Chapter 26

Dave Rossi's house
Alexandria, VA
Day #11

Emily

"Uh-huh. Here's another question." Dave was still wiping his hands, waiting for Spencer's judgment on the food. "You two have started using non-English words. It's kind of a stretch to assume that people on a different planet were speaking flawless English…"

"What are you saying?" Morgan asked, clearly confused.

"That this might not be random. How many languages do you speak?"

"English and some Spanish, why?"

"I speak English and Italian. Does anyone know about JJ?"

"English and French, I think." Penelope said.

"Aaron is good at many things, but learning languages has never been one of them." Dave shared. "I think we can assume that the pilots probably speak one on top of English, if that. Emily?"

The great thing about being an Ambassadors' kid, "Um, English, French, Spanish, Modern Standard Arabic, some Russian, some Gaelic, a little Polish, a little less Mandarin Chinese…"

Morgan interrupted her. "So you're saying that whatever did this picked the genius and the polyglot?"

"The two people who could be most easily implanted with a new language." Dave nodded. "Spencer because a language is basically a code and his brain is naturally wired to think that way and Emily because her brain has been trained to pick up languages quickly."

"So are we saying some entity did this?" Emily asked.

Dave considered a moment, "Maybe. I don't think we have enough data for that, but I think we should keep our minds open to the possibility. That said it sounds like the whole being caught part was accidental, which would mean that some plan was derailed if that's the case."

"What plan?" Spencer asked.

"We don't know yet." Dave replied. "Is that staying down?"

Spencer nodded. "Do you have any more?"

"Good, you can eat fish. Come help me make them." Dave headed back to the kitchen, giving Emily the look that said 'he's out of the way, keep going.'

Morgan looked back at her. "Okay, take a deep breath and relax. What do you smell?"

Tá Súil Abbey
Little Sister
Then

Mushroom stew. Herb bread. Candles. Some sweet scented wood burning in the fire. People.

"If you meet up with them in the halls try not to stare, if you can." Andrew continued. "And while we're at it don't touch them, they don't take it well."

"And keep your voice down, your manner quiet?" He nodded. "Spencer taught us that kind of thing." Better to fit in when she could, even if it meant presenting Spencer as more doctor than agent, it might get them more assistance if they fit the cultural norms.

"Spencer," said another voice approaching the table, "Your Healer?" The woman who joined them was probably in her later 30's and wore an indigo tunic and skirt combination, and an indigo skal-va with delicate white embroidery and a lace trim over her blond hair.

"Merina." Andrew half rose before she motioned him back down. "This is Emily, a Guardian from the other place. Emily, this is Merina, my teacher. Please, join us."

Merina sat next to Emily, thankfully not too close. "I heard about what happened." She told Andrew. "She's strong, you know. She'll make it."

"I know she will." Andrew replied. "I just wish she didn't have to go through this."

"Have you given any thought to training someone to work with her when she returns?"

"Some. I think either Grant or Benjamin would be able to handle it, but I'm not going to be able to train either of them."

"Why not?"

"Because Emily is going to the City to get her Healer back," Andrew looked at the two of them and kind of set himself. "And I'm going with her."

"What?" Merina was shocked. "Andrew, you can't. We need you here."

"We don't have any patients currently in house who will want my specialty." He replied. "Anyone else can cover the other work I do. Besides, I'm not going to be able to work with Kira in the cages. My sister has to be my priority, you know that."

"And if you don't come back?"

"Then I hope you train Benjamin well."

Emily was still a half a conversation back. "You're not going with me." Emily told him. "I can handle this on my own, I just need a horse."

Andrew looked at her. "And how are you getting them back?"

Good point. "Okay, three horses."

He took a deep breath. "Emily, I'm guessing they don't have the Cage system where you're from…" She shook her head and he looked away and took a moment to get a tight hold. "I've been trying really hard not to think about it but my sister is going to be brutally raped and tortured every day until she's out of there. Even though she's one of our best riders when we get her out I'm not going to ask her to sit a horse. And I'm pretty sure your Healer isn't going to be up to it either."

Emily felt all the color draining out of her face. She had wondered…. "Why?" Why do they do this, why?

"That is the question." Merina murmured.

"When we came here we brought our horses, Jax and Astri." Andrew continued. "Just because we placed them in the communal stable that doesn't mean they're not still ours, we trained them from colts, they only respond to us. And I also brought the wagon I trained them to pull and I know the way. You're not going to be able to get to the City without me."

Damn it. Emily couldn't decide if she was frustrated or elated or terrified or angry… "All right, but you're not going in with me."

"I spent six months training for a Guardian, I can handle it."

"You're a fool, Andrew." Merina murmured.

He looked over at his teacher, "Perhaps. But if it's at all possible I have to try."

"And I have to wish you well. Excuse me." She stood and walked away.

Andrew watched her go. "Are you done?" Emily nodded. "Let's get out of here before word gets around."

She needed a distraction, space to think. "I'd like to see that other badge you were talking about."

"All right. Let's go."

As they left Emily looked back. She spotted Merina talking to another woman, tall and dark, dressed in Guardian colors, with long, dark braids hanging from under her plain skal-va. But the woman wasn't looking at Merina. She was watching them leave.

Dave Rossi's house
Alexandria, VA
Day #11

"That was when we went to the library and he showed me the Marshall's badge and paperwork." Emily said. She'd forgotten all of that. She'd known this whole time. "Why didn't I remember that?"

"Anger. Guilt. Fear." Penelope replied. "Pick your emotion. Knowing someone you care about is being hurt can do weird things to the mind."

"Remember that case we had out in LA?" Morgan added. "The artist who saw his fiancée raped and murdered? Look what it did to him. I'd say some forgetting in this situation is almost normal. Besides, he's safe now."

"Leave some for dinner." Dave said in the kitchen.

"If Rossi doesn't kill him," Morgan added. "Maybe we should take a break and go help, we've been at this for a while."

"Agreed," Penelope said.

Emily nodded, "Agreed."