A/N:Due to the site updates, I almost didn't get the last chapter posted and it wouldn't let me edit the chapter first, so if I have any major mistakes please let me know. (I'm slightly dyslexic and I don't have a beta so I'm sorry if there are mistakes.) But it looks like the site's getting itself figured out, so hopefully we won't have that problem in the future. :)

Thanks for the reviews, I love hearing what you guys think.

I hope school is going well for everyone. I looked at the calendar and if I keep posting on odd dates, it looks like this story will be complete by October 17.


CHAPTER 51-Reading Between the Lines

Riley refused to speak to anyone the entire trip home. She even refused to let Quatre comfort her. Zach came back to talk to her and she locked herself in the shuttle bathroom until they landed. Heero wasn't sure yet how to explain everything they'd heard so he simply said he didn't want to discuss it until Riley was ready to handle it.

She was silent in the car, listening to Duo's angry mutters. As soon as they pulled up to the mansion, Riley looked at Duo. "If you don't like me coming to get you, quit getting caught," she snapped.

She got out of the car before he could respond and went straight to her room. She locked herself in and refused to answer her friends when they knocked.

She wasn't pouting or wallowing in misery. She'd pulled herself together enough to realize she had something to do and she needed to do it herself. No interference, no interruptions, no distractions. She pulled out her computer bag and emptied the contents. Grabbing a pair of scissors, she slashed open a seam in the shoulder strap and removed the padding. Hidden in the padding was a small green flash drive.

She put the drive into her computer and opened the files one by one, reading them thoroughly.


Duo stationed himself in the hallway outside Riley's room. She had refused to answer his knocks, so he had decided to wait her out. Heero had refused to say what was wrong with her, which annoyed Duo to no end. When she'd refused Quatre's comfort, though, that was what worried Duo the most. She'd been distraught when she'd broken it off with him, so it made no sense for her not to want his comfort when she was so upset now.

He'd sat outside her door for three hours and was contemplating picking the lock when she came out. She'd changed into jeans and a t-shirt, pulled her hair up again and removed all signs of makeup. She had her laptop and the green flash drive. Duo jumped to his feet.

She cut off what he was about to say by saying quietly, "Will you please ask Heero, Trowa, Quatre, Wufei and Sally to join us in the kitchen? We need to talk."

"Do you want the boys, too?"

She hesitated. "Get Zach, but not the others."

She turned abruptly and headed to the kitchen. She turned on her laptop as she waited.

Once everyone was assembled she held up the green flash drive. "This is what Okon is after. It's all of my father's research. I've spent the last three hours reading it." She plugged it in and opened a file. "Most of this was sent to Professor G in the emails that Trowa and Heero found not long after our arrival here. But this wasn't. I don't think these messages were sent to Professor G the same way the others were."

She turned the laptop so the others could read the file.

'G-
I have created a way to undo the serum's effects. The materials are not easy to attain and by my reckoning, may be completely unavailable in the future. I have injected my son with the antigen as studies show that the mice retain it indefinitely and over time continue to create an unending supply. If my research shows the serum to be dangerous, I can reverse the effects in my daughter by injecting her with blood from her twin. It is interesting to see white mice with purple eyes. The mutation may make them popular among pet owners if nothing else comes of all this.'

'G-
The organisms have changed my daughter's blood type. The antigen will no longer be transferrable through simple means. There are other negative effects, far more dangerous than I could have imagined possible. In order to prevent this information falling into the wrong hands, I have made it available only through your ability to read between the lines. If this information was to be used for nefarious purposes, the repercussions on the human race would be irreversible. I should never have done this.'

The blood drained from Duo's face. He'd been injected, too? With what? Riley was watching his reaction closely and he confirmed her suspicion that he hadn't known either.

"How could it have changed your blood type?" Duo asked.

"Blood type is determined by the antigens in your red blood cells. A type has A antigens, B has B antigens, AB has both A and B antigens and O type has none of the antigens," Sally explained.

"What's your blood type, Riley?" he asked her.

"O."

"So it sounds like the serum removed the antigens from your cells. Do you know what your type was before?" Sally asked.

She shook her head. "But Dad's message says that Duo and I had the same type before mine changed."

Sally took in the information, glad that she'd been included in this conversation. As their doctor, it was important for her to know.

"What negative repercussions is he talking about?" Wufei asked.

"I don't know for sure, I only know what Dr. Okon said. I couldn't find it in his notes anywhere. It says here that Professor G would be able to read between the lines but—" She broke off as an idea popped into her head. "Wait a second." She grabbed the computer and opened the document under an art application. Heero was watching over her shoulder. She was talking to herself as she fiddled with the settings. "His research is double spaced. What if…YES!"

Heero's eyes widened as she inverted the color on the document and the original message disappeared, but another set of words appeared. Dr. Logan had written the original message and then placed the second message in the spacing between, changing the font color to white so it wouldn't be immediately noticeable.

Riley was scanning the new information and Heero was reading it over her shoulder. Her expression darkened and she looked up at him. "Okon was right." Heero could only nod in return. This was bad. Riley turned the computer to let the others read it for themselves. She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud just yet.

Six pairs of eyes widened as they read what was in Dr. Logan's notes. The hidden notes detailed his studies on mice and the reproductive issues encountered.

When they were finished reading it, Riley explained quietly, "Dr. Okon said she wants the serum so she can control everyone. She plans to sell the serum, most likely touting it as a medical miracle and then charge an arm and a leg for the antidote. She said…she said that she will be the only one to decide who will be allowed to have children."

"She can't do that!" Sally was madder than anyone had ever seen her.

"She's trying to. But we heard her say that her information is incomplete. She doesn't have the exact formula for the serum."

"So we destroy all of this and she can't have it," Duo said, indicating the green flash drive.

"It isn't that simple. One drop of my blood and they can reverse engineer it for themselves. The only way for it to be completely destroyed is for me to get the antidote—from you."

"NO! It's too dangerous."

Riley sighed. "Duo, it's the only way."

"We'll find another way. You can go into hiding or something, but I won't risk losing you. My blood will kill you. Do you understand that?"

"Of course I understand it. Consider this: if they get their hands on my blood they'll eradicate the entire human race. All it would take is a drop. Hell, if they realized that Grandin stuck me with a needle, they could probably use that." Riley rubbed her temples as realization set in for everyone. "Sally, is there any way you can think of that this would work?"

"There might be a way. But it takes equipment we don't have available to us right now. And it may take more time than we have."

"Why do you say that?"

Wufei looked at her. "While you were occupied this afternoon, we received a message from Colonel Une. Dr. Okon has issued a bounty for you."

A bounty? Riley gasped. "What?"

"One of the Preventer's undercover operatives reported it. Apparently Okon wants you brought in and she doesn't care who brings you."

"So what's the plan?"

"We take the fight to them. We'll begin preparations first thing in the morning," Heero said.

Riley nodded and got up from the table. "Fine." Nobody tried to stop her as she went up to her room.

Duo was rereading the hidden notes. "So she could have just told us all this. I don't get why she was so upset on the shuttle."

Sally smacked him upside the head. "You wouldn't." She stormed off.

Quatre shook his head. "Duo…it's not that hard to get."

Trowa rounded on Duo. "Do you have any idea how worried she was about you?"

Duo knew he was in trouble if Trowa was yelling at him. He shook his head.

"As soon as we lost contact with you she called Hilde to make sure she was safe."

"She called Hilde?"

"Yeah and she'll be here in the morning. Riley wanted to make sure Hilde was safe and when we still hadn't heard from you, she insisted we go after you."

"YOU were supposed to keep her HERE where she would be SAFE!" Duo was yelling by the end of the sentence.

Trowa took a step back and said quietly, "She threatened to go alone. Do you really think I'd let her do that?"

Duo dropped back to his chair. "No."

"She thought it out completely. She even insisted that the boys stay here to guard Jocelyn on the off chance they came after her, too."

Duo grunted. "I still don't get why she didn't just…say something on the shuttle."

"She was in shock, Duo, and in case you didn't notice, she wasn't doing very well at keeping it together," Zach said quietly.

Duo looked at him. "Why was it such a big deal?"

Zach hesitated for a second, but knew that Duo would need it laid out. "Did Riley ever tell you what her job was before coming here? What she did in her spare time? No? She helped to run an afterschool program during the week, keeping kids off the streets until their parents got home. On the weekends she coached soccer at the YMCA and was part of the Big Sister program."

"What's that?"

"It's a program that pairs up a kid with an older teen or an adult so they have a positive role model. Usually the kids come from the bad side of town or are at risk to join gangs and do drugs." Zach took a breath and exhaled. "Riley has always wanted kids and she's just had that taken away from her in the worst possible way. Even with her outburst in the shuttle, I'd bet she's far more upset than she's letting on."

"I'd be willing to bet that's why Sally was so upset, too. Some women take having children very seriously. It's like a rite of passage for some of them, at least it was for some of my sisters," Quatre said quietly.

Heero swore. "So what you're saying is that this confrontation with Dr. Okon just became very personal for Riley, which will either make her very dangerous or very reckless. Either way we'll need to watch her when we make our move."


Riley was curled up on her bed. She heard the door open and close, but didn't want to turn around. She felt the bed dip as someone laid beside her and put his arms around her.

Quatre. She knew he would come to check on her, just as he always did, even when she felt like she didn't really deserve for him to.

He didn't say anything, just held her for a minute. "Are you alright?" he murmured. She'd pushed him away on the shuttle, but he wasn't going to hold it against her. He wanted her to know that he understood how upset she'd been earlier and he wasn't upset with her for it. She'd had every right to be upset, especially finding out what she did the way that she did.

She turned to face him and he took in her tear streaked face as she wrapped her arms tightly around him, he winced but didn't let her see. The painkillers Sally had given him had started to take effect and his ribs didn't hurt as much as they did before. "I've never considered myself a weapon of mass destruction before," she said quietly.

His arms tightened around her as she buried her face into his chest. "I know. It's something we've all had to come to grips with and it isn't easy. But at least we always had a choice."

"I don't want to go into hiding. But I can't let them use me, either."

"I'm sure Duo will come around when he realizes it's what you want." Quatre didn't want her to take any unnecessary risks, either, but if she wanted to take the chance, he had decided he would support her decision, regardless of the cost.

"If it was just about me, I wouldn't care. I can always adopt or something. But…I can't condemn the whole human race."

Quatre put his hand under her chin and lifted her face. He kissed her softly. "I know. But no matter what happens I want you to do one thing."

"What?"

"Marry me."

"I can't."

"Why not?" The conversation was redundant, but he was determined not to take 'No' for an answer this time.

She lowered her eyes. "You need an heir and…you saw the research. I can't..." He could feel her shaking as she tried to keep from sobbing.

He rubbed her back in soothing circles. "There are ways around it. You don't really think my mother gave birth to 30 children naturally, do you?"

"I guess I never really thought about it."

"My parents had us all by using test tubes. If they did it, we can. Now will you marry me?"

Riley's breath caught and she buried her head into his chest again. "Oh, Quatre, I want to but…but we've been over this. What if I don't get the choice to stay? I don't want to say yes today and find out later that it can't happen."

He lifted her face again. Looking into her eyes he said, "I've told you before I would find a way to come after you. I will do whatever it takes for us to be together." He waited a second before adding, "If you want me to beg, I will."

Searching his eyes, she found the fierceness of his conviction. Riley allowed herself to smile. "How can I say no to that? Yes, Quatre, I will marry you, no matter what happens." Quatre's heart swelled in his chest. He leaned in and kissed her again.