Jet smiled slowly as she sat in the trees of the forest that surrounded Dr. Gero's lab. Her father never let her stray to far, even though he knew perfectly well that she could take care of herself. Fathers must all be paranoid, she thought as she stood up on the thin limb. She was only three years old but had the mind of a 20 year old. She knew many things her family did not; saw more then they could ever see; and felt different things then they will ever experience.


Today, Jet felt adventurous and wanted to test her father's patience. She leapt into the air and jumped from tree branch to tree branch, soon becoming a blur across the oceans of green and brown. Her excellent ears heard her father behind.


" Jet, where'd you go?" His voice seemed farther and farther away. Jet kept running away. She knew where she was going. But did her father?


Leap, leap, hold, swing, fly! Thoughts of commands flashed through Jet's mind like a race. One thought replaced another before one could really be thought upon. Her mind really did confuse her sometimes. Higher, grab, swing, push, up, up, land, push, fly!


Jet then saw her destination in sight. A high cliff. Sharp rocks below. Perfect.




*********************************************************************




Seventeen followed his daughter with a swaying mind. Where did she think she was going? He thought as he watched her disappear behind trees, then come into view again, then disappeared. Man, she's fast.


The thought struck him as odd. A mere child faster against the perfect being? No, never. He was giving her too much credit.


Finally, he caught up with her and flew up the cliff; the sharp rocks inches from his body. Landed softly at the top of the flat surface and looked over to Jet, where she stood at the very edge of the cliff.


" What are you doing?" He growled. Stupid child, he grumbled.


" Papa, are you afraid?" She asked and turned around. Her heels tittered over the rocky edge.


" Of course not," Seventeen scuffed. " Why-."


" Good," Jet said in her simple tone again. She closed her eyes as an uplift of wind behind her, flew up her raven hair. She opened her eyes slowly and smiled. Then fell over the edge.


" Jet!" Seventeen cried, running to the edge and looked down. She was gone.




***********************************************************************




Seventeen searched over the forest but couldn't find her. How did she know how to fly? He cursed inside. Something was wrong with hersomething not right


Still a little shaken, Seventeen returned home and entered the lab with silence. He flicked aside his black hair, which had grown back after Eighteen insisted on finding a way to make it grow back.


" Its just so ugly that way," Eighteen argued with him. Seventeen had given up in the end, which was unusual for him. He just didn't want to fight with her. Besides, his looks were important to him. If Eighteen thought it looked ugly, it probably was. She was always really good with looks.


Seventeen slipped through the shadows of the nearly destroyed lab and into the main room, where Eighteen sat waiting for him.


" Where've you been?" Eighteen asked, relaxing in a chair in the middle of the room.


" I was looking for Jet," Seventeen explained.


" But I'm right here, Papa," a voice said behind him. He turned around, unable to control his mouth from dropping open.


" She was here the whole time," Eighteen said, eyebrow rising.


" But-." Seventeen started.


" Silly Papa," Jet laughed. A cold laugh. It sounded like Eighteen's. " Well, I'm going to bed. Good night." Jet walked away from the twins and down a dark hallway, to her bedroom that was at the end of the hallway. It was originally a storing compartment for Dr. Gero's parts but not anymore. It had been an easy job 'clearing' it out too. Seventeen watched her leave with narrowed eyes.


" What is it?" Eighteen asked, noting Seventeen's mood swing.


" Something's really weird about her," Seventeen said, turning back to his sister.


" She's a kid," Eighteen shrugged. " There is always something wrong with kids."


" She's different."


" I told you to kill her."


" Not that different."


" Whatever," Eighteen yawned. " I'm going to bed. You can sulk in thought. Good night." Now Eighteen left the room.
" I don't sulk," Seventeen grumbled and sighed. All right, time to get your cool back, he thought and looked down the hall to Jet's bedroom. And get some answersSlowly, Seventeen made his way down the dark hall and closer to Jet.


" Jet?" Seventeen called through the door of her bedroom.


" Come in Papa," Jet's voice called back. Seventeen opened the door and stood there for a moment to look at Jet's turned back.


" What are you doing?" Seventeen asked, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.


" Getting ready for bed," Jet said, back still to him.


" I didn't mean that," Seventeen explained. He looked about the bare room. It consisted of a bed and boxes of clothes and nothing else. Nothing else besides dust, anyway.


" Then what do you mean Papa?" Jet asked.


" I want to know what you are trying to do," Seventeen ordered and sat down on the tiny bed. The springs squealed under his weight.


Jet finally turned, and looked up at him. A blank face. He was really beginning to get use to it.


" Trying to do..." Jet echoed and stood up from the floor where she was sitting and walked over to her father to take her place beside him on the mattress. Her head fell upon his shoulder as she cuddled close to him.


" Jet..." Seventeen warned, patience losing within himself and such contact, even if it was his daughter, was beginning to frighten him.


" Why Papa," Jet cooed. " Don't you like my little game?"