A/N: Just a reminder that this would now be 2030. I realize I'm skipping a lot of time. However, I've deduced that the subduction actually would not have begun until 2030. Since Deon International didn't even come to light until 2027, I would think it would have taken a few years for Deon to create the subfighters for Bourne. I really think this was the pivotal year for all that, so that is the reason for skipping so many years. Obviously, I'm trying to bring us to 2032, but I felt certain things needed explanation before I did so. Anyway, I hope you're still with me. Again, I'd like to give a thank you to all the readers, especially the reviewers. I appreciate it. Thank you.

Inspiration for the chapter, 'Imagine' by John Lennon: http (colon) (backslash, backslash) www. youtube. com (backslash) watch?v (equals) yRhq-yO1KN8

Chapter 10

Four years later

"Oh, welcome back, Mr. Krieg," Kristin embraced the younger man as he stepped into the docking bay of Nexus Colony. "How was your holiday with Katie?"

"Thanks, Doc," Ben said, hugging her back. "And, it was wonderful. I hadn't realized how much I had missed her." They began walking towards their quarters.

She nodded in understanding. "I'm sure it was hard to say goodbye again."

Ben smiled softly. "Yeah, but we're planning another reunion very soon. Four months apart is way too long. Talking every day just isn't enough. Plus, there's a reason we want to see one another more often." His smile became even wider.

Kristin stopped in her tracks. "You mean…"

Ben nodded in confirmation, the same grin still on his face.

"Oh, congratulations!" She gave him another hug.

Ben thanked her again. "Yeah, Katie's decided she's going to retire the end of this tour, so we've decided to start our long-awaited family."

"Oh, I'm so happy for you two. Aunty Kristin will be spoiling that little one like mad."

Ben chuckled. "I think you're more excited than I am."

"Well, I don't have anyone to spoil. I don't think Cynthia will ever have any of her own. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of her. She devotes her life to orphaned children; it's very commendable. But, it certainly doesn't satisfy my desire to be a grandmother. Your children may be my only chance for that."

"You can be honorary grandmother if you'd like," Ben offered.

"I think we'll just leave it at Aunty Kristin, if that's alright."

Ben smiled. "Aunty Kristin it is. So, anything interesting happen while I was away?"

Kristin shook her head. "No, everything's same old/same old." Then, a thought came to her. "So, when Katie retires, you'll be leaving here too?"

Ben shrugged. "Well, Katie and I have talked about it a little. We decided that if she gets pregnant right away, she'll have to take maternity leave before the tour is over. Then, she and I will stay here for a while. After that, who knows? Maybe we'll stay here."

Kristin gave him a look. "You're not just doing that because of me, are you? I certainly don't expect you two to live here just because I'm here."

Ben shook his head. "It's not just because of you. I know you don't leave the comfort of the colony very often, but it's still a bit of a dangerous place out there. Bourne's still the UEO's most formidable enemy. Whether he'll ever do anything more than make threats, they don't know. But, in the end, the colony may be the best place to raise a child."

Kristin smiled. "Well, I can't lie; I certainly wouldn't mind seeing your little one grow before my eyes."

"And, we'd love that too," Ben said with a smile.

Two months later

Kristin was working in her office when the vid-phone rang. "Dr. Westphalen," she said as she hit the answer button and continued typing on her laptop.

"D-doc?" Katie stammered weakly.

Kristin turned her attention to the younger woman on the screen. She looked pale, almost green with illness. "Katie? What's wrong?" Concern laced every word.

"I'm a little under the weather," Katie admitted. "But, I wanted to ask you something. What does morning sickness feel like?"

"Like hell," she said with a soft smile. "How long has this been going on?"

"A week or so. I was fine earlier, but every night, about this time, I'm so sick. It's horrible. Plus, I'm late…two weeks now. And why do they call it morning sickness since it never hits in the morning?"

"That's just what they call it. Have you told Ben?"

"Not yet. I don't want to unless it's a false alarm. Plus, we didn't exactly plan this. We weren't going to start trying until our next reunion."

Kristin laughed. "Apparently, you celebrated a bit too much during your last reunion."

Katie blushed slightly. "I guess. What am I going to do? I didn't plan on leaving the UEO until the end of the tour."

"Calm down," Kristin soothed softly. "This isn't a disaster. It will all work out in the end. First, you're going to have to see your CMO on board."

"If I'm pregnant, they're going to throw me off the boat," Katie said worriedly.

"Temporarily," Kristin reminded. "You can go back when you're ready."

"What about the baby?"

"Leave her with Daddy," Kristin told her.

"In Nexus?"

Kristin nodded. "I'll help him," she assured Katie. "And, when you've finished the tour like you wanted, then you can come right back if you wish. What do you think?"

"I guess that could work," Katie said thoughtfully. "You won't tell Ben?"

Kristin shook her head. "My lips are sealed. That's your job, but you will call me as soon as you know anything?"

Katie nodded. "Of course." She began holding her stomach. "Ugh, any morning sickness tips?"

Kristin smiled once again. "Crackers and tea helped me, but there's no cure. It just has to pass."

Katie nodded. "I hate to leave, but-" She didn't get a chance to finish. She quickly left the view of the screen, and Kristin heard her vomiting.

"Feel better, sweetie," Kristin called. "Call me soon." With that, she cut the link and sighed happily. She didn't need a test to confirm what she already knew. Her intuition told her Katie was indeed pregnant.

The next day, Ben came running into the lab. "Doc!" he yelled, a big smile on his face. "We did it!"

Kristin smiled. "I know. Congratulations, Daddy!"

Ben's face fell slightly. "You mean Katie called you already?"

"Sorry. I guess she's faster than you. Six weeks along…only eight more months to go."

Ben nodded. "I know…I can't wait to show him how to play baseball and go fishing and-"

"Him?" Kristin questioned. "What if he turns out to be a she?"

Ben shrugged his shoulders. "I really don't care what it is, but every man wants a son," he admitted.

"Well, I can understand that. My ex-husband wanted Cynthia to be a boy so much too. But, when she was born, and he stared into her eyes, he loved her instantly. That's the only thing I still love about that man, the fact he loves our daughter so. I hate to burst your bubble, but it's a girl," Kristin said.

Ben gave her a look. "How could you know that?"

She winked mysteriously. "I just have a feeling. I can't explain it."

"Have you told Katie?"

She shook her head. "No, not yet."

"Don't," Ben urged. "I don't want to hear her gloat. She wants a girl, you know."

"Every woman does, just like a man wants a son," Kristin explained. "I won't tell her."

Ben sighed. "Well, see you later."

"Where are you going?"

"To go buy a pink bedroom set for our daughter," Ben said.

Meanwhile, in Macronesia, Larry Deon paid a visit to Bourne. "I've finally done it."

"Done what?" Bourne demanded, nearly rolling his eyes. While Deon succeeded in making a name for himself by creating Deon International, the main supplier of world goods, putting all others to shame, he never succeeded in creating anything beneficial to help Bourne's cause. He didn't expect much to come from this meeting.

Deon placed a laptop in front of him. It showed a virtual simulation of a small submarine. "Man-made subduction. If you want these, I can make them."

"How soon?"

"I've already creating working prototypes. We followed Dr. Lysander's specifications as far as getting these machines to actually perform subduction. We've had success every time with the prototype. And, we've already coined a name for them: the Lysander class, after Dr. Lysander, of course. Now, if you don't want these, I'm sure I can easily sell them to-"

"You know I want them," Bourne interrupted. He knew Deon would want a substantial cut for this, and he was willing to pay anything. "I'll give you five billion; how many will that get me?"

Deon's jaw practically fell to the floor. "As many as you want."

Three months later

Kristin had been asleep when she'd heard a commotion outside her door. She sat up and listened for a moment, trying to determine what was happening. When the commotion wasn't subsiding, she threw on her robe and headed out into the hallway.

There were people running in all directions in panic. Some of them were crying. She stopped one of her nurses, Miranda. "What's going on?"

"Didn't you see the news? It's Bourne; he's changing the world somehow." Miranda was obviously very distraught.

"What do you mean?"

"Just go turn on the news. I need to call my mother. Excuse me."

Kristin sighed. She turned and went back into her room. Then, she turned on the television. A female announcer appeared on the screen. "The UEO has declared a state of emergency. Alexander Bourne is now in possession of subfighters that are capable of subduction. He is using this to expand his territory and his power. Secretary General McGath will be making a statement shortly; stay tuned." Then, the screen switched to a different view, showing a map of the new territories that had appeared around Macronesia, virtually overnight.

Kristin was in shock. She couldn't believe it. Dr. Lysander's invention did prove to be dangerous, but so many years later. She couldn't even listen to what McGath had to say.

"And in other news, an earthquake has hit the town of San Juan," the announcer continued once McGath had finished his speech.

Kristin said a silent prayer. She had expected as much; that earthquake was going to be the first in a long line of natural disasters that would come if Bourne continued this assault on the world.

Suddenly, there was a knock on her door that made her jump. She quickly answered it.

"Doc, did you see?" Ben asked in a worried voice. "I-I can't get a hold of Katie. What if-?"

"McGath just made a statement; I'm sure Katie's just busy. I'm sure every UEO boat is on call now. She'll call as soon as she can," Kristin tried to comfort Ben as best as she could. But, the truth was, she was worried too.

"The UEO should have killed Lysander as soon as we told them," Ben said. "We warned them."

"That was four years ago; I almost forgot about it. I'm sure they did too. I don't think anyone could have anticipated this."

"Are you okay? Have you called Cynthia?" Ben asked.

Kristin suddenly became panicked. She'd been in shock; she hadn't even thought of her own daughter. "I'd better do that now."

"Where was she?"

Kristin tried to think. "Last month, she was in California at her orphanage, but she said was going to be travelling. She wanted to help some of the refugees that had fled Bourne's control."

She waited nervously as the vid-phone rang and rang. Suddenly, she heard Cynthia's voice mail. "Hi, this is Cynthia; you know what to do."

"Cynthia," Kristin said, her voice trembling with worry now, "please call me as soon as you get this message. I need to know you're alright." She cut the link, but didn't turn back to Ben.

Ben could see her shoulders shaking. He came up from behind her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure she's alright," he said softly.

Kristin didn't say anything. She turned to him and put her arms around him. She wasn't trying to comfort him this time, but rather, she needed her own comfort. She sobbed softly against his shoulder.

Suddenly, the vid-phone rang once again. Ben and Kristin both jumped. "Hello?" Kristin said, wiping her eyes.

"Doc, is Ben with you?" Katie asked worriedly. "I've been trying to reach him."

Ben stepped into the view of the screen. "Katie, are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine…and so is the baby," she assured him. "We're fine."

"What's going on out there?"

She sighed. "I can't tell you much, but we're trying to hold off the subfighters. The Clinton isn't in the frontlines, so no worries there. It's madness though."

"I don't like the thought of you out there now," Ben said worriedly.

"Me either," she admitted. She lovingly caressed her growing tummy. "Someone else isn't too happy about what's going on. She's been kicking up a storm. If I'd have known this was going to happen…" her voice trailed off. "What kind of world are we going to bring our baby into?"

Ben shook his head. "I don't know."