Elena threw the ratchet across the cavern as she screamed in frustration. "You piece of shit rust bucket! What did they do? Find the biggest piece of drun in the universe and expect me to fly it out of here! I might be a brilliant pilot but I'm not a fucking miracle worker!" she grumbled as she looked down at the jumble of wires in disgust.

"Hey!" she heard Jeremy exclaim as the ratchet just missed him. He had gone out to get some coffee and dinner and had just returned as she had let the ratchet fly.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly.

"I'm guessing no luck, right?"

"Nothing. Not even a fricking spark of life. And there isn't much more I can do without getting inside her." They had been there since early morning, after telling Ric that they were going out to spend the day together. After Elena's "death" Ric hadn't questioned them so they had made it out of the house easily without having to give any other explanation.

They had stopped to buy some tools on the way to the caves and Jeremy had laughed watching Elena pick out tools. It was a sight he'd never thought to see, especially when she seemed to know what everything was for. It made him feel stupid and he was a guy because he didn't know what half the stuff she needed was for, especially when she picked up a soldering iron, looking at it so happily, as if she'd found an oasis in the middle of the desert.

And they had been working constantly since morning with no results. At one point, he had made a suggestion but she had simply smiled at him and rolled her eyes.

"Maybe it's out of gas," he had said. After all, it needed some type of fuel, didn't it?

"I wish it were that simple," she had said with a small laugh. "We don't use any form of fossil fuels. They would never be able to create sufficient power to run a spaceship without having a massive fuel tank, making it almost impossible to fly a ship out of a planet's atmosphere."

"So, then how is it powered?" he had asked curiously.

"It has a molecular vibration drive."

"Huh?"

"When molecules vibrate, they create energy. If they are allowed to reach maximum velocity, they burst into flames, but the drive keeps them at the right speed to create power yet not fast enough to cause a fire. The energy they give off is collected and stored in the power coils. That's why Bonnie had to do a spell for the Genseq to activate," she had explained.

"Okay, I get the idea of molecular vibration but what does Bonnie have to do with it? She was doing a locator spell and she certainly wouldn't know she had to do anything to the Genseq to get it working…"

"No, she didn't know. What she also doesn't know is that witches don't technically work some supernatural power. Witches simply have the ability to control physical matter at a molecular level. They can reshape the molecular structure of things around them. For example, the fire Bonnie can create is simply the result of molecular vibration. She can just do it with her mind," Elena said, trying to explain a concept that to her was simple but for Jeremy would be incredibly complex since he had no idea what was really out there.

"You're telling me Bonnie is an alien and she knows it?" he squawked.

"Uhm, Bonnie isn't an alien but she likely is descended from one. That's why she needs spells. They are simply words used as an anchor to help humans quiet their minds enough to work at a molecular level. There are many species who can do what she does and some are stronger than others. Hell, I know a Jentonan who was ugly as shit but the best friend you could have in a fight. He is so powerful, he can reorganize the molecules of your dinner into a damn transport," she said and Jeremy had stared in awe.

"I can see how he'd be useful to have around," he had said with a small laugh.

"Yeah, he's a great friend but there are very few quite as powerful as he is. Anyway, coming back to Bonnie, when she started the spell, the molecules around her began to vibrate and the Genseq is designed to take power from wherever it can. Once it sensed the right type of energy, it simply latched on and began to draw it in."

"Man, this is fascinating. Basically you guys have overcome pollution and energy must be cheap as dirt," he thought pensively. "You know, we could become rich as Croesus if we introduced the concept here."

"Uhm, for one, I've already got more money than I can spend in another five Dirilian lifetimes and two, we aren't messing with the technology of this planet. It needs to evolve on its own."

"You're rich?" Jeremy asked in surprise.

"I'm three thousand years old. I've been able to amass quite a fortune and I've got a pretty good head for business, which is another reason the rebel alliance values me so much. I pretty much make sure we always have the funding we need," she explained.

"Okay, so you're a kick-ass pilot, can beat the crap out of anything, can take apart a ship and put it back together, are rich and can make money? Is there anything you can't do?" Jeremy had asked, looking at her stunned.

Elena had laughed. "Plenty of things. I can't cook to save my life. My diplomatic skills are practically non-existent as I'd much rather shoot and ask questions later, I have a temper and tend to be quite impulsive, which is why I've gotten myself into more trouble than you can imagine over the years."

"Please… Those aren't weaknesses. I'm still having a hard time believing you're real," Jeremy had replied, studying her closely as if he expected her to disappear at any moment.

"Trust me, I'm not a paragon of goodness. Once we get back to the alliance, you'll see a side of me you might not like. But, sadly, that's the real me. Just remember that I do love you Jer, no matter what, okay?"

Jeremy had just nodded and kept silent. He understood. He didn't know how he could but he did. A part of him had expected that she would be different in her own world. She was a military commander and he had never heard of a successful soldier who was soft or weak.

When he saw the ratchet start to float and move across the cavern into Elena's hand, though, he came back to the present with a thud. "What the hell?"

Elena looked up at him quickly. "I'm telekinetic," she explained. "It just took a while for the ability to return after the change."

"So, you can do all the molecular reshaping stuff too?"

Elena shook her head. "No, genetically speaking I'm a battle-class Dirilian so my body and talents are all designed to be useful in a fight. So, I'm telekinetic, I can regenerate almost anything, and the only thing that can kill me is an explosion strong enough to obliterate my cells, I'm great at military strategy and I can often see things before they happen in battle, which is why I have amazingly fast reflexes," she explained.

"So, does that mean I'll be like you?" Jeremy asked.

"Not necessarily. Our class is not designated by our genetic tree but by the overall population of Dirilians."

"Okay, you lost me."

"There are different classes in our species. Some are meant for battle, like me, while others are the equivalent of witches, bureaucrats, judges, inventors, traders and so on. Basically, everything you would need to create a functioning society and we are born with the genes and talents to fulfill those roles to perfection, including a love for what we are meant to do. So, if there aren't enough judges, for example, a justice-class Dirilian will be born. If there aren't enough witches – we call them creationists – then a creationist-class baby will be born and so on," she explained.

"Wow, that's incredible. So, basically, you know exactly what you will do with your life the moment you are born. Isn't that a little annoying, not being given a choice?"

"It's not really like that because even if we could choose, we would still choose what we were born to do. As I said, we are also born with a love for our designation in our society, or we'd have a lot of pissed-off, angry and depressed people. It's simply how our species and society has evolved over billions of years."

"Man, I have so much to learn," he said.

"Yeah, but as soon as we get this rust bucket running, you can sit down with the computer and go through some of our people's history. It will help you better understand us," she said with a small smile as she turned back to the mass of wires sticking out of the ship's hull.

Two hours later, Elena was still swearing like a sailor and Jeremy could feel the frustration and irritation rolling off her in waves. They had tried everything they could from the outside, according to her, but apparently the one thing they needed to do that would power up the ship was to bypass one of the power coils, which the ship's external readout had revealed was defective. Unfortunately, that could only be done from inside the ship.

"Fuck this!" Elena snarled. "I'm going to force the access ramp open. It's the only way. I hate to damage the hull but there's no way around it." She jumped down the twenty feet from the top of the ship, where she had been perched, much to Jeremy's dismay. He still couldn't get used to her being able to move like that, though he had to admit it was damn useful.

It pissed him off that he couldn't do it, though it seemed he was at least part Dirilian, like her. She had explained that his genetics had most likely been rewritten, like hers, but until they reached a properly equipped medical facility, she wasn't willing to tamper with his genetic code. To be honest, he agreed with her. He didn't want to end up some freak with four heads, horns and a tail.

"Will it still fly?" Jeremy asked. Though he knew little of space flight, he was pretty sure an intact hull was imperative to the safety of anyone inside the ship.

"Yeah, she'll be fine. I'm not going to blast her open or anything but it will shorten the lifespan of the ship because of the microscopic cracks this will probably cause. It can't be helped though. I don't have the right equipment and without it, I can't fix what's wrong from the outside."

"So, how exactly are you going to open her up?"

"Like this," she said as she marched up to the faint outline of an access ramp on the underbelly of the ship. She lifted her arms as two long, ten inch wide blades extended out from her wrists. They must have been at least four inches thick and Jeremy shuddered at the thought of having those things coming out of his own skin. She slid the blades on either side of the door and Jeremy watched in stunned fascination as she began to manually pull the door open.

"Once I get it past a fifteen degree angle, she'll open automatically as the backup hydraulics kick in," Elena said as she grunted, struggling to pull the ramp to the right angle. Suddenly she was there and she stumbled back as the ramp whooshed down.

"Wow! I'm impressed!" And he was. He'd just watched Elena drag open a huge ramp that must have weighed at least a ton. She laughed and winked.

"Come on, let's find the astrodroid," she said as she boarded the ship. As she expected, there was no reaction from the transport but she still couldn't help the slight disappointment. She had hoped that maybe there would be enough power to run the internal systems. Apparently not. At least she had been lucky and had been able to provide enough power to the internal computer from her own implant to discover that there was an astrodroid on board. She only hoped the damn thing was functional.

She switched the flashlight on she had picked up on and was glad to see that all the doors were open. Thank the stars for small mercies. The last thing they needed was to have to deal with sealed doors between the various sections of the ship. She quickly made her way down to engineering, having left Jeremy studying his surroundings in rapt fascination.

She eventually found the droid, which looked like a huge metal spider with a spherical body. She was glad because it meant it was one of the more recent models. When she interfaced with it, it came to life instantly and she felt a wave of relief roll over her. She learned the designation of the droid from the connection and then issued orders.

"T7, I need you to bypass the second power coil. We need to get this baby up and running as soon as possible. Then, I need you to interface with the onboard computer and check if there are any other malfunctions. I want this ship flight-ready yesterday," she said.

"Yes, Admiral," the droid answered. It scurried off, blue and red lights lighting its way, and Elena breathed a sigh of relief.

She walked back to Jeremy. "We're in luck. T7 is fully functional, so he'll take care of the power coil…" she trailed off when she saw how pale her brother was. "What's wrong Jer?"

"Tyler called. Stefan never showed for the meeting and Klaus has gone insane. He's got Ric, Damon, Caroline and Bonnie and he's going to kill them if Stefan doesn't deliver. He's even more pissed at you for some reason and he said you need to get to the boarding house now or he's going to kill them anyway," he said worriedly.

Elena's eyes narrowed and she growled. "I'm going to kill Stefan," she declared angrily. Luckily, the power came on at that moment. "Thank goodness for small mercies," she whispered. Just then a voice sounded, breaking the silence.

"Welcome on board, Admiral D'Arkadia," the male voice said. "I am Malik, the ship's A.I. I have been waiting for you for some time."

"Thank you Malik, it is good to be aboard. I don't have time to run a full diagnostic on you now but I need to know if there is any weaponry on board and where it is. Also, this is Jeremy D'Arkadia, my brother. I want you to scan his genetic code. From now on, we are the only ones allowed to board this ship and you will only take orders from us unless I specify differently," she said quickly. She knew time was of the essence, especially with Damon's penchant for riling Klaus up.

"Yes, Admiral. The armory is fully equipped and is on the second level. I also must inform you that my sensors have detected the energy signature of an Imperial transport."

"What?" Elena snapped. How was this possible? The Empire had already found her? "Where is it?"

"It has already landed, Admiral. By the intensity of energy trail, my calculations tell me it landed less than half an Earth day ago," the computer continued.

"Malik, I want you to keep monitoring the skies and inform me the moment your sensors pick up any other Imperial ships." She turned to Jeremy. "I wasn't expecting them to find me so soon. Hell, I was hoping they wouldn't find me at all. Unfortunately, this means my secret will be out sooner than I had expected. This transport is only an advanced scout and that means a cruiser is likely on its way. We have to be out of here before the cruiser arrives or they will turn this planet into a wasteland looking for me."

Jeremy swallowed hard. "What about Klaus?"

"I suspect that his move is closely related to the landing of this imperial transport," she said pensively. The timing was too perfect for it to be a coincidence.

"You would be correct, Admiral," Malik intervened. "I have a message from Ramsjehin for you in my databanks that I believe will provide you with vital information."

"Tell me what you know of Klaus. I will listen to the message later since time is of the utmost importance."

"According to Master Ramsjehin, the one known as Klaus is not an indigenous life form to this planet. He is, in fact, an imperial experiment. A cross between a Belathorian and a Wolfran. The experiment was designed to create the perfect soldier," the A.I. quickly explained. "His family was transplanted…"

"Enough Malik. I don't need a history lesson right now," Elena interrupted the A.I. The situation was more fucked up than she had imagined. Klaus was a fucking imperial experiment! "What are his weaknesses?" she demanded of the A.I.

"Unknown," the A.I. responded. "Master Ramsjehin suspects that irrilium might have an adverse reaction with the cross-breed's physiology but is as yet unaware of anything that can kill him."

"Great, it just gets better and better. Jeremy, I need you to stay here…"

"No," he snapped. "I'm coming with you. You might need help and I'm definitely not leaving you to face Klaus alone."

"Jeremy, you're still human. You could die and I am not putting you in danger. You'll stay right here, where it's safe. Malik will lock the ship down and activate the defense systems."

"It will be an honor to protect the brother of the great Admiral D'Arkadia," the A.I. responded.

"Thank you Malik," she said.

"I'm not hiding out here like some coward," Jeremy insisted. "I have my ring, so I'll be safe. And if you don't take me with you, I'll just follow you."

"Jer, this isn't like before. If it's what I think it is, this is a trap. The scout has probably located Klaus and trust me, what he really wants is me. I don't need to give them another weapon against me and your ring won't help you against an Imperial scout."

"See, an even better reason for me to come. If it's a trap, you won't have to worry about getting everyone free. You can focus on beating the crap out of them, while I free everyone."

"Master D'Arkadia is correct," Malik intervened. "It is a strategy that has a higher probability of success without casualties than if you were to go in on your own. I have run the simulations, Admiral."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Men, no matter their species, always stick together, don't they?" she growled in annoyance. "Fine," she snapped. "Malik, is there a personal deflector shield on board?"

"Yes, Admiral, there is. In the armory."

"Come on, then, let's get you outfitted and then find Stefan," Elena said as she started to head to the armory. "Malik, I'm going to interface with you remotely and I need you to set up a permanent connection with my implant so we can communicate at all times. Can you get the ship out of this cavern if I need a quick get away?" she asked.

"According to the information in my databanks, the east wall of this cavern is an exit point to the surface. It can only be opened by your genetic code but it became active the moment my systems came online and I was able to scan you. Therefore, I can pilot the ship to any location you desire, Admiral, once you issue the order."

"Very good, Malik. It is unlikely I will require you, but just to make certain, please interface with T7 and run a full diagnostic. I want a complete readout of any other defects, so we can make the necessary repairs. I don't want to end up floating in the middle of space in a dead ship. Also, make sure the hyperdrive is fully functional."

"Yes, Admiral. Diagnostics are commencing," the A.I. replied. The doors to the armory slid open silently and Jeremy's eyes widened.

It was an impressive sight, though he had no idea what he was really looking at, other than the fact that they were weapons since they were in the armory.

"Malik, is there something I'm missing? There's enough weaponry in here to outfit a squadron."

"Master Dex felt that it was better to be safe than sorry," the A.I. responded.

Elena laughed. "Good old Dex."

"What's this?" Jeremy asked, looking at a black, triangular object that was about a foot long and thicker than his arm. It had a large hole in one end and what looked like a scope on one side.

"That's a plasma cannon," Elena explained. "They pack some serious firepower and are great because they leave your hands free for other weapons."

"How?"

"You mount it on your shoulder, instead of holding it. Then you can either interface with it, if you have an implant like me, or you can use that," she said as she pointed to a helmet, "to activate the targeting system. Basically, you can kill something or blow something up almost a mile away."

"Can I have it?" he asked with a grin. Elena laughed.

"Not this time Jer. We have to be inconspicuous and walking around in full body armor with a plasma canon on your shoulder does not for an inconspicuous picture make." Jeremy pouted.

"But I can pretend I'm going to a convention or something," he whined, his face hopeful.

"In Mystic Falls?" Elena asked skeptically.

"Fine," he conceded. Elena smiled and picked up something that looked like a Kevlar vest.

"Come here," she said. She handed him the vest when he approached. "Put it on." He looked at it doubtfully. It was black and seemed huge. It would never fit. But at the impatient look on Elena's face, he slipped it on. He gasped when he felt the strange material start to move. It shimmered slightly, became glossy and molded to his body until it was like a second skin.

"This will tingle a bit," Elena said, as she pressed just above his heart. He heard a soft hiss and the hair on his body stood up as a rushing, tingling sensation ran over his skin. He shuddered at the strange feeling but it was quickly forgotten when a blue glow enveloped him and then promptly disappeared.

"What the hell was that?" he asked.

"It's the technological version of irrilium armor. It's made out of energy and can deflect energy weapons as well as projectiles. Plus, anyone tries to bite you, and before they can even get close to touch you, they'll feel a very unpleasant zap," she said with a grin.

Jeremy's eyes widened. "Cool," he said with a grin. "So, I'm basically invulnerable, right?"

"Pretty much, but that doesn't mean you can't still be hurt, especially if the shield takes too much abuse. And that means no stupid heroics, no matter what you hear or see, okay?"

"Yes, Admiral," he said with a mock salute.

Elena snorted. "Very funny. Here," she said as she threw a small object at him that seemed shaped like a gun but had no trigger. "It is a gun except it fires plasma bolts. Just touch it where the trigger should be and make sure you're pointing it away from you," she explained as she pulled out what looked like a leather full-body suit.

"Turn around," she told him.

"Huh? Why?"

"Because you're my brother and I'm not getting naked in front of you, that's why," she said as she started to unbutton her jeans. Jeremy spun around.

"Yep, definitely not something I want to see," he said with a chuckle.

"Okay, I'm decent," she said a few moments later. When he turned around, his face fell in shock. Elena was wearing a full body suit that molded to her body like a second skin. It looked as if it was made from black leather and covered her from neck to her ankles. Her feet were encased in a pair of heavy combat boots and she had weapons strapped to her thighs as well as what looked like a large rifle on her back.

"Shit!" he exclaimed at the picture she made. "Is that you being inconspicuous?"

Elena laughed. She winked at him as she typed something onto a small screen on her forearm. The air around her shimmered, began to glow blue and he watched as the image she presented changed. Suddenly, she was dressed exactly as she had been moments earlier, in her jeans and a t-shirt.

"What the hell?"

"It's a camouflage suit," she explained. "It's covered in millions of nanites that project any image I want them to."

"That is beyond cool," he said, looking thoroughly impressed. She grinned and picked up a black bag, stuffing some different things in it. "What's that?" he asked her curiously.

"Let's see," Elena said as she studied the contents of the bag. "The high-tech equivalent of a lock picking set, a few haktels – stun grenades," she explained before he could ask, "some reinforced rope, a little laser plastique with a few remote activators and a lot of heavy-duty zirx ties." Elena held up what looked like regular large plastic ties. "They're used on the large freighters to secure heavy containers to the bulkhead. These things can take at least twenty tons of pressure each and they still won't break, which makes them ideal as restraints for a wide range of species. They're also lighter to carry than plasma cuffs and cheap as dirt," she said with a small grin.

Jeremy looked at her strangely. He was still getting used to the new Elena and to see her packing away stuff like that and explain it so easily to him was strange. It was as if she was a completely different person. "So, besides the fact I have no idea what any of it is, why do we need all that stuff?" he asked. "I mean if you're as strong as Klaus, why the grenades, rope, restraints and a lock picking kit?" he questioned.

Elena sighed. "Because going in guns blazing left and right and knocking doors down isn't always the smart thing to do. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Add to that we have very little information on the situation we're walking into like the number of hostiles, where exactly they're holed up, what state the hostages are in and you'll understand why I prefer to be prepared," she explained.

Jeremy's eyes widened at her dispassionate tone and words. It was as if she was disconnecting from the whole situation.

"So, are we ready to kick some hybrid ass?" she asked and he nodded.

"Why are we going after Stefan?" he asked as he followed her out of the ship.

"Malik, lock the ship down. Once we've left the cavern, make sure no one can get in except us."

"Yes, Admiral," the A.I. responded as the ramp whooshed closed behind them.

"We're going after Stefan because we need to sort this stupidity out. He's taken Klaus' family and until the moron hybrid gets them back, he won't stop."

"But how are we going to find him?" Jeremy asked.

"Malik," she said, testing their remote connection.

"Yes, Admiral?" she heard the reply in her mind.

"I need you to interface with the internet and find this location for me," she said as she showed the A.I. a picture of what she had seen while she was in transition. "I know where Stefan is, but I just need Malik to find the exact location for us," she explained to Jeremy as he looked at her curiously.

A few minutes later, they were approaching the car. "Admiral, the location in question is exactly five miles outside of Mystic Falls, to the north. It is an abandoned farmhouse."

Elena nodded. "We have a location. Let's go."