What If Beginnings
Book 3
Chapter 36
By Cindra
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Notes: I put colons between conversations noting silent thought between two characters.
' Is what I call the Heartlink or private communication between two characters usually a couple. Or rarely parent to sibling. (This is usually the way that soul mates talk to each other when they don't want anyone to know what they are saying.)
( )Twin link can't be heard by anyone but the other twin…or only if someone is extremely strong in his or her mental abilities.
** or italics That represents thoughts of the characters
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Nearly two weeks later
Sammy stood half asleep in her newborn baby brother and sister's nursery changing baby Anastasia's diaper while MK changed Drew's.
(Why do they mentally page us at the crack of dawn when they need changed and only bug Momma and Daddy if they're hungry or just want to be cuddled?) Sammy snapped Annie back into her sleeper, scooped her up into her arms, settled her head against her shoulder, and then sat down in a rocker to settle her off to sleep.
(Not a clue. Maybe they want us to feel included. They see Mom and Dad during most of the day, while we're off on our daily routines.) MK yawned, hugely he was dead on his feet, as he rocked Drew back to sleep. :Please baby brother. I need at least four hours of sleep a day to function.:
:Rock me Mikey .: Drew loved to be rocked.
:Sing Sammy.: Annie let out a whimper.
:Annie, don't cry I'll sing to you.: Sammy softly sang an Arusian lullaby. (It's no wonder I get captured by Prince Stalker. I'm so wiped out these days that all of my defenses are down. I can't focus on anything, let alone anyone.)
(Tell me about it. I snoozed through my meeting with the GA bigwigs. All I remember is sitting down in Uncle Jeff's office at the base and then next thing I know I'm waking up on the couch in his office.) MK was barely keeping his eyes open.
(If this is Mom and Dad's means of reminding us about the repercussions of a serious relationship then message sooooo received!) Sam carefully set Annie back in her crib.
(No way in hell am I even close to being ready for any of this yet!) MK did the same with Drew and then the two of them vanished from the nursery.
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Eric and Andy smiled knowingly at each other, as they watched the scenes play out on the monitor screen in their bedroom.
"A little over a week and the two of them are still okay with early morning baby duty, while we at least in their eyes get to sleep." Andy snuggled closer to Eric.
"Yes, well, they aren't seasoned parents who instantly awaken if the twins so much as whimper." Eric kissed her on the top of her head.
"True, Lion, but MK and Sammy have rooms furthest away from the nursery, not to mention that their walls have been treated with sound dampening material, so the babies wouldn't disturb their sleep." Andy yawned sleepily.
"The babies mentally send for them with their minds and the twins can't just ignore a plea from their newborn siblings, so sleep be damned they go tend to their needs." Eric smirked.
"Well, this was Sam's first eyewitness of the birth of any of her siblings, making everything crystal clear in her mind, as well as forging that instant bond with Drew and Annie." Andy was nearly asleep.
"Max let her catch Annie, how much more real can it get than that." Eric chuckled. "MK passed out the second after Max announced that he could see Drew's head and then asked MK if he wanted to catch."
'Sam got a taste of what labor feels like, when she linked with me during one of my most painful contractions just minutes before Drew was born. I'd closed my eyes to focus for just a moment and it spooked her into thinking that I was exhausted, so she gave me a nice burst of energy.' Andy smiled in her sleep.
'No wonder she was so peeved at MK for wimping out like that.' Eric was highly amused. 'She kept going on about how you were enduring unfathomable pain by giving birth to they're siblings, so the least that he could do was catch Drew while I focused on you. She didn't so much as waver when it came to Max asking if she wanted to catch Annie and then looked over Ashley's shoulder as she and Tammy tended to them.'
'Poor, Daniel. He's lost. Sammy's skittish of him right now.' Andy couldn't help but giggled about that. 'Just touching or hugging him has her mind thinking about the joys of labor and then a kiss sends her running home to hide.'
'Yeah, life is good isn't it? He'll be lucky if he gets a chaste peck on the cheek at the end of the coronation/betrothal ceremony and if Arislan tries anything she'll cut it off. The dome is going to be on lockdown for the weekend, so even it he does succeed in his quest he'll not have her for long. I don't want any mishaps, so only a select few know the details of the plan.' He was sleeping easier knowing that his daughter was on the same page as he was when it came to her and Daniel.
"Lion that's mean. Daniel hasn't done anything to warrant your being exceedingly paranoid and now is not the time for her to be timid or gun-shy around him." Andy narrowed her eyes up at him. 'What more do you want him to do? He's already signed his promise to us in his own blood.'
'I don't need a twenty-one year-old's help protecting my eldest daughter. Arislan and his minions are walking into a well thought-out trap.' Eric grumbled turning on his side, so he could try to get some sleep.
"How exactly is the now empty shell of the Castle of Lions being turned into a trap for Arislan?" Andy turned on her side, so they were face-to-face, and frowned skeptically at him.
"We've turned the interior into a cage of sorts that's triggered by the DNA signature of any known at large enemies of ours. When triggered The Hades program goes on line and it's set to the master level." Eric spelled out his master plan.
"So we blow up our own castle? Eric, I know that it's frustrating as hell that the GA can't keep this younger generation of baddies caged for very long, but what if Sammy gets caught up in your rat trap? The likelihood is great that she'll most likely be their hostage, so how does that factor into your brilliant master plan?" Dromi locked eyes with his. 'Answer that very carefully or sleeping on the couch you will be.'
"Sam can handle that level…"
"Wrong. Depending when Prince Stalker makes his move, Sam could very well be in a Ball Gown. We may make pulling that off look effortless, but the gowns weigh in at twenty-five pounds easy when you add the layers that come before the gown itself. They're a bitch to fight in especially in heels and that's under normal circumstances. The Hades program will be a million fold that!" Andy couldn't believe how calm he was being about throwing their daughter to the dragon. Then it dawned on her that this was really the plan all along and it made her blood boil.
Eric pulled her into his arms to soothe away any of her fears. "Now, lioness, calm down…"
Andy sure as hell didn't wish to be soothed like one of her kids and she let him know it by kneeing him in the groin, sending him rolling off their bed onto the floor in pain. 'NO!! YOU LISTEN TO ME, ERIC ANTHONY LAWSON! OUR DAUGHTER IS NOT GOING TO BE USED AS WILLING BAIT FOR YOUR TRAP!! IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO HER I WILL PERSONALLY GELD YOU!!' She focused on what she was wearing and her nightgown changed to comfortable loungewear and then she stalked out of their bedroom.
'DAMN IT!! ANDROMEDA MARIE, GET BACK HERE IT'S GOING ON FOUR IN THE MORNING!!' Vaulting to his feet he pushed beyond the pain and stalked after her. 'It's Samantha's plan! She's worked on it down to all the different contingencies and outcomes!'
'No! I will not risk her lying in a hospital bed again for a month just to catch Arislan!!!' Dromi stalked downstairs to get to the other entrance to the lair.
Eric beat her to it. 'That's not gonna happen! We're more than ready for them this time! Trust me damn it! Nothing is gonna prevent this from happening! You know this and I know this, but I can do everything in my power to make her as safe as possible. If it comes down to it her time in Prince Stalker's hands will be brief!'
"I hate this, Eric! What if he uses a psi-collar on her? She'll be helpless and unable to fight back!" She burst into tears.
"I have my cosmic pocket with me always and can stash one hell of a mini arsenal in there. Trust me Momma. I'll be ready for any of their tricks. My earring is gonna have a tracer, as well as a means of communicating. E, Hal, Al, and Lola all have the ability to track my every move. So do Fangs, MK, the two of you…Do I need to go on?" Sam was relaxing on the comfy couch in the library with the cats lounging all around her.
"Trust us Mom. We've crossed all the T's and dotted all the I's. We're ready for that snake and his viper of a sister." MK walked in with his and Sam's snack of Strawberry Shortcake.
"Why aren't the two of you in bed?" Andy wasn't convinced. "Just so the two of you know, even the most full-poof plans have holes in them."
"We tended to the babies and then came down here for a snack. Giving the two of you what we thought was a few extra hours of sleep." MK sat down across from Sam in one of the overstuffed chairs. "But then you already know this, since you're both awake snarling at each other about Sam."
"Momma, what would ease your mind about all of this? I'm not big on the iron underwear thing. I can fashion something that will be basically the same thing, only easier to wear, and just as foolproof." Sam hated seeing her parents at odds with each other and wanted to help do something to ease the tension between them.
"That secret project you've got going with Lola is designing Virtue Protection underwear?" MK gaped at her in disbelief.
"I'm creating a fabric almost like silk in texture, but formed out of Zantium our most indestructible metal alloy. I was focusing on inventing new cyber armor. I developed several variations of material, all of which protect the wearer from being inflicted from any harm. My mind wandered to Cam mentioning chastity belts, so I decided to design a version of one with my own stamp on it of course. It's actually an invincible bikini, since Lola insisted on me designing a bra as well." Sam loved talking about her gadgets and brainstorms.
"See, sweetheart, she's gone above and beyond taking every precaution." Eric had Dromi cuddled on his lap in his favorite chair.
"Sammy, wearing something like that couldn't possibly be comfortable. It would ruin your birthday and that's not what I want for you on your special day." Dromi frowned. "You only turn sixteen once."
"Momma, I detest chafing in any way that was a key factor in my original design. I'll be fine." Sam assured her.
"The powers that be really played a brutal joke on the female race. Seriously, to have to go through everything that they do monthly, be the child bearer, and have to put up with creeps like Arislan. Hell, we got off easy." MK growled.
"Yes, well, it takes a superior race to insure that life will continue to flow as needed and we have our ways of paying you back for getting the easier job." Sammy smirked as she finished off her snack.
"Oh yeah, in spades," Eric winked at his love. "Now the two of you need to put on some sonic earplugs, crawl back into your beds, and sleep till noon. You are free until after the weekend." He focused on his two eldest children. It amazed him that they were turning sixteen in less than two days.
"You don't have to tell me twice. I'm all for some much needed R&R." MK yawned hugely then vanished.
"You've got that right." Sammy was only too happy to comply and she too vanished.
"Two down and the babies to go."
"Four in the morning right on the dot." Eric glanced at the time, as if on cue the wall monitor lit up; the babies were awake and hungry.
"These two are so much like MK and Sammy were as newborns." Andy smiled.
"Let's go tend to our youngest and then try to get some shuteye ourselves." Eric closed his eyes and focused and the two of them appeared in the nursery.
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(Later that afternoon)
"Lola, they seem ultra comfortable. The color exactly matches my gowns for the betrothal and for the Ball." Sammy stood in front of the wall mirror in the lair. "Let's go on to the next test. Activating the armor undies for comfort, fit, and to see how well I can fight in them if I have to."
"Mistress, you need to think of this attire as a bikini or part of your cyber armor." Lola suggested, as she triggered the chemical reaction by a remote sensor making the Zantium material hug Sam's body like a second layer of skin.
It looked as if an artist had painted it on her. She was wearing the boy-cut bottoms instead of ones similar to her bikini, it was clear that anything else would be pointless, not to mention banned by her Daddy. "Lola, my bikini isn't painted on my body." She turned around to view the back.
"Mistress, please focus on the purpose and less on the visual in front of you." Lola rolled her eyes at her. "Now how does the material feel? Any allergic reactions, discomfort, or lack of circulation?"
"Surprisingly no, not at all, it moves with me." Dani preformed a series of tumbling moves on the workout mat, before ending her test of movement with the splits.
"No pinching, constricting, irritations, or thermal reaction to the material?" Lola was scanning her every move and so far according to all of her readings this first testing of the armor was a flawless success.
"No to all the above, it's surprisingly cool against the skin, and feels ultra comfortable as if its not even there." Sammy was extremely pleased.
"Excellent mistress. I shall add your thoughts to all of our other research and create a full report of all our findings. You can show it to your father and the others along with the prototype bodysuit." Lola was beyond pleased.
"Easy girl, let's not jump ahead of ourselves. Yes, this first testing of the material is so far successful, but we haven't even tried out deactivation yet." Sammy, all be that ecstatic with the results, was still not completely satisfied yet.
"Yes of course, mistress…" She deactivated the armor that was once again at least to the naked eye a set of silk lingerie.
"Fantastic, now all that's left is for us to test activation and deactivation a dozen or so times and then focus on drawing up a final report of all our findings."
"As you wish, Mistress Sammy," Lola nodded.
"Excellent, our creation is a smashing success." She was so exceedingly thrilled that she danced around the lair, oblivious to the sound of footsteps descending the stone steps.
"Sam, you and I need to…" Daniel stopped halfway down the stone steps. It felt as if the very steps that he was standing on had fallen out from underneath him. His princess was dancing around like a nymph in nothing but her underwear. She wasn't working on the operating system for V2 like her parents had told him. Oh no, she was for all purposes dancing around sky clad, since the material looked as if someone had painted it on her body, and he thought her bikini was hell on his blood pressure not to mention his body.
"Don't look now, mistress, but I do believe you're giving Dream heart palpitations." Lola clued her in on their surprise visitor.
'Daniel! I thought you were on call all day at the Medical Center!' Sammy blushed crimson from the roots of her hair down to her toenails and dashed behind the safety of the antique dressing blind. She quickly slipped on and securely belted her kimono, before venturing out from behind the blind.
'Samantha, my schedule is clear, so I can spend quality time with you. I figure nine days of my grumbling about how you've been avoiding me like I've suddenly acquired some highly contagious cosmic plague was drawing on their last nerves. My focus is shot to hell and until I get it back I'm useless to them. Those were Uncle Max's words not mine. I've doused Blacky five times in the past week, so he's pissed off at me as well.' He remained standing on the steps, so as not to spook her into hiding from him again. "Nine canceled dates in a row is enough to drive any soul mate around the bend."
"I've been busy helping Momma with the babies." She took a seat in one of the high backed leather swivel chairs in front of the console. "Lola, let's go on to phase two."
'Yeah, right, Samantha Lynn. You're using that as an excuse to not spend time with me.' Daniel vanished from the step, only to reappear behind her chair a split second later. "I can't even so much as touch you without you scooting out of reach and kissing you sends you cowering home to mommy."
"Childbirth and the pain it entails spooked me all right." Sammy was spun around so she was facing him.
"Sammy, you and I have years to go before that ever becomes a reality for us. Look. I realize that linking with Aunt Dromi sent you into hiding, but you should have come and talked to me about it." Daniel pulled up the other chair and sat down in front of her.
"I'm a hopeless fraud who only acts tough and sure of herself around everyone." Sammy stared up into gentle Mediterranean-blue eyes and sighed miserably.
"Come here, babydoll. I'll always protect you." Daniel held open his arms and she flew into them.
"It's the if factors and could be's that give me nightmares. I mean, what if something horrid happens to you and that's how Arislan kidnaps me." She whimpered against his chest.
"Shh, angel, it's gonna be all right." Daniel crooned, as he soothingly stoked her hair. "So what's with this sudden urge to dance around nearly naked? Your Dad could come down here and check on you at any moment."
"It's what Lola and I invented to ease Momma's fears about this weekend." Sammy snuggled contently against his shoulder. Then another brilliant idea dawned on her. "Lola, we need to make some for any family members that would be high on Arislan's list of targets. We can have E, Hal, and Al scan for their measurements that way they'll feel more included." Sammy blinked sleepily at Lola's 4D image on the screen.
"Brilliant as always, mistress. Although just making Zantium underwear is more than enough protection for Dream and all the other Dream Hunks. I'll add the enhancements to the ones for the girls. No sense taking any risks. Now as for Gramps and my big brothers our project was females only, but its kind of you to give them all something to do. I shall personally go about gathering the girls' measurements by logging into Sel's computer." Lola loved a challenge and set about factoring in the details that she needed to complete this one successfully.
"So you were testing your latest brainstorm and were dancing because of your success in creating what exactly?" Daniel kissed the top of her head.
"MK calls it Virtue Protection Underwear, but it's more like second skin body armor. You see, Zantium when a certain chemical is activated is invincible, nor can the material be removed. I mean, that is unless Lola sends the deactivation code. Otherwise, it's just ultra comfy form fitting underwear." Sammy was nearly asleep in his arms.
"So what about when nature calls?" He asked curiously.
"When activated one would have to hold it. Not that it would be a problem, because it's only activated during highly dangerous situations. Like I said before they're just like any underwear, only this is made out of material made from Zantium. To be honest, Fangs... I really hadn't factored that in…" She turned in his arms blinking sleepily at him.
"Safety first comfort second, huh." Daniel placed feather soft kisses against her eyelids.
"Hmm…" Sammy yawned. "More like lack of proper sleep greatly affects ones ability to think. The one factor that I did focus on and the main reason Zantium was my key source for creating this material was Zantium's resilience to electricity. I want a countermeasure against that blasted psi-collar that seems to be a favorite device of our enemies."
"I would rather shoot him on sight, then have him get within ten feet of you." Daniel tucked her head under his chin and cuddled her closer.
"Hmm…" Sammy answered in her sleep.
'Nothing , angel mine, you just sleep.' Daniel carefully rolled the chair up to the console. "Lola, I'm gonna see if I can't get some work done on V2's operating systems."
"Sure Dream. Knock yourself out." Lola purred.
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MK stood on the catwalk looking down at the progress being made on the ships for V2. The exoskeletons were nearing completion, so the forms were beginning to take shape. "Uncle Mark's gonna be green with envy when it's done."
"Yeah, all he had were the guardian gladiator robots." Hunter smirked.
"Yeah, but even these aren't gonna be alive like our cats are. Magical or not they still lose out." Dylan grinned.
"Yes, Dylan. While it's true that V1 and V2 won't have living spirits in the heart of their operations systems. We've created two AI systems for both. Percy for V1. Hermes for V2." MK rolled his eyes at the two of them, when they glared daggers at him.
"What'd ya have ta go and do somethin like that for!" Dylan grumbled.
"Dylan's right, MK. Ya should've left them manual controlled robot ships." Hunter scowled.
"Look you two. Ours are still light-years ahead of the other two. So cool it. Besides, I didn't design the specs. Sam did. It's only fair that we give them some kind of edge in battle. Our family members are gonna be the ones flying in them." MK shook his head in exasperation at his cousins.
"Yeah, you're right. We're just grouchy, cuz Grandpa and Uncle Rand were our drill masters this morning." Hunter raked his fingers through his unruly blonde hair.
"Yeah, they were brutal." Dylan muttered darkly. "Why do we have ta be put through the wringer like the new teams anyway?"
"Count yourselves lucky that it wasn't Uncle Bruce. Now as for that other remark. Because, wise ass, we're the only Voltron Force in existence at the moment, and need to stay sharp and focused." MK wasn't in the mood to be whined or grumbled at. "Aren't the two of you late for patrol?"
"Tim and Charlie are up in Neo and Jetta. Besides, the dome is on lockdown now."
"Yeah, MK. Too much patrolling is overkill." Dylan nodded. "I mean, you and Daniel have all of this time off so why can't we?"
"Daniel is juggling two careers and Sam right now, as well as, just getting over a broken leg. I've been focusing on rebuilding the Palace, the team, V1 and V2, Sam, get saddled with baby diaper duty during the predawn hours, and that doesn't even include spending time with Allison." MK spoke in a quite, calm, and controlled manner. It was a sure sign that his temper was on slow boil. "You two slackers only have the team, the duties that pertain to that, and your girls. Somehow that seems to be not enough for the two of you. So after your patrols you will be reporting for some hard labor at the Palace building site until I deem otherwise. Oh and we'll add graveyard to the mix as well."
"What the Hell! That's beyond brutal MK!" Dylan and Hunter glowered at him.
"Sorry not listening. Now move your asses or you'll be lucky if you'll be able to move, let alone date, for the rest of the year." MK dared them to say another word. "It'll be two years, if Arislan and his crew manage to slip in under the radar, because you two slacked off! Sam's safety is priority one or are the two of you forgetting that!"
Before they could say anything a silver probe floated over and scanned the three of them. "My apologies, Master Michael, but Mistress Samantha has requested that Einstein, Hal, and myself take proper measurements of the high profile members of the family for a project that she's working on." Al's crisp English accent spoke to them through the probe scanner.
"So her project seems to have been successful and she's branching off to create what exactly?" MK wasn't so sure if he wished to be wearing armor underwear or not.
"What's she up to now?" Hunter frowned.
"Why'd she need that? Ain't it a girl thing?" Dylan eyed the probe wearily.
"You mean isn't that a girl thing, Master Dylan." Al corrected him. "Now as for your other inquiries…Lola and Mistress Samantha are being rather cryptic about their current undertakings. However, I believe that it has a great deal to do with protecting ones person from harm. Perhaps some new form of body armor or thereabouts." Al went on to answer them.
"Thanks, Al. Don't let us keep you from your mission." MK sighed in frustration. Now he'd have to humor Sam by wearing her latest creation.
The probe scanned the three of them in warm golden light. "Have a pleasant afternoon, boys." The probe floated off.
"Hunter Scott, hanging around the dry docks is not what I call flying Cora on patrol. Now move your ass." Keith growled from the shadows.
"Dylan Shey, that goes double for you." Rand echoed after him.
The two teens glared at MK.
"Hey, don't glare at me. I never once said I was alone." MK shrugged. "I was meeting Grandpa and Uncle Rand here long before the two of you showed up to whine at me."
"Being on V force isn't to impress the girls or bask in the glory. Its hard work, at times long hours, and a lot of sacrifice. The two of you are going to learn that from this very second." Jeff walked out of the shadows. "Boys, consider your free time history starting now."
"But what about this weekend…" Hunter snarled in protest.
"Canceled," Keith growled. "You'll be blending in with everyone, but there will be no dance, no party, and no fun. You'll be on duty during the festivities."
"Then every decree that MK just issued will be implemented, until I see fit to lift your sentence." Jeff narrowed his eyes at them.
"There will be no slacking off period." Rand dared them to speak.
"Yes, sir!" Hunter and Dylan stood at attention and saluted them. "Will that be all, Sir?"
"You will report at 01400 to my office, boys. We will discuss this in detail." Jeff dismissed them and the two of them vanished.
"How long have the three of you been listening?" MK arched a brow at them.
"Long enough. Sammy's been successful at creating what exactly?" Keith easily mirrored his expression.
"A father's dream set of lingerie." MK tried to keep a straight face, as the three of them gaped at him.
"Kid. Lingerie itself is enough to make any father wary." Rand frowned.
"Or give us nightmares. So why would we suddenly be okay with it now?" Jeff nodded.
"He means that Sam invented a modern less medieval version of what was once known as a chastity belt. Isn't that right, Michael?" Bruce appeared beside him.
MK jumped in surprise, something that very few people could do. "I hate it when you do that!" He glared at his Uncle. "Yeah, she's come up with Virtue Protection Underwear fashioned out of Zantium."
"Well, in that case then hell yeah we'd embrace something like that!" Keith, Rand, and Jeff were now all smiles.
"Lola was so proud of their triumph that I was given a glimpse of the specs for Sam's designs. She's designed cyber body armor out of the same material." Bruce grinned, clearly pleased that in over a millennia, he still hadn't lost his touch.
"Mom's beyond protective mode major when it comes to Sam. She and Dad went rounds about it just before dawn this morning. Sam and I were both up getting a snack after finishing with our predawn diaper duty. She eased Mom's fears by telling her all about her latest project. Dad's over the moon about her latest brainstorm." MK stifled a yawn. "Sorry, sleep has been virtually nonexistent these days, not that mom and dad care. They're enjoying it too much if you ask me. I'm not in any hurry to join the parenthood club and neither is Sam. Daniel is gonna be suffering forever now that Sam is spooked out of her mind."
"That's not necessarily true, MK. The two of them have come to an understanding. She's sleeping in his arms, while he's working on V2's operating system." Bruce corrected him.
"This weekend is gonna get dicey if everything goes down like the seers of our family foresee it." Rand frowned.
"Daniel is gonna be just as much of a target as Sam." MK growled.
"He's a force to be reckoned with. Adrian or Remus will find himself broken in two." Bruce had all the confidence is the world in his godson.
"Yeah, well, you should know you trained him." Keith growled softly. "As it is we'll be lucky if our wives don't murder us in our sleep."
"It's Sam's plan and we're holding all of the cards. Thanks to Uncle Cronos, Prince Stalker and his bitch sister are oblivious to the fact that he's no longer able to see anything past, present, or future. I've gone over it a million times in my head, seen all the possible scenarios… Sam gets captured. Danny is battling Remus. I'm busy with a new pain in the ass… It's not pretty, but we win." MK paced in front of them.
"MK, how long have you been having these Real Dreams?" Keith frowned at his grandson.
"Yeah, kid. How long?" Jeff echoed his brother.
"They aren't Real Dreams and since Sam was sent to the past. It's like I'm able to hone my mind and visualize scenarios and their outcomes. They don't drain me, so they're not Real Dreams, just a new way for me to brainstorm problems." MK rolled his eyes at them.
"Michael Keith, there are many ways of harnessing the ability to see what may be." Sel stepped out of the shadows.
"Let's go, young man. We need to have a chat." Cronos was with her.
MK gaped at his Aunt and Uncle in denial. "Oh no!!! No way in hell am I a Time Guardian like…" His panic attack opened a portal beneath his feet.
"Michael!" Keith made a grab for him, but the portal closed before he could take hold of his hand.
"Shit! What the hell is going on?!" Rand glowered at Sel and Cronos.
"MK is not a Galaxy Knight that isn't possible or is it?" Bruce arched a brow at them.
"Sel, MK didn't go to his Nana sulking about Sam being all powerful did he?" Jeff scowled.
"Jeff, one does not have to have a Senshi counterpart to be gifted with Galaxy Knight abilities. His father is a Galaxy Knight, his mother is a Senshi, and his twin sister is a Senshi as well." She corrected him.
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN HOW! I WANT TO KNOW WHERE MY GRANDSON IS AND I WANT TO KNOW YESTERDAY!" Keith lost it and was in full fang mode.
"Calm yourself, Keith Michael. Michael Keith is safe. Confused as hell, but safe at his domicile." Cronos finally spoke.
"Home is safe with his, so that is where his portal took him. Now excuse us while we reason with him." Sel and Cronos vanished.
"Gods, both of them?" Keith groaned.
"Eric is gonna have…"
"What?" Eric growled stepping out of the shadows. "What did my kids do now? Sam's, at home, but MK was supposed to be meeting all of you here. The triplets are in school, as is Starry, and my newborns are sleeping. Where is Michael Keith?"
"You, uh, just missed him." Rand shrugged.
"Dad, what's going on? Dromi sensed you going from panicking to off the scales furious, now start talking."
"MK has been hiding something from all of us and his secret has sent him into hiding." Jeff sucked it up and started with the explanations.
"MK never hides from anything, unless it's an official boring event. What was this secret?"
"Denial is more appropriate than secret…MK has evolved beyond Real Dreams to…" Bruce thought that needed correcting and tried his own shot at explaining to Eric.
"He was the power surge a few minutes ago?" Eric eyed them in disbelief. "Both of them are like…"
"Sel and Cronos. Oh and You and Dromi." The four men nodded.
"No wonder he fled in terror." Eric chuckled. "MK hates not being in control, but now was not the time for this to awaken within him." He raked his fingers through his hair in frustration.
"So far he's just managed to open a portal and had been using his seer abilities to brainstorm all of the possible outcomes for this weekend."
"He didn't realize that he was using untapped power until Sel and Cronos showed up."
"Then that sent him running back home to hide."
"He went where?! Crap! Dromi's napping." Eric vanished.
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MK's portal opened right above the exercise mat inside the lair. "No!!! I was happy the way it was!" He grumbled darkly.
Daniel gaped at him in shock. "Uh, MK, since when can you manipulate portals?"
"Big Brother's in denial." Sammy yawned from her place in Daniel's lap. "Daddy was too."
"I am not, Sammy Lynn! Dad is mom's Galaxy Knight, as Danny is yours! Alley is not a Senshi therefore I am not like Dad!" MK's snarls echoed off the wall of the lair.
"That's not how it works. You either are or you aren't." Sammy rolled her eyes at him.
"Well, I am not a frickin Knight! Time-Guardian or whatever the hell Aunt Sel and Uncle Cronos think I am!" MK's body glowed with energy and the symbol of Black Lion blazed on his forehead.
'Danny, throw up a shield around this area. We've got to protect poor Hal.' Sam instinctively transformed into Neo Arus. "Lola, activate my armor."
'Holy shit! He's gonna trash your parent's lair!' Daniel, in Galaxy Knight armor, had already placed a barrier between them and MK. "Uh, buddy, you need to channel it in before they ground you for eternity for trashing the lair!"
Energy arched off him in electrical sparks. "Oh, Shit! How the hell am I doing this!?" MK eyed his hands and the electrical energy sparking off them.
(Let me in, Big brother, before you EMP the place!) Sammy linked with her brother gasping at the power backlash that followed. "Oh goddess, is this gonna hurt, but it needs to be done." She left Daniel's arms to go help her frazzled twin.
'Samantha, get back here!' Daniel hissed, it was taking all he had keeping the AI's safe behind his shield. "God Damnit, Michael Keith! Focus your mind before someone gets fried!"
"Sam…help me!" MK locked eyes with his twin.
"I'm here, Mikey. Just remember your training, focus on calming your mind." Sam reached out and grabbed hold of his hand.
The power was off the charts, but she focused on channeling it through her and her armor was protecting her from being fried by the electrical charge. She was able to safely ground him enough to defuse his power spike safely. "Mikey, harness that energy m rein it in, and you'll be fine…" Sam had never tried her empathic abilities before and it had taken its toll on her body.
"Sam?" MK caught her in his arms. (Sammy, what did you do?!)
She was barely conscious in his arms and her nose was bleeding heavily. (No big…you needed me…I kinda like having to Galaxy Knights watching my back…) She answered weakly.
Daniel dashed over to the mat. "Shit! Are you happy now, Michael Keith! Your toddler tantrum and inability to control it hurt my Sammy! She used empathy, you dumbass! She isn't trained to do that yet!!" He wanted to strangle his best friend.
"I didn't…"
"Shut it, Michael!" Daniel gathered her in his arms, opened a portal, and left him there.
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Portals opened all over the lair.
"Michael?! What's going on?! Where are Daniel and Samantha?!" Dromi raced down the stone steps and over to her son.
"MK, was the tantrum worth it?" Cronos scowled down at him.
"What the hell is going on now?" Alan glared at his Aunt and the King of the Gods.
Michael had buried his face in his hands to hide that he was crying. He had seriously harmed his twin because he had no control over this part of him. "I screwed major, alright! I was out of control and Sam…" He broke down completely.
"Holy Hell! She didn't!" Alan swore ripely under his breath. "That was you!?"
"What did she do?! Why's he crying?! What does that have to do with, unless MK's like…?" Andy eyed her son and then the others.
"Michael is a Galaxy Knight, as well as a Time-Guardian. His power is energy…electrical energy…" Sel calmly explained.
"Oh goddess, tell me she didn't…" Andy knelt down beside her son.
"I'm sorry, Mom." MK was crying even harder now.
"Dromi!" Eric took in the sight of his son crying, his wife scared out of her mind about Sam, Alan swearing, an amazingly calm Sel and Cronos and raced down the stairs to his wife. "Talk now!"
"I told you it was major, but no you ignored both of us!" Tim and Hunter snarled at Charlie as they stalked out of a portal.
"Renny took off screaming that Sam was in trouble! Then you and Hunter left Dylan on watch, because E suddenly found himself sharing space with Hal!" Charlie snarled back at them before focusing on MK. "Hell Bells! That power spike was you?! No wonder everyone is going mental!"
"Sam linked with me…I couldn't power down and now she's visiting our Great-grandparents again…" MK passed out in his mother's arms.
"Michael?!" Andy and Eric cried out in panic.
Alan took out his med-scanner to check over MK. "Damn it, he's still linked with Sam and since his awakening was beyond extreme its put his entire system into chaos. The twins might be spending the weekend in the Medical center recuperating instead of celebrating at their birthday bash." He motioned for Eric to pick up MK. "The sooner we get him stabilized the better I'll feel."
"We'll watch the twins. You go with Alan." Tim reassured his frantic Aunt and Uncle.
"There's formula if they get hungry…"
"We're pros at this and we'll keep an eye on the triplets and Starry when they get home from school." Charlie echoed Tim's reassurance.
"Yeah, we'll be fine. You go focus on MK and Sam." Hunter nodded.
"Thanks you three. We'll keep you informed." They left via Alan's portal.
"The two of us will go see to Sam." Cronos and Sel vanished.
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Astral Plain
"What was I suppose to do, Uncle James? Let MK nuke our parent's lair, nullifying Hal, Rora, and compromising our planets security?" Sammy paced in front of her Uncle and great-grandparents.
"Sam, no one is saying that what you did was wrong." Queen Jessica said soothingly.
"Risking ones self for the good of others is a fine quality in any crowned princess." Alfor agreed.
"Gramps, calling for assistance and not taking on every situation on ones one is also a fine leadership quality and one Sam has yet to learn." Jamie pinned her with a look.
"If I had then the lair, its contents, Danny, Mikey, and me would have been electrocuted and EMP'D by now! Not to mention the main part of the house!" Sammy glared at her Uncle.
"Enough, with trying to assign blame where none is needed!" Helios ended that argument.
"James is remembering the times when your mother frequently visited us here. It's got him believing that you will be following the same path." Shantasia thought out both sides of the situation.
"No offense to any of you, but this place gives me the creeps." Sammy shivered wrapping her arms around herself. "I don't intentionally visit here, it just happens." She sat down beside her Great-Nana, who immediately pulled her into her arms.
"Samantha, portals work both ways. The simplest solution is often better than the complex one." Cronos lectured softly.
"Mikey had awoken me from my nap and as I've been running on zero sleep these days for obvious reasons, logic was the furthest thing from my mind." Sam hated being wrong about anything and to have your missteps shoved in ones face was the worst.
"Learning and growing from ones mistakes is one of life's key lessons." Cronos frowned. "Admitting ones mistakes is keys as well."
"Yeah, but I don't have to like it…" Sam felt like strangling her brother, who appeared in front of her. "Message received now gang up on him."
"Ah man! Mom and Dad are gonna freak!" MK groaned.
"Both of you?!" Jamie felt like pulling his hair out.
"Never mind that, James Alexander! Focus on the twins!"
"No! Focus on hothead here! I'm all lectured out, thank you very much!" Sam glowered at her Uncle. "He's the reason we're here in the first place!"
"Now Sam, there's no use assigning blame. Michael Keith couldn't help it that his mind couldn't accept the honor bestowed upon him." Shantasia countered. "You've always wanted what was given to you. Michael was content with the skills he'd finally mastered and wasn't ready for the next stage in his awakening."
"Granted, compared to me he's always been lacking power wise, but his tantrum was not warranted." Sam couldn't help but rib him on that point. Mr Perfect was far from perfection and it was amusing to see him face that realization head-on.
"Samantha, be nice." Cronos warned. "Your brother's goals and your own forged each of your separate paths."
"Excuse me! Lagging behind, my ass!" MK glowered down at her. "The Captaincy means something to me! Feeling dad's shoes is an honor! I was fine with never being a Galactic Knight/Time-Guardian! Unlike you, who is never satisfied, until she can do everything! And where did that find you, huh, Sammy!? Shot! Blinded and lying in a coma for days even weeks at a time!"
"You pompous bastard! You dare insinuate that I wanted to get shot, live through and endless Real Dream and the nightmares that followed after! That I reveled in seeing our family members snuffed out like that!" She was so furious with him that her whole astral body was radiating with blinding white hot energy.
"Maybe not about the Mega Real Dream, but on everything else hell yeah!" MK wasn't near ready to back down and mirrored his sister's power. "If the shoe fits Little Miss Trouble Magnet!"
"I am not!"
"Yeah, right, Samantha! You have to take on everything yourself! The hell with teamwork or calling for help using your panic button or gods forbid via your limitless mind! No you created, with Nana Sere's help, an alter ego like Shade!" MK vented all of his pent up frustrations and fury at her.
"Everyone was off on a male bonding expedition…" Sammy muttered in her defense.
"Bull shit, Samantha! The Justice League was looking after Gotham! You were just pissed that someone actually caught you off guard and wanted payback! Their footage of you skulking about as 'trinity' proves that and the only reason they let you is because Laurel, Dani, and Cal were shadowing your ever move!" MK sliced through that line of defense.
"That is enough out of both of you! Snarling at each other isn't going to help matters any! Sam's the image of her mother! Where as MK's the mirror image of Keith, he is also as stubborn as his father in so many ways! Neither of you can help who and what you are!" Lilly appeared before them in all her angelic ethereal glory.
An unpleased Az was standing beside her.
"Uncle Az…Aunt Lilly…um…" Sam gulped nervously. "Nice wings…"
"There is no shame in having ones sister come to ones aid." Az growled softly, his ice blue eyes narrowed at MK. "Nor is there lack of courage when one is in need of assistance during critical situations." Sam was the next to feel his icy cool stare.
"Yeah, yeah, we know…" MK and Sam felt three again.
"Apologize to each other and then we shall see about sending you both on your way." Az ordered in his trademark deadly soft voice.
"I'm sorry, Sammy. I just worry that your rash actions are gonna get you killed." MK hugged her fiercely.
"I'm sorry too, Mikey. I feel the same way about your stubborn streak..." Sam hugged him back. "You're rash too you know."
"Yeah, we're both pains sometimes," MK smirked as he brushed away the tears on her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.
"Yeah, we are, but at least we love each other." Sam managed a weak smile. "I can help you with your stubbornness if you'd like and with your new gifts…"
"Deal. I'll help you rein in your impulsive side." MK grinned.
"Gods, we're a pair aren't we." Sam cuddled against his shoulder.
"Yeah, but we're an unbeatable team." MK rested his chin on her head and the two of them vanished.
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Andy and Eric's sanctuary
Hunter figuring that the arrival of Renny meant that she could handle watching the twins so he had left her and Charlie to watch the newborns while he had gone to the Medical Center to check on MK and Sam's conditions. That and he had been called back on watch with Dylan by Jeff.
That had been hours ago and the two of them were ready to pull their hair out.
Charlie winced in pain as Drew's howls continued to up in decibels. Both of the newborns were still howling for their parents and nothing that he and Renny had tried was working. The pacing the floor, the rock, hell even the patented walk and sway methods hadn't worked on them.
Tim was downstairs fixing dinner, while trying to keep DJ in his sight at all times. The girls were being looked after by hanging out at 'Arus Central' Rohan and Allana's palace. The current residence of a great deal of the family, so they were taken care of.
The cats were, well, two of them anyway, were amused with watching the two of them desperately trying to soothe the newborns.
Pandora was worriedly pacing downstairs with Isis over Sam and MK.
Pacing alongside them was Luna and Artemis's youngest kitten Merlin. His snow white fur and piercing blue eyes made him the image of their father. He was a surprise birthday present for MK.
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Unbeknownst to all of them was that Raye and Serenity were patiently waiting down in the lair for one of them to buckle under.
"Renny's resorting to using her crystal to try and soothe Annie." Sere grinned at Raye.
"Charlie looks desperate." Raye smirked.
"They both are. Tim's got a tracker on DJ, so he's covered all this bases. DJ could easily calm them, but he's steamed about having a sitter as devious and intelligent as he is." Sere absently stroked Luna's fur.
Luna closed her eyes in bliss. "The two of them are learning a valuable lesson not unlike the one you and Darien did while watching over that little boy during your more volatile years of your courtship."
"He wasn't a newborn and it brought the two of us closer." Sere smiled fondly.
"Charlie and Renny have both done their share of baby nurturing, but they've only braved watching their own siblings and cousins. Neither of them ever dared taking on watching any of Dromi and Eric's kids or when they did Sam and MK were doing all the work tending to them." Sel joined the two of them.
"Well?" Sere pinned her with a worried look, her thoughts once again focused on her two eldest grandkids.
"Give them both time to recharge. All will be well that I promise you." She smiled at her.
"We're they?" Raye wasn't convinced.
"Yes Raye, they were visiting their Great-grandparents, but merely as a means of neutral ground."
"Neutral ground. The Astral Plain is a stepping stone to crossing over, not a sparring field." Sere couldn't believe her ears.
"Perhaps for a mortal, but MK and Sam are eternal souls and are quite safe, even a stepping stone away from the 'Veil of Silence'."
"Taking a flight with ones astral form is one thing, but seeking neutral territory on the Astral Plain is beyond extreme." Raye narrowed her eyes in disapproval.
"What matters is that the two of them are going to be fine." Sel ignored their glares and focused on the main screen. Tim was teaching DJ some culinary skills, while the other two were sinking fast with the newborns. "They're too stubborn to admit defeat and the babies need not be miserable as well as their older siblings."
"Fine Selena, we will go rescue the kids, but we're still not going to talk with MK and Sam." Sere growled.
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Renny glared at Charlie. "This is getting us nowhere. I'm calling for Momma and Aunt Raye."
"They want Uncle Eric and Aunt Dromi, besides calling for help is like admitting that we're hopeless at this." Charlie never liked to fail at anything.
"Your ego is not worth these two being sick with colic all night. I'm calling them…" She nearly jumped out of her skin when their mother breezed into the nursery. "Momma…"
"There is nothing wrong with asking for help when everything you've tried isn't working." Sere took Annie out of her arms and cuddled her against her shoulder.
"These two felt what happened to their siblings and also feel their parent's reaction to Michael and Sammy's current conditions." Raye now had Drew cuddled against her shoulder.
Charlie watched in amazement as the twins finally settled off to sleep in their arms. "Watching Rachel was never this much work. She adored me…" He brooded.
"She's your sister, of course she adored you." Renny was just relieved that the babies were content for now. "Well, one things for sure. It'll be years yet before I even think of tackling motherhood."
"Sweetie, the two of you did nothing wrong. Babies, especially newborns as special as these two, don't understand feelings like fear quite yet. They need to feel safe and nurtured by the ones caring for them." Sere tried to defuse their frazzled emotions.
"Babies have a sixth sense when it comes to those caring for the, Sere and I are mothers, experts on how to soothe and hold them. Where as the two of you are years away from being parents and aren't giving off the soothing energy that these two needed to appease their fears." Raye soothingly rocked Drew back to sleep.
"Yeah, well, it's hard to do that when your best friends are most likely visiting their Great-Grandparents on the Astral Plain." Charlie felt caged in the nursery and desperately needed some air. Their mothers were looking at him with knowing eyes and Renny had this bemused look in her eyes. "You've, uh, got this covered. I'm gonna go check what's up downstairs." He bolted from the nursery for some much needed space.
"Seriously, Momma. You too Aunt Raye." Renny tried her best not to burst our laughing and wake the babies, but amused mirth danced in her magenta eyes. "You didn't have to terrify him like that…"
"He'll be fine, sweetie…" Sere smothered her own giggles.
"Poor baby and he was trying to be so strong too…" Raye smirked.
"Yeah, until you two kept putting us in the category of parents." Renny rolled her eyes. "Yes we love each other, but we are no where near ready to be parents. So Daddy has nothing to be so paranoid about."
"Just humor him, sweetie." Sere smiled serenely.
"Like I have a choice." Renny left them to tend to the twins.
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Next Chapter 37
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Cin ©1999-2009
Disclaimer: I in no way own any of the original characters in this story and Voltron is the property of World Events Productions, ltd. The new characters on the other hand are mine and under no circumstances are they to be used period. That means the plot, the storyline, all of the original ideas, the heartlink, twin link, etc....All of that is not to be reproduced in any other fanfiction or in any attempts to re-write my story using my characters. Don't even ask unless you are the creators of the series and like my ideas and wish to pay me for the use of them... My stories are my babies...
©Sailor Moon 1992 Takeuchi Naoko and Kodansha. Also belongs to Bandai, Disney, Toei Animation, ©DIC 1997, Rino records, for the songs, and all others associated with rights. I am not trying to take credit for Sailor Moon or make any money. The Power Rangers and DC characters belong to their various companies, but I just like including unique situations in my story...