Rehabilitation waiting room, Hera's Rest hospital, Atlantis 19:35
The gloom in the waiting room hangs like a shroud. Despite the light and airy decor, an large windows opened wide. There is an almost palpable darkness, casting a shadow over those within.
Alex and Rachel Mitchum sit side by side, embracing. Neither wanting to speak for fear of tearing down the dams holding their emotions in check.
Kim stares out of the window, overlooking the sea, but only sees the sight of her sister strapped to a table, pale and emaciated. The pleading look in her sunken eyes, burned into Kim’s soul.
None of them have moved in the hours since the doors closed for the last time.
The doors. Pale green, set in pale blue walls. Their cheery appearance, giving no clue as to the events unfolding within.
For the last fourteen hours, Sasha, Tara, Anya, Angela and Nikita have been battling to repair Ali’s ravaged body and rebalanced her brain chemistry.
As the hours grind on, Kim’s mind races ever faster, a kaleidoscope of images raging unchecked through her mind. The sight of Ali, her eyes pleading from her ruined body, memories of battling the Annunakin, the fear for her clan members at the height of battle, the faces of the men she killed in Spain, the terror of being kidnapped so many times, the massive campaign looming against Annunakin so very different from those her people have fought before.
Her stoic discipline normally keeps these thoughts in check, but the shock of finding her sister so physically broken was the last straw, letting everything finally catch up to her
With her mind racing, she passes out, exhausted.
The next day, Secure Recovery Ward, Hera’s Rest Hospital, Atlantis.
Kim’s eye flutters open and she rolls onto her back under cool, cotton sheets. She feels the needle in her arm, replenishing her fluids. “Fuck. What happened?” she whispers, her body feeling like it was made of lead.
From the chair to her left, Tara whispers, “Welcome back babe, you had us all worried. You passed out in the waiting room and wouldn’t wake up.”
Kim squints at the ceiling and begins to remember, speaking numbly, “Everything hit me all at once. I was overwhelmed.”
“Angela examined you and reckons you passed out from exhaustion.” Tara explains quietly, trying not to show the worry she feels.
“How long have I been out?” Kim asks, pulling her phone from a dimensional pocket. “What have I missed?”
Kim checks her messages and finds one from Chancellor Grey, simply reading, “Good morning Kim.
Angela has explained what happened. I want you to take some time and recover properly. Koph and Zoe will cover the clan in the mean time and all offensive ops are off until you return. Be well. We need you now more than ever.
I must apologise. The weight of our actions, is a risk for all who follow the Ecomantic path. We open ourselves constantly to feel and heal the world, however, at times it leaves us blind to our own weaknesses.
Take as long as you need. The full membership of the ministry is at your disposal to aid your recovery.
Our thoughts are with you. Call me any time day or night, if you need me.”
She lays her head back on the pillow and sighs, “Good news travels fast. My Chancellor has already put me on recovery leave.”
“You say that like it is a bad thing. You need to slow down.” Tara says, gently.
Kim rolls her head, seeing Ali quietly sleeping in the bed opposite, “We all do. Face it, we have been full tilt since Santander and Atlantis has made it more full on.” She sighs, “We are burning ourselves out.”
Tara closes her eyes and tries not to cry, “I have been thinking that for a long time. Everyone looks at me as if I am some kind of messiah and I will produce the next big thing. The pressure is enormous to create a follow up to Biokinetics and Quintekinetics.” Tara chews her lip and confesses, “I smoke cannabis oil every night, to get some peace as I sleep.”
“My God, why didn’t you say something?” Kim asks heartbroken.
“No one to say it to, I guess. Every couple of days Anya and I get called in to rebuild someone after impossible to survive injuries. Nothing quite as bad as today, but close, but we rarely get much chance to talk. Then there is the day to day as well.” Tara confesses.
“I am so sorry.” Kim says, feeling her sisters pain in her own chest, “I had no idea. I thought you were riding high.”
“In some ways I was, but I was hiding behind my success, letting it mask how I was struggling.” Tara looks over at Kim, “Ali was the last straw, We worked on her for hours and at the end, Anya and I fell asleep in the chairs watching you two. I think she has been struggling too, from the little things she has given away.”
“I haven’t told you the half of it.” Anya says, groggily.
Kim looks over at her, as she sits in the chair next to Ali’s bed, “I am so sorry I haven’t been there.”
“None of us have. We have lived our own lives and pushed ourselves and been pushed by others in turn, to excel.” Anya says, stretching, “It is just dumb luck that we happened to come together like this now.”
Weak groans escape from Ali, as she fights to open her eyes, her arms and legs almost to weak to move. She manages to sweep her gaze around the room and lets a wave of relief wash through her.
“Is it really over?” Ali croaks, unable to sit up in the bed.
“Oh thank God. How are you feeling babe?” Anya says, exhausted.
“I'm not sure. Feel a bit fucked.” Ali says, fighting a wave of nausea. “Feels like I have been turned inside out, rolled in broken glass and turned back outside in, then crushed by an anaconda and shat out after.”
“To be honest, you had a rough time of it. When Kim brought you in, most of your organs were damaged, your brain chemistry was shot and ketosis was ravaging your muscles. We worked on you for almost twenty hours, but even so, it will take time before you are back on your feet again.” Anya explains.
“Damn. That bad eh?” Ali says, fighting back tears.
“Babe? Are you OK?” Kim asks, fearfully.
“I wanted to die in that room.” Ali says, softly crying, “There was a moment, that I considered pulling out the feeding tube.”
Kim grunts with effort, pushing the covers off of herself. She struggles to her feet using the bed to support her and lunges for Ali’s bed. Struggling to pull off the covers to hug her sister.
Tara and Anya move to help and between them they help Ali sit and hold each other. “Anyone would have cracked, faced with that.” Tara says softly.
“I did the initial assessment on you and by rights, you should have been dead with everything your body went through.” Anya says, softly, “But you came back to us.”
“You don’t get it. I don’t know if I can ever do this again.” Ali confesses, unable to look her sisters in the eyes. “I loved being in the field, but, I don’t think I can go back to it.”
“I am on leave now from my clan and I think I am going to take it.” Kim says, thoughtfully. “Fancy keeping me company?”
Tara sits up and looks at her sisters, “Could you take us somewhere, where we can get breathing space?” Making Anya and Ali prick their ears up.
Kim thinks for a moment, “I can get us out of here, but my people would find us, wherever we went.”
Anya snorts a laugh, “Maybe we should ask Dean. He seems to have completely vanished since the wedding.”
“I heard from him the other day, he is spending time in nature. His words, not mine.” Ali says, weakly.
“I don’t believe that for a minute. I bet he is in his lab as we speak.” Tara says with a sigh.
“Wonder what he has been working on. He has barely left his lab for six months.” Tara wonders out loud.
Kim winces and chews her lip, “Please don’t be mad. But when I saw him at the wedding he had aged about five years since we last saw him.”
“God damn it Kim. Why didn’t you bloody say something?” Ali says, shocked and hurt.
“I’m so sorry babe, there was never the right moment.” Kim says, bitterly.
Ali sighs, slumping her shoulders, “There never is.” Looking at her sisters sadly, “It is only something like this or simple luck that we meet up. I miss you guys.”
“I miss you all too.” Anya says, trying not to cry, “We are always better together. We need to start meeting up more.”
“I am down for that.” Tara chips in, “No excuses, we make it work.”
“I am all in. I know just the place.” Kim says, with gently smile.
“Actually, thinking about it, no offense babe, but the last time you chose a place for us to meet up, We landed in a battle for the realm of Babylon against the Annunakin.” Ali croaks, wheezing a laugh.
“That is not fair, it could have happened to anyone.” Kim says pouting a little.
“I am kidding. But seriously though, no war zones until I am on my feet.” Ali says, with a smile.
Felix Prime, Longbow Lake, cabin.
Beki, Eve and Ivy, sit quietly with their heads bowed unable to look Dean in the eye.
Dean puffed out his cheeks and exhales slowly, “OK that is a lot to unpack.” He says after a few moments.
“I swear it’s the truth.” Eve says, pleadingly.
He reaches out and gently squeezes her shoulder, “I know it is.”
“Will you go to her?” Beki asks, fearful of losing her brother.
Dean checks his messages and shakes his head, “No.”
The sisters exchange a confused look, before Beki asks, “Why?”
“No one has been in touch. Nobody has told me about Ali. I'm guessing they are trying to shield me until I get back.” Dean explains, “The problem is, if I go back now, asking to speak to her, everyone will ask me how I know and that is a problem.” He sighs and smiles weakly, “I am a terrible liar so will spill the truth.”
“Why is that so bad?” Eve asks, earnestly.
“Because, if he tells the truth, he reveals you to the world.” Mia says, choosing to reveal herself from her vantage point by the door. “And me for that matter. There would be no hiding for any of us at that point.”
The girls look at each other warily and then look at Dean, before Eve says, “I am so sorry. I thought telling you was for the best.”
Dean crosses the room and hugs her, “Don’t be daft, I am glad you told me and even more pleased that she is safe.” He smiles at Beki and Ivy, “Thanks to all of you.”
He sees Mia frown and look at the girls, with new eyes, before Dean explains, “Eve realised that without the collar, she could call for help, Beki knew how to remove it and Ivy possessed a dove and used a needle to pick the lock.”
“Fair enough.” Mia says with a shrug. Seeing Dean’s confusion, she explains, “Given the wild ride we have had since we first met, that is easy to believe.”
Dean chuckles, “It has been pretty wild.” Then he looks at her, with nothing but love in his eyes, “Wouldn’t change a thing.”
“Come on. Get a room.” Beki says, drawing blushes from Mia and her brother.
Ivy chips in, with nervous anticipation, “Does that mean you are staying, Dean?”
“Yeah, I guess you are stuck with me, for now at least.” Dean says, feeling an ache in his heart, as he is torn between being there for the girls, or being there for Ali.
“In a way it is a shame. We have data on the people behind this and you could have passed it on, so they don’t get away with what they did to our sister.” Beki says with a sigh.
“Send it to me.” Mia says, with a certain steel in her voice. As soon as she gets it, she accesses her neural interface and begins to read.
“In a way, I am good with it.” Dean says, with a smile, “I know Ali has had a bloody awful experience, but she is safe and I can be there for her when I get back.” He winks at Eve, “In the mean time I get to be here for you guys.”
“Do you mean that?” Beki asks, hopeful.
“Every word, love.” Dean says earnestly, “The hardest part about being a big brother is watching your siblings grow up and take control of their lives. I am here for you while you all do that.”
“We lost everything. Our families. Our friends. Our lives. But you make me believe, we will be OK again.” Beki says, hugging him tightly. “For the first time in my life, I have a future I am in control of.”
“You took my pain away and gave me a new chance at life. I will never forget that.” Ivy says joining the hug.
“My tribe was my life and in that room, I wanted to die, but you and Mia saved me and gave me a chance at a new life. Everything I do, I owe to you both.” Eve confesses.
Dean feels a sense of sadness, tug at the fringes of his thoughts, “As it stands, I have another week with then and then who knows when I will be back. I don’t want to let Mia or the girls go.” He hugs his sisters tightly and gazes into the eyes of Mia, “There just might be a way, to be there for the girls, protect Mia and support Kim and others. Trouble is, to do it, requires full disclosure on everything, I have been working on. I just hope Atlantis is ready.”
Website Migration Update
I moved the website to a new host, which I think will be more tolerant of the content this website hosts. Nevertheless, I do want to take a moment to remind everyone that the stories and content posted here MUST follow website rules, as it it not only my policy, but it is the policy of the hosts that permit our website to run on their servers. We WILL continue to enforce the rules, especially critical rules that, if broken, put this sites livelihood in jeapordy.
*CALLING FOR MORE PARTICIPATION*
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JUST A SMALL ANNOUNCEMENT TO REMIND EVERYONE (GUESTS AND REGISTERED USERS ALIKE) THAT THIS FORUM IS BUILT AROUND USER PARTICIPATION AND PUBLIC INTERACTIONS. IF YOU SEE A THREAD YOU LIKE, PARTICIPATE! IF YOU ENJOYED READING A STORY, POST A COMMENT TO LET THE AUTHOR KNOW! TAKING A FEW EXTRA SECONDS TO LET AN AUTHOR KNOW YOU ENJOYED HIS OR HER WORK IS THE BEST WAY TO ENSURE THAT MORE SIMILAR STORIES ARE POSTED. KEEPING THE COMMUNITY ALIVE IS A GROUP EFFORT. LET'S ALL MAKE AN EFFORT TO PARTICIPATE.
Revelation (M/F) (F/M) - A sequel to Devastation
View my latest story, Revelation, here;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
Central Auditorium, Guild HQ, Atlantis, one week later.
The amphitheatre is full of apprentices, associates, artificers and other members of the guild. Guild Master Corven calls for calm in light of Associate Venk brutally tearing down another apprentices proposal.
“Steady on everyone. It was a good idea, just not quite ready for us. The sagely older man says, calmly, with the wave of his hand.
Venk snarls, “A so called wonder round for the coil rifles. But with no way to load them into a weapon.”
The two apprentices faces burn bright red as the eyes of the room are upon them. Corven looks down at them with some sympathy, “Venk is a bastard, but, sometimes that is what’s needed to enforce the need for rigour.” He thinks, before addressing the room, “I think unless anyone has something to add, we should move on.”
“I have something to add.” A lone voice rings out. After some confused looks around the auditorium, he rises to his feet, to approach the demonstration area.
Unlike his overall clad peers, Dean wears a dark grey three piece suit and open collared white shirt. Approaching the two apprentices he winks and speaks softly, “Within two minutes, you will get the credit you deserve. I need you to trust me.”
The male apprentices in their early twenties nod subtly and step aside. As Dean continues, “If these rounds are stable over longer ranges and provide better hard armour penetration, we should at least fire a few off.”
He pulls a coil rifles from a dimensional pocket and removes the magazine, “I take it you have some rounds with you.”
The shorter apprentices, Drake, nods, producing a box, “We brought a couple of hundred rounds, just in case.”
Dean scoops the rounds into a dimensional pocket and then closes his eyes for a moment. He hands the rifle to Drake and nods, “Weapon live, first shots should go to you.”
The nervous and confused apprentice, shoulders the weapon taking careful aim at the target before squeezing off a burst.
The rounds tear into the target and the tracker confirms higher velocity than standard rounds, whilst the target itself shows the impact of the rounds.
Drake fires off three more bursts, striking straight and true before passing the rifle to his colleague.
Lucas takes aim at a target 400m down range and double taps the target centre mass, several times before unleashing long bursts to cut it to shreds.
“This is a higher velocity more stable round for the coil rifles and only enhances their utility.” Lucas announces.
Even Venk concedes the point and nods, “Interesting results. How did you get the rounds to feed?”
Dean shrugs, “I placed the rounds in a dimensional pocket with a pinned condition, that if the breach is empty to refill it from the cache.”
Stunned silence descends across the crowd, “The protocol for this is relatively simple and has a few uses, but this is not my presentation.” Dean turns to Lucas and Drake, quietly whispering, “Send me the spec of your rounds and I will send my protocol.”
Stunned silence grips the amphitheatre, before gentle ripples of conversation begin to flow. Guild Master Corven nods to Dean, “I think we need to have a conversation, in private.”
Dean gives the thumbs up and a gentle smile, “Long overdue Guild Master. Full disclosure.”
Guild Master Corven’s appraisal facility, 1pm
Corven reclines in a well padded leather recliner, at the head of the table. Flanking him are Associates from across the guild representing a range of disciplines.
With a soft knock at the door, everyone focuses their attention. “Come.” Corven says, gently but firmly.
Dean opens the door and steps forth, with a confidence, he has never shown before, “Good Afternoon, thank you for seeing me on short notice.” He says with a nod, feeling the eyes of everyone drilling into his soul. “Play it cool. You have got this. Just need to play it right. Take it slow.” He thinks, standing at the foot of the table with his back to the demonstration area.
Corven leans forward in his seat, “Are you prepared to show everything you have been working on?”
“Full disclosure on everything, from the loading protocol to production.” Dean says calmly, whilst coaching himself, “Start small.”
“The floor is yours.” Corven says, with a wave of his hands.
Dean nods and with a quick flourish, pulls three Tacnet drones from dimensional pockets, “Originally designed to support disaster relief operations, three units can cover a ten mile radius, providing real time reporting on life forms, structures, infrastructure and geology.” Dean smiles slightly, “They will also provide wireless data for any operators who log on to the network.”
The drones hang motionless in the air, like one and a half metre long tear drops with round bulbs on either side.
Taking the silence from the top tier as permission to continue, “It also became apparent, during the design process that they would make a good platform for small unit fire support. To that end, they have two, point defence coil guns to attack any hostile objects and incoming projectiles in a 400m radius.”
Turning them upside down, he reveals the launch rail, “They can also launch air to ground missiles, air to air, torpedo and guided bombs with a 2000 kg warhead. Each has a dimensional cache of thirty projectiles, except the bombs while has ten.” He pauses, before capitalising on his moment, “The controller can refresh the cache at any time from dimensional storage.”
Venk raises his hand, with a frown, “So you expect us to believe that these drones carry heavier weapons that combat Raptors with effectively unlimited ammunition?”
Dean shrugs, “Yes.”
Venk scrutinises him closely, “What kind of top speed are we looking at?”
Dean sighs, “Under arrester propulsion, I have recorded speeds of around six hundred miles per hour.”
Venk nods thoughtfully, “Comparable to a combat Raptor, still a little slow in the scheme of things compared to our contemporaries.”
“An excellent point and I will address that shortly.” Dean says, pulling out a small metal box roughly eight centimetres on a side.
He holds up the object for all to see, “This is an ultra compact, high yield capacitor. It can charge to roughly a million voltage output, with an arrester under standard conditions in about five seconds.”
“Very interesting. So you can generate a large electrical charge quickly. So what?” Venk asks, sharply.
“Gotcha.” Dean thinks, hiding a smirk before speaking, “What if the charge was directed inward and absorbed by the arrester?”
“It would be absorbed then released over a short period of time to vent the excess.” Venk says almost exasperated.
“Or you could set the arrester output to instant and release a pulse of energy.” Dean says, with a challenge in his voice.
Venk regards him thoughtfully, “Keep going.”
“The energy can be released as a powerful kinetic pulse, providing massive and instant thrust.” Dean says, taking a moment to see the confusion on his peers faces, “In an aircraft, it can provide instant acceleration. The Tacnet drones are fitted with a pulse propulsion system based on this principle and I have recorded them at four thousand miles per hour.”
He lets the point hang in the air for a moment, “At speeds over three hundred miles per hour, the Capacitors will charge in less than half a second.”
As if anticipating the assembled engineers questions, he deactivates the drones stealth functions and sends them off. Venk brings up the air security radar system his team developed and everyone watches in silence as the drones streak around the realm, before returning to the room.
Dean takes a sip of water and accepts the applause, before removing his suit jacket showing a matching waist coat underneath. “Full specs and design notes will be provided after this presentation.” He says, feeling himself hit his stride.
“So there we have it. A new ammunition feed system, a tactical support drone and a high end propulsion system.” He gives a knowing smile, “I will pause there, to give you a chance to review the documentation, before I continue.”
When Dean stands again, silence descends on the room in anticipation. He pulls a large handgun from a dimensional pocket and holds it aloft, “This is a charge pistol. It uses built in capacitors to propel a projectile at high speeds.” He turns the weapon to show it from all angles, “The Capacitors fitted are smaller than those shown previously, however, as sufficient to throw a fifty gram projectile accurately out to a fifty metre range.”
He selects a couple of options from the weapons menu and a fore grip and stock appears, “In this configuration range is increased to a hundred metres.” He pauses for a moment, “The handgrip and trigger pull are fully adjustable within the weapons menu and it links in to a Sheaths targeting software for greater accuracy from the hip.”
Sarek, the ballistic expert shakes his head, “That is a very heavy projectile for a weapon of this type. I am sceptical about this.” He says with a furrowed blow.
Dean nods, thoughtfully, “I cam appreciate that. The Capacitor provides a large amount of thrust, allowing for much heavier payloads than conventional propellants. With a muzzle velocity of roughly two thousand metres per second.”
Sarek puffs out his cheeks, “If that is true, then this is a weapon to be feared.”
“I defer to your judgement, Master Sarek. The specifications have been sent for your review,.” Dean says respectfully, before trying to get back on track, “It also has a secondary firing mode with a light pulse.”
“A light pulse? So a less powerful kinetic pulse with no projectile?” Corven asks, thoughtfully.
“AH no. A pulse of light. Think laser pulse.” Dean says sheepishly, “The beam is a highly concentrated pulse of light, which can punch a one millimetre hole through two inches of steel. If it hits flesh, it will sublimate the liquid it touches into super heated plasma.”
Shocked murmurs ripple around the room, with the implications before Venk intervenes, “This could never be deployed in an urban theatre.”
Dean nods, “This is for arenas with low numbers of friendlies and high numbers of deadly hostiles, such as front line Annunakin operations and war worlds.”
“Agreed. If introduced, we will recommend against use in built up areas or areas with a civilian populace.” Venk says, thoughtfully.
“Absolutely.” Dean says laying down the pistol, “Doubly so for the rifle version.”
Concerned glances are exchanged as Dean pulls out a sleek, black rifle, just over a metre long, “The charge rifle is accurate out to one thousand metres in standard configuration, extending to three thousand metres in sniper config. It fires a two hundred gram round at five thousand metres per second and the light pulse is just as deadly.” He adds a bipod, scope and barrel extension from the options and continues, “Where the pistol has an integrated arrester, the rifle is built around an arrester pylon, which gives efficient charging and allows for fully automatic fire.”
Corven watches the scene unfold as Dean continues, thinking to himself, “Well done lad. I knew you had something remarkable up your sleeve.”
“We’ve looked at battlefield intelligence and weaponry so let's look at protection now. The Assault Sheath.” Dean says donning it with a flourish, “A double layered sheath encasing synthetic musculature made from spider silk. It calibrates to the user, augmenting everything they do making them five times stronger, with a running speed up to 50 mph, built in capacitors which will knock back any opponent weighing less that 400kg, within 6 feet and can produce a focused blast which will kill a man at 30 metres.” Dean explains confidently, “On top of that, the suits Pulse Propulsion System allows for flight speeds in excess of two thousand miles per hour.”
Dean waits a beat, taking in the murmurs of ascent and appreciation, before adding, “The suits are upgradable, so that once the helmet is on, the suit is sealed. At which point a time dilation Ward is activated, allowing the wearer to experience 20 seconds for every second that passes outside of the suit.”
“This is a fast moving, hard hitting protective suit, designed for front line combat. It comes with a full sensory suite as standard and is fitted with three integrated arresters for power and protection.” Dean changes out of his Sheath with a flourish, “Any questions?”
“Actually, I have a question.” Venk says thoughtfully polishing his glasses. Dean nods and gestures for him to ask, “High end tactical drones, ultra powerful weaponry and a battle suit like no other. My question is, how many kittens do you think General Cassius will have when he finds out?”
A ripple of laughter peels around the room, leaving Dean with a smile, “It is difficult to say precisely, however, in tests the average number is predicted to be at least nine.”
Open laughter ripples around the room until Corven stifles a smile and calls for calm, “Ladies and gentleman, please.” He pauses looking directly at Dean, “Do you have more?”
An hour later
After detailing a compact strike fighter, Tech units, mining and agricultural drones and a builder drone which acts like a large scale 3D printer for buildings, Dean leans back against the wall, with a tired look and smiles, “Well that is pretty much everything. Any questions?”
Venk removes his glasses and holds them folded like a pointer underlining his speech, “I must say this has been a very impressive presentation. I have reviewed the technical specifications of the items that you’ve show today, it is clear that you have outstanding Technical ability and what we have seen today will potentially shape the technology of the realm for years to come.” He casts his gaze around the room and rises to his feet, then bows.
Dean looks on confused as one by one the other masters bow in turn until Corven finally bows. He straightens and addresses Dean directly, “You have presented yourself and been recognised. Will you join us, Dean Mitchum?”
Dean exhales slowly, after expecting a positive reception, but nothing so formal. He nods nervously and then bows.
Corven smiles and steps forward, laying a hand on Dean’s shoulder, “The Agriculture feeds. The Military protects. The Order heals. The Colleges enlighten. The Secretariat informs. The Guilds empower.” He pauses, taking a slow breath, “We are the soldiers rifle, the surgeons scalpel, the farmer plough and the medias interface. Do you pledge to strive for the excellence of others?”
Dean feels the weight of the moment and nods, “I do.”
“Let’s all hear about witness to the ascension of Dean Mitchum to the rank of Master Artificer.” Corven proclaims to all who may hear, knowing within moments, this proclamation will be known across the guild.
All present return to their seat, with a round of applause for the new Master of Technology. When the applause dies down, only Dean and Corven remain standing, “Welcome Master Mitchum.”
“Thank you Guild Master. I will do all in my power to fulfil the honour bestowed upon me.” Dean says, earnestly.
“Of course you will, the biggest problem is how we're going to get everything built.” Corven says reviewing the specification and requirements of Dean’s designs.
“This is the moment.” Dean thinks before admitting, “I have a facility. Capable of producing every piece of technology that Atlantis makes and a lot more besides.”
“Oh really.” Venk says, losing his smile, “And how, pray tell, is this facility secured?”
Dean takes a breath, committed, “It is located in the dead realm of Regus. The realm has total coverage by thirty thousand Tacnet drones providing full surveillance 24/7. Ground security is controlled by Tech Units, in Assault Sheaths. An additional force of Sovereign fighters is also on station.”
Venk moves to speak, but Corven stops him with a wave of his hand, interceding, “We will designate the realm a black site, upon verification. You will also be able to handpick any personnel you may require.”
Venk nods at the mention of verification, “I would like to be involved, with the verification process. My people can look at logistics for supply.”
“Did you ever think looking at the night sky that everything looks the same?” Dean asks cryptically. When greeted with looks of confusion, he continues, “Just as every realm is unique so is every sky above it. Every realm has its own sun, Orion, Uranus and Moon.”
He moves around the room, then turns to face the assembled Masters and turns his gaze upwards, “Every realm also has it’s own Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud.” He takes a deep breath, almost feeling Mia’s hand on his shoulder, “Using Pulse Propulsion in space provides constant acceleration. I sent hubs to the Belt and Cloud in the skies of Regus. Once in position they deployed Tech units and miners to gather materials.”
Dean takes a sip of water, taking a moment to read the room, before continuing, “The drones fill hoppers deployed from the Hubs. When the hopper is full it is emptied into a dimensional pocket. When a hopper is empty in the factory it is filled from the same pocket.”
Corven purses his lips for a moment and smiles, “So basically you have an almost unlimited supply chain and guaranteed delivery. Very interesting.”
“Everything is open to scrutiny and there is full documentation on everything.” Dean confirms, trying to stay calm. “The system is solid and can be set up in any realm with minimal preparation.”
Venk’s eyes narrow and he shifts in his seat, edging forward, “So with this set up, any realm can have almost unlimited raw resources?”
Dean simply nods, waiting to see how the waves with break and if he will be crushed or carried aloft.
The amphitheatre is full of apprentices, associates, artificers and other members of the guild. Guild Master Corven calls for calm in light of Associate Venk brutally tearing down another apprentices proposal.
“Steady on everyone. It was a good idea, just not quite ready for us. The sagely older man says, calmly, with the wave of his hand.
Venk snarls, “A so called wonder round for the coil rifles. But with no way to load them into a weapon.”
The two apprentices faces burn bright red as the eyes of the room are upon them. Corven looks down at them with some sympathy, “Venk is a bastard, but, sometimes that is what’s needed to enforce the need for rigour.” He thinks, before addressing the room, “I think unless anyone has something to add, we should move on.”
“I have something to add.” A lone voice rings out. After some confused looks around the auditorium, he rises to his feet, to approach the demonstration area.
Unlike his overall clad peers, Dean wears a dark grey three piece suit and open collared white shirt. Approaching the two apprentices he winks and speaks softly, “Within two minutes, you will get the credit you deserve. I need you to trust me.”
The male apprentices in their early twenties nod subtly and step aside. As Dean continues, “If these rounds are stable over longer ranges and provide better hard armour penetration, we should at least fire a few off.”
He pulls a coil rifles from a dimensional pocket and removes the magazine, “I take it you have some rounds with you.”
The shorter apprentices, Drake, nods, producing a box, “We brought a couple of hundred rounds, just in case.”
Dean scoops the rounds into a dimensional pocket and then closes his eyes for a moment. He hands the rifle to Drake and nods, “Weapon live, first shots should go to you.”
The nervous and confused apprentice, shoulders the weapon taking careful aim at the target before squeezing off a burst.
The rounds tear into the target and the tracker confirms higher velocity than standard rounds, whilst the target itself shows the impact of the rounds.
Drake fires off three more bursts, striking straight and true before passing the rifle to his colleague.
Lucas takes aim at a target 400m down range and double taps the target centre mass, several times before unleashing long bursts to cut it to shreds.
“This is a higher velocity more stable round for the coil rifles and only enhances their utility.” Lucas announces.
Even Venk concedes the point and nods, “Interesting results. How did you get the rounds to feed?”
Dean shrugs, “I placed the rounds in a dimensional pocket with a pinned condition, that if the breach is empty to refill it from the cache.”
Stunned silence descends across the crowd, “The protocol for this is relatively simple and has a few uses, but this is not my presentation.” Dean turns to Lucas and Drake, quietly whispering, “Send me the spec of your rounds and I will send my protocol.”
Stunned silence grips the amphitheatre, before gentle ripples of conversation begin to flow. Guild Master Corven nods to Dean, “I think we need to have a conversation, in private.”
Dean gives the thumbs up and a gentle smile, “Long overdue Guild Master. Full disclosure.”
Guild Master Corven’s appraisal facility, 1pm
Corven reclines in a well padded leather recliner, at the head of the table. Flanking him are Associates from across the guild representing a range of disciplines.
With a soft knock at the door, everyone focuses their attention. “Come.” Corven says, gently but firmly.
Dean opens the door and steps forth, with a confidence, he has never shown before, “Good Afternoon, thank you for seeing me on short notice.” He says with a nod, feeling the eyes of everyone drilling into his soul. “Play it cool. You have got this. Just need to play it right. Take it slow.” He thinks, standing at the foot of the table with his back to the demonstration area.
Corven leans forward in his seat, “Are you prepared to show everything you have been working on?”
“Full disclosure on everything, from the loading protocol to production.” Dean says calmly, whilst coaching himself, “Start small.”
“The floor is yours.” Corven says, with a wave of his hands.
Dean nods and with a quick flourish, pulls three Tacnet drones from dimensional pockets, “Originally designed to support disaster relief operations, three units can cover a ten mile radius, providing real time reporting on life forms, structures, infrastructure and geology.” Dean smiles slightly, “They will also provide wireless data for any operators who log on to the network.”
The drones hang motionless in the air, like one and a half metre long tear drops with round bulbs on either side.
Taking the silence from the top tier as permission to continue, “It also became apparent, during the design process that they would make a good platform for small unit fire support. To that end, they have two, point defence coil guns to attack any hostile objects and incoming projectiles in a 400m radius.”
Turning them upside down, he reveals the launch rail, “They can also launch air to ground missiles, air to air, torpedo and guided bombs with a 2000 kg warhead. Each has a dimensional cache of thirty projectiles, except the bombs while has ten.” He pauses, before capitalising on his moment, “The controller can refresh the cache at any time from dimensional storage.”
Venk raises his hand, with a frown, “So you expect us to believe that these drones carry heavier weapons that combat Raptors with effectively unlimited ammunition?”
Dean shrugs, “Yes.”
Venk scrutinises him closely, “What kind of top speed are we looking at?”
Dean sighs, “Under arrester propulsion, I have recorded speeds of around six hundred miles per hour.”
Venk nods thoughtfully, “Comparable to a combat Raptor, still a little slow in the scheme of things compared to our contemporaries.”
“An excellent point and I will address that shortly.” Dean says, pulling out a small metal box roughly eight centimetres on a side.
He holds up the object for all to see, “This is an ultra compact, high yield capacitor. It can charge to roughly a million voltage output, with an arrester under standard conditions in about five seconds.”
“Very interesting. So you can generate a large electrical charge quickly. So what?” Venk asks, sharply.
“Gotcha.” Dean thinks, hiding a smirk before speaking, “What if the charge was directed inward and absorbed by the arrester?”
“It would be absorbed then released over a short period of time to vent the excess.” Venk says almost exasperated.
“Or you could set the arrester output to instant and release a pulse of energy.” Dean says, with a challenge in his voice.
Venk regards him thoughtfully, “Keep going.”
“The energy can be released as a powerful kinetic pulse, providing massive and instant thrust.” Dean says, taking a moment to see the confusion on his peers faces, “In an aircraft, it can provide instant acceleration. The Tacnet drones are fitted with a pulse propulsion system based on this principle and I have recorded them at four thousand miles per hour.”
He lets the point hang in the air for a moment, “At speeds over three hundred miles per hour, the Capacitors will charge in less than half a second.”
As if anticipating the assembled engineers questions, he deactivates the drones stealth functions and sends them off. Venk brings up the air security radar system his team developed and everyone watches in silence as the drones streak around the realm, before returning to the room.
Dean takes a sip of water and accepts the applause, before removing his suit jacket showing a matching waist coat underneath. “Full specs and design notes will be provided after this presentation.” He says, feeling himself hit his stride.
“So there we have it. A new ammunition feed system, a tactical support drone and a high end propulsion system.” He gives a knowing smile, “I will pause there, to give you a chance to review the documentation, before I continue.”
When Dean stands again, silence descends on the room in anticipation. He pulls a large handgun from a dimensional pocket and holds it aloft, “This is a charge pistol. It uses built in capacitors to propel a projectile at high speeds.” He turns the weapon to show it from all angles, “The Capacitors fitted are smaller than those shown previously, however, as sufficient to throw a fifty gram projectile accurately out to a fifty metre range.”
He selects a couple of options from the weapons menu and a fore grip and stock appears, “In this configuration range is increased to a hundred metres.” He pauses for a moment, “The handgrip and trigger pull are fully adjustable within the weapons menu and it links in to a Sheaths targeting software for greater accuracy from the hip.”
Sarek, the ballistic expert shakes his head, “That is a very heavy projectile for a weapon of this type. I am sceptical about this.” He says with a furrowed blow.
Dean nods, thoughtfully, “I cam appreciate that. The Capacitor provides a large amount of thrust, allowing for much heavier payloads than conventional propellants. With a muzzle velocity of roughly two thousand metres per second.”
Sarek puffs out his cheeks, “If that is true, then this is a weapon to be feared.”
“I defer to your judgement, Master Sarek. The specifications have been sent for your review,.” Dean says respectfully, before trying to get back on track, “It also has a secondary firing mode with a light pulse.”
“A light pulse? So a less powerful kinetic pulse with no projectile?” Corven asks, thoughtfully.
“AH no. A pulse of light. Think laser pulse.” Dean says sheepishly, “The beam is a highly concentrated pulse of light, which can punch a one millimetre hole through two inches of steel. If it hits flesh, it will sublimate the liquid it touches into super heated plasma.”
Shocked murmurs ripple around the room, with the implications before Venk intervenes, “This could never be deployed in an urban theatre.”
Dean nods, “This is for arenas with low numbers of friendlies and high numbers of deadly hostiles, such as front line Annunakin operations and war worlds.”
“Agreed. If introduced, we will recommend against use in built up areas or areas with a civilian populace.” Venk says, thoughtfully.
“Absolutely.” Dean says laying down the pistol, “Doubly so for the rifle version.”
Concerned glances are exchanged as Dean pulls out a sleek, black rifle, just over a metre long, “The charge rifle is accurate out to one thousand metres in standard configuration, extending to three thousand metres in sniper config. It fires a two hundred gram round at five thousand metres per second and the light pulse is just as deadly.” He adds a bipod, scope and barrel extension from the options and continues, “Where the pistol has an integrated arrester, the rifle is built around an arrester pylon, which gives efficient charging and allows for fully automatic fire.”
Corven watches the scene unfold as Dean continues, thinking to himself, “Well done lad. I knew you had something remarkable up your sleeve.”
“We’ve looked at battlefield intelligence and weaponry so let's look at protection now. The Assault Sheath.” Dean says donning it with a flourish, “A double layered sheath encasing synthetic musculature made from spider silk. It calibrates to the user, augmenting everything they do making them five times stronger, with a running speed up to 50 mph, built in capacitors which will knock back any opponent weighing less that 400kg, within 6 feet and can produce a focused blast which will kill a man at 30 metres.” Dean explains confidently, “On top of that, the suits Pulse Propulsion System allows for flight speeds in excess of two thousand miles per hour.”
Dean waits a beat, taking in the murmurs of ascent and appreciation, before adding, “The suits are upgradable, so that once the helmet is on, the suit is sealed. At which point a time dilation Ward is activated, allowing the wearer to experience 20 seconds for every second that passes outside of the suit.”
“This is a fast moving, hard hitting protective suit, designed for front line combat. It comes with a full sensory suite as standard and is fitted with three integrated arresters for power and protection.” Dean changes out of his Sheath with a flourish, “Any questions?”
“Actually, I have a question.” Venk says thoughtfully polishing his glasses. Dean nods and gestures for him to ask, “High end tactical drones, ultra powerful weaponry and a battle suit like no other. My question is, how many kittens do you think General Cassius will have when he finds out?”
A ripple of laughter peels around the room, leaving Dean with a smile, “It is difficult to say precisely, however, in tests the average number is predicted to be at least nine.”
Open laughter ripples around the room until Corven stifles a smile and calls for calm, “Ladies and gentleman, please.” He pauses looking directly at Dean, “Do you have more?”
An hour later
After detailing a compact strike fighter, Tech units, mining and agricultural drones and a builder drone which acts like a large scale 3D printer for buildings, Dean leans back against the wall, with a tired look and smiles, “Well that is pretty much everything. Any questions?”
Venk removes his glasses and holds them folded like a pointer underlining his speech, “I must say this has been a very impressive presentation. I have reviewed the technical specifications of the items that you’ve show today, it is clear that you have outstanding Technical ability and what we have seen today will potentially shape the technology of the realm for years to come.” He casts his gaze around the room and rises to his feet, then bows.
Dean looks on confused as one by one the other masters bow in turn until Corven finally bows. He straightens and addresses Dean directly, “You have presented yourself and been recognised. Will you join us, Dean Mitchum?”
Dean exhales slowly, after expecting a positive reception, but nothing so formal. He nods nervously and then bows.
Corven smiles and steps forward, laying a hand on Dean’s shoulder, “The Agriculture feeds. The Military protects. The Order heals. The Colleges enlighten. The Secretariat informs. The Guilds empower.” He pauses, taking a slow breath, “We are the soldiers rifle, the surgeons scalpel, the farmer plough and the medias interface. Do you pledge to strive for the excellence of others?”
Dean feels the weight of the moment and nods, “I do.”
“Let’s all hear about witness to the ascension of Dean Mitchum to the rank of Master Artificer.” Corven proclaims to all who may hear, knowing within moments, this proclamation will be known across the guild.
All present return to their seat, with a round of applause for the new Master of Technology. When the applause dies down, only Dean and Corven remain standing, “Welcome Master Mitchum.”
“Thank you Guild Master. I will do all in my power to fulfil the honour bestowed upon me.” Dean says, earnestly.
“Of course you will, the biggest problem is how we're going to get everything built.” Corven says reviewing the specification and requirements of Dean’s designs.
“This is the moment.” Dean thinks before admitting, “I have a facility. Capable of producing every piece of technology that Atlantis makes and a lot more besides.”
“Oh really.” Venk says, losing his smile, “And how, pray tell, is this facility secured?”
Dean takes a breath, committed, “It is located in the dead realm of Regus. The realm has total coverage by thirty thousand Tacnet drones providing full surveillance 24/7. Ground security is controlled by Tech Units, in Assault Sheaths. An additional force of Sovereign fighters is also on station.”
Venk moves to speak, but Corven stops him with a wave of his hand, interceding, “We will designate the realm a black site, upon verification. You will also be able to handpick any personnel you may require.”
Venk nods at the mention of verification, “I would like to be involved, with the verification process. My people can look at logistics for supply.”
“Did you ever think looking at the night sky that everything looks the same?” Dean asks cryptically. When greeted with looks of confusion, he continues, “Just as every realm is unique so is every sky above it. Every realm has its own sun, Orion, Uranus and Moon.”
He moves around the room, then turns to face the assembled Masters and turns his gaze upwards, “Every realm also has it’s own Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud.” He takes a deep breath, almost feeling Mia’s hand on his shoulder, “Using Pulse Propulsion in space provides constant acceleration. I sent hubs to the Belt and Cloud in the skies of Regus. Once in position they deployed Tech units and miners to gather materials.”
Dean takes a sip of water, taking a moment to read the room, before continuing, “The drones fill hoppers deployed from the Hubs. When the hopper is full it is emptied into a dimensional pocket. When a hopper is empty in the factory it is filled from the same pocket.”
Corven purses his lips for a moment and smiles, “So basically you have an almost unlimited supply chain and guaranteed delivery. Very interesting.”
“Everything is open to scrutiny and there is full documentation on everything.” Dean confirms, trying to stay calm. “The system is solid and can be set up in any realm with minimal preparation.”
Venk’s eyes narrow and he shifts in his seat, edging forward, “So with this set up, any realm can have almost unlimited raw resources?”
Dean simply nods, waiting to see how the waves with break and if he will be crushed or carried aloft.
View my latest story, Revelation, here;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
Rehabilitation side ward 7, Hera’s Rest hospital, Four days later
Ali sits up in bed trying to ride the wave of nausea, rising in against her gorge. She gulps water swallowing hard, refusing to let it best her.
She sways slightly, thinking of Kim in the next room, wishing they could be together to help each other. Regretfully thinking, “Why have you pushed everyone away?”
Noises outside draw her attention, someone angry is speaking to someone trying to calm them down and failing badly.
Ali flinches as the door to her room is forcefully opened, by her brother barking, “I am seeing my sister and fuck what you say. Anyone who comes into this room does so at their own fucking peril.” He slams the door closed and looks at his sister, with only love in his eyes.
He crosses the room and takes her in his arms before she can speak. She buries her head in his shoulder allowing herself to cry, with the only person other than her sisters that she can be herself with.
“I am so sorry, Alicat. I came as soon as I could.” He says softly, gently rocking her.
Ali sinks into her brothers arms, feeling safe as she always does. “They were going to call you, but everyone knows you have been pushing yourself crazy hard and we decided it would be best to give you a chance to have a break.”
“I am sorry I was not here for you.” Dean says, from the heart.
“It’s cool. I am glad you are here now.” Ali whispers resting her head against his chest
Dean senses a tension in her and an edge to her voice, “What’s wrong, love?”
She pulls back with tears in her eyes, “Look at me. I am a wreck. Two months doesn’t sound a lot but when you are completely immobile and your body consumes your muscles to stay alive it is like a lifetime.” She begins, finally opening the flood gates, “The physio sessions are like torture and everyone looks at me as if I am going to break. But worse that that.” She stops herself and tries to avoid his gaze.
Dean looks at her concerned, “What? What is it?” he asks softly.
Ali looks up at him, he face a mask of fear and sorrow, “It’s bad enough that my body is broken. But I think I am losing my mind. Something they did to me broke something in my mind and I can’t tell anyone, as they will send me to a nut house.”
“Whoa, Whoa, Whoa. Slow down. What do you mean?” Dean asks, his heart breaking.
“I saw something that cannot be real and yet I believe I saw it.” Ali’s lips tremble and her voice, weakens.
“Oh shit. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this yet.” Dean thinks, sadly.
Ali opens her mouth to continue, only to be silenced by Dean’s finger gently pressed to them, “When they had you, a dove flew into the room and grabbed a needle in it’s beak, then picked the suppression collar allowing you to call Kim for help.”
As he speaks, his sisters eyes go wide with shock. He pulls his finger away and she stares at him, “H-how do you know that? I haven’t told anyone.”
Dean slumps his shoulders and hangs his head, “The Dove told me.” He sighs, “I have a confession to make. I found out the morning that Kim pulled you out of there. I stayed away to protect the identity of the person who possessed the Dove.”
Ali looks at Dean as if he is a stranger, “What are you on about?”
“It is a long story and I will tell you all of it, but right now I need you to trust me.” Dean says, gently.
Ali pulls back from him and shakes her head, feeling numb, “This isn’t real. You are the only man in Atlantis without secrets. We need you. Anya and Tara are stretched so hard. Kim has shut herself away and wont talk to us. You are the only person we can turn to.”
“I am now and ever shall be your brother. I will always love my little sisters and will do anything to protect you. All of you.” He says, fighting himself almost wanting to reveal the truth. “I let you down once and THIS took you. I vowed to never let any of you down again.”
Ali squints and looks up at him, “Are you dumb? You threw yourself onto a grenade and saved everyone. When they took me, you were almost blown in half and crawling towards the men dragging me away. There was nothing you could have done.”
“I couldn’t stop them taking you.” He says numb. “All I could do was watch when those fuckers grabbed my amazing kid sister and threw you into a helicopter. The sight of you screaming in terror has never left my nightmares.”
The tension leaves Ali’s body and she puts her head in her hands, “The sight of you covered in blood, twitching as the door to the helicopter closed has never left mine.”
“I never knew that.” Dean says, shocked.
“I guess we are both dumbasses then. What a pair we are, eh?” Ali says, wistfully “You always made time for me. Never treated me like an annoyance. Showed me cool stuff and always had my back. You are my best friend.”
“You made me feel like I mattered. You laughed at my dumb jokes and made me so proud every day.” He squeezes her shoulder gently, “And you still do.”
An hour of small talk later, he helps Ali lay down and tucks her into bed as her strength begins to wane. “Get some rest, love. I will pop in later to see how you are.”
She grips his hand and looks him in the eye, “Thank you for everything. It is really good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too. Sorry I stayed away.” Dean says, feeling a pang of guilt.
“It doesn’t matter that you stayed away, it only matters that you came back.” Ali smiles at him, with a range of emotions playing across her eyes, “But, much as I needed you. I think Kim needs you more.”
He smiles reassuringly, “I am going to see her in a minute.”
Rehabilitation Side Ward 6, Hera’s Rest hospital.
Dean takes a deep breath and softly knocks on the door to Kim’s room. “No visitors.” Comes a pained voice from inside.
He knocks again, prompting a resounding, “Fuck off and leave me alone.”
Dean doesn’t knock again, instead pushing straight into the room and bracing himself.
Kim sits on her bed, facing away from the door, “I said, fuck off.”
For a moment, Dean considers apologising, before firmly saying, “If you have been speaking to the staff like that, I will beat the snot out of you.”
The edge in his voice startles Kim and she starts, then turns to face him, a mixture of joy, relief and shock, mixed with something darker. With trembling lips, she speaks unable to meet his gaze “The staff knock and enter without waiting. I am used to them.”
“That is something, I guess. What about family?” Dean asks, suspecting the answer.
“I asked everyone to give me space and they have.” She confesses, feeling a pang of shame.
“I feel special.” Dean says, trying to keep his voice even, “What the hell are you wearing?” he asks, about the heavy leather straight jacket and straps around her legs, with magic suppression collar around her neck.
Unable to look him in the eye, she looks at the floor, “I asked the staff to restrain me and remove my ability to do magic.”
Dean frowns and for a moment, he sees how small and vulnerable she appears, “But why would you want that?”
She stares at the floor, struggling to find the words before sadly confessing, “I am a fraud. I let people down and no matter whatever else I do, when it counts I am destined to screw it up.”
“You saved yourself and the others in Spain. You have saved over fifty realms from the Annunakin and counts millions owe their lives to you and your actions.” Dean says, confused as to what she means, “No screw ups there.”
Kim stays silent and stares out of the window, determined not to say any more.
Dean waits for a moment, “Fair enough. I came here to give you something.”
Kim says nothing, trying to look away as Dean approaches and takes a seat next to her on the bed and that puts his arm around her, giving her a hug.
Neither says a word. They simply sit as brother and sister staring out of the window. Dean feels Kim shaking softly and realises she is crying on his shoulder. He reaches up with his free hand and cups her cheek, pulling her close, then gently rocks her.
The silence of the room is broken, when in a childlike voice Kim speaks, “I have messed up and there is no way to fix it. I can’t talk to the others but I need to talk to someone.”
Dean kisses the top of her head and whispers, “You can always talk to me. I will always listen and never judge.”
“The day after my collapse, I was laying in bed and for some reason, I was thinking about when Mia jumped me.” She begins, unsure of herself, “It didn’t make any sense. There was no reason to jump me. But then I remembered that she said something out of place. I didn’t twig at the time but looking back it was odd.”
Dean takes a tissue and dries her eyes, knowing what is coming. When he doesn’t speak, she continues, “There’s no UN out in the realms.” She shakes her head, “No UN, no THIS. That got me thinking, what if mum placed clones in the realms?”
Kim forgets she is with her brother finding herself back in the moment as she continues, “So I did some digging that day and found out that she did. Sarah, Katherine, Amanda and Jane died in their youth from Annunakin attacks. Florence died aged three from cholera.”
She chokes back more tears and takes a ragged deep breath, “Amelia and Petra were raised as twins and both killed the day before the Royal wedding in a gang attack.” She looks up at Dean, heartbroken, “If I had realised sooner, we could have saved them.”
Kim buries her head in his shoulders and lets the floodgates open and sobs wrack her body. Dean holds her close and keeps rocking her. “I didn’t think I would have to do this so soon.” He thinks to himself before using his neural interface to message Mia, “Kim knows part of the story.”
As the sound of her cries subsides, quiet returns to the room, This tine broken by Dean, “I know you don’t want to, but I think we need to talk to the others.”
Kim shakes her head pressing her face into his shoulder as if it is the last hiding place on earth, “I can’t face them.”
“If you want, we can ask then to come here and I can tell them.” Dean offers, gently.
Kim nods softly, with a far away look in her eyes, “I will tell them.” Dean feels a part of him melts under her child like gaze, “Please stay.”
One hour later
Kim sits numb, letting the echo of her story fade. She curls into Dean’s arm, still in her straight jacket.
Before anyone can speak, Dean takes a breath and sighs, “That’s where I come in.”
Kim sits up and looks at him with the same confusion as her sisters, “What?”
“You are my sisters and I hate keeping anything from you. There is more to your story than you know.” He says softly, “The twins were the children of a drug lord and their security were a rabble of cocaine addled mobsters. Even if the family had intervened, the girls would not have made it. Police report confirmed that when the strike team entered the security team opened up on anything that moved. Amelia and Petra were caught in the cross fire. There was nothing anyone could have done.”
He turns Kim away from him and begins loosening the buckles at the back of the suppression collar. The girls all exchange looks and psis of confusion, as he proceeds, “There is a lot we need to talk about, but not here.”
Kim grunts with relief as the collar comes off and she is able to send her restraints to a dimensional pocket. “What is going on? Dean? How do you know?”
“Not here.” Dean whispers, discreetly showing her a card with a realm and coordinates on it. “My place.”
Ali sits up in bed trying to ride the wave of nausea, rising in against her gorge. She gulps water swallowing hard, refusing to let it best her.
She sways slightly, thinking of Kim in the next room, wishing they could be together to help each other. Regretfully thinking, “Why have you pushed everyone away?”
Noises outside draw her attention, someone angry is speaking to someone trying to calm them down and failing badly.
Ali flinches as the door to her room is forcefully opened, by her brother barking, “I am seeing my sister and fuck what you say. Anyone who comes into this room does so at their own fucking peril.” He slams the door closed and looks at his sister, with only love in his eyes.
He crosses the room and takes her in his arms before she can speak. She buries her head in his shoulder allowing herself to cry, with the only person other than her sisters that she can be herself with.
“I am so sorry, Alicat. I came as soon as I could.” He says softly, gently rocking her.
Ali sinks into her brothers arms, feeling safe as she always does. “They were going to call you, but everyone knows you have been pushing yourself crazy hard and we decided it would be best to give you a chance to have a break.”
“I am sorry I was not here for you.” Dean says, from the heart.
“It’s cool. I am glad you are here now.” Ali whispers resting her head against his chest
Dean senses a tension in her and an edge to her voice, “What’s wrong, love?”
She pulls back with tears in her eyes, “Look at me. I am a wreck. Two months doesn’t sound a lot but when you are completely immobile and your body consumes your muscles to stay alive it is like a lifetime.” She begins, finally opening the flood gates, “The physio sessions are like torture and everyone looks at me as if I am going to break. But worse that that.” She stops herself and tries to avoid his gaze.
Dean looks at her concerned, “What? What is it?” he asks softly.
Ali looks up at him, he face a mask of fear and sorrow, “It’s bad enough that my body is broken. But I think I am losing my mind. Something they did to me broke something in my mind and I can’t tell anyone, as they will send me to a nut house.”
“Whoa, Whoa, Whoa. Slow down. What do you mean?” Dean asks, his heart breaking.
“I saw something that cannot be real and yet I believe I saw it.” Ali’s lips tremble and her voice, weakens.
“Oh shit. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this yet.” Dean thinks, sadly.
Ali opens her mouth to continue, only to be silenced by Dean’s finger gently pressed to them, “When they had you, a dove flew into the room and grabbed a needle in it’s beak, then picked the suppression collar allowing you to call Kim for help.”
As he speaks, his sisters eyes go wide with shock. He pulls his finger away and she stares at him, “H-how do you know that? I haven’t told anyone.”
Dean slumps his shoulders and hangs his head, “The Dove told me.” He sighs, “I have a confession to make. I found out the morning that Kim pulled you out of there. I stayed away to protect the identity of the person who possessed the Dove.”
Ali looks at Dean as if he is a stranger, “What are you on about?”
“It is a long story and I will tell you all of it, but right now I need you to trust me.” Dean says, gently.
Ali pulls back from him and shakes her head, feeling numb, “This isn’t real. You are the only man in Atlantis without secrets. We need you. Anya and Tara are stretched so hard. Kim has shut herself away and wont talk to us. You are the only person we can turn to.”
“I am now and ever shall be your brother. I will always love my little sisters and will do anything to protect you. All of you.” He says, fighting himself almost wanting to reveal the truth. “I let you down once and THIS took you. I vowed to never let any of you down again.”
Ali squints and looks up at him, “Are you dumb? You threw yourself onto a grenade and saved everyone. When they took me, you were almost blown in half and crawling towards the men dragging me away. There was nothing you could have done.”
“I couldn’t stop them taking you.” He says numb. “All I could do was watch when those fuckers grabbed my amazing kid sister and threw you into a helicopter. The sight of you screaming in terror has never left my nightmares.”
The tension leaves Ali’s body and she puts her head in her hands, “The sight of you covered in blood, twitching as the door to the helicopter closed has never left mine.”
“I never knew that.” Dean says, shocked.
“I guess we are both dumbasses then. What a pair we are, eh?” Ali says, wistfully “You always made time for me. Never treated me like an annoyance. Showed me cool stuff and always had my back. You are my best friend.”
“You made me feel like I mattered. You laughed at my dumb jokes and made me so proud every day.” He squeezes her shoulder gently, “And you still do.”
An hour of small talk later, he helps Ali lay down and tucks her into bed as her strength begins to wane. “Get some rest, love. I will pop in later to see how you are.”
She grips his hand and looks him in the eye, “Thank you for everything. It is really good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too. Sorry I stayed away.” Dean says, feeling a pang of guilt.
“It doesn’t matter that you stayed away, it only matters that you came back.” Ali smiles at him, with a range of emotions playing across her eyes, “But, much as I needed you. I think Kim needs you more.”
He smiles reassuringly, “I am going to see her in a minute.”
Rehabilitation Side Ward 6, Hera’s Rest hospital.
Dean takes a deep breath and softly knocks on the door to Kim’s room. “No visitors.” Comes a pained voice from inside.
He knocks again, prompting a resounding, “Fuck off and leave me alone.”
Dean doesn’t knock again, instead pushing straight into the room and bracing himself.
Kim sits on her bed, facing away from the door, “I said, fuck off.”
For a moment, Dean considers apologising, before firmly saying, “If you have been speaking to the staff like that, I will beat the snot out of you.”
The edge in his voice startles Kim and she starts, then turns to face him, a mixture of joy, relief and shock, mixed with something darker. With trembling lips, she speaks unable to meet his gaze “The staff knock and enter without waiting. I am used to them.”
“That is something, I guess. What about family?” Dean asks, suspecting the answer.
“I asked everyone to give me space and they have.” She confesses, feeling a pang of shame.
“I feel special.” Dean says, trying to keep his voice even, “What the hell are you wearing?” he asks, about the heavy leather straight jacket and straps around her legs, with magic suppression collar around her neck.
Unable to look him in the eye, she looks at the floor, “I asked the staff to restrain me and remove my ability to do magic.”
Dean frowns and for a moment, he sees how small and vulnerable she appears, “But why would you want that?”
She stares at the floor, struggling to find the words before sadly confessing, “I am a fraud. I let people down and no matter whatever else I do, when it counts I am destined to screw it up.”
“You saved yourself and the others in Spain. You have saved over fifty realms from the Annunakin and counts millions owe their lives to you and your actions.” Dean says, confused as to what she means, “No screw ups there.”
Kim stays silent and stares out of the window, determined not to say any more.
Dean waits for a moment, “Fair enough. I came here to give you something.”
Kim says nothing, trying to look away as Dean approaches and takes a seat next to her on the bed and that puts his arm around her, giving her a hug.
Neither says a word. They simply sit as brother and sister staring out of the window. Dean feels Kim shaking softly and realises she is crying on his shoulder. He reaches up with his free hand and cups her cheek, pulling her close, then gently rocks her.
The silence of the room is broken, when in a childlike voice Kim speaks, “I have messed up and there is no way to fix it. I can’t talk to the others but I need to talk to someone.”
Dean kisses the top of her head and whispers, “You can always talk to me. I will always listen and never judge.”
“The day after my collapse, I was laying in bed and for some reason, I was thinking about when Mia jumped me.” She begins, unsure of herself, “It didn’t make any sense. There was no reason to jump me. But then I remembered that she said something out of place. I didn’t twig at the time but looking back it was odd.”
Dean takes a tissue and dries her eyes, knowing what is coming. When he doesn’t speak, she continues, “There’s no UN out in the realms.” She shakes her head, “No UN, no THIS. That got me thinking, what if mum placed clones in the realms?”
Kim forgets she is with her brother finding herself back in the moment as she continues, “So I did some digging that day and found out that she did. Sarah, Katherine, Amanda and Jane died in their youth from Annunakin attacks. Florence died aged three from cholera.”
She chokes back more tears and takes a ragged deep breath, “Amelia and Petra were raised as twins and both killed the day before the Royal wedding in a gang attack.” She looks up at Dean, heartbroken, “If I had realised sooner, we could have saved them.”
Kim buries her head in his shoulders and lets the floodgates open and sobs wrack her body. Dean holds her close and keeps rocking her. “I didn’t think I would have to do this so soon.” He thinks to himself before using his neural interface to message Mia, “Kim knows part of the story.”
As the sound of her cries subsides, quiet returns to the room, This tine broken by Dean, “I know you don’t want to, but I think we need to talk to the others.”
Kim shakes her head pressing her face into his shoulder as if it is the last hiding place on earth, “I can’t face them.”
“If you want, we can ask then to come here and I can tell them.” Dean offers, gently.
Kim nods softly, with a far away look in her eyes, “I will tell them.” Dean feels a part of him melts under her child like gaze, “Please stay.”
One hour later
Kim sits numb, letting the echo of her story fade. She curls into Dean’s arm, still in her straight jacket.
Before anyone can speak, Dean takes a breath and sighs, “That’s where I come in.”
Kim sits up and looks at him with the same confusion as her sisters, “What?”
“You are my sisters and I hate keeping anything from you. There is more to your story than you know.” He says softly, “The twins were the children of a drug lord and their security were a rabble of cocaine addled mobsters. Even if the family had intervened, the girls would not have made it. Police report confirmed that when the strike team entered the security team opened up on anything that moved. Amelia and Petra were caught in the cross fire. There was nothing anyone could have done.”
He turns Kim away from him and begins loosening the buckles at the back of the suppression collar. The girls all exchange looks and psis of confusion, as he proceeds, “There is a lot we need to talk about, but not here.”
Kim grunts with relief as the collar comes off and she is able to send her restraints to a dimensional pocket. “What is going on? Dean? How do you know?”
“Not here.” Dean whispers, discreetly showing her a card with a realm and coordinates on it. “My place.”
View my latest story, Revelation, here;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
Dean’s lab, Atlantis
The girls follow Dean through the dimly lit lab, passing racks of gear they have never seen before, some of which they can only guess at their function.
Ali floats a using an arrester to float alongside her brother and sisters, in a tracksuit that hangs loose off of a ravaged body, too weak to carry her.
Kim follows, wearing a black leather corset over a white blouse, with work leather trousers and boots. Her gait is shaky but steady, as she processes everything.
Anya seems to glide, wearing a toga made of woven midnight with her diadem of office. Despite the smoothness of her stride, the golden sandals upon her feet click softly as she walks.
Tara brings up the rear, wearing a waistcoat and trousers of fine, dark blue Atlantean silk, kitten heels and a light purple satin blouse.
They are guided into an elevator by their brother and they descend. “We have dropped a couple of hundred metres and still going. What the hell?” Kim wonders.
In the deep basement of the lab, a pool of inky darkness hovers before them. Dean strides forward as he has countless times, before Kim catches his arm. “What the Hell is that?”
Dean turns and realises he has been silent since leaving the hospital, “I’m sorry. It is a soft spot, to Regus. I have a facility there.”
Kim shakes her head, “That isn’t possible, it is a dead world. When we wiped out the Annunakin there three months ago it was barren.”
“Three months is a long time, with a 16 to 1 time dilation.” Dean says with a shrug, “I added a massive dilation and got busy. It is a bit different now.”
Before she or any of the other can speak he steps through the darkness. Ali chuckles, “The bigger the thing he has to show, the more of a dick he behaves.” She floats through, shaking her head, followed by the others.
They emerge into a dusty vista. Dark jagged mountains line the horizon, with a dusty desert over a hundred metres below them. The sun lends a golden glow to the scene.
Kim opens herself to the land and closes her eyes. With a gentle smile, she says, “You have been busy.” She opens her eyes and looks at his puzzled, “I see a lot of growth here. How?”
“Six months high altitude saturation of the air with water droplets, followed by low level ground spraying with naturally grown nutrients, then high altitude seed spreading to try to rewild the land. Oh an worms to aerate the soil.” Dean confesses, sheepishly.
“Well from what I see, it is working.” Kim says impressed.
“Work in progress. I am starting to introduce bees and other pollinators.” Dean sighs, “However, we are here for my safe Haven.” He produces his Raptor from a dimensional pocket with a flourish. “Privacy guaranteed. We have a lot to talk about.”
“No.” Tara says stepping forward, “Enough of the cryptic bullshit. You have something you want to say, just spit it out.”
Dean nods, subtly, “This realm is now designated a black site. There is a facility here that can build anything used in Atlantis and a lot more besides. Much of what is here is beyond top secret at this time.” He takes a deep breath to centre himself, “As of this morning, it was declared off limits to all but essential personnel at my discretion.”
He lets his words sink in for a moment, before continuing, “We are here, because I need to talk to you all about something and I need to be 100 percent sure that no one is listening.”
Ali senses the unease in her sisters and speaks softly and thoughtfully, “Listen guys, I know when he is cooking up a wind up and this is not one of those times.”
With a wave of her hand, Anya shapes two sofas and an armchair, gesturing for everyone to sit, “Well, we are in the middle of a formerly dead realm with no one else for a thousand miles in any direction. I think we can agree this is private.”
Kim sits on one of the sofas and pulls a flask of coffee from a dimensional pocket, then uses her abilities to make a mound in the sand to rest it on.
Anya sets down five cups and passes them around after Kim pours. Tara takes a cup and sits next to Kim, while Anya and Ali take the other sofa, leaving the chair for Dean.
He takes a cup and a seat, thoughtfully. “I was planning to do this with Mia and the girls, but I don’t think I will get Ali and the other to move, without spilling the beans.” He thinks sadly.
For a time, no one speaks. The girls wait while Dean collects himself, until, “You did well to track Petra and Amelia down and in time, you would have found the others.”
“What?” Kim asks in open mouthed shock.
“Eve of Winter, Handmaiden of Spring, was a member of the Tuatha tribe in Lemuria. They are not big on record keeping.” Dean says before taking a sip of coffee, “Olivia Gremek, Liv, was bitten by an Annunakin several years ago and was in a small off grid clinic on Haven. Finally, Rebecca, Beki, was a slave of the Conglomerate hidden under layers of bureaucracy.”
A silence descends over the scene as the girls process what they have just heard, the only sound from the keening sigh of the wind, Tara dares to speak, “There are three others?” to which Dean nods.
“Are they OK?” Anya and Ali asks simultaneously, to which Dean nods again.
“How and how do you know?” Kim asks, breathlessly.
Dean scratches his chin and sighs, his shoulders sagging a little, “It started on the night of the Royal wedding....”
In the aftermath, everyone in the room keeps their own counsel until Tara shakes her head in disbelief, “So Mia came to you. Asking for gear. You give her the stuff and keep the motor running while she cleared out the camp, then flew everyone to safety.”
Dean nods, listening to the sanitised version of events recounted back to him and sheepishly shrugs, “Pretty much.”
Kim slumps her shoulders, “So where are they now?”
“They are safe.” Dean says gently. “They are at my place here in Regus.”
“We need to bring them home.” Anya says, gently, “We need to give them a home.”
Dean shakes his head, “No. They have had their lives ripped apart. The chaos of Atlantis will be too much for them. They need time to make peace with things and decide what they want to do.”
“Why do you get to decide that?” Anya asks, harshly.
Dean holds up his hands, in a gesture of surrender, “I don’t. But they do. This is their choice.”
Ali manages to sit up and breathlessly speaks, “I am guessing one of them is the Dove. I want to meet her and thank her.”
As the other look on confused at the mention of the Dove, Dean relents “Yes, Ivy is the Dove. They would love to meet you all.”
The girls follow Dean through the dimly lit lab, passing racks of gear they have never seen before, some of which they can only guess at their function.
Ali floats a using an arrester to float alongside her brother and sisters, in a tracksuit that hangs loose off of a ravaged body, too weak to carry her.
Kim follows, wearing a black leather corset over a white blouse, with work leather trousers and boots. Her gait is shaky but steady, as she processes everything.
Anya seems to glide, wearing a toga made of woven midnight with her diadem of office. Despite the smoothness of her stride, the golden sandals upon her feet click softly as she walks.
Tara brings up the rear, wearing a waistcoat and trousers of fine, dark blue Atlantean silk, kitten heels and a light purple satin blouse.
They are guided into an elevator by their brother and they descend. “We have dropped a couple of hundred metres and still going. What the hell?” Kim wonders.
In the deep basement of the lab, a pool of inky darkness hovers before them. Dean strides forward as he has countless times, before Kim catches his arm. “What the Hell is that?”
Dean turns and realises he has been silent since leaving the hospital, “I’m sorry. It is a soft spot, to Regus. I have a facility there.”
Kim shakes her head, “That isn’t possible, it is a dead world. When we wiped out the Annunakin there three months ago it was barren.”
“Three months is a long time, with a 16 to 1 time dilation.” Dean says with a shrug, “I added a massive dilation and got busy. It is a bit different now.”
Before she or any of the other can speak he steps through the darkness. Ali chuckles, “The bigger the thing he has to show, the more of a dick he behaves.” She floats through, shaking her head, followed by the others.
They emerge into a dusty vista. Dark jagged mountains line the horizon, with a dusty desert over a hundred metres below them. The sun lends a golden glow to the scene.
Kim opens herself to the land and closes her eyes. With a gentle smile, she says, “You have been busy.” She opens her eyes and looks at his puzzled, “I see a lot of growth here. How?”
“Six months high altitude saturation of the air with water droplets, followed by low level ground spraying with naturally grown nutrients, then high altitude seed spreading to try to rewild the land. Oh an worms to aerate the soil.” Dean confesses, sheepishly.
“Well from what I see, it is working.” Kim says impressed.
“Work in progress. I am starting to introduce bees and other pollinators.” Dean sighs, “However, we are here for my safe Haven.” He produces his Raptor from a dimensional pocket with a flourish. “Privacy guaranteed. We have a lot to talk about.”
“No.” Tara says stepping forward, “Enough of the cryptic bullshit. You have something you want to say, just spit it out.”
Dean nods, subtly, “This realm is now designated a black site. There is a facility here that can build anything used in Atlantis and a lot more besides. Much of what is here is beyond top secret at this time.” He takes a deep breath to centre himself, “As of this morning, it was declared off limits to all but essential personnel at my discretion.”
He lets his words sink in for a moment, before continuing, “We are here, because I need to talk to you all about something and I need to be 100 percent sure that no one is listening.”
Ali senses the unease in her sisters and speaks softly and thoughtfully, “Listen guys, I know when he is cooking up a wind up and this is not one of those times.”
With a wave of her hand, Anya shapes two sofas and an armchair, gesturing for everyone to sit, “Well, we are in the middle of a formerly dead realm with no one else for a thousand miles in any direction. I think we can agree this is private.”
Kim sits on one of the sofas and pulls a flask of coffee from a dimensional pocket, then uses her abilities to make a mound in the sand to rest it on.
Anya sets down five cups and passes them around after Kim pours. Tara takes a cup and sits next to Kim, while Anya and Ali take the other sofa, leaving the chair for Dean.
He takes a cup and a seat, thoughtfully. “I was planning to do this with Mia and the girls, but I don’t think I will get Ali and the other to move, without spilling the beans.” He thinks sadly.
For a time, no one speaks. The girls wait while Dean collects himself, until, “You did well to track Petra and Amelia down and in time, you would have found the others.”
“What?” Kim asks in open mouthed shock.
“Eve of Winter, Handmaiden of Spring, was a member of the Tuatha tribe in Lemuria. They are not big on record keeping.” Dean says before taking a sip of coffee, “Olivia Gremek, Liv, was bitten by an Annunakin several years ago and was in a small off grid clinic on Haven. Finally, Rebecca, Beki, was a slave of the Conglomerate hidden under layers of bureaucracy.”
A silence descends over the scene as the girls process what they have just heard, the only sound from the keening sigh of the wind, Tara dares to speak, “There are three others?” to which Dean nods.
“Are they OK?” Anya and Ali asks simultaneously, to which Dean nods again.
“How and how do you know?” Kim asks, breathlessly.
Dean scratches his chin and sighs, his shoulders sagging a little, “It started on the night of the Royal wedding....”
In the aftermath, everyone in the room keeps their own counsel until Tara shakes her head in disbelief, “So Mia came to you. Asking for gear. You give her the stuff and keep the motor running while she cleared out the camp, then flew everyone to safety.”
Dean nods, listening to the sanitised version of events recounted back to him and sheepishly shrugs, “Pretty much.”
Kim slumps her shoulders, “So where are they now?”
“They are safe.” Dean says gently. “They are at my place here in Regus.”
“We need to bring them home.” Anya says, gently, “We need to give them a home.”
Dean shakes his head, “No. They have had their lives ripped apart. The chaos of Atlantis will be too much for them. They need time to make peace with things and decide what they want to do.”
“Why do you get to decide that?” Anya asks, harshly.
Dean holds up his hands, in a gesture of surrender, “I don’t. But they do. This is their choice.”
Ali manages to sit up and breathlessly speaks, “I am guessing one of them is the Dove. I want to meet her and thank her.”
As the other look on confused at the mention of the Dove, Dean relents “Yes, Ivy is the Dove. They would love to meet you all.”
View my latest story, Revelation, here;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
“I still can’t wrap my head around it.” Ali says, staring out of the Raptors window. “It’s a lot to take in.”
Tara stares out of her own window and absent mindedly replies, “That’s what she said.”
Dean suppresses a smile, but even he can’t hold back then Kim starts to laugh in the seat next to his. “For fuck's sake.” He chuckles.
“You know what I meant.” Ali says, turning scarlet from embarrassment.
“Sorry babe, I wasn’t thinking.” Tara says, trying not to laugh.
“We’re sorry babe.” Anya says with a smile. “I wonder what they will think of us.”
Ali cloaks herself in an illusion of her former appearance, “They can’t see me as I am now.” Suddenly mindful of her appearance.
Dean hears his sister and feels his heart break, “Sorry love, but they saw you before Kim rescued you.”
Ali drops the illusion and continues to stare out of the window, “The doctors say it will be months before I am on my feet again. I am a wreck and that is the first memory of me.”
“To be fair they saw Kim too.” Dean says gently, “Beki reckons she looks a laser pistol away from being a space pirate.” Tara and Anya snort a laugh, before Dean continues, “Eve sees the truth of things and told me that you have the fiercest spirit of anyone she has ever seen.”
“What are they like?” Anya asks, curious.
“Eve is a sweet kid, but she is haunted by watching her tribe get slaughtered. Curious to a fault.” Dean chuckles to himself, “Beki is hardened. She was sold into corporate slavery at a young age and is only now learning what it means to be free.” He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, “Then there is Ivy. In a hospital bed for eight years of agony. Now fully free from pain, she wants to take on the world.”
“What do they think of us?” Anya asks, stretching as best she can in the small cabin.
“Well.” Dean begins, however his radar draws his attention, “Heads up we are about to get company.” He smiles.
The girls look nervously out of the windows, trying to catch a glimpse of another craft. Dean smiles, giving a sl0w count, “3......2......1”
The girls gasp as two streaks of silver flash pass either side of the craft, to be little more than a twinkle on the horizon by the time they turn their heads.
“Two of my Tacnet drones on patrol, as part of the realms security.” Dean says coolly, “If we get chance, I will do a demo of the gear we are working on.”
“What the hell? How can they go that fast?” Kim asks, with a hint of wonder.
Dean smiles to himself, engaging his crafts Pulse Propulsion System, “Let’s find out, shall well?”
“3...2...1. Full send.” Dean says, throwing the Raptor forward. The girls hold their breath as the small craft blasts forward faster than any of them have ever flown.
Hitting four thousand miles per hour and accelerating, Dean dives. Breakneck turns flash past as the craft navigates the canyons of Regus with ease, in some case inches from the walls only to climb without warning.
He eases back on the control and the girls breath again, he points out of the front window, announcing, “Welcome to the Omni Works.”
Kim gasps, seeing the massive stone and steel structure rising from the flat plains, stretching as far as the eye can see. “It is huge. I had no idea it was so big.” She says breathlessly.
Tara leans forward seeing the structure for herself., “Fucking hell that is massive.”
Ali smiles to herself and softly says, “I think you’ll find, that is something else she said.”
After the laughter dies down, Dean says, “This is one of the largest facilities outside of the Conglomerate realms.” He pauses as they cross over the perimeter of the factory, “Ore comes in and is processed in its raw form, before being smelted into small blocks or refined into complex compounds. These then go to industrial fabricators to be made in to components and they go onto assemblers to be made into the final product. In one form or another, anything you might need is made here.”
“Did you build it? How is it possible?” Kim asks stunned at the scale of the site, on what was a barren world three months ago.
“Heavy time dilation, lots of resources, large scale 3D printers to build the facility, with enough tech to build everything the site would need in a self contained way.” Dean explains, “I had been doing solid work and this was a natural extension.”
“And you thought it was a good idea, to bring our sisters here?” Tara asks with a hint of accusation.
“No, I would never bring them here.” Dean says, gently, “I have a place, on the other side of the factory a few miles away. It’s a place of peace, where they can make sense of things and decide what they want to do with their lives. Something, I wish you guys had had.”
Ali stares out of the window thoughtfully, “I have often wondered what would have happened, if we did take the aptitude test and made our own way.”
“I don’t think, I would change a thing.” Kim admits, “As a result of that day, millions of people are free fear of the Annunakin.” She gestures towards Tara, “Kinetics has a new and life saving discipline and the Order, has a great love keeper. Not to mention that the Glamour ministry has rewritten the book on operations.”
“That is kind of my point. What could you have done if that day hadn’t come?” Dean asks, leaving them in silence.
The villa is large, but not overly so. Three stories high in polished granite, gleaming in the light of the setting sun, with sapling trees dotted around it and a large pool overlooking the desert valley below.
Kim breathes slowly, “My God I can feel them.”
Ali looks at her sisters and flushes red, “I can’t meet them like this, I look a mess.”
“You each have a room here where you can freshen up and change.” Dean says, easing the Raptor in for a smooth landing.
“Wait. You have rooms for us?” Tara asks, surprised.
“Yeah, of course. I wouldn’t have a place and not have room for you guys. You are my sisters and there is always a place for you here.” Dean says, without having to think.
When the back of the craft opens, all they can hear is the soft sound of the wind punctuating the silence. Anya steps out first and takes a deep breath of the clean air, tinged by the dust, “It is so peaceful here.” She remarks stunned by the stillness of the vista.
Tara joins her and adds, “The air is so clean, even compared to Atlantis.” Closing her eyes, she extends her senses, “This was a place of death, but life is fighting to return.”
Kim tales a deep breath of the fresh air and nods, “I feel it too. There is a tingle across the land, life is ready to explode here.”
Ali floats out of the Raptor using her Arrester and subtly gasps, seeing the sun begin to set over the desert and the dust in the air, add another level of orange-gold to the scene, “Dean, you chose well.” She thinks appreciating the sight before her.
“I will show you to your rooms and give you a chance to freshen up a bit, before you meet the others.” Dean says, feeling nervous about what is to come.
Anya takes a seat om the edge of the queen sized bed in the centre of her room and takes in the minimalist and understated vibe of the room and nods approvingly. “The few items in here are classy but not brassy, plenty of scope to personalise.”
“The whole place is immaculate from what I have seen. I have to say I am impressed Dean pulled this off.” She says to herself, changing from her toga and Diadem of office into a pair of white cotton trousers and blouse, matched with a pair of tan heels, “No sense overawing them, there is already so much for all of us to take in.”
Next door, Kim puts away her sword and removes her clothes, before stepping into the shower of her room. The scalding hot water, sears her skin with hot lances. She grits her teeth against the pain before turning the water to cold, letting the cold shock chase all thoughts from her mind.
She stares at herself in the mirror and sighs, “Today is not the day to be a hero. Today you have to be everyone’s big sister.” She thinks, donning a pair of jeans and an old Def Leppard t-shirt he dad bought for her.
Where once the top was loose her muscles have filled out to the point where it is snug on her muscled frame. She looks at herself in the mirror and what happened to the girl she used to see there.
“This is a time to be the real me.” Tara decides, changing from her formal work wear to lycra shorts and a loose tank top. She breathes a sigh of relief, after feeling trussed up in her formal wear, the looser feel of her clothes, frees her.
For a moment, she considers pulling her vape from a dimensional pocket, but decides she wants a clear head, “I don’t need that right now, all I need are my sisters.”
Ali lays back on the bed, strong enough to sit unaided, however, laying down to relax, “I might be damaged, but fuck me, I am going to do what I can for all my sisters.”
She floats to the balcony using her Arrester and sits looking out over the desert. Taking a moment, she lets the silence of the vista into her soul and overwhelm the voices of her doubts.
With a flourish, she dons loose fitting white tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt. “Might as well be comfy.” She thinks hearing a knock at the door, “Here we go.”
Standing at the threshold of the patio doors, it is hard to say who is more nervous. Kim and her sisters, Dean, Eve, Beki and Ivy or Mia.
The younger sisters are all dressed in casual loose fitting trousers and blouses, smart but comfortable. They turn as one, hearing the door open.
For a moment, no one moves, no one speaks as the older and younger sisters regard each other. Mia steps forward with a touch of nerves, “Hi everyone, would anyone like a drink?”
Tara’s eye twitches slightly, “I will take a water.”
The others nod and mumble in agreement Dean shows them to the bean bags laid out on the patio, letting them settle. He moves to help Mia, when Kim stops him, “I got this.”
Mia tenses slightly as Kim approaches, ready for her to take revenge for ambushing her on Felix Prime.
“Let my give you a hand.” Kim says lightly. Mia thanks her and then pauses for a moment, but before she can speak Kim whispers, “We’re cool.”
Mia smiles warmly, “Thank you.” She whispers.
“You could have left Sasha, but you saved her life and you saved my sisters.” Kim says, with a gently warmth.
“I had help.” Mia says, smiling over at Dean with love in her eyes.
Kim misses the undertone and shrugs, “Sounds lucky he was there to keep the engine running for a fast getaway.”
“Is that what he told you?” Mia says, colour draining a little from her cheeks.
Kim frowns, “Yeah. Is that not what happened?”
Mia weighs her options and decides she wants to be open, “Not quite.”
Kim passes bottles of water out with Mia, regarding Dean with a newfound sense of respect.
With everyone settled no one really wants to break the silence until, Eve speaks softly, “In my tribe, we mark all auspicious occasions. I would say this qualifies.”
When Kim nods her assent, Eve asks, “Could you get a goat please?”
Alarmed, Kim shifts uncomfortably, “”A goat?”
“Yes, it must be sacrificed and it’s bounty shared among all present.” Eve explains calmly.
At this point everyone is looking a little alarmed, as Tara asks, “Are you serious?”
Eve looks at her without emotion, “Yes, it must be strangled to death, so that the impurities of the body do not pass to the head in death. In this way, when we eat its brain, we only taste it’s life.”
Kim looks at Eve unable to read her, “Sure.” She says, not sure if she believes what she is agreeing too.
“Perfect, can you get a pure colour one, doesn’t matter what colour but it’s hair must be one colour.” Eve says with a gentle smile.
“Errr OK. Anything else?” Kim asks, wondering where the best place to get a goat is.
“Could you recite the ancient chant while you’re getting it.” Eve asks and when Kim nods she continues, “Owa. Tago. Thiam.”
Kim shrugs, “Sure. Owa tago thiam. Owa tago thiam. Oh what a goat I am. Oh what a goat I am.” Kim hangs her head, “OK you got me.”
Eve giggles, “I am so sorry, but everyone is so serious. This is a great day.”
With the eyes broken everyone relaxes a little. Beki pipes up cheerily, “We have heard all about you all and we have been panicking about meeting you all.”
“Don’t be daft, nothing to feel nervous about. We are all cut from the same cloth. We were as nervous about meeting you.” Anya confesses, softly.
“Basically, we are all the same and to some extent, we are all dumbasses.” Ali says with a grin. “Right no messing about, who is the Dove?”
Kim, Anya and Tara look at her confused, but Ivy winks, “That was me, but it was a team effort. Eve saw the collar was stopping you use magic and Beki knew how to get it off. I just made it happen.”
“I owe you big time.” Ali confesses, then seeing the confusion on her sisters faces, psis the details of her escape.
Despite the astonished looks from Kim, Anya and Tara, Ivy confesses, “No you don’t, from what Dean has said, you would all do the same for us.” There is a moment, where all sister old and new come to the same conclusion.
That she is right.
Dean sits back and watches the ebb and flow of conversation, as if those gathered here were old friends, comfortable in each other presence.
“This realm is a designated black site. Strictly restricted access. This is a safe place for them as long as they wish.” He thinks, allowing himself a smile.
He feels a hand on his and looks up to see Mia smiling at him. He returns her smile and gently puts his arm around her shoulder and pulls her closer.
Ali notices this small act of affection and raises an eyebrow at her brother. Dean blushes and squeezes Mia’s shoulder, making her smile. Ali nods approvingly and gives him a wink.
The moment is snatched away, as a wide eyed and enthralled Beki, asks Kim, “Will you tell us about some of your adventures?”
Kim slumps back on her bean bag, “Not much to tell really. I am just a glorified pest exterminator.”
“Nah, you are a badass.” Beki insists, “Ever since we found out you were our sisters, we have read up on all of you. You’re amazing.”
“Well in that case, as you know all about us, why don’t you tell us about yourselves.” Anya suggests lightly.
Beki’s smile falters and then drops, “I am not sure I am ready. I don’t want you to think less of me.”
Ali can sense the change and doubts in her younger sisters mind and speaks softly, “Whatever is in your past, you are our sister and nothing in all the realms will change that.”
Sensing the sincerity in her sisters tone, Beki nods and begins, “I don’t remember my parents. My first memory is cleaning toilets when I was four. Twelve hours a day, plus four hours school and then sleep. Then it was more toilets, scrubbing floor till my fingers bled, waiting tables, whatever dirty job was available to keep food in my belly, until I turned eight and took the test.”
The silence hangs in the room, until she continues, “The test was for magical aptitude and I passed with top marks. The next day I began my training in Personamancy. More lucrative work opened up. Driver, pilot, accountant, bodyguard.” She snorts a laugh, “Funny how popular an eleven year old girl is as a body guard. No one takes you seriously, until they are left in a gutter with a broken arm and half their teeth missing.”
She sighs, “Anyway, I was able to work shorter hours and practice dance. I love the freedom of movement, the grace and power you feel. All went well till I was thirteen, then He started hiring me.”
A ripple of anger and something else plays across her face as she visibly tenses, “It started as a residential contract where I would live on site and be fed as part of my job, allowing me to save credits. The first week was fine. The second. Not so much.” She pauses, looking for the words, “My patron had certain tastes. I would be forced to dress up in a little maid outfit while I cleaned his home, or dressed as a schoolgirl and tied up in his basement until he decided to hit me for his amusement. He would beat me like a savage and keep me locked up until the bruises faded.”
Beki stares into space, “He let me go after a month, physically healed but changed inside. The next day I had a job at a secure site cleaning out storage tanks. No one saw me slip out and return an hour later.” She confesses, “Police found him a week later, bound and beaten to death in his basement, his killer never caught.”
Kim suppresses a smile, expecting a joke, however, the hardening of her sisters body language tells her it is no joke. “It still haunts me to this day. I don’t regret what i did. I prevented him from hurting anyone else. My only regret, is the weight of the act on my soul.”
Mia is the first to cry hearing Beki’s confession, but she is not the last. None of her sisters had heard this story before and it hits them like a punch in the heart.
"You aren't alone anymore. we have each other." Kim says, embracing her sister.
Tara stares out of her own window and absent mindedly replies, “That’s what she said.”
Dean suppresses a smile, but even he can’t hold back then Kim starts to laugh in the seat next to his. “For fuck's sake.” He chuckles.
“You know what I meant.” Ali says, turning scarlet from embarrassment.
“Sorry babe, I wasn’t thinking.” Tara says, trying not to laugh.
“We’re sorry babe.” Anya says with a smile. “I wonder what they will think of us.”
Ali cloaks herself in an illusion of her former appearance, “They can’t see me as I am now.” Suddenly mindful of her appearance.
Dean hears his sister and feels his heart break, “Sorry love, but they saw you before Kim rescued you.”
Ali drops the illusion and continues to stare out of the window, “The doctors say it will be months before I am on my feet again. I am a wreck and that is the first memory of me.”
“To be fair they saw Kim too.” Dean says gently, “Beki reckons she looks a laser pistol away from being a space pirate.” Tara and Anya snort a laugh, before Dean continues, “Eve sees the truth of things and told me that you have the fiercest spirit of anyone she has ever seen.”
“What are they like?” Anya asks, curious.
“Eve is a sweet kid, but she is haunted by watching her tribe get slaughtered. Curious to a fault.” Dean chuckles to himself, “Beki is hardened. She was sold into corporate slavery at a young age and is only now learning what it means to be free.” He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, “Then there is Ivy. In a hospital bed for eight years of agony. Now fully free from pain, she wants to take on the world.”
“What do they think of us?” Anya asks, stretching as best she can in the small cabin.
“Well.” Dean begins, however his radar draws his attention, “Heads up we are about to get company.” He smiles.
The girls look nervously out of the windows, trying to catch a glimpse of another craft. Dean smiles, giving a sl0w count, “3......2......1”
The girls gasp as two streaks of silver flash pass either side of the craft, to be little more than a twinkle on the horizon by the time they turn their heads.
“Two of my Tacnet drones on patrol, as part of the realms security.” Dean says coolly, “If we get chance, I will do a demo of the gear we are working on.”
“What the hell? How can they go that fast?” Kim asks, with a hint of wonder.
Dean smiles to himself, engaging his crafts Pulse Propulsion System, “Let’s find out, shall well?”
“3...2...1. Full send.” Dean says, throwing the Raptor forward. The girls hold their breath as the small craft blasts forward faster than any of them have ever flown.
Hitting four thousand miles per hour and accelerating, Dean dives. Breakneck turns flash past as the craft navigates the canyons of Regus with ease, in some case inches from the walls only to climb without warning.
He eases back on the control and the girls breath again, he points out of the front window, announcing, “Welcome to the Omni Works.”
Kim gasps, seeing the massive stone and steel structure rising from the flat plains, stretching as far as the eye can see. “It is huge. I had no idea it was so big.” She says breathlessly.
Tara leans forward seeing the structure for herself., “Fucking hell that is massive.”
Ali smiles to herself and softly says, “I think you’ll find, that is something else she said.”
After the laughter dies down, Dean says, “This is one of the largest facilities outside of the Conglomerate realms.” He pauses as they cross over the perimeter of the factory, “Ore comes in and is processed in its raw form, before being smelted into small blocks or refined into complex compounds. These then go to industrial fabricators to be made in to components and they go onto assemblers to be made into the final product. In one form or another, anything you might need is made here.”
“Did you build it? How is it possible?” Kim asks stunned at the scale of the site, on what was a barren world three months ago.
“Heavy time dilation, lots of resources, large scale 3D printers to build the facility, with enough tech to build everything the site would need in a self contained way.” Dean explains, “I had been doing solid work and this was a natural extension.”
“And you thought it was a good idea, to bring our sisters here?” Tara asks with a hint of accusation.
“No, I would never bring them here.” Dean says, gently, “I have a place, on the other side of the factory a few miles away. It’s a place of peace, where they can make sense of things and decide what they want to do with their lives. Something, I wish you guys had had.”
Ali stares out of the window thoughtfully, “I have often wondered what would have happened, if we did take the aptitude test and made our own way.”
“I don’t think, I would change a thing.” Kim admits, “As a result of that day, millions of people are free fear of the Annunakin.” She gestures towards Tara, “Kinetics has a new and life saving discipline and the Order, has a great love keeper. Not to mention that the Glamour ministry has rewritten the book on operations.”
“That is kind of my point. What could you have done if that day hadn’t come?” Dean asks, leaving them in silence.
The villa is large, but not overly so. Three stories high in polished granite, gleaming in the light of the setting sun, with sapling trees dotted around it and a large pool overlooking the desert valley below.
Kim breathes slowly, “My God I can feel them.”
Ali looks at her sisters and flushes red, “I can’t meet them like this, I look a mess.”
“You each have a room here where you can freshen up and change.” Dean says, easing the Raptor in for a smooth landing.
“Wait. You have rooms for us?” Tara asks, surprised.
“Yeah, of course. I wouldn’t have a place and not have room for you guys. You are my sisters and there is always a place for you here.” Dean says, without having to think.
When the back of the craft opens, all they can hear is the soft sound of the wind punctuating the silence. Anya steps out first and takes a deep breath of the clean air, tinged by the dust, “It is so peaceful here.” She remarks stunned by the stillness of the vista.
Tara joins her and adds, “The air is so clean, even compared to Atlantis.” Closing her eyes, she extends her senses, “This was a place of death, but life is fighting to return.”
Kim tales a deep breath of the fresh air and nods, “I feel it too. There is a tingle across the land, life is ready to explode here.”
Ali floats out of the Raptor using her Arrester and subtly gasps, seeing the sun begin to set over the desert and the dust in the air, add another level of orange-gold to the scene, “Dean, you chose well.” She thinks appreciating the sight before her.
“I will show you to your rooms and give you a chance to freshen up a bit, before you meet the others.” Dean says, feeling nervous about what is to come.
Anya takes a seat om the edge of the queen sized bed in the centre of her room and takes in the minimalist and understated vibe of the room and nods approvingly. “The few items in here are classy but not brassy, plenty of scope to personalise.”
“The whole place is immaculate from what I have seen. I have to say I am impressed Dean pulled this off.” She says to herself, changing from her toga and Diadem of office into a pair of white cotton trousers and blouse, matched with a pair of tan heels, “No sense overawing them, there is already so much for all of us to take in.”
Next door, Kim puts away her sword and removes her clothes, before stepping into the shower of her room. The scalding hot water, sears her skin with hot lances. She grits her teeth against the pain before turning the water to cold, letting the cold shock chase all thoughts from her mind.
She stares at herself in the mirror and sighs, “Today is not the day to be a hero. Today you have to be everyone’s big sister.” She thinks, donning a pair of jeans and an old Def Leppard t-shirt he dad bought for her.
Where once the top was loose her muscles have filled out to the point where it is snug on her muscled frame. She looks at herself in the mirror and what happened to the girl she used to see there.
“This is a time to be the real me.” Tara decides, changing from her formal work wear to lycra shorts and a loose tank top. She breathes a sigh of relief, after feeling trussed up in her formal wear, the looser feel of her clothes, frees her.
For a moment, she considers pulling her vape from a dimensional pocket, but decides she wants a clear head, “I don’t need that right now, all I need are my sisters.”
Ali lays back on the bed, strong enough to sit unaided, however, laying down to relax, “I might be damaged, but fuck me, I am going to do what I can for all my sisters.”
She floats to the balcony using her Arrester and sits looking out over the desert. Taking a moment, she lets the silence of the vista into her soul and overwhelm the voices of her doubts.
With a flourish, she dons loose fitting white tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt. “Might as well be comfy.” She thinks hearing a knock at the door, “Here we go.”
Standing at the threshold of the patio doors, it is hard to say who is more nervous. Kim and her sisters, Dean, Eve, Beki and Ivy or Mia.
The younger sisters are all dressed in casual loose fitting trousers and blouses, smart but comfortable. They turn as one, hearing the door open.
For a moment, no one moves, no one speaks as the older and younger sisters regard each other. Mia steps forward with a touch of nerves, “Hi everyone, would anyone like a drink?”
Tara’s eye twitches slightly, “I will take a water.”
The others nod and mumble in agreement Dean shows them to the bean bags laid out on the patio, letting them settle. He moves to help Mia, when Kim stops him, “I got this.”
Mia tenses slightly as Kim approaches, ready for her to take revenge for ambushing her on Felix Prime.
“Let my give you a hand.” Kim says lightly. Mia thanks her and then pauses for a moment, but before she can speak Kim whispers, “We’re cool.”
Mia smiles warmly, “Thank you.” She whispers.
“You could have left Sasha, but you saved her life and you saved my sisters.” Kim says, with a gently warmth.
“I had help.” Mia says, smiling over at Dean with love in her eyes.
Kim misses the undertone and shrugs, “Sounds lucky he was there to keep the engine running for a fast getaway.”
“Is that what he told you?” Mia says, colour draining a little from her cheeks.
Kim frowns, “Yeah. Is that not what happened?”
Mia weighs her options and decides she wants to be open, “Not quite.”
Kim passes bottles of water out with Mia, regarding Dean with a newfound sense of respect.
With everyone settled no one really wants to break the silence until, Eve speaks softly, “In my tribe, we mark all auspicious occasions. I would say this qualifies.”
When Kim nods her assent, Eve asks, “Could you get a goat please?”
Alarmed, Kim shifts uncomfortably, “”A goat?”
“Yes, it must be sacrificed and it’s bounty shared among all present.” Eve explains calmly.
At this point everyone is looking a little alarmed, as Tara asks, “Are you serious?”
Eve looks at her without emotion, “Yes, it must be strangled to death, so that the impurities of the body do not pass to the head in death. In this way, when we eat its brain, we only taste it’s life.”
Kim looks at Eve unable to read her, “Sure.” She says, not sure if she believes what she is agreeing too.
“Perfect, can you get a pure colour one, doesn’t matter what colour but it’s hair must be one colour.” Eve says with a gentle smile.
“Errr OK. Anything else?” Kim asks, wondering where the best place to get a goat is.
“Could you recite the ancient chant while you’re getting it.” Eve asks and when Kim nods she continues, “Owa. Tago. Thiam.”
Kim shrugs, “Sure. Owa tago thiam. Owa tago thiam. Oh what a goat I am. Oh what a goat I am.” Kim hangs her head, “OK you got me.”
Eve giggles, “I am so sorry, but everyone is so serious. This is a great day.”
With the eyes broken everyone relaxes a little. Beki pipes up cheerily, “We have heard all about you all and we have been panicking about meeting you all.”
“Don’t be daft, nothing to feel nervous about. We are all cut from the same cloth. We were as nervous about meeting you.” Anya confesses, softly.
“Basically, we are all the same and to some extent, we are all dumbasses.” Ali says with a grin. “Right no messing about, who is the Dove?”
Kim, Anya and Tara look at her confused, but Ivy winks, “That was me, but it was a team effort. Eve saw the collar was stopping you use magic and Beki knew how to get it off. I just made it happen.”
“I owe you big time.” Ali confesses, then seeing the confusion on her sisters faces, psis the details of her escape.
Despite the astonished looks from Kim, Anya and Tara, Ivy confesses, “No you don’t, from what Dean has said, you would all do the same for us.” There is a moment, where all sister old and new come to the same conclusion.
That she is right.
Dean sits back and watches the ebb and flow of conversation, as if those gathered here were old friends, comfortable in each other presence.
“This realm is a designated black site. Strictly restricted access. This is a safe place for them as long as they wish.” He thinks, allowing himself a smile.
He feels a hand on his and looks up to see Mia smiling at him. He returns her smile and gently puts his arm around her shoulder and pulls her closer.
Ali notices this small act of affection and raises an eyebrow at her brother. Dean blushes and squeezes Mia’s shoulder, making her smile. Ali nods approvingly and gives him a wink.
The moment is snatched away, as a wide eyed and enthralled Beki, asks Kim, “Will you tell us about some of your adventures?”
Kim slumps back on her bean bag, “Not much to tell really. I am just a glorified pest exterminator.”
“Nah, you are a badass.” Beki insists, “Ever since we found out you were our sisters, we have read up on all of you. You’re amazing.”
“Well in that case, as you know all about us, why don’t you tell us about yourselves.” Anya suggests lightly.
Beki’s smile falters and then drops, “I am not sure I am ready. I don’t want you to think less of me.”
Ali can sense the change and doubts in her younger sisters mind and speaks softly, “Whatever is in your past, you are our sister and nothing in all the realms will change that.”
Sensing the sincerity in her sisters tone, Beki nods and begins, “I don’t remember my parents. My first memory is cleaning toilets when I was four. Twelve hours a day, plus four hours school and then sleep. Then it was more toilets, scrubbing floor till my fingers bled, waiting tables, whatever dirty job was available to keep food in my belly, until I turned eight and took the test.”
The silence hangs in the room, until she continues, “The test was for magical aptitude and I passed with top marks. The next day I began my training in Personamancy. More lucrative work opened up. Driver, pilot, accountant, bodyguard.” She snorts a laugh, “Funny how popular an eleven year old girl is as a body guard. No one takes you seriously, until they are left in a gutter with a broken arm and half their teeth missing.”
She sighs, “Anyway, I was able to work shorter hours and practice dance. I love the freedom of movement, the grace and power you feel. All went well till I was thirteen, then He started hiring me.”
A ripple of anger and something else plays across her face as she visibly tenses, “It started as a residential contract where I would live on site and be fed as part of my job, allowing me to save credits. The first week was fine. The second. Not so much.” She pauses, looking for the words, “My patron had certain tastes. I would be forced to dress up in a little maid outfit while I cleaned his home, or dressed as a schoolgirl and tied up in his basement until he decided to hit me for his amusement. He would beat me like a savage and keep me locked up until the bruises faded.”
Beki stares into space, “He let me go after a month, physically healed but changed inside. The next day I had a job at a secure site cleaning out storage tanks. No one saw me slip out and return an hour later.” She confesses, “Police found him a week later, bound and beaten to death in his basement, his killer never caught.”
Kim suppresses a smile, expecting a joke, however, the hardening of her sisters body language tells her it is no joke. “It still haunts me to this day. I don’t regret what i did. I prevented him from hurting anyone else. My only regret, is the weight of the act on my soul.”
Mia is the first to cry hearing Beki’s confession, but she is not the last. None of her sisters had heard this story before and it hits them like a punch in the heart.
"You aren't alone anymore. we have each other." Kim says, embracing her sister.
View my latest story, Revelation, here;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
Dear Friend you were incredibly productive! Will read it now. It may take some Time till I comment in Detail. So many Updates to enjoy @wolfman ! And I am sure it will be fantastic!
