Many many thanks to those of you kind enough to review! I love reading your comments, Thank you! Now on to learning more about the people and events that made Julia into who she is! This is a very large piece of the puzzle that I've broken into several chapters.- Wild

Learning to Play the Game

January 3rd, 2000

Safe House- Undisclosed Location, Russia

Nyah is looking at me with quiet frustration again as we settle in for the evening getting ready to sleep but I can't let this go.

"Markov told me he thinks the FSB took Cassiopeia back to Russia and I believe him." I insist quietly fluffing up my pillow with my fists and then turning on my side to face her.

"Jules..." She sighs staring at the ceiling in our dingy little abode that I won't give up on this. "It's been six months. We've followed every lead and every wild goose chase and the result is always the same. She's gone. You have to let her go."

"She's not dead, Nyah. I know it. I feel it. I've felt it all along. I just doubted it. There is no way to explain it. It's just… when my mom died, I felt it. Right away. It was a disconnect. The same with my grandmother and grandfather." There is no way to explain this to someone who hasn't lost family members close to them.

"But they were your family." She argues quietly. I know she thinks I'm crazy with grief that I refuse to accept this reality. Especially when, even The Council has declared her deceased and accepted the evidence provided as legitimate, yet I won't.

"And Cassiopeia's mine." I argue back. "Even if she doesn't want to be. I know she's alive. I just feel it and I think I know exactly where she is."

"Where?" She asks with a deep sigh rolling over to look at me.

"Fire Island." I whisper knowing this will shock her.

"You can't be serious?" Her eyes widen.

Fire Island holds one of Russia's most notorious prisons. Pyatak. A Maximum Security Prison 400 kilometers north of Moscow near the Arctic Circle. Only the most heinous murders were sent there to be executed or serve out life sentences in solitary confinement. The prison was in the middle of a lake.

"Russia's version of Alcatraz. No one has ever escaped from there, Jules!" Nyah reminds me in a whispered shout seeing that I'm even entertaining the idea of looking for Cassiopeia there.

"She's not escaping. We are breaking her out." I smile at her optimistically with hope in my heart. Everything inside of me is telling me this is it. This is where I'll finally find her. All the other dead ends have led me here for a reason. She's there. I know it.

"What if she's not there? What if you're wrong? Again? What if you're caught? Jules, we can't keep doing this." She shakes her head sadly and with frustration.

"What if I'm right?" I'm frustrated with her lack of enthusiasm on a new lead. "Nyah, I can't leave her there. No matter what our past is with her, she's my sister. Even if she will never acknowledge that fact, I will never forget it. I need to do this."

"What if we just tell Ares? Apollo? Or Jupiter? Let them organize a rescue mission?" She's trying to be logical and I know it's because she's honestly worried about my mental health at this point in my refusal to accept Cassiopeia is gone.

"And if I'm wrong? I can't get Ares hopes up like that." I shake my head. "Besides, if they're caught they'll be killed for treason. As Cassiopeia is so fond of saying, I'm the exception. No matter what happens, they won't kill me. I at least know that."

"I'm not afforded that same protection, unfortunately." She grumbles sleepily.

Nyah's right. She isn't afforded the same protection and I can see her point of view in taking on an endeavor this risky. "I'll understand if you don't want to go with me. Maybe it's best you don't."

"I'll help you. I just can't believe you're doing this. You were nearly tortured to death for her, Jules, and now you're risking your life again to break into a Russian prison and rescue her. What has she ever done to deserve such loyalty from you?"

"She's always there for me, Nyah. Good or bad, all my life…she's the one person who is always there." I try to explain quietly. "She refused to leave me behind in Baghdad. I won't leave her behind to rot in a prison cell."

"If she's still alive." Nyah counters skeptically.

"She is. I know it and I'm going to find her."

January 7th, 2000

Fire Island, Russia

"General?" I approach the huddle ball of naked flesh cautiously in the corner of the darkened cell. My light bounces off bruised and battered skin and my stomach rolls not only from the smells of horror and neglect in this room but the sight of her spine jutting out of her back and every single bone in her body as I approach. I know it's her. The pink scars of previous torture wrapping her rib cage are instantly recognizable even if the rest of her isn't at the moment. Tiny bristles of hair cover her battered head where her once long and gorgeous golden locks have been shaved away. Her hands are shaking, curled protectively around her head facing away from me into the corner. I kneel down with hand hovering, afraid to touch her. She is cowering like a wounded animal and flinches with each footstep. "General?" I try again and she doesn't answer. "Cassiopeia…" My hand makes contact with her shoulder and she finally rolls to look at me. My heart nearly leaps with joy when her unmistakable blue eyes shun the light and I quickly move it away. She's alive.

"It's me. It's Julia." I whisper trying not to scare her. Her eyes try to focus on my face. "We have to go. Right now. Can you stand?"

"Julia?" She repeats tentatively and reaches out to touch my face. "Julia?"

"Yes. It's me." I cup her hand against my cheek and give her a small smile. She doesn't seem to believe this is real and I can only imagine what kind of hell she's endured to be in this condition and questioning her own sanity. "We have to go. Can you stand?"

"I don't think so." She admits defeated for the first time to me in her life.

I'd feared this outcome but also came prepared. Quickly, I reach into my pocket and remove a long syringe filled with adrenaline, biting off the cap and spitting it to the side. "This is going to hurt." I apologize in advance and she nods, clenching her teeth. Without hesitating, I jam the needle into her chest, directly into her heart and push the plunger. She gasps for breath sitting up right and reaches for my extended hand. Gingerly but quickly I help her to her feet. She's still too weak to even stand on her own but at least upright and I swoop her up into my arms and down the hallway. She is so tiny and frail, I feel as though I'm carrying a rag doll instead of the strong, beautiful woman I know. She can't weigh more than 70-75 lbs at most.

"Julia…" She says my name in barely above a whisper with head lulling and I can tell she's about to pass out.

"Just stay with me! Only a little further! Come on!" I yell running down the metal staircase towards freedom.

Her head drops and body goes limp in my arms. "Damn it!" I curse as fear grips me given her condition, "Don't you die on me now!" I yell at her unconscious form carrying her out of this hell and kick open the door. The freezing cold of winter blasts us immediately and when she doesn't even stir, I panic a bit I may have been too late with this rescue. "Don't you die, damn it!" I hold her more tightly and plunge ahead through the blinding snow towards the docks and the waiting boat. Before the guards chatting and sharing a smoke even turn around, I've shot them clean through the backs of their heads without missing a step as I charge forth with her in my arms. They both fall face first off the dock into the icy water. I've killed every last guard in this place now and I don't feel the least bit sorry given my sister's condition. It takes everything in me to focus and shelve my rage at present.

I wrap Cassiopeia the best I can with the wool blankets I find under the Captain's seat and pull the boat away from the dock. We head out into the black of night across the lake and I still can't believe, looking at her wrapped up on the floor that she's alive.

When we reach the shore, I load Cassiopeia into the backseat of the stolen car and make my way towards the dense forests heading northwest towards St. Petersburg. We drive for several hours on back roads until we reach our first stop, a hunting cabin I know is vacant. Quietly, I break inside and get Cassiopeia settled on the bed.

It's freezing in here. I'm thankful when I find a small pile of wood stacked beside the old chimney and set to work immediately starting a fire. The darkness will cover any smoke rising from the chimney. Looking around the room I take stock of what we have available to us while we wait. There is a tarnished blue and green basin setting against the opposite wall and I know without inspecting it any further it's a small copper bathtub. Large enough for someone to sit in with knees bent. The pantry is completely empty of any food but a large black kettle dangles over the old stones near the fireplace and I get an idea. I can't feed her anything but at least I can clean her. Quietly and quickly, I take it outside, pack it full of snow and bring it back in to boil over the fire I've started.

It takes close to an hour before I've filled enough buckets with boiling water to create a warm bath for Cassiopeia. Her festering skin needs to be cleaned and I convince myself she'd want to wash the filth away from that hell-hole and leave it behind as soon as possible. I know in the back of my mind it's my own issue in thinking about what she's endured and how long she's been there, but it gives me a task and keeps my mind busy and fingers moving. Makes me feel like I'm still doing something to help her in anyway I can while we wait in the silence. She doesn't stir at all when I strip away the blankets and carry her over to the tub, gently sliding her into the water and settling her back against the edge. Not even the warm water wakes her from her unconscious slumber. My heart sinks a little wanting so badly to look into her eyes and hear her voice again. Even if she's yelling at me something is better than nothing. Instead of dwelling on all the things I can't do for her or haven't done for her, like finding her sooner, I focus in on the task at hand. Cleaning every inch of her skin and erasing as much of the filth as I can.

"Julia?" She says my name in a groggy, thick voice, blinking hard a few times trying to focus after a half hour of my scrubbing.

"Yes. It's me." I speak quietly even though my heart is smiling to hear her voice, continuing to wash her dirty and broken skin. The sloshing of the water gains her attention as she continues to come to.

"Where are we?" She struggles to even turn her head in the slightest, looking around trying to take in all of her surroundings. I've purposefully kept the lights off, doing everything by the light of the fire in an attempt to conceal our whereabouts. But I realize now, it was also a good move for her health given she's spent the better part of the last six months at least in complete darkness. Her eyes are struggling with any light and she winces turning away from it.

"A cabin in the woods near the border."

"How did you find me?" She asks struggling to keep her eyes open.

"I traded favors, told the truth, lied, cheated, killed and coerced my way in. I knew what I wanted and went after it. I did what I had to in order to get you out." I sum up the events of the last six months that led to this moment. "And I'm not sorry about any of it. I'm only sorry it took me so long to find you." My apologetic eyes find hers, but she's smiling to my surprise. Weak as it is, she's smiling and with pride.

"You've learned to play the game." She says quietly commenting only on what I did to find her and not on how long it took me.

"Of course. I had the best teacher." I answer back with a hint of a smile, barely glancing at her this time as I gently wipe down her skeletal arm. "Might have taken me longer than she liked to learn to play like this. But I have learned to play, General." I try and fail to conceal my smirk. I want to throw my arms around her and hug her tightly, so thankful she's alive, sitting before me and speaking to me but I know I can't. She's been through enough and pushing her comfort boundaries between us will only make things worse right now. Right now, she needs familiar and our bantering like old times seems to be helping.

"Thank you, Julia." She adds quietly and it unnerves me. It's the first time in my life she's ever thanked me and if I'd known she was going to, I would have stopped her. It's not something she ever says to me and the two times she's tried to thank me were for things so incredibly personal, saving her child and saving her life, I can't accept any gratitude from her for helping.

"No thanks needed, ma'am." I look at her shaking my head softly. "You came for me when everyone was convinced I was dead. I had to at least give you the same effort." We both know I'm trying to brush off my rescue of her as nothing in the same manner she had done to me when looking for me in Iraq.

"Who knows I'm still alive?" Cassiopeia asks changing topics. Her eyes close as she struggles to keep them open given how weak she is.

"Just me and Nyah. I couldn't trust anyone else on this."

"Just you and Nyah?" Her eyes pop open.

"Just us." I flash another smile at her dipping the cloth into the warm water once more, "Surprised?"

"Yes and no. You never cease to amaze me." She closes her eyes again while I gently scrub the skin on her wrists. Calluses have formed everywhere her bones jut out, caked with grim and blood from the many months she must have spent lying on that concrete floor. It's unnerving to me how thin she is. Every ounce of her once well-chiseled form is gone.

"I'll take that as a compliment." I sigh with a smile carefully putting her arm back into the water.

"You should. I'm not easily amazed." She adds quietly with eyes still closed. "Where are we going from here?"

"Meeting Nyah." I move around to the other side of the tub to start scrubbing the other half of her body and her eyes open briefly to look at me. "And then we're getting you the hell out of here. Don't worry." I hold her eyes intently, speaking quietly. "As I said earlier, you taught me well. I know what I'm doing."

"I'm not worried." She closes her eyes, "I trust you." She adds and my heart skips a beat to hear her say it given how vulnerable she is right now. For a long time, she doesn't say anything else, her eyes closed and completely still, almost lifeless. When she doesn't move or speak for several minutes, my eyes zero in on the faint pulse I see fluttering against the pale skin of her neck; seeking confirmation she hasn't died on me. I realize she's gone unconscious again and whisper what I dare not say out loud while she's awake, reaffirming her belief in me, "You're safe now, Cassiopeia. I've got you."

I finish washing the rest of her body and lift her carefully out of the tub. She's so light it takes zero effort on my part to carry her across the room and lay her back into the little wooden framed bed. The warmth of the fire behind me creeps up my back as I dry her off and slip my extra pair of long underwear over her head. She's swimming in them given how much weight she's lost but some clothing is better than none. I glance at my watch, taking note of the time. Nyah should be here soon.

I can hear the faint hum of a single engine plane carrying across the howling wind and know Nyah is almost here. She loops over the house twice as we discussed to make sure I know it's her before she lands on the isolated road outside. I'm thankful the minute I open the door and see her smiling face.

"You made it." I smile at my partner in this fateful mission.

"Did you find her? Is she alive?" She asks breathless stepping through the door; anxious as I was to know the truth. I step back and wave towards the bed with a soft yet sad smile, nodding.

Nyah's face loses all color the moment she sees Cassiopeia's condition lying on the bed. "My God, that's her?" She gasps at the almost unrecognizable mentor of ours and drops her bag, heavily onto the floor in disbelief. "What have they done to her?" Her eyes fill with tears looking down at Cassiopeia as we step closer.

"Nothing from the looks of it. Just left her in that hell hole to starve to death." I answer her angrily. We knew she'd likely be in rough shape if she were alive in that place, but this condition was beyond even our worst nightmares. I can't help the strong urge inside me to keep checking and making sure she's alive. I'm relieved to feel a faint but steady pulse when I press my fingers into Cassiopeia's cold flesh below her jaw once more. "She needs an IV. I was just about to hook her up when I heard you coming in."

"You gave her a bath?" Nyah realizes looking around the room at the tub still filled with dirty water.

"I had to. She was filthy and I needed to clean her wounds."

"Has she been conscious at all?"

"Yes, for a little while not long ago. She's weak. Very weak. I gave her a shot of adrenaline inside the prison and it only kept her upright maybe two minutes while we were in there. I had to carry her out the rest of the way." I inform Nyah quietly about how the rest of our mission went. I can see the surprise in her eyes at that revealing detail. "Did you bring some more supplies? I think she's going to need more than one of these and that's all I brought with me." I hold up the IV bag I've pulled from my own backpack, wishing I'd brought more.

"Yes, I brought more. They're in the plane. I thought if you were injured you may need them." She speaks as though she's in a trance staring at Cassiopeia in disbelief.

"I don't have a scratch on me. But she definitely needs them." Neither Nyah or myself says anything else while I hook Cassiopeia up. The horror is simply too unspeakable. This tiny frail woman lying on this bed couldn't possible be our formidable General. This woman was starving to death; a mere skeleton and even with a shot of adrenaline to her heart she didn't have the strength to stay conscious. It said a lot about how grave her condition really was.

"We need to get moving." I spur her into action, moving about the room cleaning up any evidence of our occupation.

"I'm so tired." Nyah sighs, "My adrenaline is wearing off. I practically chewed my fingernails completely off during the last 12 hours wondering if you found her and if you'd made it out alive." Neither of us has slept in three days now except for brief catnaps after we decided to move on this plan.

"I know. Me too. But Pavlov will have his dogs after us by now. I killed them all, Nyah." I inform her quietly with intent eyes. "Thirty-three FSB officers. I killed every single one there." Her eyes widen and I see her swallow hard. She knows how significant that is when I'm usually the one who does what she can to try and spare lives. This time, I was enraged in knowing they had taken someone I loved. "We need to get out of Russia." The disdain I have for that man is overwhelming. I know it was him with every fiber in my being. No matter how much Pavlov tries to deny it, I know it was him who has done this to Cassiopeia. I can still hear him saying, 'I want that baby!' from the night of my own torture like a vicious monster, demanding Cassiopeia's baby be returned to him. He couldn't have her baby so he took her instead.

"I can't believe you actually found her. That she's alive." Nyah looks back towards the bed, speaking quietly in awe while she begins putting out the fire.

"We found her." I correct her with a smile. "I couldn't do this without you."

"Well, now that we've found her, what are we going to do with her?" She asks smothering the flames with water from the bath.

"I don't know. But until I know for sure that Ulric didn't have some part in this, I'm keeping her hidden. We can't tell anyone she's alive until we know who did this."

"And where are we supposed to keep her hidden?"

"In plain sight." I answer as the most logical solution.

"Where's that?"

"Cassiopeia told me once, the safest place to be was next to the one pulling the strings."

"You're planning to hide her in Sweden?" Her eyes widen in disbelief.

"Not just in Sweden, I'm hiding her with Maria."

"Does Nana know this?"

"No. Not yet. It will be a surprise."

"For them both, no doubt. Cassiopeia is not going to like this."

"She's not awake to have a say. Besides, I'm in charge of this mission." I smile at my friend.

Nyah snickers, "Okay. Good luck with that once she's conscious again."

We travel by plane and then train and then boat and then car crossing countries and seas until we reach the vast estate in Sweden where our family secrets seem to spill out the most, Maria's estate. It's nearly morning when we arrive and sneak inside. Cassiopeia doesn't stir at all when I carry her up the servant's staircase and deposit her onto the bed we once shared in the vacant wing of the house. This has become 'our' room in an unspoken way given our previous visits here and I think she'll be most comfortable in a bed and room she knows, even if she's not conscious right now to see it.

Silently, Nyah moves down the hallway towards the linen closet and retrieves a new pair of flannel pajamas and we redress Cassiopeia, trying to get her warm. Without an ounce of fat or muscle on her body, she feels like ice. We reattach her IV and catheter lines and then cover her with mounds of quilts until she looks like a small child beneath the blankets. When I'm satisfied she's as warm as I can get her with clothes and blankets, I set about to get a fire started.

"Are you going to wake Nana now and tell her about this? Or let her sleep and surprise her in the morning with our arrival?" Nyah looks at me clearly amused with how this is going to play out.

"She'll be awake any minute now given the hour. We can wait for her downstairs in the kitchen and explain." I answer twisting more kindle into the logs preparing to light the fire in the old room we once shared.

"And just leave Cassiopeia up here alone?" She motions towards the lifeless figure tucked into the bed beneath the heaps of blankets.

"She's not going anywhere." I smile sadly at her, amused at Nyah's thought process right now. I know she's still reeling and befuddled about what to do. Cassiopeia hasn't been conscious at all since the brief few moments she spoke to me in the cabin nearly two days ago now. She doesn't have the strength to even keep her eyelids open let alone get up and walk around.

We sit in silence at the small table in the kitchen waiting for the inevitable. Our clothes are tattered and dirty, we smell and are utterly exhausted but couldn't be happier. Cassiopeia is alive and safe. Sleeping upstairs in the same bed we shared just over a year ago together.

I can hear her footsteps approaching and then the change of gait when she realizes someone's waiting for her in the kitchen. The woman is an excellent spy and I can't help but smile, hoping only that she doesn't kill us when coming around the corner.

"Nana," Nyah calls out to her announcing who it is and quickly, we see Maria round the corner.

"Nyah, Julia…" she gasps in astonishment, taking in our appearance in battle fatigues. "What is this? Are you girls okay? Are you hurt?"

"We're fine, Nana." Nyah reassures her with a smile. "But we need your help."

"What kind of help?" Her eyes glance between us.

"You tell her, Jules." Nyah nods at me. "She's your sister."

"Sister?" Maria looks pale looking at Nyah and then me, "Is something wrong with Anni? Did something happen?"

"No, Mama is fine." Nyah adds immediately.

"It's Cassiopeia." I swallow the lump in my throat, knowing what I'm about to say is shocking. "She's alive."

"Alive?" Maria gasps and sways on her feet, leaning on the counter to hold herself up. "You're certain?"

"Yes. We're certain." Nyah nods along with me.

"How do you know?" She asks afraid to believe it could be true.

"Because she's asleep right now upstairs." I smile at her and see the tears slip down her cheeks. "We found her and brought her here. It is the only safe place I could think of to bring her until we know it's safe out there."

"She's here." Maria chokes in disbelief and I nod again. "Is she okay?"

"She's alive." I reassure her before breaking the bad news. "But she's not conscious. She's in really bad shape, Maria." The tears can't be kept from neither my eyes or Nyah's with the admission. "We rescued her the night before last. She was being held in solitary confinement on Fire Island." I know she knows exactly what that is given her history working for the KGB. "I don't think she's seen the light of day for months."

"How bad?" Maria asks in barely above a whisper.

"They've starved her." I answer her quietly. "She's little more than a skeleton right now."

"I need to see her." She answers quickly with a flush of new tears and moves towards the stairs almost running.

"We have been giving her IVs since her rescue, but if she doesn't come to soon, I think we're going to have to put a NG tube in." Nyah speaks, adding more information as we move in a group on swift feet. Maria falters a moment in her step, pausing to look at the both of us in horror that it's that serious.

"I'm sorry." I apologize for what she's about to see.

"Maria, girls?" Marna emerges from her room looking ashen at the sight of us in our battle fatigues and the tears on Maria's face. "What's happening?" She asks wrapping her robe more tightly around her to tie.

"They found Casey. She's alive and here, apparently." Maria informs her quickly without pausing for more than a moment, heading straight down the hallway once more.

"Alive?" Marna gasps with wide eyes.

"Barely." Nyah adds quietly with intense eyes, revealing the gravity of the situation to the woman beside her. "They've been starving her. It's not good."

The tears are immediate and plentiful the moment Maria opens the door and sees the tiny shell of a woman lying in the bed under the covers. Both she and Marna push forward until they're on opposite sides of the bed looking down at Cassiopeia. Each is gasping for breath quietly beneath their hands trying to quiet their sobs at the sight. Maria's hand hovers over the fuzzy blonde patches of roughly cut hair on Cassiopeia's bald head before covering her mouth to inhale a deep sob of a cry. She can't believe her eyes; that Cassiopeia is still alive and at the condition she's in. It's a feeling Nyah and I both understand having had it ourselves.

"What have they done to her?" Maria sobs quietly pulling back the blankets to look at what's left of her beautiful child. The clean flannel pajamas I've dressed Cassiopeia in do nothing to hide the jagged edges of her skeleton protruding through her skin and the thick flannel fabric. The hollow sunken cheeks on her face catch Maria's falling tears like a pool as she hovers over Cassiopeia trying to stifle her sobs.

"My God, she looks like a holocaust survivor." Marna cries quietly in horror reaching out to touch the small tuffs of tattered hair around scabs and scars on Cassiopeia's mostly bald head. For a moment, I wish I would have shaved the rest of Cassiopeia's head so it didn't look so ragged before bringing her here in trying to save them some pain at first sight, but the thought is quickly dismissed when I realize that no matter how much I cleaned her up or even if I'd shaved what tiny tuffs of hair she had left, her physical condition was appalling; it couldn't be hidden from them by any cleaned skin or new pajamas.

"What have they done to you?" Maria cries quietly, softly caressing her hand over Cassiopeia's fuzzy bald and battered head and for the first time in her life, at least in my presence, she leans over and places a gentle kiss to Cassiopeia's temple, closing her eyes and letting it linger while the tears continue to fall.

"She was conscious." I offer some good news to Maria quietly taking a seat next to Marna on the bed opposite of where Maria's kneeling over Cassiopeia. I squeeze Marna's hand in support seeing her upset at seeing how upset Maria is. "When I first found her in the cell," I begin having both their attention, and see the wave of relief pass through Maria's eyes, "She was conscious. She knew it was me, she said my name. And then she came to again briefly in the cabin I brought her to waiting for Nyah. She spoke to me for a little while and asked what had happened, how I found her and where we were going. I told her not to worry and she said she wasn't worried. That she trusted me and then she went unconscious again. I think she just gave into the exhaustion and fighting to survive once she knew she was safe." I swallow the lump in my throat trying to hold back my own tears at how significant that was in regards to my own relationship with her. "I can't imagine what she's been through the last six months." A stray tear slips down my cheek and I quickly wipe it away, knowing the last thing Cassiopeia would want is me crying over her condition. "She's going to be okay. I'm sure of it. She is the strongest woman I know. She just needs rest." I say more adamantly then I feel in this moment.

"And some nutrition." Nyah adds quietly having the same thoughts I am. "She's not going to like it but we need to put an NG tube in, Jules."

"I know." I agree with her knowing it's the truth. "But that means I'm going to have to make a trip into the village and hope the pharmacy there carries such a thing unless you have something here we can use?" I look between Maria and Marna knowing they kept a stockpile somewhere of medical supplies given Maria's previous position as a spy.

"We don't have anything here like that. She needs to be in a hospital. I've never dealt with such a thing like this before. Such severe starvation." Marna speaks up. "Her organs have to be shutting down by now. This is beyond our capabilities." She looks at Maria who is nodding softly in agreement and horror.

"No hospitals. That's the one thing I do know Cassiopeia would be absolutely opposed to right now more than anything." I argue for my sister when she can't argue for herself. I understand their concerns but it's far too dangerous. "And it's not safe. The Council thinks she's dead and the moment we bring her into a hospital, everyone will know she's alive. Until we know who is behind this for certain, we can't tell anyone she's alive." I reach forward and recover her lithe body with the heavy blankets, knowing Maria is in too much shock to deal with this, I must continue to take charge where Cassiopeia is concerned. "I'm hoping she wakes soon and tells us who did this to her." I clench my teeth in held back anger looking at her sunken and bruised features. "I know it was Pavlov. He's an eye for an eye type of man. She killed Draco; so he wanted her baby. She took the baby back-"

"So he took her." Marna finishes quietly in understanding and I nod, that is indeed what I'm thinking.

"There is no way he couldn't have known she was being held on Fire Island. It's his facility. His control."

"Are you going to at least tell Ares she's alive?" Nyah asks quietly across the bed from where she sits beside Maria.

"I think I better. He's the only one I trust with knowing she's alive who can help us find answers."

"Who is Ares? Another First Gen I'm assuming with the name of a God." Maria asks immediately.

"Yes. He's a First Gen." I swallow hard under her scrutinizing gaze. Maria latches on immediately to any bit of new information she hears about Cassiopeia's life and the people in it, and I can't blame her. I'd likely do the same given her position in desperately wanting to know her daughter, who tries so hard to maintain her distance.

"And who is he to Casey? How do we know we can trust him? Wasn't it because of her killing another First Gen, Draco, that this whole ordeal began in the first place?"

"We can trust him with her, I promise." I reach over Cassiopeia's body to gently take hold of Maria's hand and give it a reassuring squeeze.

"They have a special relationship. They're a thing." Nyah adds quietly her eyes flashing to mine feeling odd speaking about it out loud, just as I am.

"A thing?" Maria narrows her eyebrows looking for clarification.

"They're technically not allowed to be a couple so, I'm not sure what that makes them." Nyah fumbles nervously, ticking her fingers in speaking about this any further.

"Ares is Alexander's father." I say quietly with eyes glancing up to catch Maria's and see the moment of recognition.

"So he loves her?" Maria asks.

"Yes. Very much so." Nyah adds just as quietly. It feels wrong to discuss their relationship so openly when neither one of them has ever discussed it with us even though we've spoken about it amongst ourselves hundreds of times over the years. "He's been madly in love with her for as long as I can remember."

"And does she love him?" Maria chokes up hearing that her lost daughter has someone who loves her so dearly. Especially, when all she's ever seen from Cassiopeia is the face of indifference as though she has no emotions; never showing any at least.

"She never acknowledges him in our presence." Nyah adds.

Maria's eyes narrow again and so do Marna's in confusion.

"Which means, she loves him." I clarify for them knowing that since we've opened this can of worms, they're not likely to back off until they understand. I also know they don't know Cassiopeia as well as Nyah and myself and what these idiosyncrasies of hers' actually mean.

"She ignores him in your presence. That's how you know she loves him?" Marna questions our logic.

"Yes." Nyah and I both answer at the same time.

"We've learned over the years, she ignores those she loves the most. She's protecting them." I continue, shifting my eyes to stare right at Maria, speaking slowly hoping she understands that I mean it in regards to her as well without betraying Cassiopeia's confidence.

"I see." Maria inhales a soft sigh, gently reaching out to hold Cassiopeia's hand. It's the first time she's ever held her hand or touched her like this given Cassiopeia's insistence on maintaining the boundaries. I can see how much it pains Maria now and in this moment to be doing so for the first time and not having Cassiopeia pull her hand away and the reasons why. Her thumb gently caresses the skin on the back of Cassiopeia's fingers as her tears continue to fall silently.

"I found something out as well." Nyah suddenly speaks and starts snapping her finger again nervously. She looks at Cassiopeia's still form in the bed and then turns to me. "From Gillian. Last week just before our mission."

"What?" I ask with narrowing eyebrows about what this could be.

"Gillian told me that her mom confessed something when she got really drunk after Cassiopeia died. She said all the First Gens came to her house after the funeral."

"There was a funeral?" Maria asks in obvious hurt not to know about it.

"In Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC. She was given a special ceremony by the North American Division for her years of service. Only First Gens attended. They bury their own." Nyah tries to explain. "They're all they have as a family. We weren't invited either." She looks at me, fidgeting nervously before continuing, "They were all telling stories and drinking, laughing and crying. Saying goodbye in their' own way. Gillian said after they left, Artemis broke down sobbing in disbelief, I guess, that that Cassiopeia was really gone. She said she was so worried for Ares." She pauses and I can tell there is more to this story but she's hesitant to say anything.

"Go on," I encourage her.

"Artemis told her that when they were twenty-two and twenty-three, they were married in secret." She gulps with wide eyes.

"Ares and Cassiopeia?" I ask near breathless about how forbidden this was and Nyah nods her confirmation. Not only did they break the rules by having a child, they were also married!

"She's married?" Maria gasps with new tears looking down at Cassiopeia.

"Artemis said they held a secret ceremony somewhere on the mountain near the lake our first summer at camp." Nyah continues to inform me of mind-blowing information. "Last summer would have been their 11th anniversary. Just after she died."

"My God, that makes perfect sense. Remember that summer?" I look at Nyah as so many memories flash before my eyes.

"I do. It all makes sense now. They were newlyweds." Nyah nods with a bewildered smile.

"What about that summer makes sense?" Marna asks seeing we obviously remember something in hindsight that now makes sense.

"She was never in our cabin at night. Never. She'd put us to bed and was gone. Every night." Nyah informs her with a shy smile. "She was only 22." She laughs a little as we both shake our heads realizing that we're nearly that age right now.

"We were terrified seven and eight year olds alone in the woods in a cabin." I can't stop shaking my head in awe thinking back to then and all the time in between. "All this time, they were actually married."

"Absolutely no one but the First Gens know they're married according to Artemis, except now Gillian and us. But there's more, Jules." Nyah smiles, her nervous tick fading as she feels more comfortable speaking with us about this. "Artemis also said that Isis and Thor are actually married too, and Athena and Apollo."

"My God! They're all breaking the rules." I'm astonished. "The Gods are breaking the rules they demand that we follow!"

"I know." Nyah says in an awed whisper looking down at Cassiopeia. "It doesn't seem fair."

"Well, it's not fair they have to be married in secret or have their baby taken from them either." I realize coming back down to earth and reality looking at the broken and starved body of my mentor lying before me. "She keeps saying I need to learn from her mistakes. This is likely a part of what she means."

"How so?" Maria asks quietly.

"She kept telling me that to love someone is a weakness they will use against you." I admit feeling a new sense of sadness wash over me to know how much of Cassiopeia's life I don't know about still and how much is kept in secret to protect those she loves.

"That's the last part." Nyah starts ticking her fingers again. "Gillian said that Artemis also revealed more about what went down between Draco and Cassiopeia and why it's such a bigger deal than we realized."

"Why?" I feel my heart start to race.

"Apparently, Draco had been madly in love with Cassiopeia all his life. They were each other's oldest friends. Placed together even as children in foster homes at one point. They dated awhile as teens but it never worked out. She and Ares clicked not long after and that was it. There was no one else for either of them, but Draco was still in love with her. He remained one of her best friends even though there was great tension between Draco and Ares at first, it seemed to pass. Artemis said that after Cassiopeia became pregnant with Ares baby, Draco sort of went off the deep end. He was acting irrationally and furious she was having a child."

"Then why would she go on a deep cover assignment to actually have the baby with him as her partner if he was acting so irrationally?" I ask in confusion and horror.

"Artemis said she thinks Cassiopeia was hoping to use the time away together to salvage their friendship. She hadn't realized how crazy Draco actually was or became until after the baby was born and he tried to take him. Apparently, Draco screamed all kinds of things at Cassiopeia when they were fighting to the death about how he really felt all these years. The last thing he said to her before she stabbed him through the heart was, I love you." Nyah almost whispers the last part. The rest of us are frozen with wide-eyes in hearing this tale.

My mind flashes back immediately to Cassiopeia telling me it wasn't easy to kill someone you love in this very bed last year that. "She was talking about Draco." I whisper to myself and realize I've actually said it out loud. They're all looking at me to explain. "Last year, on her birthday in this room," I lick my lips divulging more than I likely should, "She told me it wasn't easy to kill someone you love. It was right after she returned to work from that incident." I take a deep breath and exhale as more pieces of the puzzle fall together. "It certainly explains more about Pavlov's vendetta against her being so personal, I think, and his quest to keep her baby as his heir."

"He must have known how Draco felt about her." Nyah comes to the same realization I have. "And why he feels she betrayed him so."

"It's not her fault she didn't love him in the same way he loved her." Marna's eyes fill with tears, shaking her head. "Why must love always be so complicated?"

"I'm starting to think that's the nature of love." I think about my own sorted feelings and situation regarding Mikael.

"I simply cannot fathom the life she has already lived." Maria begins quietly, stroking Cassiopeia's head gently with new tears pricking her eyes as well. "So many things I know absolutely nothing about." She stares at her as the tears continue to swell, threatening to fall. I feel like we should give her a minute alone with Cassiopeia after all that has happened. I nod with intent eyes towards Nyah who seems to understand what I'm saying immediately.

"Nana, do you mind if we get cleaned up and changed?" She asks Maria quietly, seeking a nonchalant way out of this room.

"Of course not." Maria reaches her free hand around the back of Nyah's neck and pulls her towards her, planting a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you for finding her."

"It was all Jules. I was just the getaway driver." Nyah shrugs off the gratitude with a smile that none of us in this family seems to like accepting. "She was insistent for months that Cassiopeia wasn't dead and relentlessly looked into any and every lead all around the world. We've been everywhere until we finally found her. She said she never felt Cassiopeia was dead."

"You never said anything." Maria looks at me with wide astonished eyes to hear about all of this.

"I didn't want to get your hopes up in case I was wrong." I look down feeling as though I've disappointed her. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be!" She reaches over the bed, grabbing me with both hands and hugging me extra tightly, repeatedly kissing the side of my head. "You found her. You found her." She repeats quietly. "That's all that matters. Thank you, girls. Both of you, for never giving up."

"She's never given up on me. It's the least I can do for her." I nod at Cassiopeia's near lifeless form, feeling the tears prickling my eyes again. I don't want to cry in front of her or them, but I know I'll let them fall once I'm in the sanctuary of the bathroom to decompress all of this. I need to get my emotions under control before I call Ares.

"You love her very much." Marna smiles at me through teary eyes, understanding exactly how I feel but will never say.

Nyah's eyes flash to mine to hear Marna say it out loud, something I've never even admitted to Nyah though I'm sure she likely knows by now it's true. My only admittance is a soft smile while I blink back tears looking down at her. I'm so thankful she's alive, I don't know all how I feel. This is the first person in my life who has died, that I loved, that I was actually able to bring 'back' from the dead. The feeling is surreal and even though she may not have been dead all these months, I was told she was and she was gone from my life. Just when I was beginning to accept she might really be gone, something told me to keep going and I'm so thankful that I did.

"I need to take a shower." I speak quietly breaking the moment of contemplative silence.

"I'll fix us all something to eat for breakfast. Come down when you're ready." Marna says to us all but focuses in on Maria. She knows how much all this means to her given she went through the horrific years of her life with her after being told her baby died all those years ago. To be told she had died once more and then brought back to life, again, in this house was a lot for Maria to process. Right now she just needed time and that was something we all understood. Marna places a reassuring hand on Maria's shoulder as she passes and gives her a small smile as we all file out the door. I'll get cleaned up in Nyah's room down the hall and give them even more space.

Nyah goes first, showering off and getting clean as quickly as possible but I want to take a bath. I need to soak and submerge myself underwater as I always do post mission. The water washing over me feels like a cleansing of the soul as much as the body as I sink down beneath the heat. The faces of each man I killed flashes before me and haunts me simultaneously. I see fear flash in a few of their eyes just seconds before I end their lives. It's the last two I killed, though, that has me the most troubled. The men on the dock. For the first time in my life, I don't have faces to reflect upon. I shot them both in the back. The only image I have of them are seeing the explosions of blood and brains seconds before their bodies went stiff and then limp falling into the water. They were likely just regular FSB guards, low in the rank to be guarding the boat dock in the middle of the night. They probably didn't even know Cassiopeia was being held prisoner inside. But they stood between me and my way of getting my sister to freedom; so I did what I had to do, I rationalize. Her life mattered more than theirs in that moment and I hate myself for thinking that way, but I can't help but feel it and wouldn't hesitate to do the same all over again given what was done to Cassiopeia. Her only crime was having a baby. That's what it boiled down to when you strip everything else that happened away. How was that such a deplorable action as to be punished in this way? To be left in a concrete cell to starve to death? I would not and could not understand it. It was pure revenge by Pavlov and the FSB and some day, I would make them pay. Revenge was never my strong suit, but then, no one had ever so maliciously gone after someone I loved, someone in my family like this before and it was then I realized, really realized, I would do anything to protect them. I'd already known that I would die for them, but this was even more for me. I realized I would also kill for them. Innocent or not, it didn't matter any more. The gray scales of justice were moving. I'd taken people at their word and been burned. I wasn't going to do that anymore. I needed to stop reacting to what was happening and start causing reactions. I had truly learned to play the game. This mission to rescue Cassiopeia was one of the first steps and I realize, underneath this water with my oxygen dwindling, I need to carry out the rest of it. My lungs scream for air and I gasp sitting forward quickly, gulping for air.

"Are you okay?" Nyah asks standing in the doorway. Her arms are folded over her chest and I can tell she's been watching me under the water for awhile. The concern on her features is obvious and I get the impression she's still concerned that I may try to off myself by intentional drowning.

"Yes." I nod whipping the water out of my eyes and reaching for the towel she's handing out to me.

"Then why do you have that look in your eyes?"

"What look?" I ask wrapping it around me and wringing out my hair before stepping out of the tub.

"That look you have when you're about to do something crazy." She slants an all-knowing eyebrow at me.

"Because I am." I smile back at her and how well she knows me. "I'm calling Ulric."

"You're what?" She asks panicked immediately. "I thought you said we couldn't trust him until we know he has nothing to do with this?"

"I did. But I realize I'm the one in control right now and I have the ability to make them dance." I smirk at her learning from my mentor. "What did we learn from Lady Marie's birthday dinner from hell last year?"

"That the old woman is crazy and willing to throw us all under the bus when it suits her?" She asks with a half-maniacal look on her face. She thinks I'm insane in this moment, I'm sure.

"True. But, as she said to us that evening, it may have seemed cruel but it had purpose!"

"And what the hell purpose was that?"

"To expose us, Cassiopeia and I, to create another ring of protection with Maria so that he couldn't just do as he pleased with us without there being some kind of witness, some kind of repercussion."

"He still does as he pleases with you."

"Yes, but at least he knows that she knows we exist. That we're alive. That we interact with her."

"Well, you do. Cassiopeia doesn't to my knowledge."

"That doesn't matter. You're missing the point, Nyah."

"I'm not missing the point, Jules. I get it. You want to call Ulric to expose to him that Cassiopeia is alive and in this place in front of Maria so that he doesn't have the chance to whisk her away and pretend she's dead again. Right?"

"Yes! Exactly!" I'm relieved she does get it.

"I'm not an idiot. I do know you and your logic. I just think it's crazy. You killed 33 FSB officers in their prison on an unsanctioned mission. Have you already forgotten what they did to you the last time they even 'thought' you killed an FSB general?" She hints at my hideous torture that I can hardly forget.

"Of course I haven't forgotten. Which is another reason why this plan is brilliant. If I report this immediately to him, and Marie, they'll both now have sufficient cause to cover for me."

"So long as neither of them had anything to do with her faked death and imprisonment to begin with?" Nyah plays the devils' advocate. "These people are insane, Julia. I wouldn't put it past either of them at all to agree to this when it comes to jockeying for power in The Council."

"What benefit would it give Lady Marie to have her own grandchild imprisoned? The whole reason she exposed Cassiopeia in the first place was to protect her after Ulric had her tortured. The woman may be crazy but when it comes to protecting her family, I have to believe she's sincere. She would never have agreed to lock her own grandchild up and throw away the key. Never let them starve her like that!" I wave my hand towards the room down the hall where Cassiopeia is barely alive. "She would be outraged! She kept saying the morning after the birthday when she was arguing with Cassiopeia about revealing us to Maria, that she did so to protect us. To spare me in the future from ever having to endure what she went through."

"And yet you did anyway. You were still tortured."

"I don't think now that's what she meant."

"You think she was actually speaking about having her child taken away?" Her eyebrows narrow but I can see she sees the same light I have in regards to that.

"Yes." I nod. "And the torture, too. She said she drew the line when he tortured her own flesh. I just know it, Nyah. I feel it. Lady Marie would never have agreed to this. She was honestly devastated when Cassiopeia died. I felt it when I was near her. She had me exhaust every lead I could in those first few months looking for her."

"Me too." Nyah reveals and we both realize she had us on separate secret missions with the same purpose. "She gave me the impression she thought Ulric might have been behind it."

"As a way to regain complete control over Cassiopeia?" I ask having similar thoughts.

Nyah nods in agreement. "It makes sense after she outed him and Cassiopeia to Maria. He could make her dead for awhile and then bring her back under his power. It would explain why he never chose anyone else to become his General after she was declared dead." She takes a deep breath, sighing and rubbing her temples at the complexity of this all. "I'm never going to believe anyone is ever really dead ever again after all this. The lengths that people will go is astonishing in their battles for power." She shakes her head, "But even so, if he did agree to this, why starve her to death? If the point is to hide her away, to bring her back? Why nearly kill her?"

"Maybe they were trying to break her down to rebuild her as loyal again? I have no idea. Anything with him is possible." I shrug reaching for the brush to untangle my long locks. "He is the one who had his own child subjected to The Program and then tortured for having a baby after all. Giving his only grandson away to that other monster, Pavlov." I catch her reflection in the mirror and see her look down in simultaneous horror and denial even if she knows it's the truth. This man, this Monster of ours in Command is also her Papa. She lives two different worlds with him on a continuous basis.

"If he does know about her being alive and whereabouts, Jules…you know that means Mikael likely knew as well." She hedges cautiously. "He tells him everything as his Heir."

"I know." I yank a little harder than I should on a knot in my hair at the reminder of potentially being lied to about the death of my sister.

"Are you going to tell him, too?" She asks quietly, cringing at the force I'm now ripping through my hair.

"Not until I set all the other pieces where I want them on the board." My eyes catch hers in the mirrors reflection.

"You're starting to sound like them. Moving pieces on the board." Her tone is accusatory that I'm becoming like those we both say we hate.

"I've learned to play the game, Nyah. And if we're going to survive this, all of us and intact, we'd better start playing to our advantage."