure on our end," I added the fact this call was important enough for that we needed security.

"Well give me a min, he is sleeping right now and out of the office." she said and then dropped the call to 'hold music'

While we waited, I pulled that dinner we just got out of its bags and started to lay it out on the counter to eat. Most of the meal was made of local sourced sausages and meats, then add a few home style cooked vegetables, like potatoes in various flavors of sauce.

A few servings of food later, Twain came on the line with a deep yawn, "Well morning ladies and what has me up so early...that can't wait?" he laughed out.

"Twain I am pretty sure that this lady Mia, who is leading the research team here in Berlin is going to be an issue and she might need to be replaced. Because the find they are working on here is...Ahh are you in private sir?" I had to ask before going on.

"One sec," he said and I heard a door close and a few switch flip on his desk, "All secure now Ky, please go on?"

"Twain because I trust you and only you...the find is a Mythos much like me and it needs life force, the energy that humans or living creatures gives off to be able to come back to the surface." I told him, then added, "Twain, I told them it might take decades for me to figure out a way to safely get that mythos ready to come to the surface and Mia did not like that idea at all it seemed?"

"How much life force and how powerful is this being?" he questioned me.

"It would need to feed off of most of this city, the dark ones left it injured and unable to help itself without killing anyone that came near it and that I am sure that is the reason behind the vault like box. It is both safe place for keeping it and a prison at the same time!" I said with a bark of anger and slammed a fist into the counter top in my sudden rage at my seeing Tam trapped down there!

Becky nodded to me and squeezed my free hand to show her support. That small act on her part is what kept me calm and here, dealing with the needs of Tam instead of just reacting to Mia's wants.

"So if it got loose, it would kill off Berlin is what you are leading too and the reason to CAN Mia as project leader there?" he asked me for clarification.

"Yes Twain, Mia seems to be one who would take the all the wrong risks just___gain a promotion off of this project and kill the city while doing it. I all ready warned her a few times and all___felt back from her was...her not even caring what warning or advice I gave her one way or the other?"

"Did you read her Ky, because you know that is against the rules?" he asked me like a father might a child.

"Yes I read her and in this case, with these risks to so many innocent lives I would happily do it again and again!" I told him flatly.

"Breaking the rules I understand, you felt it was made necessary by her actions...I am fine with it and lets not talk about it again, thus less trouble for both of us? So she should be fired or dropped from the team and who should replace her...if you know of someone?"

"I felt out this one team member 'John' and he seemed to be very cautious about acting too fast on this project?"

"Humm it sounds like the whole team needs and upgrade, it was left in shambles by all the deaths during the first attempt at entering the vault. So we should cease all work on this project for now and spend some time on finding a new team as replacements." he asked for my opinion.

"Well since it will take years for me to come up with a good plan, we should just 'shelve' this project...I think you all say?" I asked Becky and she nodded back, "Yes Ky the slang is shelved, like putting a book about it on a library shelf for later."

"Humans and this darn english, will I ever understand it or them all fully?" I said shaking my head.

"Or us you Kyley!" Twain laughed back to me.

"Me, I am easy to figure out..." I said leaving him hanging in those thoughts.

"So we end the project for a few years or so and come back to it later?" he asked me again.

"This might take a few decades? I told Mia that very same idea and that is one idea she could not handle it seemed! But healing the Mythos fully up might take many more decades, unless you want to kill off a city in a few days?" I asked him about the crazy idea someone might have!

"Fine, I will call the leadership of the division that oversees that project, get Mia replaced or moved on and replace her with this John person then. Would that be best and you agree to that action, then add back me up with any questions that might be flung my way?" he told us.

"I will back you on anything that gets this project 'shelved' for now, this Mythos needs to be brought out or up with extreme caution. Or many lives will be spent needlessly one way or another." I nodded to the phone.

"I will take care of that today, but I have to ask this...after that bombing at the airport and loosing that nice girl Anna, do you still feel up to going to Rome and the Vatican?" I heard him sigh sadly, I am sure thinking about what he had to do on his end with Anna's family.

Becky took over the call from there, "We will leave for Rome as scheduled tomorrow morning, same time, same train as noted to us earlier."

"I will make sure the trip is taken care of and all set?" Twain added in.

"We are taking the bullet train this time and not the airlines. I want to see more of Europe this time and Ky hates flying...unless she is the one flying of course?" Becky laughed to him as I gave her a harsh stare!

~o~O~o~

Sunday September 16, 2:30 PM
Rome Italy

The train trip into Rome was a nice treat, the trip was quick with the newer service keeping above 300 miles per hour of most of the trip and watching the scenery change just outside of our private room was nice. Crossing the Alps via the insanely long tunnels was neat and seeing the countryside of Italy was even better as the train sped along its spine of mountains leading south towards the heart of the nation.

We were quite lucky that our day visiting the Vatican and the libraries they wanted me to see or research fell on a Sunday. This meant that the Vatican train for tourists and worshipers was running from Roma San Pietro railway station and right into the Vatican walls to their own station at the rear of St. Peter's Basilica.

As we passed by the walls of the Vatican city, I could see out our windows that the place was beautiful in many ways and then I switched to seeing it as one of my own kind. That is when I saw the city's walls glowing as the side of a irregular bubble that covered the whole area surrounded by the walls themselves...I knew instinctively that I could not pass those lines without some kind of written permission!

"Let me show you something Becky love?" I said and tapped the side of her head as she gazed at the city.

She gasped at what I showed her instantly, "Wow, so I guess me asking Twain to get your entry in writing WAS really needed or there was no way you could get in there!"

"It is another ancient beings literal base of operations, I have to have permission in writing handed to me by a representative of that city...Or I can not enter!" I told her as the announcer came on a small speaker to tell us we would be stopping soon at our destination.

We took our time gathering our bags as the train pulled into Roma San Pietro, but not one minute had passed by when someone knocked at our cabin door and Becky answered it, "Hi what can I do for you?" she said in Italian to the man dressed in a very fine suit standing in the hallway and I could just make out four others waiting with him.

"Ma'am I am Jules Graf and this is His Eminence Tarcisio Bertone," the business suited man said as he stood aside for a older man dressed all in red robes that was capped off by a small red head cover, "He is here to grant Miss Baron leave to enter the Vatican city in the name of the Church."

"We had expected someone to show?, But thank you for taking this time out to greet us personally Sir or Eminence?" she said in Italian and translated it for me at the same time via our mental link.

The older man dressed in the red robes stepped forward to shake Becky's outstretched hand, "When I was informed of this visit and what Miss Baron is...I had to come one way or the other it seems?" he laughed gently.

"It seems and this of course is Kyley Baron, the reason for your visit with us." Becky added waving to me and he took my offered hand gently.

"Nice to meet you Miss Baron, I hope that you can solve some of our little mysteries here and we of the Vatican invite you to stay for your task..." he said in somewhat broken english and gave me that personal invite I needed to enter the city and limited its duration at the same time!

"Thanks, I serve at the Vatican's request and will try to fully meet the expectations of that grant to enter your fine city, "I said back in english and one of his men translated it for him at a whisper to be sure he understood.

"Here are your signed invitation papers that you requested, I am to wait for your signature?" he said as best he could in english, but also repeated it in Italian to be sure he was understood by all.

I quickly checked over the sheets of paper, after I found them in order and had what permissions spelled out that I needed to enter their city. I made a mental note that this formal notice limited my present visit to this week or when I was told to leave and of course I could defend myself or Becky at anytime!

All the Papal seals were correct and countersigned by this man before me, then add the official paper that used had a Vatican use only watermark showing on its surface. I signed my part via a burn from my personal crest and handed a set back to His Eminence Tarcisio Bertone.

"Thanks for your personal time, sorry to have to interrupt your busy day with such trivial matters? But one of my kind can not enter your beautiful city without some kind of permission being granted by those in charge." I said as he studied my seal and nodded to it as his man translated for me.

"Please follow me and I will be your guide into Vatican city." he said and turned back into the cars hall, then down the stairs.

Jules spoke as he made way for all of us, "Your bags were taken off the train first at our request and please lets board the train for the short trip into the city ladies?" he asked us and took our backpacks from our hands.

With the Cardinal leading the way, the crowd that normally rode this train for worship within the Vatican took notice in a big way and to that add the pack of guards he had plus a dozen or so attendants.

The Cardinal waited at the door of a train car straight across from ours, he waved for us to board before him as his guests and ladies was my best guess? Then a assistant in the car showed us to a set of seats, he took one across from us and chatted with Becky as we rode those few minutes into the walled city.

As we rolled along, Becky told him about what we were here to translate or research for his order and offer any help with other tasks as needed. I noticed the train pass through the walls and the huge thick metal doors that normally locked this rail link off from the world. The shimmering bubble that would normally be present to my other dimensional vision was now just a golden line of magic or symbols at the wall and I knew I could safely enter without repercussions. As we passed that wall, I felt something watching my every move right now and knew it could defiantly do me harm, but for now it was a rather inviting feeling washing over me and one that was friendly while trying to be 'fatherly' was my best way to communicate to others my feelings of its presence?

"I have to wonder...is this the way others felt in my home when they showed up? I can't really recall what I felt when I was under the old emperors rule...other than being at 'home' safe and cared for?...' I thought to myself.

Once inside the wall and at stopped at the small station within the city walls, they let the tourists thin out before we exited the train car and he waved 'bye' to us as he went back to his many Sunday duties.

"Well since his Eminence is off to churchly duties, shall we get you over to the museum and the curator that is waiting anxiously for your arrival ladies?" Jules asked us, but only Becky answered him.

"We can get right down to business and find out what she needs from us?" my girl smiled back to him and I nodded when he looked my way for confirmation on my part.

Jules lead us on a short straight line tour that included a quick walkthrough of St. Peter's Basilica, where most of the tourists gave our imposing group a wide birth! It seems that not too many get in see the sanctuary itself, let alone a tour being given by the Swiss Guard it seemed?

As we were about to exit the Basilica, I noticed a strange man dressed in a finely cut Italian business suit started to follow our small group. But what struck me as odd about him, was that his features were so very thin and feminine looking, then add his face was quite handsome.

When he kept more to the rear of our small party and continued to follow us outside. That is when the daylight or maybe the fact he was outside of the building and the obvious magical or religious warding it offered showed me that he was what one could call a lower one of my kind or what Tim would be very soon!

I had to think quickly and to myself, that if this went sideways? My gates would certainly work out here, just outside of the main sanctuary and one of them blast us both off somewhere safe...One of them, this lesser being I could handle in a fight, but if more showed up and gave us issues...We had to leave fast before too many came!

Jules lead us straight into the huge Vatican museums main building, from across the museums gardens and right into the first office doors. Where he pointed to a lady just standing up from behind her fine ornate desk that would cost ten of thousands easy!

She quickly walked through one office of her's and into the waiting room where we stood, "This is Madame Julie Betta curator leader of the Vatican." Jules announced for her.

"Hello ladies, welcome to the Vatican and I hope that you will be able to solve one of our long time issues, that we have here inside our long term storage vault?" Julie said in english to both us and shook each of our hands in greetings.

"What issue might that be?" I asked getting to the heart of the matter quickly, mostly wanting to get this nasty trip over with! The attack, plus deaths in Berlin had soured it for me.

"What the Vatican was requesting your skills for was? Is this, that once every hundred years a special lock opens a sealed door down in the center of our vast underground Library. The Haereticum...it holds an ancient book known only as The Veritas or literally The Truth and it supposedly holds the ultimate truth of life. Throughout history, anyone who has ever read it has immediately taken their own life and we only get one opportunity for six months at trying our turn with translating it...thus learning more about our life, our God, our world?" Julies said to us.

"Well that is easy, no fantastic book left by a God required...the answer is 42..." I said simply and Becky busted out laughing like a maniac, soon joined by Jules who must have seen the movie. But Poor Julie must have never seen the movie or read the book, she just stood there watching the two laugh unable to get a word in between bouts of laughter.

Jules finally caught his wind, then add a thinly veiled angry face of his boss stopped his laughing and that is when he quickly told her the whole sub plot of the book/movie to get her in on the jest.

The mood lightened when Julie herself finally laughed at the joke, "Yes maybe it is 42...but till we are sure of that? We would love for you to translate the book if you can for us?"

"And what if I find that a modern human mind of today can not handle the information within? Do you want me to tell you all, then drive you insane like the past groups that tried or keep it to myself for another hundred years and we try then once more?" I had to ask.

"If you are sure it will drive one mad? I would have to say this, we trust your evaluation via Homestake's established trust in you and leave this be for one hundred more years...The Vatican or the church has waited over two thousand years, so what is one more century or so to an institution like us?" she smiled to me.

"I am ready if you are?"

"Well fine, unless you want some rest after you long train trip?" she asked us as a host should.

"No I wish to get this trip done with as soon as we can...after that Berlin mess at the airport?" I offered a short explanation.

"I heard and after we are done today, we have something to ask of you about that?"

"It can wait..." I said simply, yet sternly.

"Yes it can." She agreed with me, the lead the way to the far door, "this way please."

She lead us to an elevator that was called to go down, but I noticed that being following us all once again and I had to point it out!

I pointed suddenly at him trying to hide behind a pillar and a large potted plant, "Is he coming with us, because if he is? I want an introduction before I go somewhere...where I might feel trapped."

All of the group turned towards the man so suddenly he was caught off guard and could not pull a vanishing act that I was sure he could do.

"Ohh him, he is one of the very lower choir of what we call angels that guard the Vatican and was...I am sure, just very curious about your being here today?" Julie smiled to me and I could see right past it!

"Sure he is, then have him or it come over and SEE me, then we can go on?" I told them my new rules.

"You had better listen to her Julie, Ky is a little more than jumpy after what happened in Berlin," Becky told them all as she felt my mood suddenly change.

Julie waved to the very young thin man or almost tall boy and he pointed at himself in surprise at being seen by humans let alone me, I was sure!, "Me come over there?"

"Yes you..." she encouraged him with a soft voice and a small wave of greetings.

He finally gave in after staring at what seemed to be a wall past Julie, then after he 'blinked' back to actually seeing us and walked over to our group. I am sure something or someone was talking to him just now like I do Becky at times.

"Yes ma'am, can I help you?" he asked timidly.

"This guest has issue with you following us right now?"

"She does?" he asked then glanced my way.

"I do and I did from the second I spotted you!"

He just stood there silent for now.

I switched into an ancient language I was sure he might know or his 'boss' would..."So I spotted you back in the main church, so if you are going to follow me around and 'spy' on what I am tasked with here today? Please introduce yourself or your 'boss' to me, because I do not like soldiers flowing me like I am a prisoner!" I barked at him.

"I am sorry that you feel uncomfortable, I was told to keep an eye on you?" he smiled at me and his voice sang like a muse.

"SO you or the 'boss' underestimated me a little bit then?" I asked.

"Yes we did, but till you prove worth. We have to watch over your visit."

"Hummm so does your 'boss' know why I am here or was dropped off here?" I pried for information out of the minor being.

"He does..." he said simply and quickly.

"Then tell him to drop me a note...I would like to know this century?" I giggled at him to break the tension a little.

"He might?" he answered me sounding more like a larger man....meaning to me that the 'boss' might be speaking through him right now?

"Okay, but what do they call you?" I had to ask being polite.

"Paul, I am what some call a malakhim or a cassisian, a lesser angel of the choirs." he told me.

"Nice, Paul I am sure you will go far in life! And I am Kyley Baron and this is Becky my guide in life." I praised him and told him that I was connected to Becky and she me. That meant hands off, unless you want a fight from me.

He nodded back quickly his understanding, "Yes, good to meet you and your guide."

"Well if introductions are over?" Julie asked and Becky answered for me, "Yep they are done!"

"You understood them?" Julie asked then was interrupted by Paul, "You understood us just now?"

"Yep, that was one of the first languages I was taught at Sara's temple and they told me it was very important to learn it, as it's a universal language that most GOO like beings know?" she asked me.

"Yep it is...very, very old and seldom used these days...that I know of?" I shrugged over to her.

"Okay all if we are ready lets go?" Julie asked as she pushed a card into a waiting slot, to open elevator door for our group.

"I am ready, every one remember where we parked!" I had to jest once again as I hopped into the waiting elevator.

~"Ky love you are joking too much, that tells me you are not so sure of this job they have us doing?"~ Becky asked me mentally as the large elevator car filled up with our group and even the 'angel' jumped in with us?

~"Since Paul showed up, I am not too sure of this task Twain gave us? This might get messy, I feel that the being or their God here is watching me and I don't trust someone or something that does not greet me in person?"~ I warned.

~"I can understand that!"~ she beamed at me.

When the car stopped several stories below the main floor, my best guess was about one hundred and thirty feet? Julie lead the way out with us then the guards and her assistants.

She then lead way to a painting covering the wall that seemed alive and I was sure it was in some way. It nodded to her and when she tripped a hidden switch and waved a passcard at the painting. The whole frame of the very large artwork slid away and reviled a small balcony overlooking a vast library that went up a few stories, BUT went DOWN several dozen at least! Iron railed staircases, chased a puzzle of lines throughout the whole layout with some going up and down making the massive place look like a maze in someways?

Julie pointed out to a iron caged elevator and told the group, "Only the three main guards, my two assistants and Paul beyond this point....then of course add Kyley an Becky or why are we all here?" she smiled as the first guard opened the car and moved aside for us all to enter.

A few minutes later the car stopped on this last marble covered, plus ornately decorated floor and we all exited it now open gates quickly.

"Make sure you stay close to me, because it is easy to get lost down here!" she said.

"Are there any maps of the layout of this library?" Becky asked

"Why no, that would lessen security we have here and one after obtaining a job here must learn this whole place, above and below ground within the first year or we have to sadly let them go? But stay close please!"

"I am fine, I always know where I am at for the most part...sometimes however it gets tough keeping track of all of me..." I jested and let slip some truth about myself.

"All of me?" Julie questioned my statement with a quick backwards glance towards me as she walked a flowing, ever changing path through the stacks of books only known to her.

"All of me...I not only exist in this dimension alone, but in several others at the same time and I find sometimes...that I loose track of all the parts that make up what I am is all..." I laughed at a feeling that was being aimed at me of her sudden puzzlement and Becky grinned along with my jest.

Jules lead us through the library's maze of hallways, rooms and several floors to a large truck sized metal door framed in beautiful marble wall that had a row of pillars covered in golden symbols cutting across half of the large room, "This is where the Veritas is held, the book we would like you to examine."

"So this is the Library of Heresy or Haereticum. Where the Vatican keeps any knowledge that goes against the 'word' of the church, no matter how relevant or true it might actually be?" Becky sighed out slowly, "Who knows what great knowledge or wisdom is kept inside here that might make life on earth better?"

"Or worse?" I had to sigh out, "as not all knowledge is good or even bad? That is left up to the reader to use or misuse it!" I added to her words.

As we came into the large room that held the door to the inner Haereticum vault. A person broke away from the back of our group, one that had joined with us along the way through the maze of the library and he started to unlock a glass covered cabinet that displayed two sets of ceremonial robes. Once the cabinet was open, he started dressing in the red robes and a helper started to place a high peaked hat on his head.

"The Cardinal here will open the vault for you, while we stand at a safe distance behind the this row of pillars Kyley?" Jules told me.

"Humm" I said examining his very ornate robe closer, "this is not only decorative, but the embroidered symbols are a finely crafted warding spell against a Mythos's corrupting influence that seems to have a bit of Elven in it and the thread itself is an alloy of Orichalcum plus some Mithril?"

The Cardinal seem a bit upset, then started waving his arms about kind of wildly while he asked Julie what I had just said, she told him the short version that Becky verified for me mentally and then he add in reply that he was going to open the door. So now we all should stand back and 'I should prepare myself?' Like I need to protect myself from mythos...I am one!

As he closed his robe up and placed a sash that draped across his shoulders to finish his clothing change up. That last action, placing the sash over his shoulders after kissing its center? That small act, it must have activated the magic held within the spell wards covering his uniform or in this case a very decorative protective suit and it glowed to my enhanced vision with swirling runes that said...protection...all over them!

Now fully protected from the likes of me or my type of beings, the Cardinal worked his way through three different sets of lock and swung open the door for me to enter the large vault. He waved for me to go in as the door fully opened, but did not dare look inside the room himself with his own eyes!

"Please if you would Miss, tell us if we are now ready for our God's words?" he asked me in Italian and I nodded back to him as Becky spoke for me, "She will..." and I entered the room.

It was almost comical, with me dressed only in a nice t-shirt and blue jeans, then there was this Cardinal standing next to me all dressed in what most would call the finest of church service garb and us standing together was quite the sight I was sure! I walked in the vault at his request, then he swung the door nearly closed behind me to await for my exit and to protect the others waiting anxiously for my return in the adjoining room with him.

The room behind the door was a somewhat dimly lit room only about twenty by twenty foot square, there was a small rough wood table in the center with one nice chair sitting before it and one far wall had rows of shelved books covering it. The item of note was one large leather bound book sitting at the tables center, dead center in front of the waiting chair!

I took my time crossing the room trying to read the titles of the many books on the shelves, I found most of them did not have titles on their spines and the ones that did seemed to stick to human medical needs or engineering of some sort? I found that what seem to be modern or cutting edge engineering tomes in a room being this old made little sense, unless the books were written about very advanced items that existed at the time of this rooms creation?

When I finally sat at the chair, the lamp over my head went instantly from a dim light to very bright light to read by! My hand flipped open the outer cover and the few title pages that covered each page of text, this book was laid out in single side pages...one page of writing, then a blank page with no writing on either page's back.

It only took me reading over a few short paragraphs on the first page to tell that the humans beyond the door behind me could not mentally understand this book or the many subjects hidden within it. I learned what this book told of in my very early years ruling as emperor of my old long gone home world and could not tell them or anyone what that was...when you were ready...you knew, it was that simple.

I sighed out as I stood up, "Well that was simple and quick! Now maybe I can read a few of the other books off the shelves?" I wondered out loud and the room's lamps dimmed suddenly was my answer...that was a no for now.

"Okay...I get it...I am leaving already!...Sheeesh!" I hissed out and the light flickered in reply!

Once I was back out the vault door and it closed safely behind me the others in the room ...besides my Becky eagerly asked me, "Well...WELL, what was the answer?" they all asked one at a time or in groups!

"The simple answer is no, but you still can try reading the book for yourselves and see if you go mad?" I offered and warned at the same time. All beings in the multi-universe should have freedom of choice to die horribly or not?

I laughed when no one in the small group took the offer on the spot! But Julie, the Vatican's museum curator gathered the small group up as the Cardinal stayed behind to change out of his very decorative protective garb.

On the way back Julie took another route from the one that lead us here to the center of the Haereticum, took a few turns that differentiated from the trip down there and on what seemed like new turn six or so we passed by a very decorative wall made of silver metal.

"What lays behind this?" I asked touching the wall suddenly drawn by it and the many carvings covering the surface.

"That is the...what some call the first angels chamber." Julie told me and started to lead the rest of the group off back to the way out of the library maze.

"Can I see this room please...I calls to me...draws me closer to it for some reason?" I told them the truth about what I just had personally felt while passing it!

"I am not sure she should enter there?" Paul the 'guardian' angel of the group warned Julie.

"What could it hurt Paul, tell me the why and we will keep walking? And I am sure that Kyley will agree to those terms?" she asked him, then glanced my way for my nod of agreement and I had to...I was a guest and could not make any real demands here.

"Well Julie...Ma'am I don't see what harm it can do? But I feel that it might be in some way I can't explain clearly to you?" he said.

"Fine then, to be good hosts I will let her inside the room for a few seconds and see the angels gems or at the least the boxes that cover them?" Julie said while she walked back over to the wall size door and started to operate the complex series of locks to open it for me.

As she did that, my finger traced a symbol on the door and doing so reminded me of something I did as a small child at home. Something that I learned so young it was nearly forgotten by me because of the passing of time! My finger traced that symbol several times while she worked at the locks and then I moved on to the one next to it. That new symbol left me with the very same feeling, a feeling that was very close to an image I knew by heart...but not exactly the same strangely?

"What is it Ky?" Becky asked me as I stood at the frame of the large doors, my finger still tracing that second symbol.

"This means something to me, but I can't see it right now?" I said tracing that line over and over with my finger as I told her.

"To be truthful Ky, I feel or see it too! But I can't catch what it means either?" she told me and started tracing the other symbols near twin on the sliver metal panel next to the one I was busy tracing.

When Julie opened the door, I peered in and all the room had was two golden tables in the center with ornate jeweled wooden boxes sitting at the center of each. As I walked into the room I noted that each wall had paintings of angels appearing to humans covering them and it seemed to tell a story of humans finding a rather simple wooden box that bought forth angels to them?

"What is inside these?" I had to ask Julie.

"Just a simple stones that most call the angels jewels? I have no Idea where the legend started, but it has gone on for longer than the church even existed I am told and even researched for myself many years ago, but still did not find an answer?"

"Can we see them?" Becky asked for me.

"Why not, both of the boxes just have very large diamonds in them and they have a few symbols that no one understands carved inside them?" the curator told Becky.

"Symbols carved on the inside a diamond, the hardest of all gems that I know of and how did someone do that several millennia ago without modern tools!" Becky asked while Julie took a few steps to open the first box for her.

"We don't know, it was not written down for us to find? I might have been there all the time till it was shaped into a gem or a mutant from long ago did the deed with a power...we might never know for sure?"

Jules finally lifted the large golden lid to reveal a large clear gem the size of a closed fist to all of us, that is when I gasped out and almost cried, "No...this can't be here?"

I touched the top of the gem on the top most facet, that is when light filled the room as a silver armored man appeared hovering over the gem with huge wings on his back and a large Axe grasped in one hand, "Son...My Vantier?" it said in ancient hawklord.

I was dumbstruck till I wanted to know who was in the other gem and said to Becky, "Quickly open the other one and lets see who is in that one!" I ordered her and she instantly did as I asked.

A beautiful woman appeared next to the already formed translucent mans image and spoke in that ancient language of mine too! "My boy, Vantier...why are you looking like this to us now? Are you in hiding again like when you were a teen!" she asked pleasantly like only a mother could, reminding me of the time I hid from bandits and another kingdom far from home disguised as a female of my race.

"Mom...dad?" I said instantly knowing now that those symbols on the doors were theirs, the personal one each of them used in life and was just interpreted wrong by the humans that saw or carved them is all.

"We see you and it's been...how long has it been dear?" dad asked as he glanced to his wife for an answer that escaped him for now.

"Too long, far...far too long!" she smiled to me.

"Where are the others?" he asked of me and I could not say it! My hand slapped each of the boxes closed and I spun to Julie for my answers to my many questions.

"Why are these here...did your church get the idea for winged angels from them!" I asked and almost laughed at the idea!

Tam and his small band of rescuers had saved this world! That might be the bases for legend of avenging angels that lead to this and then some human found these gems to reinforce the legend even farther!

"That has never happened to me, the books I have read tell of the gems giving counsel at times of need and helping the founders of the church at times with the need of knowledge?" Jules offered and glared at Paul for more answers that only he might know!

"I warned you that bringing this being into here and letting her see all of this might be a bad idea!" he reminded her of that warning once more.

"Well in any case, both of these are really mine and I want them both back!" I said taking the closest box near me and Becky followed my lead by taking the one nearest her, holding it protectively close to her chest, very much like a mother would a child.

"I can't let you take any of them," Julie said instantly and seemed to make a try at commanding me.

"That is true neither can I!" Paul now added with more than a hint of anger on his now raised voice as his business suit vanished and was replaced by silver ornate armor and a large sword gripped in his hand, that he started to slid menacingly from its sheath on his hip.

"Humm fine I can understand that!" and I took my gem from its box and tossed the now empty box back on the table. Then took the box that Becky was holding and replaced the box in her arms with the now bare gem and tossed that twin box onto its own table.

"There...Done...your boxes are back where they belong, the gems leave with me...now!" I demanded.

Paul took a small step towards me and I handed Becky the twin gem that was my mother's, "If that is what you want angel...SO be it! But know this, in this fight you are my sure equal because of my weakened state, but...." I warned as my body grew from teen girl to winged amazon covered in deep black armor, "my death will be yours and this church's end!" I growled at him.

Becky saw the huge fight that was certainly coming and one that I would lose...because I said I would, she knew that I could judge my odds in a battle with ease! "Ky...my love, this is not your way and I know it because I know you, I am part of you. Let them have the gems and we will find a way over the coming years to tear them from the church's grasp anyway!"

Her counseling gave me great pause, Becky was right. I did not fight anymore, I only fought the darkness, that was my path in this new life and this could wait till the church fell from within or without...by my plans to MAKE it fall!

"Fine, Becky is right...you keep them Paul...but they will never work for your kind ever again, human or angel. Only one of my kind will hear the words of wisdom from these gems ever again!" I said while shrinking down to my now normal size and taking both gems from Becky's arms.

I replaced both gems in their respective boxes, then activated them both, "Mom, Dad?" I asked both of them as they showed back up to me and the rest of the room.

"Yes my son, now ruler?" Father asked me.

"These humans have possession of both of you for the time being. Do not appear to them and give them anymore of your counseling or knowledge! This I have to order this from you both for now, " I said very sadly to both, "Now tell them, these humans in their own words what I just ordered or requested of you so that they know...that I now only control how this will end and the when...please?"

I watched on silently as both of my parents ghost or spirits told the assembled group in ancient Latin what I had asked of them and then they both turned back to me, but father spoke first, "The task is done my son, I will see you soon?"

"I will see you soon too, my boy!" mother said as they both vanished from sight.

"WELL Paul...this means your church or 'boss' just lost any help they ever or I should say will ever offer and that is a great loss on your part!" I barked out, then stepped up to him and poked him in the chest at the center of his shinny silver armor.

"But know this, I will work each day, each night till I get them back or see this church, its buildings, its writings fall to ruin and then I will get them both back from your ashes! I can and will out live this...'thing' of yours...and really? You could not come up with an original idea for protectors of this church without copying my race?...How sad indeed!" I tisked at Paul and defiantly walked right past him out the still open door of the room.

Becky broke out into laughter and even Julie giggled till Paul, plus the now freshly arrived Cardinal glared at them both. Julie stopped her giggling under his harsh stare, but Becky returned his and even seemed to 'growl' to him as she walked out of the room. The Cardinal took it from there and asked Julie about what parts of this near fight he had missed.

The Cardinal being informed that I was laying a very valid claim to both sprits housed in this room was not taken very well, in fact he was raging at the idea those 'angels' might be taken from Vatican grounds. But Julie countered his rage with one large fact that their help or guidance was gone forever and I would not help the church anymore with my translations...Plus my threat or in her words 'guarantee' that I would see this through to the churches end if need be and one of my kind being at war with them was a bad idea!

I barked back into the room to get this party moving, "Lets get going, I want out of this place and out of your city as soon as my feet can take me!"

"I will talk over about all of this incident with the Cardinal enclave and see what the church's leadership want to pursue in this matter from there?" The priest told the woman curator.

"I hope so, I want and DO need her to translate far more than you think...most of the deeper library has not even been seen in hundreds of years and some of those tomes might be of use to the world!" she warned and started to walk away at a brisk pace to catch-up, then lead the party back up to the main museum above.

Once we were back above ground, I walked right out of the main library of the museum complex and over to the rim of a large fountain to sit down. Becky followed me, but stayed well back because she felt my dark mood was not something that needed any input just yet.

Jules our guard and escort so far today, had seen the whole mess and felt that something needed to be done, no matter how small the gesture was. He quickly sent an assistant away for grabbing the group a service of coffee and baked treats that the nuns made for the tourists.

I sat silently on that marble topped rim for a few minutes thinking, pondering what to do next. Leave, Storm out in a fit of rage that will make the evening news or stay?

After I had calmed myself a little with the sound of the splashing water to help, Becky felt it was time to sit next to me and give me a warm hug, "I felt that you needed some time alone dear...I can even see that you are still thinking, let alone feel it even now?"

"Thinking sad thoughts and evil dark ones right now is what dwells on me. I have to wonder why they really wish to anger me, when it's so clear that those two spirits belong to me and mine?" I said as she pulled me closer.

"I will have a nice long talk with Twain tonight and we will see what pressure the combined force of Homestake, ARC and the DPA can put on them...cheer up at least you know where they are and the bible thumpers would be mad to try to loose or do them any harm with you just outside of their gates!" she laughed to me, then started to playfully toss the fountains water my way with her free hand, "Cheer up at least its not raining!" she cried out in jest.

"I am not a pigeon that needs a bath woman, I showered this morning!" I laughed myself and splashed some water her way.

Jules strolled over to us followed by two assistants carrying trays, "Here are some refreshments for you to enjoy. But I have to intrude too on your relaxation, Father Merrin needs to ask something of you and I will call him over if that is alright?" he told us.

"In the foul mood I am in and the church still asks favors of me?" I barked at him.

"He has one request...please?" he asked once more.

"Fine send him over and please ready whatever needs to be done so that we can leave the city for our hotel and then home?" I asked Jules, who nodded instantly back to me and walked off to touch a waiting priest on the shoulder as he whispered to him.

I took one of the offered coffee, plus a small plate of baked goods to nibble on while we waited and I talked to this man. This gray haired man, walked slowly over to us showing his advanced years but still had a spring in his step. His simple black style robes was what most of the church preferred and he held a bible in one hand with a tablet wedged under it, 'ahh the more modern needs of life'. I thought silently of him.

"Miss Baron, I have one request of you today?" he asked.

"You do know that as of an hour ago, the church and I no longer see eye to eye? And making a request of my time is not going to end well..." I warned him flatly.

"I heard, but not the exact reason behind the separation between us of the faith and you. But the request is not for me or the church...It is sadly for the family of Anna, the guide who died in Berlin and her family was visiting Rome when she died. They came here to seek solace, but since you are already here...can you?" he asked me and gripped his bible to his chest hopping I would say yes I am sure.

"You sure know how to wound a person...Yes I will see them. Is that now, or later?"

"We can set it all up for morning or afternoon, your preference Miss?"

"Do what ever the family asks and I will match it." I gave him

"Done Miss, I am sure they will be happy to have a talk with the last people to see their little girl alive and I will be calling very soon to set this up farther?" he said solemnly and Becky handed him one of her cards that she pointed out it had an international number printed on it, that she used for mine and her's business.

Once the priest had left us alone again, I let out a slow heavy sigh showing my real feelings right now. I was sad, upset, utterly frustrated and very angry right now. I had a inner hope that the Vatican would let me have my parents memory gems and I could talk to them farther?

"You want to go home, to our room or maybe just forget all of this and see Anna's parents later?" Becky asked me in the old tongue we always used to one another.

As she spoke I noticed that Paul seemed to perk up and stay silent while Becky or I spoke. That is when I cursed the existence of his church, not a binding one...but more of a 'darn you' swear you would make in anger and when he glared at me, plus 'bristled' up a bit when I was very sure he had heard, plus understood me.

~"Becky that winged bastard Paul knows what we were saying just now and I am seriously thinking of getting up and seeing if I can pound him into the earth for fun?"~

She chuckled to me while she angrily starred Paul's way, "I am thinking of doing that too, but in my case I am sure I can get away with slapping the bastard!" she said in that old tongue once more instead of mentally telling me. She was playing with Paul like a toy and seemed to enjoy it!

"Well...I have to use your own words against you Becky, we don't start a fight or STEAL from others!" I smiled back over to her, keeping with the playfulness she was already on and I was loving it! This helped me feel better, if you listen into my private conversations? I will try to 'burn' you somehow!

As Paul stewed behind me and even I could feel him burning now with a little anger. I slid into a older languages that Becky already knew and one I was very sure Paul or even his boss did not!

I cursed him again and when I asked Becky, she noted no reaction from Paul, but to be sure I tossed in a few words of an old dwarven language my old friend Baron had taught me, one not even from this world! I had been coaching Becky in it for months and her knack for learning strange writing or spoken languages, had given her a leg up to learning it quickly that I was sadly lacking in simple english?

"This should work for now, I am sure even his Lordship does not know this one!" I laughed to her.

"Let's just get the day over with and get back to the room so we can do some talking while we rest?" she asked me and stood up to wave Jules over to us.

"I agree..." I sighed again.

~o~O~o~

Sunday September 16, 10:30 PM
Rome Italy our hotel room

Once again for the hundredth time tonight Becky was barking at her phone and to Twain on the other end, "I don't care if they want more or paid for our services already....No this is something personal, family in a way and that set of gems belong to her....no I don't care how long they have kept them, or kept them so called safe! Well they can bill us or you in this case, after we see Anna's parents tomorrow we are done here and with them forever!...No sending the books in question over to Whateley for us to check on them there is not a way to fix this and if I find out that someone tried to sneak a Vatican or church book past us to have a 'look-see' I will skin THAT someone alive!" Becky warned him while wrapped deep within her shared rage we both had with the church right now and she stomped all over the room.

"Love hang up the phone, enough of dealing with this mess? They will have to figure it out or I should speak 'that Twain will'! I have given them my decision on this matter and the way to fix it, let the humans deal with the mess from there?" I told her as I climbed off the bed to grab yet another small bag of chips and just then thought to myself..."I just called them 'humans' and did not included Becky along with the rest of them all? Have I influenced her life that much, that I mentally don't think of her as a regular human anymore?" I had to ponder to myself silently

"That's...'I should say'...My love and YES HE IS going to deal with this!" she barked at the phone once more and hung it up, then turned it off for the night I felt!

She cuddled up next to me on the living room couch and took a few chips from my bag laying on my chest, "So that was mom and dad...you did not even have time to introduce me to them?" she tried to jest.

"If I could have, but I did not want to show Paul and his boss that we were so linked. Not just now?" I said as my hand pulled her close and my free hand played with her hair a bit.

"I know you don't want to show your hand just yet, that you are gathering followers and growing your influence on others?" she whispered to me, showing me that she did understand the 'what's' and 'whys' of my complicated life right now.

"Let's just sleep till morning and deal with Anna's parents then?" I purred to her and she nodded back with a yawn, then fell asleep.

~o~O~o~

Monday September 17, 7:30 AM
Rome Italy, our room

After a quiet night cuddled together both in real life and mentally in my inner realm, we woke up early to have a good breakfast before the escorts came for us and this sure to be sad meeting.

All night I noted the absence of Night within my mind or even sleeping on one of the rooms many places a bird as large as her could perch. But I knew she would stay silent, because her kind...our birds were the protectors of family in my world and her seeing my family, my parents trapped or imprisoned was beyond her reason. Night was normally that small voice that kept me calm or held me back when I was angry, but that voice of reason had its limits and both mom and dad being held by this church was far beyond that!

When the escorts finally arrived, we were ready for them and this time the escorts seemed to be a new team, I did not recognize even one of them? "Becky where are the escorts we had yesterday?" I had to ask cautiously in our secret language.

"It's fine they all checkout, here are their pic's off my secure phone?" she offered the device to me and I nodded back my agreement, "Besides do you feel any of them hiding anything from us or that want to do harm?" she asked me farther.

"No none of that," I said as I shook my head, "What I feel mostly is that emotion that I normally connect with humans being protective and alert."

They loaded us into a waiting SUV and drove off, as we drove my sense of direction told me that this SUV was not heading towards the Vatican at all and it was going in the opposite direction.

"Becky we are heading south, not north and away from the Vatican?" I told her.

"Ohh let me see why?" she said then leaned up to one of our escorts and asked. When she was finished she sat back to smile to me, "They are taking us to a small church nearby because of yesterday, the priest felt that you might be more comfortable at a location outside of the Vatican walls right now?"

"Fine, but they have to tell us about this beforehand next time?" I warned her and she nodded back in agreement.

The three SUV's arrived at a small church at the city's edge and parked in the very tiny lot to drop us off. The priest from yesterday waved a greeting to us to come in the main doors, "Ladies come in and thanks for allowing us your time."

"You are welcome sir, but lets have this meeting over there in that small garden and we all can sit on the benches facing one another?" I told him and pointed over to the garden bordering the side of the church building.

"Miss why sit out there, when we can go inside and be far more comfortable?" he asked me gently and waved at the door once again insisting we both go in with him.

"Father Merrin honestly after yesterday and my finding your church lays claims to what is clearly mine. I will no longer grace any of your buildings with my presence," Becky sputtered out a short snort of a giggle when she heard me mentally add...'Unless I am destroying one!' onto that last sentence.. "and I will not help your organization in anyway, besides I am here for Anna's family and no one else."

"Fine I understand your wants, please go ahead of us while I get the Janssens...Anna's parents and her brother Thomas." he bowed slightly my way, then turned back into the church to go gather his small flock I am sure.

Becky sat down on the nearest set of benches and patted the spot next to her, "Come and sit down so you don't start pacing the gardens to death or break something in anger?" she suggested to me, certainly feeling out my current dark mood.

Soon the father was leading three others over to our bench, their sadness played out over the nice garden and that emotion seemed to overwhelm the beauty of this place for me. The priest introduced them all has he came close enough to be heard, he bowed his head slightly in respect to the family as he spoke, "Miss Baron, this is the Janssens family...Anna's mother Maxime, her father Nicolas and lastly her older brother Thomas. Please I took the liberty of telling them who and what you were...I hope you agree?" he asked me finally in english to be a good host I was sure.

"Yes that is fine, they deserve to know as much as they want or need for the sake Anna's memory and their own needs of course." I offered when I stood to personally greet them all with a small short hug.

I felt that Thomas, Anna's brother was a little uncomfortable and withdrew from my hug very quickly, "You all right Thomas, I don't bite?" I giggled trying to help the mood.

Becky laughed back with me, "Nope she does not bite, but nibble once and awhile..."

"I'm fine, you are not what I expected is all?" he said with a light French accent in english, when helping his mother sit next to his father. But strangely remained standing himself and that showed me that this young man was on the defensive towards me for some reason?

"What did you expect__me?" I had to ask.

"Something...." he corrected himself and I could feel that he was genuinely sorry to call me a 'thing' just now, "ahh sorry...'someone' older?" he said back to me while fussing over his own words.

"My appearing to be__Teenager makes sense even though I an far, far older. But in reality___should appear as a small child because I know so little of this world and even the english language seems to confound me at times?" I admitted to the boy.

Becky smiled as she mentally corrected me, then asked the family for us both, "Is there anything we could do....anything?....Because all Anna left with us both, was that she loved each of you and that Thomas should not give up on schooling because of this loss was her biggest worry. One that he would stay home and care for the both of you?" she glanced at both parents in turn.

"I was thinking to do just that?" he sadly gave us all.

"No that would be a mistake son, we can take care of ourselves and you need your space or time for school." Nicolas the father of both told Thomas.

"Please listen___your parents, it was Anna's last wish for you Thomas...beside loving all of you?" I said encouraging the boy to do as his father told him.

Father Merrin interrupted them for a second with his input, "I am sure that Anna's company or the ARC organization would pay for any schooling at this point or I am sure I could get them too?"

As the priest spoke about the son going back to college, all that Anna's mother Maxime could do was only cry, "Ohh my baby...I am so going to miss her!" she almost wailed out constantly.

I held her hand as the grieving mother calmed herself with the help of my pushing a little of that emotion on her, I know I shouldn't do it...but in this case who would say 'no' or stop me?

"I know that feeling very well, Mrs. Janssens. I have lost children myself over the years." I consoled her and felt my own pain grow a little at the same time.

"Father Merrin told us you were an old being, but seeing a teenager that says they understand still is very strange to me?" she admitted to me, "But does it get better?"

I knew what 'it' was, IT was that pain of the loss, "No it does not, it only lessens when you have others to care for and you have your son for now. Then maybe soon the boy will get you some grandchildren to spoil rotten!" I laughed in hopes it helped.

"Thanks Kyley those nice thoughts do genuinely help, looking forward to the future helps?" she told me.

Becky nudged me rather hard in the side just then, "See even she knows that Ky, looking towards the future is best!"

"I do wish I could see her...my Anna one last time?" she started again.

"I could show her to you though my eyes, but it would be only during those last mounts of her life when Anna told us her last wants?" I offered to the now weeping mother and the father who was just now starting to cry himself.

"You can do that?" Maxime smiled up to me.

"Yes I can, but you will see her as she was during her death, it was not pretty...but she was not in any pain, I stopped that, gave her peace with my powers and sadly she was too injured, much to far gone for me to save?" I apologized to them all.

"You did what you could, you put yourself in danger to help and that is the best anyone one being a regular human or someone ancient like you could even offer?" she told me and squeezed my hand in support.

"Thanks." I mumbled thinking about that day and many, many others over my life.

"Can I see her, see my Anna that one last time?" she beamed to me.

"I can, please lean you heads a little closer to me if both of you want to see this?" I asked Anna's father at the same time if he wanted in on this too?

They both did as I told them, I gently placed a hand to each of their heads by the side of their temples and that is when I made a connection. One that could only be made with my current weakened state with permission.

The visions I gave them were a bit edited for the parents sake, I left out or 'fuzzed' out from their shared sight the damage Anna...their child had been through. A vision clear as both of them being there in person was shone to them and the joy of hearing their daughters last words and requests was shared among all three of us.

Maxime blinked her tear filled eyes to me and then hugged her husband, "Thanks for that, it helped us greatly...thanks!" her muffled voice said as she pulled her husband closer.

"Thomas, did you want to see this too?" I had to ask the boy, even though I knew he would not in my own way.

"No...I want to remember Anna, my last memory of her to be the ones from home and not that last day of her's." he said and I nodded back to him, "Yes I understand, if you ever change your mind...I am here, just a call away?" I offered to him.

Both grieving parents stood up while hugging one another and I could tell they felt much better than when they had walked into this nice garden, that some of that not knowing what had become of their child or her last thoughts was lifted away.

I was personally happy that I had helped as best I could, I might not have been able to save Anna. But I let her last wishes, her words be known to those she cared for and now they personally had, plus heard them to cherish for all time.

"Lets go home Becky, I am done here and done with this place!" I said while angrily glaring at the church building standing next to this nice serene garden.

~o~O~o~

Wednesday September 19, 11:30 AM
Dunwich, New Hampshire
Our house

Becky climbed the stairs up to our door from the garage thinking that the house would be very stuffy after almost a week of our being gone. But she found the door already open and the room beyond it filled with the scents of cooking food.

"Ohh you're already here, I was just cooking you both lunch!" Madelyn yelped out and Becky instantly knew who it was in her or our home. Because no one else but family or bespoken ones could get by my magic wards and she knew it!

Becky ducked her head to look back down the stairs, "Ahh guys just bring the bags up to this door's level and you can go. No need to carry them all the way up to our rooms for us!" she sang, hiding the facts that we did not want our connection to Madelyn being made by outsiders just yet!

Becky ran into the house and shooed Madelyn upstairs for now while our escorts brought the stack of travel bags to the homes first level and once they had left we both hug our greetings to Madelyn.

"Well glad to see you here girl, what are you up too?!" Becky asked.

"Didn't Ky tell ya? She called me to come on over and find a place to stay at. Then I might grab a job was the plan? But Tim stopped by your home while you were away and I spotted him as I just had rented the single bedroom on the end of this row."

I interrupted her long explanation from there, "That is when Tim told her of his plans and mine. Since Maddy already knew them, he moved into her place temporality that is?" I smiled knowing something was coming!

That is when Tim walked into the house and overheard all of us talking, but I knew he was coming, "Temporally...till I have to call her 'mom' that is?" he laughed out.

Becky hugged Tim instantly as he got close enough, "So you have decided to join the family then?"

"Yes...I did just that a few days back and came here to tell Ky. But both of you were in Germany and Maddy took in this lost puppy till you'all got back?" he laughed again.

"Lets have dinner, this GOO is hungry!" I said to all of them as I spun around to the kitchen and the wonders of smells that Maddy had just made there!

Hours later we were still seated at our large dining table trading stories of this past week

Tim was just finishing off the last of his pudding when I had to ask him a question, "Well did you want to do this tonight or wait some more time Tim and Maddy this is your choice partly too?" I had to add for her sake.

"Now is good as ever I guess?" Tim shrugged to me and Maddy twinned his action, "I guess now is fine, might as well getERdone!" she jested and stood up.

"Becky, I will have to ask you to leave and go over to Maddy's place to wait this out in safely, because this is a large spell or act on my part and having any other living beings in the building might be a bad thing for me or them right now?" I questioned myself just now...can I even capable of still doing this? It was a simple act before, used may times to save one who's body was so damaged, that we needed a whole new one!

Becky did not want to leave her home, she wanted to be part of this and thought she should be there in case something went wrong. By Kyley was right, what could she do and or even know what to do when? Becky took her time leaving the house, gathered up her phone to be called on, her purse and slowly left as Kyley guided Maddy, plus Tim up to her bedroom where she was told Maddy would rest up after.

Becky opened the door on Maddy's small one bedroom that made up the end of every row of townhomes in this development, most were made for handicapped residents but the builder over built the numbers and sold or rented the leftover ones just like this till a tenant that better fit its needs was found.

Becky grabbed a soda out of the fridge as she paced the small living room like an expectant father. Back in her home, Kyley had just closed the door to her room, "Well this is how our night will go. First you both agree to this, then I capture Tim's soul for later use while I destroy his body for fueling this act and then just save a sliver of him or what was him for later use. Now I prepare Maddy to receive Tim and combine her with her bodies capacity to have kids and the result will be an old Tim soul in a very new body. One body that is mostly one of my kind, a bit of his old one and little of Maddy's. That way Tim with be partially human and my kind."

"So you destroy me and then remake me?" Tim gulped out.

"I hope, there is a chance of failure and NO I do not know the odds of that until we start. I have not don this recently, or in this new form of mine or on this world. I you want to back out, this is the time for that Tim?" I had to ask him for the last time, because once started...this act finished or failed, that was the only end.

Tim shook his head slowly, "No I am not backing out, I know I have freewill to make this decision and I want it!"

Maddy smiles to him, "I agree too, this is the payment for my life and I know it. But I get to be a mother without all the fuss!" she laughs.

"Then that part is done, we all agree and lets get started then?"

Four hours later, Becky's phone rang and when she picked it up a very tired sounding Maddy was on the other end, "Hun, we are all done and I am sleeeeepy....goodnig" is all she got out.

Becky's feet slapped hard on the pavement as she ran back home, on the couch she found a sleeping Ky all curled up. ~"Don't touch her right now our love."~ a warning sang inside her head, as she came close to touching the sleeping body and she knew that was Night, who was perched in her normal spot.

"Why?"

~"Kyley is hungry for energy right now and even touching her in the slightest might lead to her feeding off your life-force, she spent all she had on this act and I added in mine to finish it. In a few minutes I will fly her away to feed off the life aura the cities have in abundance near hear."~ the bird offered and seemed to be preening itself for a long flight in Becky's opinion.

When Becky looked over Kyley sleeping on the couch again, she could see now after the birds warning that Ky's body seem more gaunt, starved for sustenance than normal and it showed across her face with it's thinner skin, plus sunken appearing eyes.

Worry showed in her voice as Becky asked the companion bird, "Night will she get better soon? Or like the last time she overspent herself like this and take days to fill back up on life-force?"

~"This time it will only take part of the night, I will fly over to that nice city you showed us coming up here and she can refill herself very quickly on all that free roaming energy!"~ the large black bird seemed to smile to her.

"Okay, but be careful...the pigeons in New York can be mean!" she jested back to the Bird as it hopped over to the couch and Kyley's body vanished for a change instead of the bird. With a toss of it's head, the window slid open to its mental command and out she flew into the dark night.

Later up in Ky's room, Becky found a sleeping Maddy in the bed and covered her up with the blankets to keep her warm. One thing she noticed was a pile of Tim's clothes next to the bed, like he had vanished right out of them on the spot! She cleaned them up and while she did, she spotted Ky's phone on the tabletop with its eagle art cover showing who owned it.

She shook her head to the sight and picked it up to take back to the main bedroom where she slipped into her bed for the night, "I hope all is good?"

~o~O~o~

Thursday September 20, 4:35 AM
New York city

My eyes popped open to the sight of being in an unfinished room, one that strangely was missing roof, one wall and part of another wall? I yawned out loudly, "Ohh ya Night flew me to New York city and perched me here in an unfinished high-rise for the night." as I sat up to stretch my arms out and give me some room to finally add my huge wings in the stretch.

After I stood up, I had to stretch out the wings once more to 'get the kinks out' so says Becky at times, but not only did I feel rested but strangely hungry for actual food? "Humm what to have to eat?" I said pulling my wallet from storage.

Night squawked from her perch on one of the many steel 'I' beams of the building, ~"I would like a apple fritter and maybe a doughnut?"~

I agreed with her suggestion, "Sounds good, lets fly down and see if there is shop nearby?" and I took to wing to search out the street thirty odd floors below us.

The glow coming from a open bake shops windows looked very inviting in contrast to the rest of the streets inky darkness and the wonderful smell of fresh treats being cooked added to the call it had on me. So I landed in a dark alley nearby to hide my wings, then casually walked out into the street appearing like a normal teen in search of breakfast!

Once I opened the door, the owner greeted me instantly as he dusted off his hands of flour and walked over to his display counter, "What can I get for you kid?" he said in that distinct New York accent I had heard so much last time here in the city.

"Humm two of the apple fritters and four of those doughnuts!" I just pointed my selections out in his large case one at a time.

He quickly tossed them into a bag, each wrapped in a wax paper sheet and then placed the bag on the countertop near me, "That's eight even and I'll toss a few holes in for ya too!" he added and then dropped five or six little sprinkle covered balls in last.

I paid him a ten, he gave me my change and turned back to his work, "Cya kid, have a nice day."

"Goodmarrow, " I said back in english and he nodded quickly as he went to work again.

As I picked the bag off the countertop, I could tell the fritters on the bottom were still very warm and certainly fresh, that meant gooooey! the best way to eat them! So I grabbed a few napkins to top the bag off and get that sugar off my fingers, plus Nights claws later!

Once I left the shop, then safely back to the shadows till I was sure no one could spot me and took to wing. Back up to that unfinished floor I went, then perched myself on one of the top most 'I' beams to wait for sunrise. I so wanted to see it this morning, because I had just restarted my kind on this world and this sunrise was the first on many on what would be my new home for a very long time!

The bag rattled as I took out the first doughnut, I found this one was the chocolate sprinkles one and I placed its twin on the beam I was sitting on for Night. She 'popped' out and right away tore off a chunk to nibble on.

"Nice clear day to see this, I hope it looks good?" I said while sitting on that beam with my legs swinging freely below me and I glanced down to the thirty or so story fall below me to just see the workers coming back this morning to continue their work.

I shrugged to seeing them, "It will be an hour I bet till they get up here and that is plenty of time to watch the sunrise!"

The first beams of light stated streaming over the horizon when I pulled out both fritters for us to eat next, Night tore into her's instantly and I placed the still warm treat on my lap to tear off a piece.

Below me a few stories, Bart was just making his way to his normal place as the crane operator for this job and he was the first to get into work, then normally the last to leave. The construction elevator hit the last floor it served for now and would be added to soon when needed. He left the cage's offered safety far up on this last full floor and sent it back down to the crew that would board it in a minute or so?

Bart checked out the area to make sure nothing stupid or dangerous to his buddies had occurred during the night and spotted a blond teen sitting amongst the high steel on a far off beam. Right now she was calmly eating a doughnut with a huge bird sitting right next to her!

"Ohhh shit, she must be nuts or suicidal!" he thought silently.

Bart walked slowly towards that end of the finished floor as he keyed his radio mike, "Ahh guys, we might have a jumper on thirty four? A teen girl is up here and she is sitting on a beam about twenty foot over my head?"

I heard something behind me and spun my head to see a man looking up at me, "Just waiting for___sunrise then I'll be going!" I told him.

"Ohhh shit she is going to jump at sunrise!" is what Bart thought to himself just now as the kid spoke about her plans. He keyed his mike again, "Hey get up here now damn it, I am sure she is going off now...she said so!" he warned the crew still coming up in the construction elevator.

Once the cage banged to the top, a dozen men spilled out and tossed lunch bags along with other personal belongings into a pile by the door, then sent it back down. Four bigger men put on safety gear and started their way up the steel to the teen.

I noticed four men headed up to me as I kicked my legs back and forth impatient for the sun to fully rise, "Hey nice view up here, just a few more minutes and___sun will be up and we can greet___new day before I go!" I told the nearest one a dozen feet below me.

"Hey it can't be that bad, don't move it's dangerous!" he said to me in a shaky voice.

"Dangerous?" I questioned him, "I___ love high places like this!" I sang and stood up to greet him.

"Nooo, noo, NO! Don't do that, you'll fall!" he warned me.

"I can't fall?" I questioned him again, "I have been doing this for years! It's like flying, you never forget?"

As he came closer, then up to my level. That is when Night took to wing as she warned me, ~"I don't like this human, he seems too nervous to me!"~

He clipped a line onto my beam, just as his buddy got on top of the same beam behind him. I took out my last two doughnuts and offered them to them, "Here, I only have two left, but they are real good and besides I am kind of full?"

I walked calmly towards him very certain of my footing having done stuff like this all my life. To me this beam was as wide as a city sidewalk and no danger to me!

"Sure I'll take one, but don't move till I get to ya...please" he gulped at me.

"You okay?" I asked him with a tilt of my head, "I know the wind is coming up, but you seem nervous...too nervous?" I had to ask handing him the bag.

"Thanks," he said and handed the bag to his buddy still trying to clip a rope to the beam we all stood on, that is when he fell trying to hold a bag and clip on!

As the man fell away from us screaming, I leapt out after him and my wings popped out on instinct. They folded in to give me a faster dive so I could catch up with his falling body and in a second I had both arms wrapped around him firmly. Next I pulled up and my wings beat the air fiercely to keep both of us aloft.

He squirmed on my arms and I noticed his eyes were shut, "Hey stop moving or we both fall again!" I warned him with a shout over the growing winds of the coming day.

As we came up to that last floor, he finally opened his eyes and looked at me, "I got ya!" I smiled to him.

"You got me...WHO'S GOT YOU!" he shouted and looked down at his feet. Then over to mine and the 'nothing' that was holding us both up!

We landed on the top most floor and I let him free of my hug, "There you go and I will not charge for the ride?" I smiled at him.

"Shit...mutant...angel...what the fuck!" one man asked me.

"Ahh my card says mutant, but I was born this way?" I said.

"Darn it kid, what are you doing up here!" one barked at me.

"I was just watching the sun come up?" I offered and felt a wave of pure rage hit me from him.

"Darn it call the cops!" one man in back shouted at me.

Finally that man who was on my beam and I handed the bag to. Came down to us and he spun me right around to him, "Great a mutant kid, I am just happy you are fine...but what were you thinking?"

"I guess not thinking, or thinking like a normal human does. Where I grew up, running around on the tops of buildings far taller than this was normal for children half my age?" I offered to him.

Bart slid past the crowd of men and took the kids shoulder in his hand, "It's best you get going and lets not call the cops. No need to stop work with lots of silly paperwork guys?" he offered to them and me.

"I will go?" I said and took his hand. That is when I found it hurt, must have been crushed at one point in his life working this job, "Ahh I can fix that hand for you?" I offered him.

"Humm sure you can?" Bart said while pulling it back and giving it a shake to ward off the pain that came from it on cold mornings. That busted up hand is why he operated cranes these days, it's injury stopped his working for three years till it healed and his crane training was over with!

"Can I try, as a thank you?" I asked again.

"Bart, that might be a bad idea...she might hurt you?" one man said as he gripped his long steel working tool, with one end having a wrench opening and the other a point for working beams together.

"I doubt she can hurt me and what would it hurt Dave?" he said and offered the hand back to me.

"Humm?" said as I felt out into it, "all five fingers broken, six joints permanently fixed by screws and all your tendons a real mess!"

"Well shit...she nailed it! That is what the doc said years ago word for word?" Bart told the group of us.

My hands glowed over his and I felt the repairs start. I shoved the screws out of his hand, then past the skin and they pinged off the concrete covered floor one by one at our feet. Next I checked my work as I fixed his nerves and strengthened the atrophied muscles some for him.

"All done, good as new!" I beamed at him and let go of his hand.

Bart flexed the fingers of his hand for the first time in nearly ten years, then rotated the wrist well past the point it normally stopped at because of that damaged mess in there, "Hey she did fix it, look guys all fixed!" he said and showed his fingers flexing like normal.

"Shit Bart all your scars are gone too!" the one called Dave noticed.

"If I can go now guys, next time I will ask before coming up and maybe bring doughnuts for all of you?" I offered and took to wing in the growing sunlight. Then flew north towards home as fast as I could.

Dave looked over his fellow crew, "Guys not one word of this to anyone else, because if the MCO ever heard of this or the press? It could get bad for her and lets not go there!"

They all nodded back in agreement and went to back to their jobs for the day.

A few hours later, I was back at home and Becky was hugging me to death in the living room, "So it's all done and Tim is 'in' Maddy?"

"Yes, But I am hungry again and this time I need or crave food and not just for the tastes for some reason?" I smiled to her.

"I'll order some pizza and other things for ya!" she beamed back to me, as she grabbed her cell phone to start the order on an 'app'

"Order like three! I am really hungry for some reason?" I said laughing as my stomach actually growled!

Shortly we had three pizzas on the dinning table along with some pasta and buffalo wings. I was starting my second pizza as Becky smiled at me, "Great to actually see you eat for a reason, just like I do!"

Becky took a wing from the box of them as Maddy came in the room and waved it at her, "Have some, we ordered out!" she offered.

"Ohh ya I am hungry, famished even!" Maddy said taking a seat, then Becky slid a clean paper plate her way. Maddy took a slice of pizza and a few wings very quickly. She seemed to savor each bit till the smile on her face disappeared slowly as she stopped eating, then she lept out of her chair and ran to the small bath across the living room. We heard her vomiting up her guts a second later.

"Humm that would be Tim I am sure!" I said eating another wing nonchalantly.

"Maddy barfed him up!" Becky shrieked out!

"NO...NO, that is simple morning sickness. Remember I told you both this pregnancy would be accelerated like mad and this is what happens." I said dropping the now meatless bone on the plate.

Maddy came out of the bath wiping her mouth with a towel, "What was that?" she asked having not heard me with he door closed, so I repeated what I had just said once again and grabbed a fresh wing.

"So this shit will go on?" she asked me as she sat to drink some soda.

"Nope that sick feeling will be gone by dinner, but you will be showing some belly by Wednesday!" I warned her.

"I'll get fat that fast!" she shouted looking down at her flat abs, as she pulled up her shirt.

"Ohh ya! That is what happens when you have a kid and I am sure you know that!" I had to smile to her.

"I thought this would be fast, but not that fast!" she said.

"It will be fast, even faster than you think! Since New York is only an hour away by wing, I am going to use all that free energy to make this quick and easy on you. Each weekend I am going to toss my energy at you and Tim inside you on both days! That should make this last about four weeks or so? Then add Tim will be back and about three or four by Halloween!"

The look on her face was priceless, I loved it! So I had to smile at her, "You'll love it, it will be fun!" I added next.

"I'll be a whale in a few weeks?" she almost cried.

"By mid next week I am sure and you will need to eat allot too! A whole lot and that means Becky will be busy making sure you are fed, plus happy?" I informed my love.

"Maddy will have to move into you room in a week or so? Living down the row in her place might be a bad idea for her to go back and forth looking different each day!" Becky warned.

"Humm had not thought of that? But it's great that we have the room and my bed up there is comfortable too!"

"How fast will he grow?" Maddy had to ask me.

"I am not sure of that? He should grow in HUGE spurts, a year here a year there and be back to an adult in less than a year or so?" I told them.

"I'm going to have huge stretch marks!" Maddy almost cried, "I worked out so much to get my abs back last month!"

"No you won't, all of that will vanish after Tim is back and I heal any lasting marks he leaves behind!" I told her and patted her belly as a joke.

~o~O~o~

Sunday September 23, 10:30 AM
Whateley academy, Poe cottage

Becky had just dropped me off at school and I flew over to Poe to see how things were going while I did my washing. When I finished tossing my loads of clothes into the huge washer and making sure it was set-up all fine? I strolled back into my room with my now nearly empty bags, "Hi KK, how did the week go for you?"

"Hey!" she beamed at me and leapt up to give me a huge, "I'm fine how have you been, we all saw what happened in Berlin!"

"I'm fine, but we lost our guide only a few minutes after we met her and from there most of the trip was a down from there?" I had to admit to KK, as we promised to keep no secrets in this room from one another.

"Hey it happens sometimes, why I don't know? But at least you helped out those you could and the church!" KK boasted for me.

"Yes, I helped those I could and I would have helped far more than those few if Becky did not dragged me off and showed me that I should leave for her safety, as well as mine own? But never please KK never mention that church to me again!" I had to almost bark out as my anger grew at them once more.

Her expression grew more puzzled as I spoke about Berlin and then the church, "Why so angry at them Ky?" she had to ask me now and certainly saw or felt my personal anger growing because I was broadcasting waves of that emotion right now.

"That is personal KK, I should not really get into it?" I said and hopped she would drop it.

"Okay, but we can talk if you want to any time?" she suggested, knowing our main rule... We would never talk about the others secrets outside of the room.

A thought just occurred to me in a flash, "Hey how did you know that I was the one who healed those few at the Berlin attack? I heard that the healer went and was still unidentified by the MCO, plus the media!"

KK spit out laughing at me, "Be real Ky, I mean really? A nearly eight foot tall amazon girl, with black wings, dressed in all black as night armor and that heals the injured! You can't fool us on this campus or those inside Poe with that?"

"I hope no one else figures it all out, it might go bad for me?" I added to dark thoughts in my head, 'what would the MCO do or the government?'

"Don't worry about it! But you might want to go say hi to Downpour, because she was very worried about you last week?" KK eagerly said while trying to shove me back out the door and the waiting hallway.

"Okay...KK I'll go already!" my voice shouted and she playfully shoved me over and over into the hall.

After KK closed our door behind me, I paced out the hallway towards Downpour's room and as I arrived at the now closed door I could instantly feel the dark mood that lay behind it. So I knocked and her roomie opened the door to me.

"Hi I am back and___told that Downpour wanted to see me?" I grinned to the roomie.

Not a second later Downpour was wrapped like a snake around my waist and was hugging the life from me as best she could! I glanced down to her as her now happy face looked up to mine, "Nice to see you too?" I smiled down.

I could feel that she was much happier now and she seemed to glow now, "You are not allowed to do stuff like that anymore and I was worried that you got hurt or something bad happened too!"

I had to laugh a teen girl ordering me just now, "I am fine and like I said...I am never going to leave you or anyone? Because ridding oneself of a GOO like me is very hard!"

~o~O~o~

Wednesday September 26, 11:30 AM
Whateley academy, Kane hall

To most what I was doing on my paper was doodling, but to me this is what my mind did when I was trying to relax and to others that knew GOO magic? This small doodle was a spell for making a very small but viscous hamster, that could eat a car in a few bites! Dangerous, yes...but I would burn this paper before anyone else could read it? Besides a hamster that had extra-dimensional jaws and teeth was funny to me!

My hands picked up that paper off my desk and looked the spell over, inside my mind it grew instantly from a spell to real. As it did, I could see that I had perfected the most dangerous small furry, yet cute monster of savage death! Ohhh so cute, easy to dismiss as nothing and pick up to cuddle...then BOOM! It had you!

I am sure that Becky would call this a 'dark thought or idea?' But really it was my mind playing at the end of class time of my dimensional gate physics team and I needed the free time to relax some.

That paper was crumpling in my hands as I made it ready so a spell could light it aflame and get rid of any danger so cute a monster could wreck on the school. As it burned with a spell, that is when I felt that Becky had opened our homes front door and that was a normal thing that happened many times a day. But this time I felt something at the door, as she was greeting it...I felt out to there and since I was behind this room's major spell wards, plus the building's I could not see what it was with her eyes? I could only 'feel' that she was fine and not threatened by whatever this being was.

Becky must have invited this new being into our home, because I felt it pass by my homes wards and enter the home with her permission. The new being felt strange as it walked through that door, it felt like an E’draqvar! One of the Succubus like beings we met on our trip to Sturgis and it felt strongly like a royal Fae too? But what grabbed my attention most...it felt like ME!

Normally all of that might worry me, but I knew nothing could get past my warding and hurt Becky without being harmed in return, then add that 'return of harm' would be three fold stronger than what was given!

As I left the room, I picked up my cell phone off the shelf that we stored them on while in class. 'We did this so that no dangerous math or Mythos math or spells could leave the room via text and hurt the world outside in general.'

My phone 'beeped' as I passed by the doors of Kane hall and the signal jammers that protected the building. the text was short and to the point...Ky there is a small girl here looking of you and she called you the Guardian? I'll keep her here and wait for you to come home tonight love!...that was strange, a girl calling me Guardian?

~o~O~o~

~o~O~o~

~o~O~o~

~o~O~o~

Well readers if you what happened from there or to know who or what the girl was?

You will have to read Nuuan's stories about her! She is one of Nuuan's characters and I leave it up to his fine writing to introduce her to the readers.

https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book-page/60565/better-or-worse

~o~O~o~

~o~O~o~
Shadowsblade here.

This is my newest story in a joint venture with a group of fan fic authors, so far this group is made up of Nuuan, then Branek and finally myself. We all got together and after a jumpy start decided to make a group of stories that all take place within the Whateley fanfic universe. This one here is my second one and hopefully its a good one.

But remember all. I am not leaving Shadowsblade behind! I will start writing her soon!

To have an idea about the main protagonist this story's will develop
around here is a short introduction.

Angels Peril a Whateley Tale: Written by Branek
Tormented by the past, Angel is struggling between light and dark.

Melvin a Whateley Tale: Written by Branek
They say old soldiers never die, Melvin is about to learn that the hard
way.

The Way of the Dragon a Whateley Tale: Written by Branek
Born for eternity but vulnerable like a child, dragons shouldn't leave
their nest.

Every Rose has it Thorns a Whateley Tale: Written by Nuaan
Watch what you say around rose, could give you more trouble than you ever
asked for.

Kelly a Whateley Tale: Written by Nuaan
Struggling with fate, Kelly has to deal with love and loss.

Shadowsblade a Whateley Tale: Written by Shadowsblade
Created for war and forged in pain, dealing with deamons within and the
out.

Vantier a Whateley Tale :Written by Shadowsblade
Ancient and Powerful Vantier awakens in a foreign world, struggling to
find her place in it.

You might ask yourself what is the Whateley Universe? To make it short,
here is a abstract straight out off the wiki.

Whateley is a Prep School for different teens. VERY different ones. Where else could a kid go to a school that has a resident demon living in the furnace? Or meet magic users, mutants of every imaginable kind, get trained in how to handle some rather odd abilities, and worry about
flunking Freshman English? Come visit Whateley Academy, nestled in the
lovely hills of New Hampshire. Just down the road from a town named
Dunwich... (Mythos jokes purely intentional).
This is the Whateley Academy Universe, a shared universe with over a dozen authors and more than a hundred stories (and counting). The stories range in size from vignettes to novels. It's a Mutant High scenario with both a strong transgender theme and a slightly watered down Cthulhu Mythos theme.

It's also very much a work in progress.'
If you want further information you will find them on.

http://crystalhall.wikia.com/wiki/Whateley_Academy_Wiki

or

http://whateleyacademy.net/

But I have to thank, Both Branek and Nuuan for their vast input and the ability they both have to 'bounce' off ideas and improve them!

To all my readers who have e-mailed me and given support--THANKS!

Please feel free, to add a review to this story and others. As those kind words are 'cookies' that keeps that muse well fed on the 'sometimes' long breaks between stories!

this warning is for our story stealers off site, not the BC family of readers we all know and love!

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods,
without the prior written permission of the Author, except in the case of
brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other
noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.