Relief

Hiloria didn't hurt when she woke. That was vast improvement over many times she had woken recently. She opened her eyes and stared around. The room might have been lifted in its entirety from any Advent hospital. She knew much of the equipment and what she didn't know, she could guess at. She shook her head slowly. That had to be intentional.

"Good morning." A voice pulled Hiloria's eyes to the side where a young… Um, no. She wasn't human. Her head was bulged like a Sectoid's and her eyes were pure black. The rest of her looked human but Hiloria wasn't bothered. She wore a nurse's uniform that was almost Advent in style, but not quite. The emblem was not Advent's. It was a yellow human heart symbol. "I am Valere. We did not get a chance to meet last night."

"I was a little out of it." Hiloria raised a hand and stiffened as she saw it encased in a white plastic cast that ran from her elbow almost all the way to her fingertips. "Um… What?" She looked at her other hand and it too was encased.

"The doctor put you back together, but you need to take time to heal. We sped up your healing as much as we dared, but it wasn't enough to heal it all. There are limits to how much healing a body can take before it starts to fail all on its own from overexposure to energy. Even psionic energy." Valere said with a nod. Hiloria nodded in agreement, she knew that. "He does not want you using your hands much for the next few days until we are sure there is no impairment. You have limited function in those casts and we will let you do things yourself, but please, you really messed them up in addition to all your other hurts."

"I did not have much of a choice." Hiloria said weakly. "No alternatives worth mentioning anyway. They were going to kill Milodi."

"Well, she is alive, you are alive and we finally got Sofia to sleep about three hours ago." Valere shook her head, but she was smiling. "A bit stubborn, your daughter."

"She has already gone through several versions of hell and I fear what the future holds for her." Hiloria said as she examined the rest of herself that she could see and feel with careful fingers. The back of her head was bandaged and she stared at Valere who nodded. "The chip?"

"We took out the remnants. A tracker was attached to it. One that was not fried when you did whatever you did." Valere confirmed. "We have disabled several other trackers, both psionic and technological."

"They really did not want me getting away. Any of them." Hiloria wilted a little. "I..."

"Hey." Valere moved to take Hiloria's left hand in both of her own. Her touch was gentle, soothing. "You are alive. Where there is life, there is hope."

"What am I to do now?" Why was Hiloria suddenly crying? "I served the Elders. I still do. I am loyal. I… What have they done? How can I still have faith in beings who can order my daughter slain out of hand? But I do."

"It is not your fault." Valere said in a stern voice. "How could you have possibly known?"

"That doesn't change what I have done." Hiloria said weakly. "I served them loyally. I want to serve them still. And I cannot. Now I what do I do?."

"For now, rest and heal." Valere said quietly. "What has happened doesn't change who you are and what you have done. You cannot change the past." Hiloria fought to keep from reacting but she wasn't sure she fooled the black eyed woman. "You can change what you do from now on. Milodi speaks very highly of you."

"Milodi is not the most objective person in the universe." Hiloria said with a small smile that Valere shared.

"No, she is not." Valere shook her head. "But she is a good soul and from what I have seen? A good friend."

"She is very good." Hiloria sighed deeply. "None of us had any idea she worked for your Lady."

"She doesn't." Valere said with a shake of her head. Hiloria stared at her and Valere shook her head. "I will let the Lady explain that. It is complicated." Hiloria went still and Valere nodded. "Yes. It has to do with what you swore not to talk about. We know. We felt it when you were pulled."

"You..." Hiloria gasped and then she was crying again. "I cannot do this!" I cannot! I am not… I am just a tool of the Elders, not some kind of storybook hero!"

"You are more than that." Valere said quietly as she gave the hand she still held a squeeze. She laid her other hand on Hiloria's shoulder. "I know it makes you uncomfortable but the facts do not lie. You have done heroic things, both for your Elders and for your daughter." She shuddered. "Then what you did for Milodi..." Hiloria looked away, but Valere was not to be denied. "You tried to kill yourself to keep from killing her! You seared the inside of your own brain to keep from harming her." Hiloria slumped in the bed and would not meet Valere's gaze. "Tell me that is not heroic!"

"She is my friend." Hiloria said weakly.

"And you were willing to die for her." Valere said softly. Hiloria looked away but Valere reached up and took hold of her chin, pulling it back to look at her. "No. What you did surprised the hell out of all of us. We were watching."

"They said I freed her once I stabbed myself." Hiloria said weakly. "I did not." Valere shook her head. "You?"

"The Lady was a bit upset. Milodi is her friend. She takes it maybe a little too personally when people hurt her friends." Hiloria stared at her. Valere made a face. "It is not always comfortable being around her, especially when she is angry. She does mean well, and in this? She did save you and Milodi, so that is a win."

"She exposed herself to me." Hiloria said suddenly, fear blossoming. "I serve the Elders! She cannot..." She broke off as Valere gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"You do not know where you are." Valere said quietly. Hiloria froze and then slowly nodded, relaxing. "We did not ever intend this, but we knew that sooner or later, we would have some visitors who served the Elders. We didn't want them to know how to get back."

"Good." Hiloria sighed deeply. "Without the chip or an amp, my powers are limited. Which is… I..." She broke off, pain flaring that wasn't physical. "They ordered their Chosen to kill Sofia." She was crying again and Valere just stood, holding her hand.

"Yes." Valere said in a very quiet voice. "Milodi was there when the Warlock arrived and demanded Sofia. Your Sister Amadri queried the Elders and he knocked her unconscious." Hiloria felt fear blossom anew, but Valere shook her head. "She lives. Milodi pulled her to safety. From what we have gathered, no one was actually hurt when all three of the Chosen encountered each other there shortly after."

"That does not make any sense. The Chosen do not do subtlety and none of my colleagues had a chance against any of them!" Hiloria stiffened. "A trap?"

"We think so." Valere looked pensive for a moment. "They couldn't track Sofia, but they could track you." Hiloria felt horror dawn, but Valere shook her head. "Past tense. Once you arrived, all of the trackers were blocked and quickly disabled."

"I cannot stay here." Hiloria said weakly. "I put you all in danger."

"The Elders have said they do not wish to push the Lady, which is probably wise of them." Valere smiled, but it was grim. "She has no patience for some things and a lot of very odd resources."

"I will say." Hiloria swallowed hard, remembering the frenzied reports that had flown through the Elders' network after a nuclear detonation had wiped out an entire Advent strike force and coincidentally obliterated what had been the Lady's earthbound hideaway once she and her followers had fled discovery. Then there had been the large number of Advent flying craft shot out of the sky by unseen assailants to clear her escape. She was not to be taken lightly by anyone. Even the Chosen would step carefully around her if they had any sense at all. "I… Sofia. How is Sofia?" She worked hard not to beg and Valere smiled at her.

"She is stressed, but physically, she is fine. It was a hell of a shock when she appeared in our midst." Valere admitted. "She begged the Lady for help as soon as she was coherent. Our scans..." She looked sick and Hiloria nodded. "Who did that to her? She said it was evil humans."

"It was." Hiloria agreed, her ire rising. "One of them is dead. The other? I don't know, but he will not enjoy whatever life he has left. Did she swear to your Lady?" That might complicate things or simplify them.

"No." Valere admitted. "She wanted to, but the Lady said you were still alive, and you were her guardian. You took responsibility for her. Sofia is not human."

"I know." Hiloria looked down at herself. "She came into being from me, somehow. She was energy. Now she is flesh. The..." She swallowed again. "The unborn?"

"We don't know." Valere said quietly. "She is physical enough to be hurt, to be impregnated. We just don't know how she will react or if she will." She growled and Hiloria squeezed her hand.

"I need to talk to your Lady." Hiloria slumped. "I do not want to. I fear what is coming. I am a servant of the Elders and I fear for them. For all of us."

"You have cause." A familiar voice sounded and Hiloria tried to sit up as the door opened and a female human form walked in. Her face was covered by a veil, but Hiloria knew her voice. The Lady. "Valere, see if the kitchen has any soup. Hiloria will probably appreciate something soft and easy to digest. If not? Please ask them to make some. We need to talk, she and I. It may take a while."

Hiloria smiled as the girl bowed deeply and vanished out the door. The Lady muttered something that sounded rude to Hiloria's ears before she move to Hiloria's bedside and sat. She nodded as Hiloria looked at her veil.

"This body was once human. She died and Cooper brought her body back to life." The Lady said quietly. Hiloria felt awe flare and the Lady shook her head. "He loved her dearly and her face still graces this form even with everything that made her who she was gone. We are working to change the face, but the only one of us with the true skill to do it would be Cooper and we cannot ask him to do that. For now? I cover the face when I wear this form."

"None of us knew how to take the way he acted." Hiloria said softly. "He was always so nice to everyone." The Lady nodded. "What can I do?" She begged in a tiny voice. "I don't know what to do!"

"Sofia is a conundrum." The Lady was quiet, reflective. "I saw what you did when Milodi pulled you into her future." Hiloria froze and the Lady held up a hand. "No. Do not speak of it. You swore. I will not have you break your word. I scanned you as soon as you finished talking to the Elders. You were distracted. I felt oddities as soon as I projected there, but you were not there. Then you were. Milodi had contacted me, she was confused. She was not an agent, per say. More an interested party who was looking for ways to help. She contacted me but I put her off. I was wary. I mean, she is a Priest of the Elders, not to be trusted. No offense." Hiloria waved that away and the Lady continued. "Then she contacted me again. She was was terrified for both you and Sofia after she saw what you showed the interrogator. She begged my help."

Hiloria nodded. She had know there would be problems. In her worst nightmares, she never would have imagined the Elders would simply demand Sofia's death. She understood the fear. At less than an hour old, Sofia had obliterated a powerful Templar. What she could do with more experience was terrifying in its possible scope. What the Elders didn't know, what no one but the Lady apparently knew… was that Sofia was only the catalyst and aiming focus for more a much powerful weapon.

"She does not want to hurt anyone." Hiloria said quietly. "That is our only hope to avert this."

"That and you." The Lady nodded. "She reveres you as you revere the Elders." Hiloria shook her head, but the Lady took her right hand in a gentle grip. "For the exact same reason. They created you. You created her."

"I don't know if I did." Hiloria felt a bit faint. "In what we saw in Sofia's memory, the Templars claimed credit for it, but they could have been lying."

"This has hurt you very badly." The Lady was so very sad. "You have taken hurts to your body, your mind, and your spirit. You need rest and time to recover now more than anything. We will give you that. You and Sofia are safe here for as long as you wish to stay."

"Thank you." Hiloria bowed her head. "I cannot stay forever."

"We would welcome both you and Sofia." The Lady sighed. "But you do still wish to serve the Elders."

"Someone has to moderate the bad that is done." Hiloria bowed her head. "The war is consuming everyone, everything. I do not like much of what I do, but it is needed. If not for those like Milodi and Sister Amadri, Advent will turn totally dark. It is bad enough at times even when… when family is not caught in the middle." She gave a tiny sob and the Lady did not react as Hiloria clenched others hand as best she could.

"Milodi was shocked when Kriso took her. I would have acted then, but he promised not to harm her. A lie, but at the time, she trusted him. He drugged her and took her to the hybrids who fled Advent." The Lady said quietly. "She wasn't awake when you freed yourself from your chains but I was listening. Your brother?"

"He was." Hiloria sighed deeply. "Now? I don't know. He was loyal. He was brave. He and I… We were in the same batch. We all took the name 'Mox' as a sign of our history. I thought I was the only survivor, but if he… I..." She broke off as her throat tightened.

"Even the Elders cannot control everything." The Lady said quietly. "Do you still think them gods?"

"I… I don't know." Hiloria admitted. "With the chip in, I did. I could easily touch their minds and they were so much more than myself. But now? I don't know. They made me and my kind. They have done so much, both good and bad. I know they are not immortal, but..." She slumped back in the bed, face falling. "I don't know."

"They would kill you for that doubt." The Lady warned. Hiloria nodded.

"I know." Hiloria forced herself to relax. "But gods do not have to be benevolent. What I have read in human mythology is full of angry deities."

"Well, at least you do not worship me." The Lady said flatly. Hiloria stared at her and the flesh clad Ethereal chuckled. There was little mirth in it. "All of these people are looking to me for guidance and I work hard to keep them from open worship. In every history I have studied, mortals portraying themselves as gods never ends well, Hiloria Mox. Ever. And despite everything, Ethereals are mortal."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Hiloria allowed. "But this is what I am. What I do. Take that purpose away from me and what am I?"

"Sofia's mother." The Lady replied. Hiloria slowly nodded to acknowledge the point. "Valere will be in with your meal shortly. You will be able to eat on your own. Once you have eaten, you should be strong enough to walk around if you wish although you really need rest now more than anything. We will block some areas from you for security reasons, but feel free to talk to anyone you wish."

"I have hated humans ever since my first mission." Hiloria said softly. "Why do I not feel hate now? Is that your doing?"

"Some." The Lady allowed. "We are a small community by most standards. We have our share of forceful personalities and no space for them to be too forceful if you get my meaning." Hiloria nodded. The Lady paused and then slowly shook her head. "Actually, would you like to talk to our spiritual guide? He is not always nice, but he is wise. He knows what he doesn't know."

"Then he is wiser than most, no matter the species." Hiloria frowned but then nodded. "Is he human?"

"He is." The Lady was looking at her but Hiloria just smiled.

"Then this is a good way to find out if I can handle dealing with humans, is it not?" Hiloria grinned as the Lady snickered.

"If you can handle Imam Robinson, you can handle anyone." The Lady was chuckling as she rose. "He doesn't like Advent or the Elders."

"Right now? I find it hard to blame him." Hiloria sighed. The Lady patted her hand and then moved to leave. She paused as Hiloria cleared her throat.

"Yes?"

"You saw what I did. That horrible future." Hiloria said in a very quiet voice.

"Yes." The Lady was just as quiet.

"I want to stop it." Hiloria felt as if she were falling to pieces. She was about to disobey her gods, the beings she had spent her whole life obeying.

"You are in no shape for long winded mathematical, philosophical or temporal discussions at the moment." The Lady had a smile in her voice and Hiloria had to smile at that. "Eat and rest. Talk with the Imam if you wish. I am looking into it carefully."

"We do not know what Shüller did. Is going to do. We need to find Greta." Hiloria said after a moment. "The future me sent her back with Sofia, but there was no sign of her anywhere near where Sofia was found."

"You never got her full name. Greta the Templar." The Lady mused. Hiloria shook her head. She sighed. "I will do what I can. Your meal is here."

She moved to the side and Valere carried a tray that held a steaming bowl. She set on the bed in front of Hiloria. Hiloria stared as legs extruded from the tray to steady it on her lap.

"That is not Advent tech." Hiloria mused as Valere produced a spoon that she set beside the bowl. "You have lots of tricks you have not told anyone." Valere grinned and Hiloria shook her head. "Fine, be mysterious." When she looked up, the Lady had vanished.

"There are many who would like to meet you." Valere sat beside her bed, eyeing her with anticipation as Hiloria took the spoon in careful fingers. "But the doc left strict instructions. We are to let you rest for a day before we mob you. We know better than to get on his bad side."

Hiloria paused with the spoon halfway to the bowl. "Doctor Cooper has a bad side?"

"Oh yes. You should see him before he has had his coffee in the morning." Valere shuddered dramatically.

Hiloria could not resist the laugh that bubbled up out of her and her worry eased even further. Then she focused on eating.