AN. To all my wonderful, patient readers, thank you so much for sticking with me this far! I am sorry I haven't updated until now, but a lot of things have been going on in my life, not all of them pleasant and good and it has taken me a while to find my way back to the harmonious state where I can write.

So, without revealing too much of what is going to happen in this chapter I would just like to point out that this is just a fan fiction of Mass Effect and I am by no means an expert on timelines, science and codexes and such from ME, but I've been trying to keep it as believable to ME as possible. I've also changed the Illusive Man's name from Robert Laroy to the boring name Jack Harper seeing as the comics recently came out and obviously this was his name. ;) I thought mine was a little bit flashier. ;)

I would also like to thank each and every one of you who has read, subscribed, reviewed, faved, and encouraged me to keep writing. You all make my day and inspire me to keep the fanfic up those times when I feel stuck. :)

Special thanks goes out to my wonderful beta+ Nightwish11606!

Ok so without much further ado…

Enjoy this new chapter!

~Elmjuniper

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I was a confident woman when we met. I could hold my ground against a room full of Geth, Husks or Krogans, anything thrown my way. My biotics were nothing but lethal, I could protect myself with it, protect the ones I cared for with it, but now…it seems all my biotics have left me, every single trace of it vanished from my body. Rue doesn't know. Not about the biotics, nor about my…condition. It's best if she doesn't. She needs to focus on the Reapers. Not worrying about us and I…I need to regain my powers again.

FRESH FEELING

"IS THAT THE ASARI?" Dr. Grenway asked as his eyes fell on the sedated Asari lying in the examination chair. Her face looked serene, the characteristical saphire skin tone and Asari features relaxed, eyes fluttering behind closed eyelids. From prior experience he was happy the Asari was sedated as he circled the chair, one arm resting across his chest his elbow using it for support as he let his thumb rub his bottom lip thoughtfully. The Asari race was said to dream, much like himself and the rest of his kind. Dr. Grenway found it fascinating that an entirely different race could be so similar to humans and yet they were so different from one another. The Asari was a mono-gendered race, or as common people liked to refer to them as, an all-female race. It could be compared to the ancient amazon tribes to a certain extent, he mused quietly to himself.

He studied the sleeping alien. A mono-gendered race who could self-reproduce. It was nothing but amazing, a miracle in human eyes. Scientists had studied the science and possibility of reproducing between two females. Cloning had been discovered, but a biological child created solely from the DNA of two women had been nothing but a vision to humankind. Until now.

"This is the one. Dr. T'Soni, she had a relationship with the commander." Larkin Hannoway explained as he placed the dossier on a table in the spacious laboratory.

Dr. Grenway started at the screen next to the unconscious Asari. Thin cords dropped towards the floor from its lower frame before bending and darting upwards, digging their sharp ends into the soft skin of the Asari specimen.

"It appears that Dr. T'Soni would be a bit young to reproduce with the commander. However…" He leaned closer into the screen knitting his eyebrows together in a frown. "These readings indicate that Dr. T'Soni has experienced quite a few melds with the commander and despite her young age a pregnancy could be precipitated as her body indicates that she was near entering the Matron Stage. It seems the commander's death might have postponed it and it is likely the presence of the commander might trigger this female's desire to move on to the Matron Stage."

Larkin Hannoway walked up to stand beside him. "Yes. My informant told me that Dr. T'Soni and the commander was very close…" A satisfied smile spread across his lips.

Dr. Grenway nodded. The Asari had already mapped out the most desirable traits from the commander's genetic build and from what he saw his assumption that the commander's presence would trigger the pregnancy would be as valid of a conclusion as any. As he stared at the small screen, squares and lines started to appear, forming patterns unreadable to most humans. They would need much more time than this to see how much genetic information the Asari had collected. The rising spirals, increasing amounts of squares and flickering numbers were not much. Yet to him, it was beautiful. It reminded him of watching one's favourite artist draw one of his most accomplished masterpieces.

~•~

Commander Rue Shepard stared at the fish tank rubbing her neck, the soft strumming of a guitar escaping the stylish speakers in the Captain's cabin. She sighed heavily. It had been Liara's favourite song. It used to make her smile, but now it only filled her with a sense of emptiness and loneliness. Sometimes she wondered if things would have been different it she hadn't been slung out in the explosion and gotten herself spaced as Joker liked to say. Of course it would have been different.

She shook her head. She was the commander, a captain, she of all should know things change, people change, they experience new things and grow, become someone else. The same thing had happened to her and Liara and the most logical thing was just to accept it and move on. Move on. It wasn't as if she didn't have options. There was the yeoman of course, she was more than sweet and Rue knew Kelly would not say no to one or two indecent proposals, but there was also the alluring informant. The informant's face appeared fleetingly before her eyes and she smirked, snorting a little at the thought of Miranda and their playful banter. Crossing her arms she turned her head to the side watching the empty bed remembering the feel of the informant sleeping next to her that day a few weeks ago.

"Skip forward." She commanded the music player. It swapped a track and Rue found herself smiling slightly as she remembered Miranda's flirtatious eyes from the other night in the hangar area. As much as she hadn't liked the informant to start with -in fact she had been wary and suspicious towards Miranda- she had to admit that once you learned how to handle her it was difficult not to fall for the raven-haired beauty.

"Commander." EDI's voice alerted her drawing her away from where she stood moping.

"EDI." She greeted the AI as she rounded her chair.

"The Director would like to speak to you." EDI informed her, the blue orb flickering as the artificial intelligence spoke.

"Tell her I will be with her shortly." Rue let her captain's uniform fall to the floor as she walked over to her weapons locker pulling out her armour. Eyeing it she wondered if there would ever be a time when she wouldn't have to pull out her armour and put it on to do the dirty work of others. The armour's sleek black surface reflected the fish tanks clear blue water like tiny little sunrays and Rue marvelled at the spotless exterior. If it wasn't the council she risked her life for it was Cerberus. If it hadn't been Cerberus it would have been someone else. To her it didn't matter as long as she could stop the Reapers. She wouldn't stop until she had defeated them. She knew it was her choice. She knew that she had made it that day when Saren and his minions had fallen, although it didn't mean she never got tired of always having to be the one to do all the work and still when everything was said and done she was the one to be questioned by others.

Today however her mission was different. This time she knew why she did it. She lifted her chin slightly as she stared at her own reflection her eyes growing more determined, more focused as she slipped into the heavy armour securing her shotguns to her side, strapping the rifle and grenade launcher to her back. Giving her one last nod she turned to leave her room to find the director.

Miranda stood with her back turned towards the wide entrance to her office when Rue entered it, but unlike the other times the informant did not turn around to face her at the sound of Rue's heavy boots clanging against the cold floor. Rue waited until the doors had closed before speaking.

"Miranda?"

The informant remained silent her back still turned towards Rue as she shuffled a pile of dossiers on her desk. She moved closer to the informant reaching out for her shoulder. She could feel Miranda tense slightly underneath her touch before she turned her around staring intently at her. Looking into her blue eyes Rue saw something mirroring itself in them. Fear.

It was surprising to see Miranda like this. The arrogance was like evaporated, the proud head held with less pride, the cold eyes now seeking comfort. Surprising, but not implausible, Rue knew that if it had been her sister she would have been just as worried.

"We can't get out that way Rue!" Her sister hissed trough the corner of her mouth.

"I know Ina." Looking up towards the ducts Rue pointed with her finger towards it.

Ina nodded strapping the shotgun to her thigh as Rue climbed onto the desk, her small hands reaching for the air vent, the only thing standing between them and certain death. Grabbing hold of the duct's frame she swung up and slithered into it turning around to help her sister up. Loud footsteps thudded behind her sister's back as she screamed for Ina to hurry up. Grab my hand! Her blood froze to ice when she heard the door shatter from under the force of a Batarian's boot.

Time seized to exist as her sister stared up to her whispering 'I love you'then swinging back around unloading her clips into the first Batarian. The first one fell like a stone, second one as well, but they kept coming, pouring in like the rushing water of a water mill. The first bullet hit her sister in the chest with an ear shattering bang and Ina stumbled backwards.

Rue dropped from the duct landing ungraciously on the floor with a loud crash. Rolling over pushing to her feet aiming her guns, she emptied them into the last standing Batarians her eyes filling with tears, her voice screaming until her throat got coarse.

Rue snapped back to reality. Her hand was still gripping the informant's shoulder gently and she pulled her into a hug. She heard Miranda gasp as she tried to pull away before she leaned in, her forehead resting against Rue's shoulder. She shuddered at the feel of Miranda pressed close to her closing her eyes momentarily allowing herself to breathe the informant in before she spoke softly.

"You, Jack and I will go meet your contact once we arrive on Illium. Garrus will be overlooking the drop-off point from a well-hidden position, and Jacob will be acting as Oriana's driver. We will take care of the rest."

"Did you have to pick Jack?"

"The two of you are like cat and mouse. It's unfortunate you don't get along better than you do since the two of you are actually really damn dangerous together." Rue smiled feeling Miranda glare into the armour clad shoulder.

"Everything will be ok." She said quietly before releasing the informant. Miranda gave her a determined nod before her eyes grew cold and focused again.

"Right. Enough of this. Let's get this over with." She said picking up her M-6 Carnifex.

Rue eyed it with a frown. M-6s? They did some decent damage, but Rue would like to see her crew carry more ammo than what the M-6 would allow.

"We should upgrade that one." She said nodding towards the pistol strapped to the informant's hip as she turned to leave the office and head for the CIC.

"I can handle myself just fine with this one." Miranda answered matter-of-factly from where she walked.

"Yourself perhaps, but what about Jack and me?" Rue pointed out. It wasn't so much a rhetorical question as it was a reminder of their previous conversation from when they first met.

Miranda remained silent as the elevator travelled upwards, its low buzzing the only sound being made. Rue felt the elevator slow when Miranda's hand grabbed hers giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you Commander." She said with her honey like accent before stepping out of the elevator.

~•~

Dr. Grenway walked behind Larkin Hannoway towards the cabinet at the far end of the laboratory. Once there the taller man opened it and held out two test tubes towards him.

"Commander Rue Shepard." He lifted the hand holding the test tube containing something that looked like a long piece of skin. "Apparently not everything had been destroyed on the Lazarus station."

Dr. Grenway smiled. This was truly an opportunity he had never had before. He had the Asari lover and her DNA map of the woman who saved humankind and the rest of the galaxy from Saren and the very DNA from this woman. The possibilities were endless. The things he could accomplish reached beyond the normal mind's wildest fantasies and yet…he looked at the second test tube in Larkin's left hand.

"Miranda Lawson." Larkin said his eyes gleaming. Miranda Lawson test subject 13:9:189 one of Dr. Grenway's most successful experiments.

Dr. Banner Grenway had just achieved his PhD in biological science and for the first time in a decade he did no longer have to work for someone else or research someone else's theories. He was sitting in the new expensive leather chair when a young man walked in to his small office. It was a small unpretentious office, but it was his office. The young man introduced himself as the sole heir to Hannoway Mining Ltd. Mining. Ores and minerals was that one thing humans had underestimated the value and importance of. Larkin's grandfather on the other hand was ahead of his time and knew full well the time would come when the world depended on these materials, and his vision was to own it all by then. The day Larkin walked in to his office Hannoway Mining owned ninety-six percent of the earth's mining territories and was the main exporter of alien minerals. In other words, the Hannoways owned a small empire.

Larkin was as dashing then as he was now, many years later, and he had also been very interested in Banner's prior research of cloning and reproduction. Having heard of a new genetic breakthrough he came to Banner inquiring what it would take to create a child from his own genes mixed with the genes of other highborn and academic persons. Dr Grenway had explained to Larkin that there was simply not enough research to validate something like that. It was a dream he had always had, but one could only research so much with the help of pigs and sheep.

"Then let me be your sheep." Larkin had said.

Dr Grenway couldn't believe his ears. It was unethical and against all his morals to use a living, breathing human to run tests on, but nonetheless there he was, a voluntary man, all he wanted in return was a child of his own genetically engineered with only the best genes. As much as Banner would have liked to say no, this was an opportunity he could not resist and with Larkin's generous donations female follicles wouldn't be hard to come by.

The first test subject had died as an embryo, the second before it even reached the same stage as the first experiment. Then there was a successful child engineered, grown and born in the laboratory. It had not survived its third month. There were more subjects, more tests. Some of them lived longer, some of them were terminated, and then there was test subject 13:9:189. Miranda. She was perfect. He remembered it as if it was yesterday. Everything had been planned so well. Then the anomaly appeared sixteen years later. Miranda was not as manageable as they had intended for her to be and despite the surgery to fit the new biotic implants and the genetic plan that she had been programmed with, Miranda did not develop as they wished. She started objecting to her strict rules and schooling regime. When she found out about what she was and that a sister from the same egg, but with newer genes had been created there was nothing left to do than to let her run.

Larkin had wanted the perfect creation –Miranda wasn't it anymore, but now…Dr Grenway stared at the second test tube. Larkin was right. This time they were going to create the perfect human.

~•~

Her stomach churned where she stood, her head thumping, her world spinning as she stared at her best friend. She wanted to cry, scream. She trusted him and he betrayed her. Niket had sold her out to her father. She knew he could see the hurt on her face her eyebrows knitted together, lips slightly parted, her head shaking as she raised her Carnifex.

Niket, her oldest and only friend who had helped her escape her crazy, egocentric father. The only one she had ever trusted had gone behind her back had lured her out here to this false drop-off point with the intention to keep her from getting to her sister. She grew cold once again, her hurt turning into rage as Niket took a step backwards.

"If you know about Oriana's location then surely you must have told Miranda's father." Shepard said where she stood, her shot gun aimed at Niket, her eyes resting on him like a hawk would watch its prey.

"I haven't told Mr. Hannoway anything!" Niket said defensively as his eyes blazed with anger. Miranda felt herself cringe at her father's name. Hannoway. It was a long time ago anyone had ever called her by that name. Niket had been her best friend, but he had endangered her sister's safety. What if she hadn't been here to make sure the drop-off went down as planned? What if Shepard hadn't thought of placing Garrus on watch and Jacob as Oriana's driver? Then her father would have gotten to Oriana. He would have captured her, tortured her. She looked in disgust at the man she had once called her friend.

"But still…you and her." She nodded towards the Asari standing behind him. "Is the only thing standing between my sister and her safety. I'm sorry." She lowered her head momentarily before looking up again. "I never wanted it to end this way Niket." Then she fired off her gun. The bullet dug itself into to Niket's skull between the ends of his brows, before he fell lifeless to the floor. The Asari mercenary screamed in surprise and anger before diving in behind the crates for cover.

"Right. Ok. I would have preferred that to go down differently." Shepard muttered through the corner of her mouth as the Asari launched a full on attack, bullets and biotics whizzing through the air towards them.

"I'm starting to like this bitch!" Jack leered at Miranda where they huddled behind the small barrel.

"And all I had to do was kill someone." Miranda growled craning her neck around the barrel trying to spot the fast moving Asari.

"Love the bonding girls, but really…a fast moving, blue, biotic crazy alien trying to kill us." Shepard snarled before darting out from their cover blasting her shotguns at the mercenary as she shouted instructions over the radio to Garrus and Jacob.

Miranda grimaced as she shot a wave against the Asari's cover shattering it to pieces with her biotics, her other hand firmly gripping her pistol blasting the Asari with Incendiary bullets.

"That the best you can do cheerleader?" Jack smirked, her hand sending a shock wave of power towards their enemy. Crates, barrels and fork trucks launched upwards into the air leaving the Asari exposed to Shepard's lethal bullets. They heard the Asari scream angrily as Shepard's bullets crashed into her.

Miranda fired her weapons at the mercenary captain, but the Asari flared her shields their attacks bouncing off her like tiny pebbles. The loud banging of guns being fired, barrels and crates tossed aside and shattered echoed throughout the large stockroom. The Asari fired off her biotics at Shepard. It hit the commander square in the chest sending her crashing into the wall behind them. Her armour clanked loudly as she fell to the floor with a loud grunt before getting up on her feet. She barely had time to dodge the next attack. Ducking in behind the two biotics she hissed angrily.

"Distract her!"

They nodded as they both took off in different directions charging towards the Asari. Their hands burning with biotic power as Shepard loaded her sniper rifle aiming at the fast moving enemy. Miranda saw Jack get tossed aside as one of the Asari's attacks hit her. The convict was regaining her balance when a bullet tore through the air ripping a deep gash on her carefully inked skin. Jack screamed in agony falling to the ground. Shooting out with her arms, Miranda pulled at the Asari flinging her high up in the air.

"NOW!" She shouted at Shepard. The commander had to take the shot or this fight would delay them in getting to Oriana. There was a sophisticated low bang as one of Rue's bullets ripped through the air. It was a clean shot and the Asari mercenary crashed onto the floor.

Shepard moved over to Jack kneeling next to her. "You ok?"

"Is she dead?" Jack grunted.

The commander looked over at the Asari's corpse her eyes locking with Miranda's blue eyes shortly before returning her attention to the convict.

"Yes she's been terminated."

"Then I'm fucking brilliant. Bitch ripped my tattoos!"

The commander chuckled before helping the convict up. They both turned to look at her, and Miranda felt herself grow nervous. She had shown both of them too much of her emotions. She had let her father get the best of her once again. She had killed someone because of him and they all knew it. She stared back at them, her eyes icy cold when Garrus' voice rang in their ear pieces.

"Commander."

"Garrus?"

"The target has been brought to safety. Jacob is with her and I've still got a good overlook of their position." The Turian reported to them.

"Good." Shepard looked at her waiting for her approval. Miranda nodded, her jaws clenched, the heat of the battle still keeping her on her toes.

"We'll be right over." Rue instructed her eyes still studying her.

Miranda looked away trying to hide her emotions. Jack was there and she would catch on to anything going on between Miranda and the commander. She would latch on to it like a leech and Miranda found that even though she wouldn't mind Rue pulling her into her strong arms again she couldn't let that happen. Not here. Not when she didn't even know what this thing that evidently was going on between them was. She swallowed brushing the dirt off her jumpsuit. She was going to make sure her sister was safe – everything else had to wait until later. Whenever that was.

~•~

The proud informant stood staring out through one of her office's windows smiling as she remembered the look upon her sister's face as she had approached her and her family. Oriana. She had been no more than a baby when she rescued her from their father, their creator. Today she was an intelligent teenager with a quick mind and witty tongue.

Miranda had felt proud when she talked to Oriana, had felt that same feeling she had all those years ago when she held her baby sister in her arms, protecting her from harm as they fled through a big and scary city, looking for shelter and protection from their father. It had overwhelmed her, taken her by surprise and even though Rue had been standing near her when she saw her sister again for the first time since she left her she couldn't stop the warm tears that silently rolled down her otherwise so cold cheeks. Not even Jack's huffing could make them stop falling. Her chest suddenly warm, feeling as if she would explode with pride and love.

Oriana was much like her, talking to her was in many ways like talking to herself, yet Oriana talked with much more ease and with more passion. Miranda let her fingers tap her arm. Oriana had friends, had a family who loved her. She had something Miranda never had and it had taught her things Miranda had never had the chance to learn. Oriana had humour and she spoke so freely. She seemed so easy to get to know. Miranda smiled, closing her eyes. She had saved her and Oriana would never become like her –cold and distant– a social misfit. She heard the doors open behind her and she felt the faint scent of the commander's perfume. Turning around to face the commander she let her arms drop to the side.

Rue was wearing the black commander's suit smiling her charming smile as she pulled to a stop by her desk.

"Lawson. You got a minute?" She asked casually, her hands behind her back as she weighed on her heels.

Miranda smiled as she walked over to the leather sofa sitting down in it. "Shepard. I didn't expect you to come by so soon." She said motioning for the commander to take a seat opposite her.

Rue sat down eyeing her curiously. "I wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm doing well and…" She averted her eyes away from the commander. "You helped me save my sister, thank you Rue."

"Hey…" The commander leant forward her soft fingers lifting Miranda's chin so that their eyes met. "I'm just glad I could help. No need to thank me." She smiled.

Miranda swallowed nervously before standing up moving off to the window. "I mean it Shepard. I couldn't have done it without you."

The commander leaned back into the comfortable couch crossing her arms.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're not telling me everything?" Rue asked her from where she sat.

She let out a low chuckle as she folded her arms across her chest embracing herself. "I know what you all think of me and I admit...you were right to judge me. Wilson was right." She fell silent.

"Wilson programmed me to have a mental lockdown to kill me off. I wouldn't listen so much to him if I was you." Rue muttered.

"He was right to say I was jealous of you. I told you, I thought people put too much faith in you. I saw you like some bloody hero given an exaggerated amount of trust." Pausing momentarily she turned around to face the commander. "I've been wrong about you..."

"We've all made that mistake Lawson." Shepard got up from the couch shrugging her shoulders.

"Not you. You give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Everything they think you are is real. Everything you've done, you've accomplished by your own skills. Unlike me."

"What do you mean?" The commander's hazel eyes looked at her as she scowled slightly.

"Everything you see, everything I am, my powers, my appearance, everything about me has been bought and genetically engineered. Nothing about me is real. Nothing but perhaps the mistakes I've made, but sometimes…" She fell silent a wistful smile growing on her face.

"You know…you keep saying everything about you is just the result of good, if not perfect genes put into a nice pot shaken and stirred, but that's not completely true. Genes don't decide who you become Miranda. That's all you."

She felt slightly bitter. "Even you look at me the way I was built to be looked upon."

"Ouch." Shepard clutched at her chest feigning mock hurt before she smiled a crooked smile. "Don't act coy with me Lawson."

"Coy?" Miranda couldn't help but smile. What did Rue mean with that? She studied the commander as she drew nearer until she stood only inches away.

"Coy, Lawson. Don't pretend you don't like the fact that I'm looking at you." Rue murmured.

Suddenly painfully aware of the lack of space between them Miranda felt her heart race, pounding loudly in her head. Rue was taller than her, not much, but just enough so that the informant would have to tiptoe slightly to get her lips leveled with Rue's.

"I didn't say that I didn't like it…" She said her throat feeling as dry as sandpaper and she felt her heart slow and become one with her slow breathing as Rue's hand suddenly placed itself at the sensual curve of her back.

The commander's strong hand pulled her closer to her. It was a gentle motion like the early spring breeze caressing the sprouting leaves. She let herself be pulled towards the enigmatic commander. Standing close to Rue nothing but the thin layers of their clothes keeping them apart Miranda felt a warm, slightly familiar feeling in her chest and she blinked in confusion as it dawned on her, what the feelings were, what the thing going on between her and Rue was. Her confidence suddenly faded and she let her hand slip up between them as she took a step backwards.

"Look…Shepard…" She tried to control her reeling mind as the fraying remnants of their intense connection lingered in the dim lit office. "This isn't…I'm not…"

Shepard tilted her head an amused look upon her face.

Miranda cleared her throat feeling her cheeks burn as she fidgeted and started to pace nervously. "It's just that I'm not…I don't know what this is."

Quirking her eyebrow Rue smiled her crooked smile. "Oh? I thought it was pretty obvious."

"I mean, I don't know what I'm…Rue…I can't do this right now…" She fell silent observing the commander's face. Rue was following her nervous pacing with those piercing eyes.

"Ok." She said simply before looking at her watch. "What about later, say around seven?"

Miranda chuckled shaking her head at the commander. "I should…get back to…work. Yes, work."

"You do that Lawson and I'll go check…on…Mordin's work."

"Mordin's work? You hate science."

"I don't. I find it…interesting." The commander lied.

"You're a terrible liar Shepard." Miranda said with a chuckle.

"And so are you Lawson." Rue said with a playful edge to her voice as she left Miranda standing by her desk blushing profusely, her heart beating insanely fast.

~•~

Larkin Hannoway looked up from his mahogany desk where he sat going through the latest dossiers he had on his projects. There was Miranda of course, her sister Oriana and then a few other projects that weren't really worth the amount of credits he had spent on them. They were pure failures.

Miranda, she wasn't perfect, Oriana had been upgraded with quite a few genes, but unfortunately Miranda had snatched her away from him before he could make sure these traits had been fully developed so Miranda was the closest thing to perfect he had. His eyes gleamed as they fell on the magazine spread in front of him.

The tall, red-haired woman stared up at him from the spread, her eyes cold and determined. They didn't stare right at him but to somewhere just behind his shoulder. She carried herself with such stoic pride it made him shudder. Everything about this commander was fascinating. Her battle skills were beyond anything he had seen before and her achievements were nothing but impressive. The thought of the DNA from someone like Commander Shepard and his Miranda combined together and engineered to bring forth the best traits was exhilarating. And the Asari whose genetic map would be used to bring out the strongest, the most vital genes from the Commander was beyond what he could have possibly have hoped for. This time there would be no trial and error, it was all laid out perfectly. Even the plan to get Miranda to expose herself to him by going after Oriana had worked. Everything was falling into place. He felt a rush as he thought of this new creation of his.

A soft knock brought him back to reality and he looked up to see the doctor standing in the doorway.

"Mr Hannoway?"

"Yes?"

"You better see this."

TO BE CONTINUED…