National Justice

by Lhyaran

A young Shego and her brothers learn they are not as free from sinister forces as they thought they were.

~o0o~

This is a chapter - albeit a fairly large one - from my story 'Home is where the Heart is'. I thought it was good enough to stand on its own. I hope you enjoy.

~o0o~

A pale green arm reached up and grabbed the pajama bottoms hanging over the dressing screen. Sheridan frowned. Even now, a year after she and her brothers had woken up from their comas, her green skin still made her uncomfortable. Roughly pulling on the pajama bottoms, she knew her disquiet was more than just her complexion.

"Family," she grumbled quietly. She was angry, annoyed, and frustrated with her brothers … one in particular. Geez, Henry, why can't you get it through your thick skull that we should leave?

After yet another month of painfully annoying tests and procedures, she had brought up the notion of leaving. Again, he had said that this secret National Justice base was the best place for them to be. Wesley and Wendell had agreed with him while Melvin just shrugged noncommittally.

Sheridan pulled down roughly on her top to straighten out imaginary creases. She shuffled out from behind the screen lost in thought, and stood there, bare-footed on the cold linoleum floor, dressed in her dark green pajamas.

The room was white, clinically white, and smelling faintly of antiseptic. What these few rooms had once been, she had no idea, but they had been refurbished as living quarters for her. She was beginning to detest them. Yes, it had its own private bathroom, dining, and entertainment area, but it was not home. That was gone, vaporized and reduced to ashes decades ago.

Home. I want to go home, she thought, the aching sadness welling up inside.

Raising her head, she barely acknowledged the two burly orderlies near the massively reinforced blast door to her living quarters. She focused her piercing gaze upon Dr. Patterson, who was waiting for her.

She counted Dr. Patterson - Jane - as a good friend, her one and only in this place apart from her brothers. She also knew she had a bit of a crush on the attractive young doctor, fantasizing about her quite often in the shower as she pleasured herself. She was her friend, her surrogate mother, and if Sheridan's horny teenage mind had its way, she would be her first.

I wish Mum and Dad were here. She swallowed away the sudden lump in her throat. Not for the first time, the cold and antiseptic feel of the room was making her feel very alone and unwanted.

"Ready for your bedtime shots?" Dr. Patterson asked.

"Not really." Sheridan looked over at her nightstand, a tray on top holding three capped needles. "Jane, could we skip them for once?" she asked hopefully.

"Now, now, Sherry, you know they're to help you sleep, plus, they avoid messy disasters like last time."

Sheridan shuffled her feet nervously, remembering the last time she had lost it. She had drifted off to sleep and the nightmares had consumed her, klaxons waking her to a room melted and in flames. It was after this that they started medicating her to sleep, the nights passing without dreams or nightmares. She opened her mouth to say that the drugs did not work anymore, that they had not for months, but she bit her tongue and said nothing. It was one of the few secrets she and her brothers still had left.

"All right," she said meekly as she slowly walked over to her bed and sat down.

"That's my girl." Jane smiled at her and Sheridan shyly smiled back, her heart skipping a beat.

She sat there quietly as Dr. Patterson picked up the first syringe, swabbed her arm, and gave her the first shot. She was just tired of the constant needles, experiments, blood samples, and poking and prodding. Yes, she healed, they all did, but the experiments still hurt, and she was growing more and more annoyed as the months went on and on.

Her thoughts were elsewhere when she she heard Dr. Patterson say, "All done. See you in the morning."

"Night, Jane." She gave a mock yawn and stretch as she hopped into bed and curled up under the sheets, the lights automatically dimming. Rolling onto her side away from the door, she could feel the sedative working its way through her body, tasting of yellow. It did not stand a chance. Her regenerative powers easily tackled the drug, as it had done for months. She had not told the doctors, firstly because she knew it was not needed anymore, and secondly, because it was a small sign of her growing defiance.

Lying there and pretending to be asleep for the cameras, the remnants of the sedative sloshing about her system, she heard the door open.

"Geez, Roy, next time you'll forget your own head," she heard one of the orderlies say.

She lay there quietly and unmoving, listening to the heavy footsteps walk over to her nightstand and pick something up. She waited for him to leave, but instead, she heard him shuffle closer to the bed.

Why isn't he leaving? She started to panic, worried he knew she was still awake.

"Roy, c'mon, we'll get in tons of trouble if the doc catches us back in here," the orderly called out from the doorway in a strained whisper.

"Gimme a moment. I'm just admiring this cute lil' piece of green ass." Sheridan felt the faint movement of the bed as he leaned against the edge. "Fuck! I'd love to tap that."

"She's fifteen and green."

"Who cares. The guys are saying her showers are getting longer and longer, and I bet you she's not just washing her hair the whole time. I'm sure she'd be up for some of the real thing."

"C'mon, man, get out, she's way off limits for so many reasons. Besides, I've heard on the grapevine, that the Doc's planning to knock her up with her brothers' DNA."

"Geez, that's... just wrong."

"Says the guy ogling an underage girl. Now, let's go, I really don't wanna get in trouble with upstairs for being back in here."

The footsteps slowly receded from the room, and the massive blast door slowly slid shut once again. Sheridan lay curled up into a ball, her heart beating away in shock and fear from what she had overheard. She lay there shivering, the terror instantly burning away the remaining sedative in her system.

Paralyzed with fear, she clutched her pillow for support. "Daddy, I need you," she whimpered, refusing to shed a tear. But, he was gone, along with her mom, killed by the meteor. With the memory of her father, she could feel his strong arms around her, protecting her from the world. She remembered her dad saying, "You're special and unique, Sherry. There's nothing you can't do once you put your mind to it." With the memory of those comforting words washing over her, she found herself calming down. Her jaw clenched as she said the words softly to herself again, knowing what she had to do.

We've got to get out, and I need to tell Jane. She'll be able to help. She won't let them do this to me.

She flipped the sheet off and rose to her feet, walking to the center of her room. Moving her arms away from her body, she opened her hands palm down and closed her eyes. She could feel it inside her, the raging chaos she now contained. Concentrating, fear fluttering at the edge of her consciousness, her hands sputtered briefly with green flame.

Focus! she berated herself. I know what to do.

She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and tried again, the flames barely flickering around her fingers. Swallowing deeply, she reached out to the inferno inside of her and gingerly took ahold of its edge. Her hands became engulfed in emerald green flames, her heart skipping a beat as she opened her eyes and looked down. Raising her head, she brought up a hand and hurled a ball of plasma at a security camera, turning and hurling another at the other camera in the room, the force of the blast blowing them apart.

Dad would be proud! She glanced at her flaming hands, the talisman of her father bringing a smile to her worried face.

She walked to her dresser and stopped, clenching her flaming fists and willing the emerald conflagration to dissipate.

"Go," she whispered, the flames ignoring her.

"Shoo." She shook her hands in annoyance, the dancing flames continuing their happy life on her paws. "I don't have time for this." She closed her eyes and willed the energy away, trying to remove her tenuous link to the power within. Cracking open one eyelid, she was relieved to see the flames now gone, her hands back to their pale green.

She quickly dressed in some loose black jeans, a dark green tee-shirt, and some beat up sneakers. Grabbing a backpack from above her wardrobe - wondering why they had given her one, when she could never go outside - she stuffed in what clothes she could, owning nothing else in the world right now.

Backpack filled, she dropped it on the bed and lay down on the floor. She reached under the wardrobe, her hand returning with a security pass.

"Thank you, Jane," she whispered. Even though the good doctor had no idea she was the one to steal it weeks ago.

Card and bag in hand, she walked over to the door, the massive structure no longer looking like a barrier, now it was a gate to freedom.

"Sheridan, is everything okay?" Dr. Patterson's voice suddenly asked through the rooms communication system.

"No. No it's not. It's time to go."

"Go? Go where?"

"Wherever we want."

She would have left ages ago, but Henry liked the regiment and structure of this secret government agency. Wesley and Wendell simply followed his lead, and Melvin took the path of least resistance. They were the only family they had left, and they had to stick together, no matter what.

Well, ya stubborn doofus, it's time to leave, and this time I won't take no for an answer. Her brothers might resist now and then, but they all knew better than to go up against an angry sister.

Sheridan swiped the security card and keyed in the eight digit code, followed by the clank and groan of hidden machinery as the massive blast door slid ponderously open. She slipped the card into her pocket, blinked her eyes in the cold, bright light of the slowly revealed hallway, and stepped outside.

~o0o~

"Sheridan, you need to return to your room," Dr. Patterson said from nearby. Sheridan jumped in shock that she had not noticed her right away.

"Jane," she mumbled, a little of her fear leaking out. Sheridan dropped her bag and ran to her friend, throwing her arms around the doctor's waist and holding tight.

"Jane..." she whispered as she felt comforting arms wrap around her shoulders, giving her a return hug.

"Now, what's up?" Dr. Patterson asked, stroking the back of her head.

"They're... they're planning to do something horrible to me involving m-my brothers," she blurted out, the horror of the statement almost overwhelming her. "Th-They want to make me pregnant!"

She felt Jane's hand pause in its comforting ministration, the muscles in the doctor's body tensing slightly.

"That's... silly, and nothing for you to worry about," Dr. Patterson finally replied, a strange timbre to her voice.

What!? Sheridan almost screamed out loud, pushing away from the woman holding her. She looked up into Jane's friendly face, seeing for the first time, the cold and dispassionate look in her eyes. She knows. She knew! The hurt and betrayal hit her like a truck. The only person she counted as a friend in this place, in fact, was not.

"Let's get you back to bed, Sherry. We can discuss all this in the morning, okay?"

Dr. Patterson tried to lead Sheridan back to her room, suddenly finding her patient stiff and unyielding.

"Don't call me that," Sheridan whispered.

"Don't call you...?"

"Don't you dare call me Sherry," she yelled, pushing the doctor away. "You- you have no right." Jane had betrayed her in the worst way possible, and her heart was cracking under the strain.

"Sherry. Sheridan, please, it's really not as bad as you think."

"I TRUSTED YOU! she screamed, her face distraught as she stepped back a few paces from Jane. "And th-that you'd let them do something like that to me!" She shook her head from side to side as she looked at the now stranger in front of her.

"Sheridan." Dr. Patterson offered her a smile, but she now saw through the lie. "Just come back into your room, it'll all be okay in the morning. Trust me..."

"Me and my brothers are leaving," Sheridan stated, her voice frigid and devoid of any warmth. She stormed down the corridor and picked up her backpack, hoisting it over her shoulder.

"I'm afraid we can't allow that." Sheridan turned at the implied threat. She watched as the doctor raised a hand, followed by multiple National Justice security guards bursting out of doors on either side of the corridor. They were all armed with tranquilizer guns, drawn, but aimed at the floor. "Gentlemen, sedate her." Dr. Patterson voice was cold, but not as cold as the feeling in Sheridan's heart.

Eyes wide in shock, she could only watch as they raised their guns and fired. The darts flew straight and true, burying themselves into pale green flesh. She gasped in pain and shock, looking down at the tufted tailpieces of the needles sticking out of her skin.

"Again," Dr. Patterson ordered. The guards quickly reloaded, more darts slamming into her frozen body.

She could feel the massive dose of sedatives rushing though her system and, falling to her hands and knees, she stared at the floor.

"It seems you've been holding out on us, Sherry, that amount of sedatives should've had you on the floor by now. Well, never mind, there's always the old fashioned way."

Sheridan raised a sweat covered head and watched helplessly as Dr. Patterson walked towards her. She found her gaze latching onto the large needle in her hand, unable to look away. "Don't worry, Sherry, we'll talk about this tomorrow, once you've had a nice... long... nap."

Sheridan watched as the needle drew nearer and nearer, staring at the thing like it was alive. No! "No!" she barely whispered. She slowly blinked, her body succumbing to the drugs ravaging her system. Then, her anger kicked in!

She touched something deep within herself, something primal. There was the feeling of power, so much power, and for the first time, she felt the boundless energy she had locked away. An energy that now sped through her veins like fire, burning away the sedatives. The assembled men watched as a latticework of green energy formed around each dart on her exposed skin, the projectiles falling to the floor.

"Dammit!" Dr. Patterson exclaimed. She rushed at the kneeling teenager, syringe raised like a dagger.

A very awake and angry Sheridan looked up at them and growled out, "No!" She moved faster than humanly possible, catching the doctor's wrist with her hand. Bones cracked and splintered under her frantic grip. Dr. Patterson screamed in pain, and the guards fired, only to find the doctor being used as a shield, the darts thudding into her back.

"You...!" Sheridan growled as she brought her gaze to bear on the guards. She was running on the most primitive form of thought, the need for survival. She was barely aware of throwing Jane to the side. The doctor's body slammed into the wall with a tremendous force, where it slid to the ground, leaving behind a trail of blood and brains.

"YOU BASTARDS!" Sheridan screamed, her hands erupting in boiling, crackling, green flames.

The silent guards fired again, but she was no longer there, moving faster than they could react. Then, she was next to them. A slim green arm swung inhumanly fast into the nearest guard, impacting with a meaty sound and sending the man into a wall. The gristly sound the guard made as he impacted was lost on the rest as Sheridan's glowing fist connected with the next guards jaw, ripping it off his face. Overcome with rage and panic, she did not think. She just reacted like a trapped animal.

It was over in seconds, and Sheridan came down from her panic-induced rage. Barely breathing, she looked around at the human carnage she had created. The guards had not stood a chance, screaming and dying where they stood. Their shredded and smoking corpses lay strewn across the blood soaked floor. Eyes wide and her face pale, Sheridan stumbled back, tripping over a severed limb on the ground.

"No..." she whispered in horror, a guards sightless eyes staring back at her, "oh god, no!" Her stomach heaved and twisted from the sight.

She slammed her eyes tightly shut from the horrible scene around her, unable to stop her reaction as she leaned over and vomited, emptying the contents of her stomach. Moaning lightly at the violent spasms wracking her body, she continued to dry-retch, nothing left to bring up.

Eventually, her body calmed down, though she kept her eyes tightly shut as she raised a trembling hand and roughly wiped her mouth.

"Mom. Dad, I need you," she said hoarsely into the deathly silent hallway.

With the invoking of her parents' names, their smiling faces came to mind, and she began to calm down. A questing hand found a wall and she stood up on shaky legs, finally opening her eyes to the plain white corridor.

She dug deep and looked down at her bloody arms and clothes, dry-retching at the sight, though she managed to stay on her feet.

I need to change. She glanced over at her bag on the far side of the carnage.

"Security squad bravo, report."

She spun at the sound, her heart pounding in her chest, quickly realizing the voice had come from one of the dead guards radios. Turning back around, she leaned against the wall breathing deeply, managing to keep her stomach under control.

"Security squad bravo, report. The cameras are still playing up in your section, and Central needs an update."

They don't know! It was a small ray of hope shining in on her situation. I have to do this. She slammed an arm against the wall, helping to focus her thoughts. Thinking of her brothers, she turned and looked at her bag on the far side of … everything.

She tried to control her breathing, her face white and sweating, as she traversed her way through the bodies. Her gaze held high, she used her peripheral vision to guide her feet. She did her best to ignore the sticky feel of blood beneath her feet, clenching her hands each time she stood on something she tried not to think about. Soon, she had her bag in hand and a new shirt on, the old discarded to the side.

Sheridan threw her bag over her shoulder, and she turned and ran away from the bodies. She knew her way around the complex, and was quite happy to go in any other direction than back through the slaughterhouse she had created.

~o0o~

Sheridan sprinted down a hallway as alarms sounded up and down the featureless corridor. She tore around a corner and came to a screeching halt, almost bumping into a group of four security guards lounging about in the hallway. She was not sure who was more surprised, her or them, but they all reacted at the same time. As the guards drew their tranquillizer guns, she grinned a manic smile, the men unconsciously stepping back as the blood covered fiend came at them.

This time, though still scared, she was in control. There would be no deaths from her hands.

A pale green fist slammed into a cheek. The man's eyes rolled up into his head as he spun about, falling unconscious to the floor. A frantic kick, had her breaking another guards leg, the man falling to the ground with a scream. She then gasped in shock and pain as two darts thudded into her, the needles buried deep into her unprotected back.

Hunched over, she turned around to face the remaining security guards.

"Down," one of the guards ordered, "get down on the ground." He gestured with his gun to the floor.

No more orders. I'm sick of them telling me what to do.

The guards must have seen something in her eyes as they both shot at the same time. She was not there anymore, leaping to the side, then directly at one of the men. She pushed him hard, and he flew to the side, slamming into the wall and dropping silently to the ground.

Another shot to her arm had her crying out in pain. She looked around as the last guard dropped his tranquilizer gun and drew his pistol. He backed away, firing.

Moving faster than she thought possible, she dodged and weaved as her hand sputtered to life with green plasma. With a cry, she brought the flaming appendage down on the gun, shearing it in half.

The two of them stood still in shock at the outcome.

"I surrender," the guard suddenly said, dropping the useless gun and raising his arms.

"Uh... yeah... surrender," Sheridan mumbled as she stared at the remains of the gun on the ground. The severed ends were glowing cherry red. I've never- I can't- But my plasma doesn't burn that hot!

"You know, surrender?" The guard took a tentative step back as a distracted Sheridan continued to stare at the remains of the gun.

"Um, what?" Sheridan finally looked up, only to find the guard running away, already at the end of the corridor. "Damn it!"

She walked back to her backpack, and heard the guard with the broken leg moan in pain. Torn as to what to do, her mom's words of 'we always help those in need' came back to her. Quickly deciding, she reached down and pulled out one of the unconscious guards radios, then walked over and shoved it into the crippled guard's hand.

"Um, sorry. Here, call for help."

The guards wide eyes and grateful smile warmed her heart as she turned and ran down the corridor.

~o0o~

Sheridan ran up to and stopped at the large door housing one of her brothers. Standing still for the first time since everything had happened. She felt the shock setting in, her body going cold, and she started to tremble. She gritted her teeth against the feeling as she fished in her pocket for the access card. A shaking hand quickly swiped it through the reader, then keyed in the security code. With one digit left, she cried out in pain as multiple tranquilizer darts sank into her skin. She dropped to a knee in shock and turned her head to see numerous security guards at the nearby intersection, all with their weapons aimed at her.

"Give it up, Sheridan," an officer yelled out, "we're not going to give you the chance to fuck us over like you did our friends."

She could feel this new sedative racing through her system, sending an arm and leg to sleep, her comet-powers fighting off the attack as best they could. Breaking out in a light sweat, she leaned her shoulder against the cool wall as she lost all feeling in her legs.

She stared at the floor, hair covering her pain wracked face as she called out, "Leave me alone, I just want to go home." She watched as her bag fell off her shoulder, her numb arm unable to hold it any longer.

"I don't fucking care what you want, you murdering bitch. Now, get on the floor before we fill you so full of tranqs that you never wake up."

"No," she whimpered, knowing she could not give in. Please god, no. Helpless, she pictured the horrors that awaited her if the doctors had their way.

With her hopelessness also came her anger, and once again, she felt the raging power inside. I don't want it, it scares me - I need it! she shouted back. The power invoked fear, pain, and destruction, but right now, she did not care. She needed it. Needed it to once again to save her life, like it had the day the meteor had struck. She reached out to the emerald inferno, only to have it slip and slide through her mental gasp like the purest quicksilver.

Panicked, she raised her head and stared at the guards, all with their fingers on the trigger. "Please go," she begged, "I don't want to hurt y-"

"Put her down," the officer ordered. His men fired, even as she frantically reached up and pushed the last digit on the access panel.

She screamed in pain as multiple darts slammed into her body. Her system overloaded by the drugs, she fell lifelessly to the floor, her whole body numb. She could feel herself fighting the effects of the sedative, but it was not going to be fast enough, the heavy footsteps of the guards approaching.

"Tell command we've got her, that we'll-"

"What the?!" a new voice exclaimed.

Sheridan tried to turn her head, to call for help, but her drugged muscles failed to obey, the words coming out as mere gurgle. Mel, help me, she silently begged.

"Melvin, get back in your room, this is a security matter."

"The hell I will! That's my sister, so back off!"

"Drop him."

Sheridan could only lie there as she heard multiple gunshots, followed by the sound of tranquilizer darts hitting the steel door.

"Kowalski, call for-"

Sheridan's heart leapt in hope as she heard the sound of tiny feet accelerating on the steel floor, followed by the crack of bone shattering, and a scream of pain and anger. She closed her eyes and relaxed somewhat as shouts and yells of pain echoed around her, knowing that her brother had come to her aid,

Family sticks together.

Sheridan lay there on the cold, steel floor. She heard footsteps run up to her, a body dropping onto the ground next to her. There was the slight pressure of tranquillizer darts being removed from her skin, each followed by the tinkling sound of them being thrown away. She was gently rolled over, a hand under her head, and she saw the worried - purple tinged - face of her brother, Melvin.

He sat there looking her up and down. "Geez, Shez, are you okay?"

Sheridan tried to reply, but the sedatives were still coursing through her body, and all she managed was a brief burble and some drool out of the corner of her mouth.

She could only watch as he ran a hand through his hair in nervousness, a worried look on his face. His light purple pajamas were all wrinkled from his heroics, but she was happy to see no blood was evident. He then reached down and picked up the security card, glancing sideways at her backpack.

"We're leaving?" he murmured, mostly to himself.

"Y'rsss," Sheridan managed to get out, her head barely nodding. Her comet powers slowly winning the war against the sedatives.

She was relieved to see her brother just nod his head, no forthcoming questions or arguments. Not that she could have answered any in her current state, but this was Mel. He had to love this situation, able to get in the first and last words. A smile somehow made its way to her numb lips as she was lifted up, Melvin carrying her into his room and laying her on the bed.

Eyes closed, she focused on getting better, the sound of security cameras being destroyed in the background.

Before too long, he asked, "How you doing?"

"B'ttr." She opened her eyes. "H'lp m' up."

Melvin was now dressed, a dark purple tee-shirt and black jeans on his lean frame. He dropped his backpack on the floor next to the bed and sat down next to her. "Geezus, sis, I really don't know what to say," he said quietly. He watched as one of his sister's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "Yeah, I know, that's a first." He chuckled, running a nervous hand through his wavy hair. "I trust you, Shez, it's just..." He sighed deeply, dropping his hands to his lap. "It's all a bit much, so I hope you know what you're doing."

"...Doy!" she replied as emphatically as she could with numb lips.

~o0o~

"It's a special test just for me, isn't it?" Melvin said as he ran down a corridor carrying his sister.

"No, Mel it's not." She was already tired of his incessant questioning on a topic she did not feel up to answering right now.

"Are you sure it's not some secret test?"

"Mel...!"

"I know! You're helping them, aren't you?"

"Mel, drop it, I'll explain everything when we get to Henry."

They ran in blessed silence for a while. Sheridan stretched and flexed her fingers and toes, the feeling returning quite quickly now.

"C'mon, not even a snippet?" he asked again.

"Melvin!" she snapped, his face blanching at the angry growl hidden beneath the words.

Sheridan sat in his arms, glaring at his face and daring him to ask another question. He wisely kept his mouth shut, flinching at the look on his sisters face each time he glanced down. Tearing down another corridor, his pace slowed as they arrived at an intersection.

"I-" she stretched her mouth around the vowel, her lips at last free from the numbness. "I'm good, Mel, you can put me down now."

Melvin lowered his sister to the ground, and she stretched her body, happy to feel all traces of the dangerously strong sedative gone. They both walked quietly up to the intersection and carefully poked their heads around the corner, the hallway to their brothers' room surprisingly clear.

"I've watched enough action movies to know that's never a good sign," Melvin said into the silence.

"Yeah!" No Sirens and no guards. Not good, not good at all.

She did not want to admit it in front of her brother, but she was scared, terrified in fact. What the doctors had planned for her, and the overzealous guards reaction, had shaken her to the core. She was surviving by holding onto her anger, lest the fear overwhelm her.

"So, Shez, ready to run out into an empty corridor? One I have to say that looks scarier than all the tests we've gone through over the last year."

She leaned back against the cool featureless wall, hands on her thighs as she stared at the floor.

They'll be watching. Listening.

She needed a moment to think, plan, work out what their next move should to be. Don't think about the past, just focus on the present. But, it was too late, she remembered the sound of Jane slamming into the wall, the rich, burning smell of her hands slicing through the security guards. She quickly turned to the side, a hand on the wall as she dry-retched.

"Shez," Melvin said, panicking, "you okay?"

She waved him away, eyes closed, breathing deeply for a bit, before replying, "Yeah... yeah, I'm fine." She could feel her innards churning away, she just had to focus on the here and now. The cool wall against her forehead helped, and raising her head, she looked around the corner, staring at the unguarded door, her brow furrowing in concentration.

They want us, me, alive. Her heart skipped a beat as she pushed down her gibbering and ranting subconscious. No guards means no tranqs. So...? She found her gaze looking all around the door, then focusing on the impressive bulk of the structure itself.

She saw the problem, and nodded her head at what the security force would do. She knew what would be needed to break them out of it. Something they would not be expecting. Something new.

She pushed herself off the wall, seeing the worried and serious face on her brother. Squeezing his shoulder in support, she walked out into the corridor, Melvin quietly following. As predicted, at either end of the corridor large blast doors descended, trapping them. Her heart skipped a beat as she walked up to her brothers' door, knowing she was trusting their future to the power inside of her. Swiping the access card and entering the security code, she was unsurprised that it failed work.

She counted off the seconds in her head, waiting for the obvious response.

"Sheridan. Melvin. It seems we have a situation," a calm voice said through the corridors communication system.

"Dr. Mendelos," Sheridan softly growled. "There's no situation, we're leaving." Melvin slowly nodded in agreement beside her.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that. As you can see, you're securely trapped, and I will not be allowing you access to your brothers room."

"It's really not a training exercise just for me?" Melvin asked. There was fear in his voice as he realized it was all deadly serious.

"Doy! Mel, it's not."

"What now?"

"Now? Now we open the door, no matter what he thinks." She smiled grimly at her brother before looking up at the ceiling. "I know you're watching everything," she said to the air, "so this is me showing you that we're leaving."

"Really, Sheridan? I-"

...I can do this. She was painfully aware of her heart beating against her throat.

She tuned out the doctor's reply and the world around her as she slowly, almost tentatively, reached out and rested her hands against the cool steel surface of the massive blast door. She closed her eyes, and beneath all her churning emotions, she could feel the raging inferno she had shied away from for the last year. The power terrified her, but not as much as what the scientists had planned for her.

They don't know. I don't know. It's time to find out, she thought grimly and with a fair amount of trepidation.

She breathed in...

She focused on the emerald inferno inside of her, and for the first time looked at it without shying away in fear. It was small, tightly contained, yet it seemed to dwarf the world around her, filling the sky of her mind with its enormity. The raging energy coiled and lunged like a snake as she reached for it, and a slim cord of connection snapped into place between her and the power. She silently gasped as the cord pulsated and glowed. It hummed. It sang with alien harmonics, and a warmth filled her. A heat that should have seared her from the inside, instead, completed her.

She opened her mind and surrendered herself to the glow. Accepted the changes in her life. The connection thickened as she and it becoming one.

Don't run, accept!

Her whole body pulsed and throbbed to the energy within, like the heartbeat of the world. It filled her being. Her consciousness unshackled from the fear. She quivered as the emerald fire filled her mind and suffused her being, stunned by the awe and majesty.

Accept!

Warmth built in her, the warmth of the sun, rising to the burning heat of a supernova, exploding.

Accept!

She breathed out...

Her hands burst into flame. The power raged through her, but she did not run from it anymore, she embraced it. Accept. This is me!

She pushed her flaming hands forward, and they melted their way through the reinforced door like wet tissue paper. Globules of melted steel flowed to the ground as she cut her way in. She had a smile on her face, finally at peace with her inner demons.

"Geez, Shez, that's- that's amazing," Melvin uttered, his eyes wide with wonder.

With a large hole transcribed in the side of the door, Sheridan slowly stepped back, her face a mask of concentration as her gaze followed the cut. Swallowing deeply, and with her heart in her mouth, she looked down at her hands, awe and still a little fear filtering across her face.

I- I really did that?

She could not remember the last time she had felt so free. Stepping forwards, she extinguished her hands and pushed on the cut section in the door, her super-charged muscles straining. With a twisting groan the section gave way, falling to the floor with a booming clang.

From inside, Sheridan and Melvin both heard the confused voices of their brothers wondering what was going on.

She turned to Melvin, his eyes wide and his face full of shock and awe. She gave him a tentative smile, worried how he would see her now. Her heart thudding in her chest, she was relieved to see him smile back, a warm friendly smile like always. Her face must have shown something as he stepped forwards and wrapped her in a huge bear hug.

"Don't worry, Shez, you're still my sister."

Her breath slowly came out, not even realizing she had been holding it. She threw her arms around him and returned the hug, her eyes tightly shut.

"Thanks, Mel, I needed that," she whispered back. Squeezing her arms around her brother once more, she slowly stepped back out of his hug. She wiped some moisture from the corner of her eyes as she looked at the gaping hole in the door.

"Okay, ya doofus, you grab the boys, I'll take care of the way out." Melvin nodded his head.

Sheridan walked down the corridor towards the far door. She felt like she could take on the whole world right now, her feet feeling like they were floating across the ground. She threw a grim smile at the air, grounded enough to know they were not out of the woods yet. Arriving at the door, she could see the reinforced bulkhead was now protected by a glimmering forcefield.

They're worried. Well, they should be.

With barely a conscious thought, her hands lit up, the emerald flames boiling and cascading around her fingers. She rested her flaming appendages on the shimmering, translucent barrier. Lines of cascading energy radiated across the surface as a loud cracking, snapping sound arose from the shield.

Accept!

The heat from her hands suddenly blossomed, and a high pitched whine emanated from the forcefield, intensifying as the heat from her hands increased.

Sheridan stared at the barrier, ignoring the world around her as bubbles of searing plasma dripped to the floor, scouring deep holes in the surface. Her clothes smoldered and the paint on the walls curled from the heat, insignificant to her need for freedom.

More!

Her hair whipped around her head as the blazing heat radiated from her hands. With grim focus, she pulled one hand back from the forcefield and slammed it forwards, the sound reverberating around the corridor. Again, she struck. On her third blow, the forcefield disappeared without a sound. Her flaming hand struck the steel of the door and melted its way completely through.

She looked up. "We're going home!"

~o0o~

They arrived at Henry's door with their shield of Wesley and Wendell clones surrounding them. There had been no more closed doors, security guards, or comments from Dr. Mendelos, as they made their way to their brother's room.

On a whim, Sheridan tried the access card, the panel beeping happily, and the door slowly and noisily opened.

"Guess they're sick of me destroying doors," she explained to her confused brothers.

They walked into the well-appointed living room, no sign of their older brother.

"Ohh, gimme a break," Sheridan sighed as she stomped off towards the bedroom. He can sleep through anything.

She flicked on the light, seeing Henry curled up under the sheets sucking his thumb. The sight brought back bittersweet memories of when he used to sleep next to her at home. Her big brother, guardian angel, looking out for her as best he could, even as she got sicker and sicker, the chemotherapy failing.

They may have grown apart since the meteor, but he was still her brother.

Grabbing a spare pillow off the bed, she gently whacked him on the side. "C'mon ya big lug, wake up," she said, her voice thick with emotion.

"Huh? Wazzup... Wha?" Henry mumbled as he woke.

She watched his bleary eyes blink and then focus on her, confusion clearly evident on his face. He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock, raising an eyebrow at the time. Rolling onto his back, he looked up at his sister.

"Hey, sis, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Sheridan looked at the open and honest expression on his goofy face. She suddenly needed him to be the brother she had once known, the one that looked after and protected her.

"We're leaving. Now!" she said, harsher than she wanted to.

"Sheridan, we can't leave, we-"

"No! We're leaving! Don't- don't give me th-that... shit!"

His eyes rose at the swear word, seeing the serious look on her face for the first time.

"Why?"

There it was, such a simple question, but laced with so much dread. She did not want to face the memories of why, what she had done, but she could not hide from it anymore. It was time to face the horrors of earlier. She needed her brothers to understand the gravity of the situation.

"Wesley. Wendell, out! I don't want you hearing this," Sheridan barked. The twins immediately complained about being left out, but one look from their sister shut them up. Soon, the three oldest Go children were alone.

Get a grip, she berated herself.

She could feel her brothers patiently waiting beside her, dying with curiosity, but also not forcing the issue. Swallowing deeply, she looked up.

"Henry, th-they want to experiment on me, on us." She waved her hands to encompass their family. "That's why we need to leave." Her voice cracked, showing how scared she was.

Melvin was shocked at his sister's words, but he believed her. After all, she was family. He nodded his head, knowing his sister's serious voice.

"C'mon sis, I know you want to leave, but really, they're not that bad," Henry said. He sat up and caught the look on his sisters face, shooting back in the bed until his shoulders hit the wall.

"You - are - so... so... Argh!" Sheridan yelled, her fists bursting into green flame. Both of her brothers shielded their faces from the blazing heat as she just stood there with her fists clenched near her sides. How can he be so... stupid, and naive? She had tried to skirt around the real reason, but her idiotic brother was forcing her hand.

She leaned forwards over the bed, Henry more afraid of the look on her face than the flame engulfed finger pointing at him.

"They want to make me pregnant with your DNA," she hissed. A hushed silence fell on the room with the bombshell. She straightened up, her hands extinguishing. "I overheard them talking. They've tried to tranq me into submission three times since I decided to leave. So- so don't give me this lunacy of staying, or so help me, I'll smack you into next year."

She swallowed hard, the emotions bubbling up and almost overwhelming her. She was surprised when a pale purple hand rested on her shoulder and squeezed gently. Turning her frowning gaze from her stalwart brother, she looked into the believing face of her other brother.

"I believe you," Melvin said, throwing a glance at Henry.

A little of the terror subsided at her brothers belief, and she turned her gaze back to Henry.

"I don't... I don't," Henry muttered, a look of complete disbelief on his face. Sheridan understood. He lived in his world of black and white, good and bad, all from his love of comic book superheroes. That the good guys were bad was shaking his foundations.

Sheridan sat down on the edge of the bed, picking up his limp hands with her own. "It's okay for the hero to be tricked by the bad guys." Pale green hands squeezed his giant paws.

"We need to go," she said softly.

Henry looked up with a sad smile on his face. "Okay, sis, I understand, I do, but-" Sheridan watched as he tried to say something, glancing at his brother and sister and then closing his mouth with a sigh, clearly reticent about something.

"Mel, go wait outside, we'll be out in a sec," she said without turning. She heard the slight pause before he agreed, then he quietly left the room.

"What's wrong?" she asked, watching Henry's face twist as he worked out what to say. With a big sigh, he ran his hands through his hair before dropping them back to his lap, then, he raised his head and worried eyes looked at his sister.

"I'm not ready, the glows too much. I can't be trusted out there."

Ahh, 'The Glow'.

A simple name for something no one could explain. The scientists had come up with dozens of wild theories as to how they had survived, while at the same time absorbing and containing the unknown energy. The Go children just called it 'The Glow', and left it at that.

Even now, a year after waking up from their decades long comas, they were still adjusting to their abilities.

Henry's strength and invulnerability increased as he used his glow, and they still had not found his limits. Unfortunately, whenever he was emotional, he could accidently break whatever he was holding, be it an arm or a steel girder. And here she was, asking him to fight his way out. She already had a body count, which she knew would haunt her for the rest of her days, and she could not let her oldest brother go through the same trauma she was going through.

"You can stay in the back, that way no one will get hurt," she said. Relief washed over his face at her words.

"Okay, sis, let's go."

~o0o~

The Go children walked down a hallway, one they had never been down before. This new corridor finished at the base's main service lift. It would give them access to levels they were not allowed, but more importantly, the entrance to the base. Wesley and Wendell copies Surrounded them, their own personal bodyguards. Now and then, one would run off to check around a corner, or to poke their head into a room, each so far signaling back with a thumbs up.

They heard it first, a low, deep hum, vibrating through their bodies, their teeth tingling.

They arrived at a junction and peered around the corner. There, at the end of the hallway, was the lift, but between them and it was a pulsing, shimmering forcefield. A foot thick, a deep, low growl emanated from the barrier, flashes of red glinting across its surface.

Sheridan eyed the forcefield and wondered why they even bothered. She could already see multiple ways to get around it, but-

"Step aside, dear sister. Leave this to me," Henry said with confidence.

Sheridan opened her mouth to retort, but closed it quickly. It'll do him some good.

Henry stepped forwards, determination on his face. He flexed his massive shoulders in his blue tracksuit as he confidently walked up to the forcefield. Sheridan sat down against the wall, Melvin, Wesley, and Wendell following suit. She felt safe the first time since this whole nightmare had begun.

They watched as Henry stopped just before the forcefield and carefully looked it over. He studied the shimmering barrier for a few seconds before pulling his arm back. A blue glow encompassed his body, and he slammed a clenched fist into the forcefield.

A loud boom rolled down the hallway from the punch, the lights along the corridor flickering for a few seconds.

The barrier still stood, and lines of red raced across its agitated surface. He shook his hand, more out of habit than any real need, his glow protecting him from the force of the blow. Sheridan watched as a large smile lit up his face. Here was something he did not have to treat with kid gloves, something he could unleash himself on.

Henry's stance changed slightly and he pulled his arm back for another punch. His blue glow flowed around his body, growing slightly darker, then, his fist was flying at the barrier.

A massive shockwave reverberated back down the corridor from his punch. Overloaded, the forcefield disappeared, immediately followed by the all the lights on the level going out. Sitting in the dark, Sheridan shook her head as she heard her brothers complaining about being knocked over.

"Oh, good going," Melvin said with a sigh, somewhere in the darkness.

"On the plus side, they can't see us," Wesley said.

"On the down side, we can't see where we're going," Wendell said.

"Or what we're doing," both twins said at once.

Their worried complaints were quickly silenced as a green light lit up the corridor, all eyes turning to see Sheridan with her hands glowing. Troubled faces quickly relaxed now that they could see, eyes adjusting to the dim light.

"Sorry, guys," Henry apologized as he came into view, a sheepish look on his face.

"It's not your fault," Sheridan said as she levered herself up and off the ground. She rolled her eyes at the blank look on her brothers faces. "It was tied into the level's power grid. Take one down and the other is kaput. Pretty stupid if you ask me, but I guess no one was ever meant to get through by punching it."

"Sis, they're coming," Wendell suddenly said. He looked back down the darkened corridor where their copies were still stationed.

A trap. They expected this! She could now hear the sound of multiple tranquilizer guns firing, bringing a small bubble of terror to her mind. Focus! she chastised herself. Blinking, she realized she was leaning against the wall, breathing deeply. She raised her head, seeing her brothers worried faces looking expectantly at her.

Henry may act the hero, the leader in charge, but really, they all knew who spoke for their family.

"Wes. Wen," keep them occupied, and let's go," she ordered.

They walked quickly towards the lift as Wesley and Wendell, glowing red, sent copy after copy running back down the corridor towards the advancing security guards.

Arriving at the lift, Henry did not wait to be told what to do. He walked up to the doors and effortlessly pushed them apart. On the other side, lay the vast yawning abyss of the lift shaft.

"Down," Sheridan ordered. They all looked at their sister as if she had gone mad, Henry even opening his mouth ready to object. The fierce glare from her had them all taking a step back and shutting up.

She stepped to the side and pointed at Melvin. "Mel, you first, head for the bottom level."

"Uh... sis, you sure?" Melvin leaned over and looked down the pitch-black hole.

"Mel, just move!" she snapped, hearing the guards getting closer.

Melvin glowed purple, the lift shaft lighting up a little more. With the extra light, he reached to the side and grabbed a cable, and started his descent. He was soon followed by Wesley and Wendell, leaving just Henry and Sheridan on the edge.

"You last, Henry, and seal it." Henry nodded his head.

She leaped out into the inky darkness and grabbed ahold of the large steel cable on the far side. Holding on tight, she extended one arm out and increased her glow, illuminating the area. Henry reached out and grabbed the doors, the steel like putty in his hands. With a loud clang, they slammed shut, and he twisted their edges together so they could never be opened again. In the sudden silence, they heard the metallic pings of darts striking the doors, closed not a moment too soon.

"Good job," Sheridan said, the compliment bringing a smile to his face.

They quickly caught up to the others, all of them climbing swiftly downwards.

"So, Shez, why am I heading down, when the way out is up?" Melvin asked after a while.

"The bottom two levels is where they keep all their research data and samples, nothing ever goes offsite." She could sense the blank looks on their faces and was unable to hold back an exasperated sigh "Am I the only one that listened in on their conversations?"

"Oh... they do? I didn't know that, but... yeah... well, why?" he asked, clearly confused.

~o0o~

The peaceful quiet of the hallway was shattered as the lift's doors slammed apart. Henry stepped forwards, glowing blue, followed by multiple copies of the twins dropping to the floor and looking around.

"All clear," Wesley and Wendell called out in unison as they moved away from the edge of the shaft.

The Go children all leaped down and looked along the bland and monochrome, carpeted hallway, with its many, many doors.

There were no security guards, they were clearly not expected on this level.

The air was immediately filled with the blaring sound of alarms, various personnel and scientists poking their heads out of doorways to see what the hell was going on.

"Okay, you all know what to do," Sheridan said, "so hop to it."

There was a chorus of agreements from her brothers. Melvin glowed purple, shrinking in the blink of an eye, then he was off and running down the corridor at blazing speed. Wesley and Wendell nodded at each other as they glowed red, more copies appearing, all trotting down the hallway.

Sheridan breathed in and out a few times, aware of what she was setting in motion. With a determined glint in her eyes, she marched forwards. The first room she reached had already been emptied by the twins. They had carried the complaining scientist back to the lift shaft and tossed the struggling man in, only to be caught by Henry standing at the bottom.

She looked around the high tech office, filled with monitors and computers. Closing her eyes, she listened to the whir of the machines and the faint hum from the fluorescent lights in the ceiling.

Breathe. Calm, she told herself, her heart beating faster. They deserve this.

She opened her eyes, and her hands became encased in boiling, crackling plasma. Her mouth fixed into a grim smile, she fired off large, destructive plasma balls, reducing the rooms contents to slag. As the sprinkler system activated, she stood there, her raven-black hair plastered to her pale green face.

Done! she thought with satisfaction. No turning back now.

She walked back out into the hallway, the smell of of melted plastic and fused metal lingering in the air.

She paused on the carpet, the water dripping to the floor. She watched copies of the twins run past with another struggling, angry scientist held above their heads. With their super-human strength and numbers, they were quickly rounding up everyone on the level and depositing them out of harms way in the lift shaft.

Sheridan went from room to empty room, using her plasma to burn, melt, and destroy anything that even remotely looked like it could house information. She left a trail of complete and utter devastation in her wake.

Now and then, she passed by a few unconscious security guards, Melvin making sure they were not interrupted.

She arrived at the server room for the whole complex, the machines humming and whirring away in their seclusion. Standing at the door, she pictured her time here, from waking up, to all their tests and experiments they had endured. She was unaware of her hands igniting, burning hotter than they ever had before. Her thoughts ended with today, and she gave a scream of rage as she unleashed volley after volley of searing plasma, until the room resembled a battlefield; nothing was left standing.

Pale green hands rested on her knees as she panted, looking around with grim satisfaction.

No more.

She turned away, leaving the devastation behind, the fire suppression system coping as best it could.

She stalked the corridors looking for more to destroy, needing it to vent her anger. Unfortunately, there was nothing left, and all she could do was stew in her own thoughts as, with leaden feet, she made her way back to the lift. She had seen in some of the rooms what the scientists had planned for her and her brothers.

She was seething as she trod the corridors, the cool air on her damp skin barely contained the rage inside. She was a simmering volcano ready to explode. Eventually, her deliberately slow footsteps brought her back to the lift, her temper still boiling.

"You idiots, do you have any idea what you've done?" an angry scientist yelled up at them.

Sheridan saw red, rage overtaking reason.

Within the blink of an eye, she had leaped down and had the scientist up against the wall, her hands around his throat. Her brothers called out in alarm, but she did not hear them. She just stared into the man's terrified eyes as he clawed feebly at her arm.

"We're just children," she hissed, her eyes almost glowing in the darkened lift well. A fellow scientist tried to come to his aid, but with barely a glance, she backhanded the man. He went flying backwards into the press of people, accompanied by screams and cries of terror.

"Please!" he managed to get out, "I was just-"

"Just what?" Sheridan snarled. "Following orders?" Her hand tightened around his throat.

"Sis, c'mon, please," a worried voice said next to her. She blinked and looked to her side, Henry next to her, a hand on her arm.

"Henry, I-" she started then stopped. Her gaze locked onto his hand, and she followed it up onto her arm choking the scientist. She realized where her thoughts had been going. NO! She recoiled in horror, dropping the scientist and disappearing into her brothers arms. She was trembling in shock as she felt Henry leap back up and out of the shaft with her - away...

"Sis, it's okay," Henry said.

"No, it's not," she yelled. " I saw things, horrible things. Of what they..." She could not do it, she could not say what she had seen and read. She could not ruin the innocent look on her brother's face, especially with Wesley and Wendell listening in. Swallowing deeply at the bile trying to rise, she got back to her feet, running her hands through her hair to calm herself.

"Did you disable the lift?" she asked, trying for something normal in this messed up situation.

~o0o~

The darkened hallway exploded upwards as Henry tore through the floor. He slammed into the ceiling, chunks of masonry dislodged as he dropped back to the ground. Smiling apologetically, he stepped to the side. Sheridan and the rest of her brothers emerged from the roughly hewn tunnel, climbing through the masses of cables, wires, and reinforcing struts.

With their appearance, small red hazard lights dropped from the ceiling and began silently strobing, briefly revealing the corridor before plunging it back into darkness, over and over.

"Wow, spooky," Wesley said.

"Yeah, spooky," Wendell agreed.

"This... is new," Melvin said out loud.

"It doesn't matter, same deal as before," Sheridan said.

"I don't know, this seems very different to before," Henry said.

Sheridan bit back her retort as she silently agreed with her brother. The floor beneath them, the walls, and even the ceiling, were all a black, light-absorbing metal. The whole corridor sported no doors or windows as it disappeared into the strobing darkness. It was also quiet, too quiet. She strained her ears, listening, but there was no subtle hum of air-conditioning or people, not even the gentle buzz of overhead lighting, just a deathly silence that pulled at her nerves.

We shouldn't be here. She crouched down from the uneasy feeling.

"What do you want to do, Shez?" Melvin asked, breaking the silence.

She could hear it in his voice, he was worried. In the brief flashes from the overhead lights, she could see it in all her brothers faces as well. It was not fear she was experiencing, it was something else. She knew they were all feeling it, what she was feeling, a gentle pulling at her soul, urging her down the hallway, while at the same time pushing her away.

She wiped a hand across her brow, feeling the sweat. Indecision, doubt, and worry, they all filled her as she wondered what to do.

No... no... No! "NO!" she said out loud, rougher and angrier than she wanted, her brothers flinching at the harsh sound. "We go on," she growled, standing back up. "I don't know what the hell's down there, but it's something to do with us." She started walking down the corridor, her back straight and her footfalls silent upon the floor. "And I'm not going to let them keep whatever it is."

A short while later, they all arrived at the end of the corridor, stopping at a massive door that took up the whole end of the strange hallway. The surface of the doorway seemed to shimmer and move under the red strobing lights, almost oily in appearance.

There was no obvious way to open the door, so Sheridan did the only logical thing.

She stepped to the side and back. "Henry, it's all yours."

He strode up confidently to the imposing door, flexed his shoulders, and as a blue glow flowed around his body, rested his palms under the outcropping of the doors bulwark, and pushed up. Straight away, his hands slid off the smooth, black surface, unable to get a proper grip. He crouched down, trying again, his hands still unable to get a solid purchase. He tried a few more times in various positions, the oily black skin of the door defeating him.

Standing up, he glared at the door, clearly flummoxed.

"Oh just punch it already, I'm tired of waiting," Melvin said.

The goading from his brother did the job, and Henry stepped forward and slammed his glowing fist against the structure. Surprisingly, nothing happened. There had been barely a sound as his fist impacted on the surface. No dint or evidence that he had even touched it. He frowned, and tried again, this time the blow was harder and faster. Yet again, the result was the same, the door standing resolutely unscarred.

Perplexed at the outcome, he unleashed a flurry of blows against the stubborn structure, each completely ineffective.

"Okay, Henry, that's enough, clearly we're not getting in that way," Sheridan said after a while of watching her brother futilely batter at the door.

"Yeah, sorry, sis, this has never happened before."

Cracking a smile, Sheridan could not help but comment. "Performance issues are nothing to worry about, I'm sure it happens to a lot of guys." The snigger from her other brothers had Henry blushing and stepping back from the structure.

Smiling, Sheridan walked up to the door and rested a hand against its surface. She could feel the cool metal beneath her fingers, smooth, almost frictionless, and yet at the same time rough, seeming to change from one to the other under her touch.

"My turn," she said softly as she straightened her arm.

The end of the corridor burst into light as Sheridan's hand began glowing, her brothers turning away at the sudden illumination. She stared unblinking at her hand as she slowly but steadily increased the heat.

Accept!

Searing air whipped around Sheridan, her loose hair moving in the currents. She could still feel the cool surface of the door beneath her hand, untouched by her plasma.

Grunting in annoyance, she pulled her hand back, the glow disappearing from her fingers just as quickly as it had come.

There! her mind yelled as she was turning away. She turned back quickly to the door, crouching down, but the faint spark she had seen was gone. Oh yes. She knew what to do now.

"Henry."

"Yeah, sis?"

"Be ready to punch where my hand is when I pull away."

"Sure."

"And don't hold back."

She rested one finger against the door, concentrating as she focused on just the one digit and not her entire hand, trying something new.

One finger erupted in plasma, a single focus for all her energy against the stubborn door. Hair whipping around her face, she pushed and pushed, bringing everything she had to bear into that one focused point.

"Now!" she cried out, leaping back.

Henry surged forwards like some great Titan, his whole body glowing bright blue as a fist descended upon the point his sister's finger had been resting. Just before he struck, he saw the faint spot of light on the doors surface.

Boom-oom-oom!

The sound reverberated down the corridor.

Henry stepped back as the rest of the Go children stepped forwards. There, radiating across the doors oily black surface, were tiny cracks in its impenetrable skin.

"Yes!" he exclaimed as he pumped a fist in jubilation.

"Guys!" Wesley said, alarmed, "they're coming." He was alerted by the copy he and his twin had left back along the corridor. The symbiotic link they shared with all their copies allowed them to sense anything they experienced, if he or Wendell so wished.

"Henry, get it open!" Sheridan barked.

Henry's glowing fist slammed into the door again, this time there was the satisfying groan of metal giving way.

"How are they getting in?" Sheridan asked as she eyed her brothers progress.

"Through the lift shaft, their coming down on ropes," Wendell said.

"Give us a shield and slow them down as best you can."

"On it," they both replied.

The twins glowed red and multiple copies of each appeared around them. The first lot of copies set up in a line across the corridor, the rest running down the corridor to intercept.

"There's a lot of them," Wesley said, his face frightened.

"Yeah, and they've got-" Wendell began, interrupted as the hallway lit up, some kind of energy beam cracklings and arcing along its length.

Henry was too focused on the door to see, but the rest of them flinched at the sight, the smell of ozone heavy in the air.

"Geezus, what the hell was that?" Melvin exclaimed.

"I don't know," Wendell said.

"But, I don't want to find out," Wesley said.

They both glowed red as more copies appeared, their simulacrums running down the corridor towards their as yet unseen assailants.

"We knew they'd fight back," Sheridan said, her eyes wide with shock. We're stuck, trapped between this door and whatever that was.

"Well... I best go take care of them," Melvin said as he cracked his knuckles.

"No!" Sheridan said quickly, resting a hand on his shoulder. "They'll be expecting it." He nodded his head in understanding, running his hands through his wavy hair to calm his nerves.

The device fired again, the electricity snapping and crackling along the corridor. Multiple bolts earthed themselves just shy of the small shield of Wesley and Wendell clones in front of the Go children. The few copies running down the corridor blinked out of existence from the lightning.

"They got them all," Wesley said, making more copies.

"And they're dropping us before we can reach them," Wendell said.

This isn't a research base, Sheridan thought to herself. You don't keep weapons like that around for scientists. With the last blast, she had seen the advancing guards, all in heavy black riot gear and protective goggles, and across the back of two of them, were large shoulder mounted cannons.

She watched as the corridor descended back into strobing darkness, the barrel of the fired weapon glowing cherry red in the distance.

Henry - please - now, she silently begged.

He was not going to be fast enough, she realized, and the twins were barely slowing the guards down. With a sick feeling in her stomach, she watched as the second weapon started to charge, a bright light in the corridor. So bright, it stood out...

With a scream of fear and rage, she stepped forwards, bringing her arm up and over, and hurling a bolt of deadly plasma directly at the weapon.

The results were devastating.

The bright light of the weapon veered up as the guard dodged the incoming projectile, the weapon discharging into the ceiling. The far corridor lit up as guards screamed, their smoking bodies dropping to the ground. Then, the corridor descended back into darkness, the lights burnt out and destroyed.

Is that it? Are we safe? Sheridan wondered.

"Want me to go clear them up?" Melvin asked.

"No," Wendell said quickly, "there's more coming from the lift. I- I'm still hiding down our tunnel."

Sheridan clenched her fists in frustration. As the smell of burnt and charred flesh reached her nostrils, she went pale, leaning her forehead against Melvin's shoulder. She tried to shut out the memory, but it was still too strong and recent, the sight of a blood soaked floor littered with severed and smoking limbs overwhelming her mind.

"No..." she whispered plaintively, her fingers digging painfully into Melvin's arm, his other wrapping around her in support.

"Shez, it's okay, we got them for now." Melvin gently lowered his shaking sister to the ground, her legs suddenly giving way.

'I-" She looked up, her face ashen. Her fingers clawed ineffectively against him, unable to say why. She could not do it. She could not tell him the truth.

"It's okay," he whispered, leaning in. "Whatever happened, it's okay," he said softly for her ears only. She closed her eyes, her body cold and shaking, as his comforting words washed over her.

There was a loud boom from behind them, followed by a cry of victory from Henry. Turning, they could see that he had managed to cave in part of the door, the bulwark now sporting a huge divot. With leverage and grip, he pushed up, the door's mechanisms creaking and groaning as they resisted. It rose all the same.

With a grunt, Henry got a hand under the door, and surrounded by his vibrant blue glow, he slammed the massive structure up into the ceiling, accompanied by the sound of twisted and breaking metal.

With the way open, he yelled, "Everyone inside." The Go children needed no further encouragement.

They ran inside, the entrance sparking from the doorway's shattered mechanics. With a determined look on his face, Henry reached up and grabbed the bottom edge of the door and, as tranquilizer darts ricocheted and buzzed past them, he dragged the door back down, shutting them safely inside.

~o0o~

The cloying darkness of the room was absolute, not a thing could be seen or heard. Slowly, one by one, the inky blackness was broken by multi-colored lights. First to appear was an emerald green, quickly followed by a vibrant blue, then two cherry reds, and lastly a deep purple. The silent and almost festive display broken by Melvin complaining, "Oh great, I swapped a dark hallway for this."

"Shut it, Mel, there's gotta be a light switch around here somewhere?" Sheridan said. "C'mon, guys, spread out and look around."

"Got it, sis," one of the twins called out within seconds. With a loud thunk, the lights in the room barely came on, taking their time to warm up.

"Good job," Sheridan said.

She smiled as the twins did a high five at her compliment, turning her gaze from her brothers to the room itself.

She dropped her bag and looked around. Well now, what have we got here?

The room was large, almost circular, its walls slightly angled inwards, their surface composed in the same organic-black metal of the door. The roof was high and domed, the lights running all the way up to its apex. Five open doorways radiated outwards from the room, their dark openings holding unknown mysteries.

Sheridan's gaze had no interest in the architecture, nor did it have any interest in four of the doorways. They all meant nothing to her as her gaze was pulled to one particular opening on the left. She followed the beating of her heart, walking towards the dark entrance.

What... is it? Her footsteps slowed. She could feel her heart racing as she neared the doorway, and she did not know why. Something's wrong... her thoughts screamed, but they were drowned out by the strange feeling pulling her on. Behind her, Wesley and Wendell sent clones towards the other doorways, even as her brothers followed their sister's path.

She slowly, almost tentatively, crossed over the threshold into the new room, the lights automatically flickering to life. Wary, she looked around, gripping the edge of the doorway in support.

The room was small, compared to the entryway, a closed door on the far side leading further on. Situated around the edges of the room were five human-sized, metal cylinders, all humming away with a plethora of scientific instruments attached to each. They barely registered to Sheridan, her gaze focused on a pedestal in the center of the room, atop which floated a small rock, glowing ... with ... rainbow ... colors.

It shone with all the colors under the sun.

The room faded into the background around Sheridan as, the glimmering, shining stone, pulled her in, encompassing her whole world. She was so entranced with the rock, that she did not even realize she had taken a step towards it.

The power within her sang out, an irresistible alien harmonic. The small stone glinted and seemed to glow brighter than the sun, blotting out the room with its rainbow hues. In the depths of the rock, the colors swirled and danced in time to her heartbeat.

Suddenly - a drifting, distant thought - she realized that she was halfway to the stone, a trembling hand outstretched. She was aching for, needing, what was in front of her. The rock flared brighter than a supernova - pulling at her - knowing she had but to touch it to be at one with the universe.

She somehow blinked, turning her head - resisting - and yet she took another step. It still called to her, the rainbow flashes beating like a heart. Like her heart. She heard one of her brothers whimper from behind, she knew not who, so wrapped up in the glorious blaze from the stone. Tears of joy poured down her face, tears of fear, as she took another step. She shook her head trying to free herself. She was trapped. Her whole body resonated with the pulsing rock, her pale green skin glowing.

No … It was barely a thought. The merest breath against the gale within her mind. … I will not …

Desperately, she reached deep inside herself, for the girl that had survived a meteor, and further still, for the courage and determination that had allowed her to live longer than all thought possible.

… will not …

She took a step.

She latched onto her mother's smile. Her father's love wrapped around her, protecting.

… not …

Rainbow light enveloped her, blinding her.

"I'm me," she mumbled.

Warmth permeated her soul. Her fingers mere inches from the glowing stone.

"… never."

Her body flared green in celebration.

"… I am."

She was complete.

"… ME!" It came out as a shout, and the trance was broken.

Sheridan groaned, the world swimming into view around her. She found herself down on her knees, hands on the cold steel floor. She was covered in sweat, her body steaming, the misty vapor rising into the air. A shaking palm wiped across her face. She took in a ragged breath, becoming aware of her brothers next to her, hands outstretched. With a cry of fear and panic, she launched herself at them, bowling them all over.

They all lay on the floor in a tangle of arms and legs, and she had never been more happy to hear their confused and slurred mumblings.

~o0o~

Sheridan groaned as she stood up, muscles she did not know she even had, aching. A wary gaze flicked to the meteor fragment. The small pitted rock, flecked with multi-colored strata, sitting there completely unassuming. Gone were its blazing colors. If they had ever truly existed outside her own head.

"You're not fooling me," she muttered, treating the lump of rock as if it were alive.

Glaring at the meteor fragment one more time, she turned away and took stock of her brothers.

They were all completely zonked out, and with a sigh, she bent down and grabbed Henry and Melvin by their collars, dragging them away from the pillar. She dumped them rather unceremoniously near the wall. Wesley and Wendell, she picked up individually, gently laying them next to her older brothers.

"Righto, that's you guys taken care of," she muttered, dusting her hands off.

She walked over to one of the frost-rimmed cylinder's. Now, what are these? She tried to make sense of all the machines hooked up to the metal tube, realizing she had no idea. Well, I guess the only way to find out is...

She looked around, eventually finding what she was looking for, and smacked the palm of her hand against a large button labeled 'release'.

There was a hiss of compressed air, the cover rising slowly, hinged at the top. A freezing mist poured out of the widening gap, pooling and roiling across the floor. Curious, she moved towards the base, bending down to see what treasures lay within.

Oh...! She put a hand over her mouth in amazement.

The bed of the container was taken up by a green and black catsuit, but what had caught Sheridan's gaze, were the fragments of green crystal resting between the suit's legs.

They said it'd all been destroyed. She reached out to touch the emerald shards, but spotted an unearthly glimmer flashing across their edges. She quickly pulled her hand back, leaning her head against the rapidly warming frame of the cylinder's lid. They lied to us. Have they lied about everything? Is anything they've told us true? Her eyes flicked over to the other tubes.

With a determined look on her face, she moved around to each cylinder. She opened them all in turn, finding appropriately colored suits and shards in each. She returned to the first, and stared down at the crystal fragments.

Sheridan stood there lost in thought, her mind overwhelmed by everything she had found out in the last hour.

"This... was us..." she said softly, looking at all that remained of her green chrysalis. Her hand moved back and forth over the emerald shards, watching the glimmering play of light along their edges.

"Is that...?" Melvin asked from behind, breaking Sheridan out of her reverie.

"Yeah." She stood there without turning, all her brothers moving up behind her to stare at the shards on the table. "This was us for all those years," she said quietly.

"Decades," Melvin murmured.

"They said they'd been destroyed," Henry said.

Sheridan had drifted back to her own thoughts, her brothers forgotten as she looked at the crystal shards. Her senses already on edge, she registered Henry reaching out to touch the slivers of blue crystal in another cylinder.

"No, DON'T!" she yelled, her hand coming up in vain. It was too late, his fingers touching a sliver. A blue energy wave enveloped him and, without a whimper, his eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed.

They all ran over to him, each unsure as to what to do. He was surrounded by his blue glow, eyes closed, and with a euphoric smile on his face. Sheridan dropped to her knees next to him, desperately dredging through her memories. She remembered something about pulses, heartbeats, and … breathing?

She put her hand close to his mouth, feeling a breathe. She sighed with relief, her brothers following suit, relieved that he was okay.

"Geez!? Why... Why does he have to be such an... idiot!" she yelled at the ceiling, fists clenched at her sides.

"Don't look at me, I'm not carrying him," Melvin muttered.

"I know this goes without saying," Sheridan said as she stood up, glaring at her brothers, "but nobody is to touch anything." She heard their quick chorus of agreements. "Also, we're taking it all with us."

She held up a hand as Melvin opened his mouth to query why.

"We're not leaving anything here that's to do with us," she said angrily, staring down at Melvin. Wesley and Wendell backed away, staying well out of their older siblings argument. "They've lied, experimented, and tested us for the last time, and I'm not going to leave them anything to do with us! And that." She pointed at the floating rock. "Is all to do with us. So zip it!"

She turned away from Melvin, discussion finished. "Wes. Wen, go check the other rooms, find something for me to safely grab all this stuff with." She gestured at the meteor fragment, the chrysalis shards, and the suits. "Also, something to put them all in."

"Sure thing, sis," Wendell said, a few copies springing into existence next to him and Wesley.

"What about the big blue dolt here?" Melvin enquired.

"Leave that to me." She interlaced her fingers and flexed, her knuckles cracking.

With a certain kind of satisfaction, she bent down and slapped Henry hard across the face. A gesture she felt was long overdue. It was like slapping concrete, his blue glow protecting him.

Oh no you don't, you're not getting out of this that easily.

She brought her hand back, and a green glow surrounded it as she brought it down for a resounding slap. The crack echoed around the room, her brothers wincing at the sound.

~o0o~

"You doofus," Sheridan said, her voice filled with emotion.

"Sorry, it looked so harmless," Henry apologized.

Sheridan grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze, rolling her eyes at him. He was sitting with his back to the wall, the rest of his siblings around him in support. It had taken a few comet-powered whacks to bring him round, his dazed eyes finally opening.

"I'd say don't do something stupid like that again, but..."

As her brothers queried Henry what it had felt like, Sheridan stood up and moved away, just glad he was okay. She felt the need to move, they had been on this floor for too long. Her gaze came to rest on the - as yet - unopened door on the far side of the room.

"I'll be right back, keep an eye on Henry."

The door slid back with a whoosh as she approached, the other side containing a short and well lit hallway that ended in another door. The far door opened at her approach, the room on the far side shrouded in murky darkness.

She stopped at the threshold to the next room, peering inside. Her nose twitched as it was assaulted by the overwhelming smell of chemicals, the air heavy and moist, almost organic. She squinted, making out various tubs filled with bubbling liquids, and they were all accompanied by the soft hum of machines at work.

Nothing dangerous. She took a cautious step inside. Yellow lights flickered on across the ceiling, illuminating the large room.

She somehow held back the scream that rose up in the back of her throat, recoiling in horror at the sight. Spread around the enormous area were hundreds of vats filled with a viscous, bubbling fluid. Each and every one of the sealed containers housed a human organ, body part, or partially grown, deformed clone. Green, red, blue, and purple pieces of her and her brothers floating in the liquid.

It was a true house of horrors.

Her face ashen, she stumbled back, falling to the ground. She scrambled backwards across the floor, her shoulders slamming into the wall, the impact breaking through her shock.

No, no, no...! she chanted over and over while staring at the ground. She desperately tried to block out the bubbling, oozing sounds around her.

What have they done to US?!

The anger started small, rising like the morning sun. It filled her with its searing intensity. She did not know she had this capacity for loathing, but there was so much anger, and it kept rising. With her fear outshone, she looked up, her face almost unrecognizable in her hate.

The sounds of the room drifted into the background as she rose to her feet, breathing deeply, her hands clenched into claws.

The first her brothers knew of it was a burst of green light flashing down the hallway, almost blinding in its intensity, followed by an intense blast of heat.

Sheridan heard, as if far away, the worried calls of her brothers, and their fast approaching feet. She had enough presence of mind to turn and scream, "Don't come any closer!" The look on her face pulled them up short at the end of the hallway.

"Henry, get them back," she shouted.

Henry knew that look, and without a word, he blocked the hallway and shepherded his brothers away. He threw a worried glance over his shoulder, his sister moving out of view.

Sheridan burned. She was fire incarnate. Whatever they had built the surrounding walls from, it was no longer strong enough to resist her anger. Each shot of her plasma, warped the metal. Eyes wide and her jaw clenched, she methodically strode around the room, vaporizing every disgusting thing in her fiery reign of chaos.

~o0o~

Sheridan was done. Spent. She collapsed to her knees and let out a primal scream of rage and despair.

Survive. It came out of nowhere, causing her to look up. The entire room was covered in choking, acrid smoke and embers. Survive. It came again, as she realized it was getting hard to breath.

"Sheridan," a voice called out in panic from somewhere.

She stood up on trembling legs, and stumbled towards the exit, a part of her dead inside from what she had seen.

"Sheridan," the voice called again, closer. She knew that name, but could not work out from where.

She reached the exit and found a young man with blue hair there, worry on his face. I know you? She collapsed into his arms.

~o0o~

THOOM!

The sound woke Sheridan, her eyes flying open.

She immediately regretted it, her head, arms, and sides aching horribly. She found herself lying on the ground with a rolled up tracksuit top as a pillow, and for some reason, she was dressed in one of Henry's over-large tee-shirt, with another across her legs.

Wha...? were her first disorientated thoughts.

"Hey ya, sis, welcome back," Wesley said, her brother sitting next to her.

Uh... What?

She raised a hand up to her throbbing head, a little alarmed at all the burns along her arm.

"What- what happened?" she finally managed to articulate.

"You went nuclear," Melvin said as he walked over and sat down next to her, a relieved look on his face. "You sorta Chernobyl'd that other room." He looked away. "Did your clothes as well, that's why you're in one of Henry's shirts. He popped that on you before carrying you back in here."

THOOM!

The reoccurrence of the booming sound, accompanied by Melvin's recount, brought everything back to a disorientated Sheridan.

"They're trying to get in," Wesley said, eager to explain the disturbing sound.

"Yeah, as soon as you started your thing, they started theirs," Melvin said. "We think you must of panicked them. Though, they're not having much luck getting in." He looked towards the exit. "Henry and Wendell are out keeping an eye on the door, anyways."

"We've safely packed the meteor away, and the remains of our chrysalises while you were sleeping," Wesley said. He held up some form of metal gauntlet he had found in one of the rooms, a perfect instrument to pick the items up with.

Sheridan nodded her head and immediately regretted it as the world spun, and the massive headache that had been lurking in the background jumped to the fore. Stilling her head and closing her eyes, she thought upon what her brothers had told her, eventually focusing on her burns.

I haven't flamed hot enough to burn myself in ages. I guess my body has a lot of catching up to do. She opened her eyes, the world and her headache playing nice. "Clothes?" she queried softly.

THOOM!

With Wesley and Melvin out of the room, she gingerly levered herself into a sitting position, and removed Henry's overlarge tee-shirt. She slowly turned her arms this way and that, looking at the reddened, splotchy burns along her arms. She also had burns on her waist, that was a first, showing how hot her plasma must have truly been. Sitting there, she grimaced through the pain of her injuries as she watched the latticework of green energy over her arms, knowing that in a few minutes they would be healed.

With a deep sigh, she slowly rose to her feet, her bag in hand. That Henry had seen her without any clothes on, she would deal with later. For now, she slipped into a spare pair of black panties, and was doing up her matching bra when her eyes alighted on the green and black catsuit on the tray behind her. The suits untouched and unsullied, still to be packed.

She bent down to have a closer look at the material. They're down here, hidden away from us. She stood up, deep in thought. They didn't want us seeing them. Having them.

She knew she was right and, with a tentative hand, she reached out and rested her palm on the green and black harlequin suit. It was strange at first, feeling both silky smooth and skin like at the same time. In fact, it reminded her of... "Oh wow!" She brought the cloth sleeve up close to her eyes. They wove it out of my chrysalis.

Trusting her instincts, the hand holding the suit burst into flames, the sleeve remaining unsinged. No matter how much she increased the heat of her plasma, the suit stayed the same.

She tightened her grip on the suit, holding it close. Mine!

THOOM!

~o0o~

"Ready?" Sheridan asked, her gaze going to each brother in turn. They were all dressed in their catsuits, normal clothes over the top. All of them a little self-conscious at strutting about in the figure hugging suits.

"Ready," all her brothers chorused at once.

It was time for them to take the fight to their jailers.

~o0o~

With a loud screech and groan of tortured metal, the massive door slowly began to rise. As one, the security guards moved back from their high-tech battering ram, and readied their weapons.

"Okay, you know your orders," an officer called out to the twenty or so security guards in the hallway, the men nodding grimly.

The door stopped inches above the floor, a blue glow shining underneath. With a grinding, creaking shriek, it ripped itself free from the surrounding walls and started to move down the corridor.

"You better start running," Sheridan's voice called out from behind the massive barrier. Its pace began to increase, the guards beginning to back away.

Henry held the door up as he moved it down the corridor, gradually increasing his pace. Sparks danced around the barrier's edges, accompanied by the sounds of tortured metal as it scraped and bumped its way down the hallway. Safely hidden behind the door, the Go children smiled at each other as they followed their brother.

They passed over the hole Henry had dug earlier, Wesley and Wendell sending down multiple copies to make sure no one snuck up from behind.

With a massive crash, their improvised shield smashed through the lift's door and into the shaft, twisted metal flying everywhere. Henry slammed the door down, the large piece of metal wedging itself securely over the hole below. Sheridan stepped forwards, burning hot, her plasma soldering the edges, making sure all the guards below were not coming back up this way.

"Way to go, Shez," Melvin said, "they're not going to be bothering us again."

"Damn right," Sheridan agreed as she silently complemented herself. Standing there, she felt something thud into her shoulder, but before she could think about it, Melvin screamed. Her head whipped around, and she saw a tranquilizer dart sticking out of his neck. She could only watch as he fell to the ground, his hand scrabbling at the dart.

Henry, Wesley and Wendell, rushed to his aid as Sheridan looked up. There, above them, were three guards hanging by ropes, their guns trained down the lift shaft. She moved fast, diving back into the hallway, safe from their line of fire.

"Henry, above you!" she yelled out.

Henry was bending over Melvin, no glow to protect him, and completely defenseless. She watched two darts hit his back, and surprisingly, they bounced away.

The suits are bullet proof, she thought in amazement. I wonder what else they'll resist?

Henry quickly picked up Melvin, carrying him back under cover, the young man whimpering in pain. Henry looked up, anger on his face. Sheridan rested a hand on his shoulder in comfort and support.

"Stay with him, me and the twins have this," she said grimly.

A pale green face peeked briefly out into the lift shaft, looking up. Sheridan saw that the three guards were still in their rope harnesses, but were now standing on supports along the walls, their tranquilizer guns aiming below.

"Wes. Wen, go give them a hug."

"For Melvin," they cried out in enthusiastic unison, multiple copies appearing at their battle cry.

The first three copies to run out dropped, but they were just a drop in an endless ocean of flashing red. At the first yell of annoyance from the guards, Sheridan ran out and leaped from side to side up the lift shaft. She stopped above the squirming mass of her brothers holding onto the struggling guards. A flaming hand sliced through their ropes, and with a simple push, she sent them - one by one - falling to the ground below.

There were three muffled thuds as the guards hit the steel floor, one of the men screaming out in pain. Sheridan dropped to the ground in a crouch, Wesley's and Wendell's copies already gone.

No more playing around. She stood up eyeing the guards closely. Two of the men were unconscious from the fall, the third moaning in agony at his badly broken leg. The injured guards pain filled gaze switched to Sheridan as she stepped closer, his shaking hand reaching for his radio. She was no longer torn as to what to do. A foot lashed out, kicking him in the head, knocking him unconscious without a sound.

With multiple copies of the twins on watch, they all sat around Melvin, waiting for his regenerative powers to fight off the sedative.

"I'm scared, sis," Wendell said into the silence, the worry plastered all across his face.

Sheridan wrapped an arm around each of the twins, holding them close. She was worried as well, but knew she could not let her younger brothers see it.

"It'll be okay," she said calmly but firmly, reassuring them. "We're almost out, and then we can go home." It was a dream they all shared, even though it no longer existed, their parents mansion flattened by the meteor's shockwave. It being more a state of being for them than an actual physical structure.

The twins smiled in agreement, her comforting words working their magic upon them.

~o0o~

The Go children slowly made their way up the lift shaft. They moved from level to level, Henry and Sheridan making sure each and every door was well and truly sealed before moving on. Their assent was accompanied by Melvin going on and on about the single tranquilizer dart he had taken and how much it had hurt. Sheridan just rolled her eyes.

"It's clear," a Wesley copy called out from inside the lift.

They quickly moved past the disabled structure, and eventually reached the top floor. Sheridan's heart was in her mouth as she watched a pair of Wesley and Wendell copies force the door open, each creak and groan causing her to flinch, expecting a counterattack.

"There's no one around," a Wendell copy said, stepping through the opening.

"I can't see anyone," Wendell said, looking through the eyes of his copy.

One by one, they leaped up and landed on the pristine white marble of the ground floor. They each looked around curiously, none of them having ever been here before. The walls were polished steel, so shiny they could almost see their faces in its surface, the roof above filled with bright cheerful lighting.

A small sign hanging from the roof further along the corridor had their attention 'Exit', and they quickly followed the well-lit sign towards their destination.

It's too easy, Sheridan thought. With everything she had been through, she did not believe for one second they would just let them walk out without a fight.

"It's too easy," Henry said quietly as he clenched his hands.

Sheridan was now really worried. If her big doofus of a brother could spot a trap, then that meant they really were in trouble. Still, each room they checked along the way was empty, the exit getting closer and closer.

"I still think we should let Henry tunnel us out," Melvin suggested once again.

"Mel, just drop it." Sheridan said, frustrated that her brother kept harping on about Henry's idea. "It's just too dangerous. The tunnel could so easily collapse on us if we're under too much dirt."

"But, I-" He shut up at the intense look of annoyance on his sister's face.

They came to an intersection and stopped. There, ahead of them, down the right-hand corridor, was an open doorway leading into the overlarge foyer of the entrance. On the far side of the entryway was the exit, a massive, white, shiny door, its surface shimmering in the bright lights.

"Oh geez...!" Henry murmured looking into the other room.

"Uh-oh," the twins said in unison.

Between them and the door were at least fifty security guards, all of them dressed in full riot gear and armed with tranquilizer guns, tasers, and stun batons, as well as a few of the shoulder mounted lightning cannons they had seen below. Multiple, ceiling mounted lasers were all trained on the corridor, waiting for them to enter.

They stood there frozen, only a short hallway between them and a world of trouble. Only a short distance to freedom.

What do we do? There's too many, Sheridan thought, worried.

"Please return to your rooms," a cold and dispassionate voice said through the base's intercom system. It was a voice they knew well, it was Dr. Mendelos, and his tone made them shiver.

"Leave us the hell alone," Sheridan yelled out from around the corner.

"Language, Sheridan," the voice snapped, a hint of steel on its edges. She unconsciously flinched at the rebuke, hearing the twins whimper.

"We just want to go home."

"I'm afraid I can't allow that."

"WHY?!" Sheridan screamed into the air, but there was no forthcoming reply.

They all heard it at once, a deep boom, followed by the crack of electricity arcing and snapping somewhere behind them. The smell of ozone filled the air as the crackling hum of charged particles approached.

Sheridan glanced back around the corner, the guards unmoving. Waiting. The only sound to be heard was the approaching storm.

It came around the corner, a wall of crackling, arcing, electricity. The deadly barrier covered the entire hallway behind them as it slowly but inexorably moved in their direction. They all turned to see the other corridors filled by similar energy barriers, leaving them only one escape route, the open foyer.

No...! Sheridan silently screamed, her mind working furiously. She was vaguely aware of Wesley and Wendell sending a few of their copies at each wall, their duplicates instantly dropping with a charged sizzle as soon as they entered the barrier. Her heart was pounding in her chest as the barriers got closer and closer. Soon they would have to retreat - into the open foyer. She spun about, and for a fraction of a second her eyes focused upon the ceiling.

Yes! It was a glorious feeling. The thought was a ray of sunshine in the darkness. "Henry, the roof," she yelled, looking at the approaching wall, mere feet away.

"Uh, what?" Henry said, wasting valuable seconds in his confusion.

"Smash through the damn roof," she snapped, pointing at the lights above.

Henry crouched. Surrounded by his blue glow, his muscles bunched and released a coil of immense energy that sent him flying directly into the ceiling. The violent launch caused the marble floor to shatter, followed by the entire corridor shuddering as he tore through the roof, chunks of rubble and debris falling to the ground in his wake.

Sheridan made sure the twins went up first, followed by Melvin, then she quickly jumped up into the opening, the wall inches away. She was not fast enough. She screamed as the crackling energy caught her foot, her entire leg going numb. She fell forward barely supporting herself, her brothers leaping forwards to grab her, making sure she did not fall back down into the deadly corridor.

"Very ingenious, Sheridan. I'm afraid it's only a temporary reprieve. We have many ways to ferret out hidden rats in our ceiling."

Whimpering in pain, Sheridan focused on her anger, the agony in her leg slowly melting into the background.

"Enough!" she whispered, raising her pain filled gaze to look around. They were at least four feet above the ceiling below, Henry having smashed his way through the reinforced surrounds. The narrow crawlspace they now inhabited was filled with wires and cabling, and going by Dr. Mendelos's threat, soon there would be more.

But... we're hidden. The small slipup from the doctor told her they had an advantage. If he can't see us or track us, then neither can the guards.

~o0o~

The large ceiling mounted laser exploded into pieces as it was knocked from the roof by a glowing blue fist. From the remaining hole, wave after wave of Wesley and Wendell copies leaped to the floor below.

The guards as one opened fire, their darts bouncing uselessly of twins catsuits. The lightning canons proved much more effective, but for each copy to fall, another dropped down to take its place.

"Mel, knock 'em over," Sheridan ordered, her brother nodding his head.

A purple glow enveloped Melvin's body, and he immediately shrunk to the size of a doll, and with the patter of feet, he was gone.

From below, they heard the shouts of alarm as he tore through the guards. With his reduced size, his speed and density had increased exponentially. He was now moving at such a velocity, that he was breaking arms and legs, the guards falling like dominos.

Sheridan's mirthless smile at the sounds of chaos from below was one Henry had never seen before. Worried, he reached out a hand to his sister, only to have the offer batted away. Her grim gaze rose, coming to rest on him.

"You're up, Henry, time to take out the lasers."

"I- I can't... sis, I might kill someone."

"Henry, we need you. I know you can do it. Just toss them around, keep 'em on the ground. No need to punch. Family, remember, we're all that we have left."

She watched as his worried face slowly set in determination at her words.

"Okay, sis." His blue glow surrounded him, and he leaped down to the floor below, accompanied by shouts of warning and fear from the security guards.

"How are you two doing?" Sheridan asked the twins as the sounds of battle below increased.

"No sweat, sis, we can keep this up all day," Wesley said. He and Wendell turned as two stun batons lobbed up into the crawlspace from below, each grabbing one. They grinned at their sister, each new copy now sporting the debilitating weapon.

"Good," she said. "Now, you two stay up here where it's safe, okay? I'm off to open the door."

She waited for both of them to agree before she moved over to the large hole in the roof. She lowered her head down and looked around, ignoring the battle below as she sought out her destination.

There! She spotted a sign and an arrow pointing the way to security. A quick glance around as she moved back from the opening showed her a scene of chaos.

Melvin was a blur as he ran in and out of the guards, leaving a trail of moaning and groaning bodies in his wake, the twins numerous copies running everywhere as they screamed at the top of their lungs, keeping the guards distracted. Henry was in the middle of the room - darts and lasers bouncing off harmlessly - throwing the remains of a laser into another, the machines exploding. From the sides, more guards were pouring into the room, but her brothers were still forcing them back.

Biting her lip, she forced down the worry, trusting in her brothers abilities to defeat the guards.

She headed off through the crawlspace, easily orienting herself in the cramped space to the picture in her mind. A glow covered fist punched through the reinforced ceiling like tissue paper, ripping it open, and she dropped down into a deserted corridor away from the raging battle.

"We'll be out soon, just keep them busy," she whispered, turning and sprinting down the corridor.

~o0o~

Sheridan paused at the T-intersection. She carefully looked left and right along each of the well-lit corridors. She pulled her head back and bit her lip as she stared at the door in front of her. It was labeled 'Security Office', almost anti-climactic in its humble appearance. The plain metal door clearly not designed to keep someone like her out.

She clenched her hands, still getting used to the skintight gloves, took a deep breath, and crossed the few feet separating her from the door.

It's too easy. No! They're not expecting this. They know I'm missing! Her mind barraged by worry even as she reached out for the doorknob.

A gloved hand wrapped itself around the handle, and nothing sinister happened. Her gaze flicked from left to right, the corridors still empty. She slowly twisted the doorknob, surprised to find it unlocked, the door opening.

She slipped into the dimly lit room, her gaze searching for assailants. The deep, rich-blue carpet in the room was in stark contrast to the unbelievably bare hallways outside. Large monitors adorned the walls, their glow revealing a benchtop that ran the full length of the room. Its surface covered with displays, buttons, and levers. The few chairs in front of the monitors were vacant, the room empty.

Where's the...?

"Welcome, Sheridan, you're becoming quite predictable," a deep voice said from the far side of the room.

She crouched down, hands ablaze, as one of the high-backed chairs slowly turned. It was Dr. Mendelos, almost hidden by the shadows. She stared at the man who she now considered their jailer. He was in his sixties, his face heavily lined behind a pair of large glasses, his bald head resting against the back of the chair. He was sporting a white lab coat over a pale blue shirt and dark grey trousers, and appeared completely at ease as he looked her up and down.

His eyes bored into Sheridan's. "It appears someone's been a very naughty girl."

She suppressed a shiver at his gaze, unsure why he was making her so uncomfortable. In fact, when had she ever felt threatened by the doctor? She gritted her teeth against the strange emotions and stared back.

"I don't-" She swallowed at the swear words that she wanted to utter. "I don't care. We're leaving." She stood up and moved to the middle of the room, glaring at the doctor. "So open the damn door," she yelled, her voice cracking slightly.

"Or what? You'll rip me apart, murder me, just like you did those poor guards?" He leaned forwards, an eyebrow raised in question.

She gasped aloud at his words, the memories striking harder than any blade. Her plasma winked out on its own, and a shaky hand brushed back the hair from her face. She shook her head, trying to remove the images.

It's was for my own good! For me. I had to.

She had her hands on her knees and was breathing deep as she got her thoughts and memories under control. Raising her head, she found Dr. Mendelos was looking at a computer tablet in his lap, his fingers almost stroking it in his contemplation.

For my own... "Good!" she said out loud, the doctor raising his head.

"No. No, I don't think it was good." He sat there tapping his chin. "Now, SIT!" The words came out as an order, and Sheridan found herself sitting on the floor, her muscles obeying the command.

What?!

"You've set our research back years with your little temper tantrum." He ignored the stunned and confused Sheridan as he looked back down as his tablet.

"What- what have you-"

"Done to you?" He raised his head, a frown on his face at being interrupted. "Oh, you silly, ignorant girl. As if we'd let a meta-human like you wander around without a few controls in place. It's just a little conditioning. I like to think of it as the poor man's mind control. Still, it's quite effective, wouldn't you agree?"

Again, he looked back down at his tablet, ignoring her.

Mind control? No, no, no! They can't do that. She sat there on the ground, and try as she might, her legs refused to work. She raised a hand, willing her glow into existence, nothing happening. Impotent, she looked back at the doctor, the man humming quietly to himself.

"Why are you doing this?" she yelled.

"Quiet," he snapped, without looking up. Sheridan found herself instantly shutting up, unable to respond.

Unable to stand or speak, she found herself starting to panic. She had no idea what they had done to her and could not find a way around it. Frustrated and scared, she looked around, trying to find something for inspiration. Her gaze latched onto one of the monitors showing the battle in the foyer, and she was pleased to see her brothers had almost won.

They can rescue me, fix whatever this is.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I should have said, your brothers have the same conditioning. So there won't be any help coming for you," Dr. Mendelos muttered without looking up. He did a few more taps on the tablet before putting it back down on to his lap and looking up. "I have to say, the data from your little rebellion has been most informative, most informative indeed." He looked up at the monitor showing the foyer and her brothers. "But all good things must come to an end."

There must have been shock and fear on her face, as he gave her a cold and heartless smile. He leaned back in his chair, fingertips together, his gaze upon the stricken woman.

"I can see you're full of questions, dear Sheridan, but really, I do not see any point in explaining myself. This time tomorrow, you won't remember a thing. We'll have reconditioned you again, just like we've done many times before. Your memories of today, gone." He chuckled heartlessly. "You're always so eager to please after we've erased your mind, it's rather endearing."

It was the chuckle that did it. An unholy anger built up inside her, and she found her foot twitching at last. With a scream of rage, she shot to her feet, hands erupting with plasma, her face twisted in anger.

"You...!" she growled, taking a step towards the doctor.

"Now," Dr. Mendelos said calmly in the face of her anger.

There was the crackle of lightning from behind, and the bolt slammed into her back. She was barely able to gasp from the searing pain, feeling as if she had been hit by a truck. Electricity arced across her body as she dropped to the ground. She lay there twitching and gasping for air, her fingers scrabbling uselessly against the carpeted floor.

A whisper of a groan escaped her lips as she felt herself surrounded.

Gloved hands grabbed her roughly by the hair and yanked her to her knees. Helpless and unable to act, she gave a breathless scream of pain as a syringe was plunged deep into her neck. The hands released her, and she dropped, her body limp from the almost toxic sedative working its way through her system.

She was rolled onto her back, her vision blurry as she stared up at the three guards stationed around her.

"Thank you, gentlemen, I'll take it from here," Dr. Mendelos said, coming into view.

As the guards moved away, she tried to say something, anything, but the sedative was so strong. She lay there helplessly, even her anger and fear muted by the toxin.

"Fascinating!" Dr. Mendelos came and stood over her. "That you broke the conditioning is really quite fascinating. Hormones? Your natural teenage rebellion?" He tapped his chin in thought. "We'll certainly have to adjust your next treatment to compensate for that."

She fought with all the will she could muster to stay awake, her eyelids feeling so heavy. The faint bubble of fear in her chest, overwhelmed by the need to sleep.

"Good heavens, are you still trying to win?" He knelt down beside her. "You've got an over-developed sense of vengeance. It's going to get you in trouble some day." He brushed some hair from her numb face. "You may as well stop resisting, because, rest assured, young lady, they won't be as gentle next time." He fingered an edge of her catsuit. "As you can see, we have our ways around this."

"Child'en," she slurred.

"Children?" he said, surprise on his face. "Oh, my dear, you're more than that. You're a weapon. Did you really think a sanctioned government agency would experiment on children?" He stood up, giving her a thoughtful look. "And, as a weapon, you have grown beyond my wildest expectations. To use as this organization and this government sees fit. Your cloned offspring will be the first in a line of super-soldiers, and you, my dear, will be their mother."

I'm a weapon? I'm a... weapon!

"You and your brothers are valuable government assets, and will remain so until we say otherwise."

A weapon...

Dr. Mendelos looked up at the monitor, the battle now over. A frown crossed his face. "With your growth and resistance to the conditioning, I think it wise we subdue your brothers from afar." He glanced back at the silently struggling Sheridan. "Right, gentlemen, secure her. I'll gas the main room and bring this farce to an end." He paused for a second. "The deaths of all those men will be on your head."

Weapon!

One of the guards pulled out a viscous looking taser and walked towards her.

Closing her eyes, she breathed in.

Accept!

Warmth trickled into her, filling her, and once again the anger and rage was back. The dam burst, and a searing heat flowed into her unabated, completing her.

Weapon. Accept!

She breathed out.

Emerald eyes flew open, almost blazing with the intensity of her stare.

Sheridan smiled a mirthless smile and welcomed the anger. Her glow erupted all around her, shining with a blinding radiance. Her clothes instantly vaporized, only the catsuit remaining, and the approaching guard was thrown against the wall with a resounding thud.

Hands behind her head, she kicked up with her legs, flipping herself backwards and landing next a wall. Her heightened senses picked up the two remaining guards as they raised their mini-lightning gun's, but her attention was focused on the astonished doctor, his hand hovering over a large red button.

"Fuck you!" she yelled, focusing all her emotions into one searing plasma ball. The green projectile flew at the doctor, severing his arm. He fell to the ground screaming as he clutched his blackened and charred stump.

~o0o~

With a booming clank and a thunderous groan, the massive security door to the base began to rise. As one, the Go brothers looked up with hope in their eyes.

She did it, they all thought.

~o0o~

Sheridan limped down the hallway towards her brothers, a trail of blood behind her on the marble floor. She gritted her teeth against the pain, holding back the tears that were threatening to break through.

Home! It was the one thought that drove her on.

She arrived at a junction, and swayed as her vision blurred. A gloved hand, sticky with blood, moved from her burnt and blackened side to the wall. She steadied herself, her head coming to rest on the cool surface. She could not believe how much it hurt, the pain almost overwhelming. The glow along her side flared, her skin knitting itself back together, and she whimpered at the intense feeling.

"I'm so tired," she murmured.

Eyes closed tight against the pain, she resisted the call to rest, knowing where that would lead. She pushed herself off the wall, leaving behind bloody handprints. With a scowl, she took a step, grimacing at the pain from her injuries. Another step, and she was back to shuffling down the corridor.

She turned a corner and found herself back at the foyer, her brothers in sight.

Henry was standing proud, all the guards down and for the count. Melvin was leaning against a wall, looking pleased with himself. Wesley and Wendell were sitting on the floor, watching as multiple copies of each ran around collecting all the weapons, and dropping them in a large pile away from the defeated guards.

Sheridan's pale lips, almost bloodless from shock, smiled at the scene. "Hey, guys," she said in greeting as she limped painfully into the room.

At the greeting, four sets of eyes looked over, all going wide at the sight of their sister. Dressed only in her catsuit, boots, and gloves, she looked more dead than alive. Her hair was disheveled, matted and streaked with blood. Her pale green skin, almost white under the harsh lights. Blood covered her waist and calf, the crimson liquid staining the floor behind her. She had a hand over her side where a ragged hole in the suit showed blackened and burnt flesh. Between her fingers, they could see a latticework of healing green, and surprisingly, along the edges of her suit as well.

Melvin was the first to react. He was at her side in a heartbeat, returning to his full size just in time to catch her.

"Out... home," she murmured, fainting as the rest of her brothers arrived.

All eyes turned to Henry now that their sister was unconscious.

"Let's go home." He said, surprised at the feeling in his voice.

"You're the property of National Justice and the United States Government," the voice of Dr. Mendelos yelled out over the intercom. "You cannot be allowed to leave. If we cannot have you, then nobody can!"

Warning sirens began blaring throughout the complex as a computerized voice announced, "Self-destruct initiated, base will be destroyed in, ten-"

"Henry?" Wendell cried out in panic.

"Nine-"

"Bloody hell," Melvin exclaimed, holding onto his sister.

"Eight-"

"What are we going to do?!" Wesley said, beginning to cry.

"Seven-"

"I don't-" Henry began, looking over at the angled lift shaft the main doors had revealed, no lift in sight.

"Six-"

"I don't know what to do." He looked around at his brothers and sister.

"Five-"

There was a loud groan in the accompanying silence of the countdown. All eyes turned at the sound to see Sheridan's eyes flutter open.

"Four-"

"Wh-what's happening?" she asked.

"Three-"

"Self-destruct," they all yelled.

"Two-"

Her eyes widened at the news. She took in the open lift shaft and that there was no way out. "Group hug - now! she snapped, all the boys leaping to obey her command.

"One-"

The base detonated in a fiery cataclysmic explosion.

~o0o~