Ejecting
The battle, such as it was, was very uneven.
The Warlock's power was undeniable, but it was almost directionless now. His will was finally fading from where it had hidden since his destruction. Alley wasn't sure if he had hidden part of himself in Jenni's mind while she had helped destroy him or something else and in the end, it really didn't matter. Jenni was gone, the last remnants of her hopefully going to somewhere better. Jenni's kids Maya and Mina were safe, or as safe as Alley could make them. Jane would never forsake them now that she knew they still lived. It simply wasn't in Alley's partner to do such things and Alley felt the same way. They would choose their paths. Alley would aid them, teach them as best she could, but then she knew would have to let them go out into the world on their own to seek their own destinies. That had been a failure of many facets of human society before the Elders had come. For so long in so many places on Earth, children had either been an unwanted burden or had been sheltered to the point of being completely unprepared for living life as it really was. For a very long time in human history, having many children had been a necessity, since most of them would not live to adulthood due to the rampant disease and warfare that plagued the world. With the advent of modern medicine and various societal things that had resulted in less widespread warfare, more children had lived. This was a good thing, but many societies had not been prepared for the massive changes that had resulted in much larger populations living to adulthood. Even the best groups had slipped quite a bit in things like education. The Elders had done so much evil, but in the end? They had done a few things right. The utterly controlled society they had fabricated for their subjects on Earth had been constrained in many ways, but they had never slacked on educating children.
That paled, however, against the sheer scope of the horrors they had unleashed, so Alley was not going to repeat their mistakes.
A final blast from her ship's weapons tore one entire side off the alien saucer and it hung in space. She was not fooled. He was hoping to get a shot at her with his few remaining weapons as she closed in, so she would not give him the chance.
"Sam. Enough." Alley said quietly, but firmly and a gasp sounded from her com system. "Eject! Now!"
"I don't know how." A very small and scared voice sounded from her com and Alley sighed. She could not approach the remnants of the Warlock's evil safely, but she was not about to kill Sam or leave him in that horror filled energy. His voice turned pleading. "Just end it! Please!"
"You have been abused, just like my nest was." Alley said with a growl, but it wasn't aimed at Sam. "By the exact same beings for the exact same purpose. The Elders, X-Com, the Warlock, all of them did horrors to you. I will not kill you."
"I have… I have done so much bad…" Sam's voice fell. "I… I killed… me." He said weakly. "I can't go back!"
"Sam." Alley fought a sigh. "I don't pretend to understand exactly what happened. What I do know is that you cannot remain in that energy. I can help you but you have to take the first step. I am not asking you to trust. That would be foolish. I am asking you to live. Where there is life, there is hope, Sam. You are alive. If you believe nothing else, believe that."
"I remember…" Sam mused. "I was… Samuel Rogers. I was recruited and I flew against aliens. We won, but I died." He gasped. "I was too close to the star when the nova bomb went off! I died." His voice was mix of awe and terror. "My ship came apart in the blast front of the nova! I died!"
"Sam!" Alley snarled as he started to cry. "Calm down! I do not know what happened. But you have to come with me now."
"I was Sam'ik." Sam said weakly. "A captain born and raised on Quo'nos, the Klingon homeworld. I went into battle against an overwhelming foe. The Iconians tore my battlecruiser apart! I died." He was hysterical now and Alley quailed as the energy in front of her intensified. The Warlock's remnant was drawing power from Sam's fear and pain! She had no idea what to do, but then a pulse came from Alley's link with Jane! A suggestion? How? Alley didn't question, she jumped at the idea. It brought back so many memories, some good, some bad.
"Sam!" Alley snapped. "Time out!" Just like it had with Mark so long ago, the command held with Sam too. Stood to reason, both Sam and Mark had been trained by extraterrestrials, if very different ones.
"Yes, Ma'am." Sam's tone as odd now, calm, but not. The roiling energy in front of Alley subsided, but again, she wasn't fooled. It was just as dangerous now as it had been before.
"I am sorry for what you endured." Alley said quietly. "I know what the Elders did to us. I can only imagine what they did to you. I do not know what happened to you here and I don't care what you have done. You are hurting and I will help you. Come home, Sam. We will handle this."
"Home?" Sam said in a monotone. "I don't have a home."
"Yes, you do." Alley retorted evenly. "Until and unless you prove to me that you are capable of taking care of yourself, you are my responsibility. I have space and resources. You are coming with me." They could have been commanding, her words. They could have been demands. They were not. They were almost begging.
"I… I can't." Sam was crying softly now. "I can't get loose!"
"Yes, you can." Alley retorted. "You just have to want it and you don't, do you?" Sudden silence answered her. "In whatever you encountered, whatever dreams or hallucinations or traveling or whatever you did, you were free! You could do anything you wanted. You could fly anywhere you wanted." There was no answer but Alley continued in a very quiet voice. "Kill anyone you wanted." Now her voice was barely a whisper. "Except the one who did this to you."
"I can't find her." Now, Sam's voice held rage. "I didn't remember until Milodi and Jane Kelly helped me to pass the blocks in my memory. Mom didn't know that evil woman put them in. It wasn't Mom's fault! It was The warlock's! His and that witch Lizbeth's! I… I will kill her! I swear I will kill her!"
"You are too late." Alley was unmoved by the boy's rage. She felt a sudden scrutiny and she continued. "Her body lives, but I destroyed her mind. Her memories are gone. Utterly gone. Just like she did to you. Just like she had Easer do to Mark." A gasp came from Sam as Alley's rage found voice. She stepped on it, but it refused to stay gone even as she fought for control. "That arrogant bitch hurt my love! I refuse to let her off easily in death! Killing her won't help! She is immortal! She will come back and probably bring the Warlock's evil with her! He put part of himself in her! If she dies as she is, she will come back. So will he and she would not be able to resist him. I bet that was his plan. To wait and attack people who could not fight him! We cannot let that happen, Sam!"
"I…" Sam's rage faltered and suddenly he sounded a little boy again. "I don't know. I... I just wanted to hurt her. To find her and hurt her. For me. For Maya and Mina. For everyone!"
"Yeah." Alley heaved a sigh. "I know the feeling. I wanted revenge too. We are both torn up inside, Sam. We both lost ones we loved. We are both hurting and will for the rest of our lives. I don't want to lose you. I do not know you yet, but I know Maya and Mina. I like them both. Their love for you comes through clear and strong. I have no right to demand anything after all of what you have suffered, so, instead, I beg. Please come with me. Come home. My kind will fade. I want to leave some kind of positive legacy in this horror struck world we exist in. The Elders did so much damage, to so many. Their evil has been stopped but my time is finite. I cannot fix all of what they did. Maybe if I help you to get past this, you and your siblings, they can help fix what is broken. Help me, Sam. Please?"
"'Finite'?" Sam inquired.
"I am a clone, Sam." Alley finally managed to squelch her rage and now? Only sorrow spoke through her. "I am sterile and nothing I do changes that. I could make myself immortal, but my kind are not meant for such. I would go mad and make more of a mess, I am sure. I will not allow myself to inflict more harm when I can stop it. With my powers, I can make more of my kind, but what right do I have to do that? What right have I to make slaves like the Elders did? Or just make beings who humans will hate and fear because we are so different?" Alley gave herself a shake. "Sam… I can help you. It will take time and I cannot guarantee that none of it will hurt, but I can help you. If you let me. I will not command you. Instead? I ask. Please come with me."
"You…" Sam seemed unsure now. "Why?"
"Because no matter what the Warlock wanted you to be, to me, you are a lost, sick, hurting child in danger." Alley said very softly. "After losing so many of my peers, my friends, my loved ones… Seeing them die and not being able to do anything? I cannot pass by without trying."
"I…' Sam had calmed as well. Then he hissed. "I can't! I can't get loose!" He begged as the saucer in front of Alley wavered a bit, but then solidified.
"Yes, you can, Sam." Alley reassured him. "Reach between your legs and pull the lever there. Eject. I will catch you."
"There isn't anything there!" Sam protested.
"This is all in the mind, Sam." Alley explained calmly. "There is if you want it to be. Do you want this to end? Do you you want to go home? If so, assume ejection posture and pull the lever."
"I want…" Sam's voice was a whisper now. "I want to go home."
Space was a vacuum, almost entirely empty. Sound could not travel through an area with nothing to propagate the waves, so there was no way Alley would have been able to hear the sound of an ejection seat firing across a void. But she did. She was ready when a small bit of bright green energy shot out of the purplish mass. She caught it easily and pulled it close, right through the hull of her ship. A scream of rage sounded, but Alley knew her foe and her ship's weapons fired before the Warlock's remnant could do more than voice frustration. The rage turned to anguish as the X-Com ship's bright white beams tore the saucer to pieces but she continued to fire, the purple energy fading with each hit. The energy her weapons were firing felt wrong to her mind because they had been designed to kill alien psionics like her. With each hit, the energy diminished, the Warlock's evil vanishing bit by bit as she set the beams to rapid fire and they continued to burn the monster's remnant to nothing. She had something far more important to focus on.
Sam was crying as she cradled his energy close and it morphed into a small brown haired boy who she cradled in gentle arms as he sobbed.
"It is all right, Sam." Alley reassured him as she checked him carefully. There were no traces of the Warlock's energy in his. He had done it, freed himself. "It is all right."
"I wanna go home." Sam pleaded as he buried his face in Alley's scales. "Please? I just wanna go home."
"So do I." Alley hugged the boy gently and then she looked up at the Warlock's energy as the last bit faded, her ship's weapons shutting down as their target disintegrated. "And now? We can." With a flip of her mind, she was back in the room with the vat brain and Maya's tube. The girl was back in it? When? How? A question for later. Doctor Cooper and Valere both stood beside the vat, both looking shocked as Alley laid Sam on the bed. He stared at her and she bent down and kissed his forehead. He smiled at her, shuddered once and fell asleep. Alley spoke before either of them did. "Jenni is gone."
Not a question.
"Yes." Doctor Cooper broke free of his paralysis and stepped to Sam's bedside as Alley moved to let him close. She did not let go of Sam's hand which she held. "The brain disintegrated before our eyes. Maya was having complications, so we had to put her body back into stasis. What happened?"
"The Warlock is gone." Alley said quietly as Doctor Cooper started to check Sam's vitals. "That is all I can say. I won't be allowed to remember much of what just happened." At that, the Doctor and Valere both hissed, but Alley just bowed her head. "There are rules for a reason."
"This boy is a thought form." Doctor Cooper said slowly. "Alley…"
"I take responsibility. Either we save his old body, or I will make him a new one." Alley said formally. "His mind is intact, if very confused. He too has experienced things that he must not remember. I am betting he won't when he wakes. I am betting I won't remember much of what happened when I wake." Her free hand moved to caress Sam's cheek. "But one thing I will remember. If anyone else hurts my kids, they die."
"Alley." Doctor Cooper was glowing softly yellow now, with his own Mother seeing through his eyes.
"Enough is enough, Lady. I know my limits. I cannot do it alone and I am about to collapse from exhaustion." Alley reassured her. "I need to talk to my nest and we need to get out of here before whatever self destructs are in place go off." the Doctor and Valere stared at her and Alley shook her head. "You know X-Com paranoia better than most, Doctor. Whatever they have here will be ticking down."
"It is." A familiar voice. Alley was not actually surprised when Jian stepped into the room. The Asian looking woman nodded to the others."We can extract the boy, Maya's pod and you Matron, but Doctor Cooper and Valere need to go now." She paused as both shook their heads. "Doctor." She groaned.
"I stay with my patients." The Doctor's voice was mild, but from his stance? He wasn't going to budge. "And you know I can keep a secret."
"You have enough on your shoulders, doctor." Alley tried to summon spit to knock him out, but her strength failed and she collapsed almost on top of Sam. "I…"
"Alley, shut up." Doctor Cooper took hold of one of her arms and Valere took the other. "Save your strength." He turned to Jian who decidedly amused. "If you can get us out of here, now is the time."
"You will see things that the Lady will prefer you not to." Jian warned as a pair of soldiers in red uniforms stalked in. They had a white cobra emblazoned on their chest armor and shoulders. They ignored the group to move to Maya's pod. They were clearly stronger than human, since they took the massive thing in their hands, picked it up and strode from the room carrying it!
"I bet." Doctor Cooper said with a small smile as a woman in black catsuit and black glasses entered the room. The red cobra on her chest armor was distinctive. His eyes widened and then she came to a sudden stop as he bowed to her. "Baroness."
"Uh…" The woman turned to Jian who made 'why me?' gesture.
"Not quite." Alley managed as Jian fought for equilibrium. "Um… I think I met you. I don't remember but the costume is distinctive. None us should remember, should we?"
"We will have to discuss that." Jian sighed and waved the black garbed woman to the bed. She moved to it picked up Sam and left the room without a word. "Whatever happens, I am not going to cross the Lady." She moved to Alley's side and laid her hand on Alley's crest. "Rest now, Matron. This battle is done and you are victorious."
"We… need… to…" Alley fought the darkness that was clouding her vision. Why did she hear a horse? Why was there another hand on her crest? A familiar one? She fought to open her eyes, but darkness claimed her. Wings beats bore her up and she was not afraid. Not now. Then she knew no more
(Somewhere)
Doctor Cooper and Valere did not move as the world around them shifted to some kind of hangar bay. Neither of them dared to breathe as the armored being holding Alley laid her down for the Baroness to scan. Only when she was done did he move back to his winged horse and mount. Jian inclined her head to him and the Baroness did as well. He smiled at them, nodded to the Doctor and Valere and with a kick of his heels, his horse jumped and vanished in a rush of wing beats.
"I thought Valkyrie were all female." Valere said into utter silence as everyone in the bay took a deep breath.
"I don't argue with gods." Jian said with a smile as she looked around. "Especially Norse ones. It gets so noisy." She snickered at Valere's expression and then her face fell. "Better than you do not remember this, young lady."
"I know." Valere sat down beside Alley and looked a question at the Baroness who nodded. Valere lay down fully and closed her huge black eyes. The Baroness patted her hand and Valere's face relaxed into sleep.
"That is… very well done. Fully functional and almost totally authentic." Doctor Cooper looked around, taking in the insignia everywhere. The same cobra head, but in many colors. Finally, he looked back at Jian and made a face. "Please tell me Doctor Mindbender is not going to show up." At that, the Baroness barked a laugh as Jain sputtered. Doctor Cooper shrugged. "My dad was a nut for that TV show. He had the whole collection."
"Really?" The black clad woman asked as she rose to step to his side.
"All but a few pieces that were really hard to come by and expensive as hell. He spent way too much money on it. Mom really hated how much he 'wasted' on 'toys'." Doctor Cooper reached out and took her hand when she offered it. He smiled at her and Jian. "I know when not to inquire. How can I help?"
"Alley and Jane will need time to come to grips with their new situation." Jian said quietly. "They will not wish to give themselves that time. They are vulnerable right now and the kids as well even with all the help they have been given. I cannot interfere but so much now that Alley is out of danger."
"Alley's nest will help." Doctor Cooper offered as the Baroness guided him to sit.
"Yes, they will, but this is not a mission for covert ops." Jian said with a frown.
"Then what do we need?" Cooper asked as his world turned gray.
"Flight Ops."
