I trailed after the group for the rest of the tour as we went from the children's dorms to the adults workshops and the outdoor pools and jortball courts. Finally, we came to a stop at the front of the building.

"Tasha, can I talk to you?" Sebastian asked.

"What about?"

I stiffened as Sebastian took my arm and pulled me away from the group.

"What do you think?" he asked.

I looked up at the stone face of the building. I couldn't pick out the window of Kella's common room but I knew it was one of them.

"It's better than I expected," I told him.

"That's something."

I took a step back and looked up at Sebastian. His hair was perfectly combed to the side. He was fixing me with his green eyes.

"This has been open for six months?" I asked him.

"Just over. Everyone here came from different rehabilitation centers like the one you were at. But even before that, we were improving them. We got rid of the forced therapy, which you seemed to be focused on."

"I sat through a lot of those sessions."

"I'm sure you did."

"There's something else," I said, remembering suddenly. "The Lawrence School?"

Sebastian's eyes left mine as he looked up at the sky. "It seemed fitting."

I frowned. "You name a school after me while you were keeping me locked up as your personal shapeshifting spy."

Sebastian looked back at me. "Yes."

I let out my breath in a huff. "I see."

"But you like it."

I pushed aside whatever it was I was feeling. "You weren't lying when you said you made improvements. But what's the plan? Keep bringing people here as you find new shapeshifters? You'll run out of room."

"I told you, we're going to bring them back into the real world."

"Do you think you can do that?"

"If you help me."

"What?"

"We'll talk about it later. How would you feel about standing with me while I close out this interview?"

I let out a sigh. "Would that make a difference?"

"Yes. You're the only known shapeshifter in the world right now. People want to hear what you have to say."

"Fine."

I followed Sebastian back to the group. He took me by the shoulders and positioned me in front of the building, then stood beside me. He nodded to Riley and the camera came hovering at eye level in front of us.

"We've seen every part of this state-of-the-art school. We've seen how the students, adults and children alike, spend their days. And we've seen that they're people just like us. The adults are hard at work learning how to support themselves. The children skip class and worry about crushes. They're living their lives, day to day, just like the rest of us do."

He turned to me and I shifted uncomfortably.

"This is Tasha Lawrence, who saved my life a few days ago. In exchange for the injury she received, she lost her shapeshifting powers. Tasha grew up in a rehabilitation center, like the ones that preceded this school. What was that like?"

I glared at Sebastian. "It was awful," I told him. He raised his eyebrows. I sighed. "We were locked in small rooms. We were forced to undergo therapy where they told us how awful we were for being shapeshifters. They told our parents that they had killed us and they were fine with that."

"And what do you think of the Lawrence School?"

"It's better. The people here seem happy. I think they would be happier if they were allowed to leave."

Sebastian nodded at Riley and he turned off the camera. I found Io glaring at me.

"I was expecting a better recommendation."

"I was being honest."

"I appreciate it," Sebastian said. "You've done me a favor."

"Another one," I muttered.

Five minutes later, we had said our goodbyes and Sebastian was contacting the Enterprise.

"We're having transporter difficulties," Picard told us. "We'll send down a shuttlecraft for you."

"Thank you, Captain."

I paced down the sidewalk and back to Sebastian.

"What's wrong?"

"I'll feel better when we're back on the Enterprise."

"Still worried that I'm going to kidnap you? I had a nice talk with Captain Picard," he said in response to my glare. "He made it clear that if anything happened to you, he would personally come for you."

"That's nice to know."

"I have no intention of holding you here against your will. I gave you my word that I would let you go if you helped me and you did. What you do now is up to you."

I surveyed Sebastian. He sounded sincere but I didn't know him well enough to read him, not anymore.

"I was hoping you would consider staying, though."

"What?"

"As my advisor. There's a lot of work to do with the shapeshifters. We only have a hundred now, but you're right in pointing out that there will be more. And the rate that we find them is accelerating. I'm going to need someone to manage the reintegration."

"And you want me to do it?"

"I think you're the best person."

I could only stare at the man. "Why would I do that? There's no way I'm going to do that."

"Think about it. You don't have to decide right now."

"Oh, I'm ready to decide."

Sebastian sighed. "You want to help them, it's obvious. This is the best way for you to do it. And you wouldn't have to stay in your old rooms. We would set you up somewhere in Sector A."

"This isn't about my quarters!" I snapped. "I'm not staying on Sandor."

Sebastian inclined his head. "That's your decision."

With a whine, the shuttlecraft appeared in the sky, interrupting my response. When it landed on the grassy lawn, we climbed aboard. I braced myself as it took off but it was steadier than the Sandorian shuttlecrafts I had ridden. We were in the air when the ship jolted.

"Is that turbulence?" Sebastian asked.

"Negative, we're being fired at. Evasive maneuvers."

My stomach dropped as the ship jolted again. This time, I could hear the metal rending behind me. I jumped off my seat and fell into a seat beside Sebastian. The ship dipped and then climbed sharply, pushing me back against the seat. I found myself clutching Sebastian's arm.

The ship shook and this time I could smell metal burning.

"We're going down. Brace yourselves."

I gripped the seat with white fingers as the viewscreen filled with trees. I took a deep breath but before I could let it out, everything went black.

"Tasha, wake up." I groaned. "Wake up!"

My eyes fluttered open and I found myself staring up at Sebastian.

"Sebastian?" I muttered.

"Thank god. You have to get up."

He helped me to sit up and I looked around. We were in the back of the shuttle craft. One side of it had been ripped clean away, revealing tree trunks and needles on the ground.

"What happened?"

"We were shot down. Can you stand up?"

I nodded and the motion hurt. I brushed my hair out of the way and my fingers met something wet. Blood. I tenderly touched my forehead and winced as I brushed over a cut. I let Sebastian take my hand and pull me to my feet. I wobbled a little and then looked around.

"Where's the pilot?"

"He's dead. Here, take this."

I found a phaser being pressed into my hands. I looked up at Sebastian and found him sporting a bruised cheekbone. He held a phaser of his own.

"What, why?"

"Someone shot us down," Sebastian said urgently. He turned and went to the side of shuttlecraft that was open to the outside. "They'll be coming for us."

My stomach clenched. "We can't fight them off."

"Yes, we can. I'm trained in marksmanship. You've been in fights before, haven't you?"

"When I could shapeshift!" My voice was higher pitched than normal but I couldn't bring it down. "Not with a phaser!"

"We don't have a choice!" Sebastian turned back to me and before I knew it, he was towering over me, taking me by the shoulders. "Tasha, someone is trying to kill us. If we don't fight back, we're dead."

I could feel the panic rising in me. I gripped the phaser until it bit into my hand but I still couldn't control the fear.

"I can't fight like this," I whispered. The dark abyss was opening up again and this time I was falling in with nothing to grab onto. The ground was disappearing beneath my feet. "I should never have left the Enterprise."

"I need you, Tasha," Sebastian said, shaking me. "Pull yourself together. You've been in worse situations than this. I've sent you into worse places than this." He let go and went to crouch beside the ripped metal entrance. I slowly followed and peered around the side out into the woods. It was quiet. I raised the phaser and watched as it shook in my hand.

I bit my lip until I tasted blood and still we waited. Finally, so faint that I could barely believe I had heard it, there was the crunching of needles. But it got louder and louder and then there were voices.

"Spread out," I heard someone say.

I checked the setting on my phaser and pointed it through the opening. My heart was beating so fast that I thought I was going to faint. The phaser shook even as I tried to hold it steady.

I should never have left the Enterprise.

I should never have left where I was safe.

I heard a phaser fire and dimly was aware that it was coming from Sebastian. A flash of energy flew past me and struck the wall behind me. My phaser fell clattering to the floor as I tucked myself into a ball. I could hear Sebastian yelling my name as the droning in my head all but drowned him out. Then he slumped to the ground, there was a flash of light, and I lost consciousness again.