Is There a Doctor in the House? (cont'd. 2)
By Alex, Harris, Kit, Shaine, and Shatterclaw. Individual rating: R.

-5-

Branks ran to Alex's side, taking her penlight out again and flashing it in his right eye. "He's out cold."

"Shaine, help Branks get him up on one of the beds."

I wonder if all men are like this...? Or is it something special about the ones I meet? Shaine gritted her teeth. He was heavy.

"We should get him to the MRI," Branks said. "I don't like the way Harris hit him."

"Why?"

"It was too hard, and too fast. Normally I'd just wait for the swelling to go down but it's too large of an area and Harris knows how to kill."

"Can you two carry him that far?"

"Think so," Shaine said.

"If you were a gentleman, you'd help us," Branks whined.

"Doctor's orders. No heavy lifting or saving the world."

"Rescinded!"

"And who exactly decided that doctor's orders don't apply to small women?" Shaine grated.

Crimson took Alex's arm from Branks. "On three, Shaine. Help me guide him in. --True, though...I keep forgetting that you sang 'Shaft' today."

"Yes, Shaine, that ought to be enough to get you a rubber room; why not strap yourself to a bed?"

She hissed as she hefted her side of Alex's limp form upward as best she could. "Down, girls - er, ladies... I need someone on this team to be in one piece. ...You feel like tearing her face off, Shaine?"

"Hey, if you could get Harris back here for a moment that would suit me."

Crimson grinned. "Sorry; forgot to tell him to stay on a short chain. But if you want, I can hold her down?"

"Brave talk from a sick man. Picking on poor, helpless females...what, did Mother Nature tear out your protective glands?"

"Nope, never got any. Makes it easier to do my job."

They reached the MRI and Branks went to the control booth.

"You'd think she'd have a better beside manner," Crim sighed. "Hey, here's an interesting thought: what if Mother Nature made men to be asses because we always had to fight for women?" He grinned.

Shaine gave him a strange look...which apparently seemed to be justified as he slumped to the floor and started laughing.

"You know, man...I think you got it worse than I did."

"No, I'm fine! I feel all right."

"Painkillers and antibiotics kicking in... Figures. He goes down when we need him the most."

As a beast of burden? Shaine smirked.

"You should be hitting the floor sometime soon, too. But please don't sing, either of you!"

"No, thank you." Shaine leaned against the wall for support. She didn't feel like making any more of an ass of herself that day than she already had.

"Hmmm," Branks said, looking down at her console. "Left side is swollen, and he seems to-- Shit...he has massive swelling and what looks like a bone chip--" She went to the phone and punched a number in. "Shaine, I need to get Alex to the operating room now. Get Crimson and yourself out of here."

Crimson held out his hand; Shaine took it and helped him up. They managed to make it back to the beds but both collapsed, weak-kneed, once they got there.

///

"Wakey, wakey!" Shaine's eyes shut even tighter as Branks shone her penlight at them. "Shaine, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Forty-two."

"Forty-two?" Branks sighed. "Well, it's better than 'Shaft.' Can you stand?"

"C? ...The answer is always C; I remember that much."

"No, the answer is the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle," Crimson said.

"Nooo...no math..."

"Well, I see you're feeling better!" Branks smirked.

"What's next, prime numbers?" Shaine managed to sit up, pouting and with a large clump of hair hanging in front of her face. She pushed it aside.

"Now, if you will follow me, o High Master of the Ravens..."

"Sure; you can be Raven Four, Bell will be Raven Eight..."

"Huh? High Master?" Shaine shook her head. "Hate to say it, bub, but you're not pretty enough to be Caden. Although I do have to admit you've got him beat in the brains department..."

Both of them stared at her. "Dare I ask?"

"Star Trek: Mariner? The only show worth watching anymore?"

"Sorry, don't watch that one.."

Shaine shook her head.

"And besides," Branks added, "I was talking to him."

"You know, if I could find just one Raven who speaks the same language I do..."

"At least she admits to watching it for the medspeak."

"Well I hope you gave Alex better than that! If he's walking around here with a grey lump of biotech on his neck for the next two years, I'm gonna hurl. --Though it would help him with that dislike of Harris..."

"Unfortunately I don't think Alex is going to be walking around the Nest very much."

Shaine's head jerked up and her eyes widened.

Branks pulled out a series of MRI scans and X-rays. "Harris hit him hard - it broke part of his skull. One of the bone fragments was very small...but managed to embed itself in Alex's brain. As you can see here, it's lodged in there pretty damned good. His short term memories of the past few hours are gone, and his long-term memory is as good as erased. If I remove it, he may die."

"Or be a complete vegetable," Crimson said.

"Shit..."

"Yes, even with the Boo--"

"No, not unless he asks for it. I won't turn him over just like that..."

"Don't you ever get tired of playing God, Crimson?"

"Don't you? It may save his life, and he may go on to have a full life - or he may run to Genom and tell them everything."

"Having a Boomer part doesn't make you a Genom toady."

"Do you know that? Have you had any implants yourself? I've seen friends turn on me. It's never pretty, and it doesn't make it any easier."

"No, but I've done it many times."

"Even...my family didn't want me to get any augmentation..."

Branks turned on Shaine. "Why?"

"She doesn't have to answer to you, Branks; you have no right to judge her."

"And you do?"

"Yes. I do."

"Who made you God? What right--"

"I have the right, Branks, because I brought these people together. I know you don't give a rat's ass about me, but there's one little thing that you're overlooking."

"And what is that?"

"I'm the leader. This is still America, and we still all have rights, but as Ravens you swore an oath to me and to this team. So it was you who made me God. You expected me to find a way to save all of you from Genom.

"Or have you forgotten being raped by a Boomeroid? Nearly flunking out of med school? How about the way you had to sell yourself on the street? You asked me to save you. I did. All I asked was for you to help me save others. Is it easy to forget that in your penthouse, with your big screen TV and large paycheck, Doctor Branks?"

"That low," she muttered.

"Shaine, do I ask too much?"

"No."

"Have I ever asked you to go against your free will?"

"No."

"I regret that we all have to do this. I wish the world could be a peaceful place where humans didn't sell out other humans - but it's not. Lives are cheap. I'm not right, Branks, I'm just the lesser of the two evils. Get used to it; there's nothing else left. As for Alex, we patch him up and get him to a normal hospital and I'll take it from there."

"You can't do that."

"I can't what, Branks? What can't I do? I can't treat him like this? I can't just turn him over? He can't be a Raven, not in this shape; he can't stay here and he can't be cut loose without some sort of backup. I'm doing the best I can. I'm giving him back his life--"

"This is not his life!"

"No...you're right. But it's better than having to shoot him."

"Let her choose!" Branks pointed at Shaine.

"Why?"

"Because she's not a cold bastard like you are."

"Branks, don't turn this into an all-out fight..."

"I mean it! Let her pick. What will we do with Alex?"

"It's not going to change anything," Shaine said sullenly.

"Yes it would. It would change the fact that he thinks he can do it."

"I won't let you turn him into a Boomer. So the only other choice besides what he wants is to put him down like some sick animal... I won't let you waste even half a life like that."

"See? I'm not the only one, Branks."

"Let him die his own way, however long that takes. But at least stay out of it." Her jaw clenched, tight.

"Welcome to the real human race, Branks. You used to know that this was what it was like, what it was supposed to be. Either relearn or get out."

"I can't leave! It would mean..." Her eyes went wide, then cold.

"What would it mean, Branks?" Crimson baited her.

"It would mean you'd have to give up your pretty little castle..." Shaine mocked.

"Or worse." Crimson turned and walked past Branks.

"Bastard. --How can you take his side?"

"Nobody's on nobody's side, Branks. And I refuse to even touch something that close to Genom."

"Why? Your family has." Shaine's expression didn't change. "In fact it's wallowed in Genom... Wasn't it Evon Kohl who used to help Stingray? Wasn't he one of your family?"

"He was my father."

"See? It goes even deeper. I could save him, right now, maybe even make him better than he was before...doesn't that matter?"

" 'You could never make it better," Shaine said, her eyes focusing on something far distant. "You couldn't take that mind and stick it into something it's not...and you couldn't bring back my Katya.' " She shook her head.

"Katya?"

"You say you watch Mariner?"

"From time to time...it has its moments."

"You could stand to pay a hell of a lot more attention."

"It's a show. Just a TV show."

"And why do you think so many people waste their time on it? What keeps people buying Anime when they can have American television for almost free, by comparison?"

Branks sighed. "I don't know, but you're going to tell me aren't you?"

"You want to talk about loss of free will, take a look at what western culture has done to the human race. I'm not going to listen to any more of this. Either you do it to him or you don't. But if you do, I have a few rounds with his name on them, for the sake of mercy." She got up and walked out.

Branks just stood there for a moment.

She finally went to get Alex, but when she got to the room she found it empty. Tubes hung from an IV bag, dripping fluids onto an empty bed.

"Damn him!" Turning off the lights with a fierce slap of her hand, she walked away.

Her footsteps grew fainter and fainter until only the sound of the dripping IV filled the air.

-6-

The next night.

Erik bit back a gentle laugh as Hase struggled to remove a bit of chocolate syrup from the paralyzed corner of her mouth. Things are going so well...it's almost possible to believe that it's gone back to normal. Aside from the noticeable lack of quality in room service, the evening had been absolutely perfect.

Hase blinked suddenly, feeling a bit lightheaded. She put down her spoon. "Erik...do you feel something...?"

He frowned, shaking his head.

Hase swore under her breath and grabbed a napkin, holding it over her nose and mouth. "Someone's trying to gas us!" She dove for her rifle, out the door before Erik could say anything. Gunshots sounded outside the room.

"Damnit!" He could hear energy weapons too. "Are your skin jobs here?"

"No. I thought you said we didn't need them."

The door exploded open. Hase raised her rifle and fired; what was left of the Boomer landed at her feet. It was one of her own. Erik looked down at it in disgust.

A giant, birdlike figure stepped into the doorway and cawed. Hase fired at it again. She hit dead-on, but there was no visible effect other than the birdman's mocking laughter.

No. I won't lose her, not after-- Erik grabbed his cell phone and started dialing. It raised its hands, Hase's eyes narrowed...the phone fell from his numbed hand. He dove after it, but the raven-thing blocked him and crushed it in one huge hand. "No fair, maggot. You may not call your 'skin jobs' to help you."

Another birdman walked up to Hase with a green canister; the canister hissed and emitted more of the knockout gas. She slumped to the floor. Erik watched in cold fascination as the ravenoid quickly and dispassionately stripped her and dragged her to the bed. She muttered something, but between the half-paralyzed mouth and the gas it was impossible to tell what she said.

The first raven creature grabbed Erik by the front of his shirt and hauled him up to eye level. "Do you know who I am?"

"Ja," Erik answered weakly.

"I'm Birdman!" it roared, then hit Erik over the head with another canister of the gas.

Vladimir Cinocard stepped into the room and grinned enthusiastically. Dressed entirely in black, a half-mask concealed the portions of his face left uncovered by his gas mask. "Ah, my dear lady...you have been chosen to breed the next generation of Steel Ravens. How does that make you feel? --Oh, yes, the gas has taken hold. Well, dear heart, you won't remember much of this, but you ought to be proud. I'll be using you to make a whole new breed of Ravens, stronger than any Boomer you have...or ever will have."

He slid a small pouch out of his pocket. "Do you know what this is? ...No, of course not. Nor should you." Too bad it'll hurt, but this is for the greater good. "An extractor. I intend to take a few of your unfertilized ova - which you won't even miss - and from them the new Ravens will be born."

He placed a small metal device on her forehead. "And this..." His hand brushed against her cheek. "Will copy your cognitive patterns so that our new children will be stronger and smarter than before."

The hand wandered across her body, one side brushing against her breast and stomach, and came to rest upon her thigh near the barcode tattooed there. Pity she's tainted. Like his Victoria, but that was a different story.

There was a faint humming noise as the extractor snapped to life. "This won't take too long. It's a shame you would never be a willing party to this..."

"Father, what shall we do with the male?" One bird-creature asked.

Cinocard frowned. "Be gentle. He's only of use if he's still intact. But let's have some fun with Miss Hase...hold her down."

He waved a small container underneath her nose and she came to...somewhat.

"Nnnnhhh..."

"Come, my dear. Surely you're made of stronger stuff than that." She muttered something in German. "Now, now, such language! Is that any way for a lady to speak?"

"Uhhhh..." She managed to focus her eyes somewhat.

"I just wanted to tell you that soon you will be the mother of a new kind of Steel Raven." Her face contorted at that last word and she began squirming around in his grasp. "We have chosen you to become one of us - isn't that grand? I know you're overjoyed by it; I can tell.

"Would you like to see what one of your children will look like? Hm?"

She didn't answer. Her breath was ragged and her skin ashen.

"Every mother should see the face of her newborn..." He pulled one of the birds forward.

"Caw! Caw! Mommy!" It was probably the ugliest thing Hase had ever seen, even without the distorting influence of the drugs. The bird-thing kissed her on the lips, nipping her a bit as it did so. A few drops of blood welled up on her lower lip.

"See what a lovely mother you'll make... Well, my dear, any last words?"

"Blrbl..."

"Yes, they are birds! Do you wish to become one? You can be just like your children if only you ask..." She looked at it - or perhaps not; her eyes were pointed in the general direction, though none but the overly optimistic Cinocard would say for certain that she did.

He smiled.

"Ah, well. Maybe next time." Staring deep into her eyes, he continued: "Hmmmm, yes. You really do need to lay off of the alcohol; you won't remember this after tonight. A pity."

He scooped up his things and walked out of the room, raven-creatures trailing behind him.

///

She awoke to the sounds of rain and thunder. Someone had left the windows open.

Erik was lying on the floor, still out cold. Hase stood rather stiffly and went to him. Still breathing, steady pulse...but the lump on his forehead didn't look very good. She got some ice, wrapped it in a towel, and placed it over the lump. A crack of thunder nearly deafened her, but she gave no sign.

Her other hand went to his cheek. Absentmindedly Hase looked up at the rest of the hotel room. It was a mess, with black feathers everywhere and her Boomers lying near the door, both beyond repair. She leaned over slightly to pick up a feather next to Erik's shoulder; it was light and had an oily film to it. It smelled earthy...like it had come from the country and not the city.

Hase snarled.

Suddenly she remembered a hideous face...it called her mommy... She shuddered and dropped the feather.

"Kathy...?"

"No." She looked down at him with more compassion than would seem possible for her.

"What..." He winced, and she rubbed his cheek with her free hand.

"It seems I got to meet your Ravens."

Erik's hand went to hers, gripping it tightly. "I will make them pay for this." She grimaced and pulled away, rubbing the side of her stomach and swearing. "What's wrong? What did they do to you?"

"I don't know."

He tried to stand, but his legs were rubbery. Hase caught him.

"We need to get you to a doctor. Now."

"And what about you? Or have you not noticed that they left you a little present too?"

"I'm fine," he snapped, two fingers going gently to the lump. "It's a flesh wound, nothing more. We've faced worse than this."

She touched the lump. He winced. "What's that, then?"

"A flesh wound! I'll be fine. Did they say anything to you?"

"I remember... 'Mommy?' " She shook her head.

"Mommy?"

Hase nodded slowly. "I don't know if it was real or not... And his eyes..."

"What the hell?"

"Oh, God, his eyes..."

"What--" He got to his feet and guided her to the edge of the bed. "What is it?"

"They were yellow, and slit like a cat's."

"Like a cat."

"Yes."

"His eyes were yellow?"

She put her arms around his waist. "Erik, give it up. Go get your doctor."

"I'm not leaving you alone." He turned toward the phone and called Cullyn.

"Kohl here."

"Get over here now. I need an ambulance, protection for Hase and myself..."

"Boss?"

"And I need it yesterday."

"Yes, sir!"

He hung up. "They're on their way." Then he called the ADP commissioner and reminded him who paid the bills.

Erik looked deep into her eyes. "I'm...sorry. I should have dealt with them already." Then he looked at the rest of her. There were large bruises on her thighs. "When did this happen?"

"What?"

His hands went to her legs, gently prying them open. She winced. "Not now, Erik..."

"You're bruised..."

"No shit!"

"What the fuck did they do to you? One called you Mommy, and they raped you..." She tried to pull away, her muscles weak and rubbery. "Those fucking bastards raped you!"

"Erik, let go." He did. She slid back further onto the bed, almost completely out of his reach.

"I won't let this go. I will not rest until I have their heads hanging from the Tower's walls!"

She looked at him as if he were crazy. "I can take care of myself."

"And what would you have me do?" Stand here with my thumb up my ass same as I always have before?

"Just let me handle this. I brought the new Replicants, and it should be no issue." Her voice was as cool and detached as ever.

"After tonight, they're more than an 'issue.' They tried to kill me, they probably killed Shaine, and now they've...defiled you. It's personal."

"Defiled?" She glared at him. "Am I your property too, then?"

"No! Nothing like that!"

"I'm not some piece in your collection to be given a value and put on a shelf."

"Did I say that? Have I ever said anything like that?" She said nothing. "It's just that they're turning this into a personal battlefield. It's one thing to target me; it's another to go after everyone I know."

"And let it stay personal - to them. If you go tearing off after them, they'll kill you. If you stay calm...you can have them." She inched closer. "I will give them to you."

He let out a weary sigh. "What did you have in mind?"

Hase's lips brushed across the side of his face. "Leave that to me."

"Fine. It's up to you." He stroked her cheek gently; she leaned into it, pressing herself against the side of her body. His own lips drifted towards hers as Cullyn, standing in the doorway, cleared her throat.

"About time you got here!" He moved to shield Hase's body with his own.

"Hey, Boss? Should I come back later?"

"No, what you should have done was be here to defend us."

"You told me you wanted your, ah..." Her head tilted thoughtfully to one side. "Privacy. Bring the Boomer, wait for him, leave."

He glared at her. "Hase, it might be safer if you stayed at my house after all."

"Things are close to being back to normal," Cullyn said. "Had to tell those stupid Zed-class construction Boomers what to do every step of the way but it's getting there."

"Cullyn, you wait here for the ADP. Tell them what happened."

"Won't they want to get a look at you? And, uh..." She jerked her head toward Hase.

"They will. At the hospital." Cullyn shrugged. "Yes, yes, I know... I called in a few favors. They'll search the place and then meet me at the hospital."

"All right," Cullyn said sweetly. "You want me to cooperate with them? 'Cause if not, I got a little something special for Detective Jacob." She slapped her thigh, held up her gun, and smiled cruelly.

"Cooperate with them," Erik hissed. "Remember that the Ravens are our enemies, and the ADP just our hunting dogs."

A withering glance. "Sure." But her tone was not sarcastic.

"Then Hase will finish them. --Hase, get dressed. Something loose, preferably."

"Who came with you?"

Cullyn stared at her as she walked over to the dresser. "Sassenach and Eve."

"Good...good work. They'll go with us to the hospital, then."

Cullyn smiled a little. "Just remember, Erik darling, you promised me I'd live forever," she teased.

"I'm not in the mood for jokes, Cullyn. Have Sass look Hase over first, to be sure they don't miss anything."

There was a knock at the door. "Detective Jacob, ADP." Cullyn spun around, then hissed when she saw who it was. He held his hand out to show that he was unarmed, then flashed his badge. "Good evening, Mr. Kohl. We really must stop meeting this way."

Hase stopped, sock in hand, and stepped closer to Erik. Cullyn stood her ground, but tensed her muscles and hid her gun.

"Yes, we should. Perhaps if some people did their jobs better...?"

"We always do our best for upright citizens. Now, what happened here?" Jacob looked at Cullyn, then Hase. "Domestic abuse? Joy toy over here got wind of your new lady?"

"I can't believe our company made anything that stupid," Hase said flatly. "Are you Gulf and Bradley?"

"Huh?"

"You heard me, Detective. Oh...wait...you're human." It was the human - the original - and not Wolfstone's partner. "Figures."

"Well, score one for the Boomer! Nice to see you'll admit what you are...unlike some..."

"I'm twenty-eight percent Boomer. Unless your country's laws have changed, that still makes me human."

"She is," Erik said. "Check with Genom Rochester."

Jacob looked suspicious. "So what happened here?" Erik told him what little he remembered while the detective took notes. "And what's your take on this, ma'am?"

"I don't remember a thing after the gas hit."

Cullyn moved to cover his escape route, letting her laser claws slide out a bit while his back was turned. "Ah huh...did you see the attacker's face?"

"No. Or rather - I don't remember anything except his eyes. But I think I was hallucinating. They looked yellow, and had slit pupils."

Cullyn flexed her hands. Erik noticed and glanced at her sharply, and she put the claws away. Jacob saw Erik's dark glare and tried very hard not to look at Cullyn. "Anything else you'd like to add?"

"No."

"I'll see what we can do. There's a police escort waiting for you outside with the ambulance. We'll sweep the room," He turned toward Cullyn. "If that's all right with you? Now, if you'll excuse me..."

Cullyn smiled and him and licked her lips, then slooowly moved. Jacob shook his head and tried to convince himself he couldn't feel her eyes burning a hole in his back as he walked out.

Back in the squad car, he told Jamson, "Next time I'm in a room with them, have a sniper cover my back - from next door."

"Sure thing. --Can I have you car after you're gone?"

///

Dumped in the emergency room together, Erik and Hase waited a good long while. Finally a Dr. Branks appeared.

"I have your test results."

"Well, then...will I live?" Erik smirked.

He looks familiar... "No, I'm afraid you have two days to live. You'll die of bad comedy poisoning."

"How horrid," he sighed. "Cut down at the tender age of 45."

"It's fatal unless you pay ten times as much to your doctor. But be that as it may...you don't look over 75 to me. You'll live. A mild concussion, a few bruises..."

"Feels like a hangover."

"The gas will make you ill for the next few days. Try not to eat too much, and drink plenty of water. As for Ms. Kant... Ms. Kant has had some unusual damage done to her uterus. We're not entirely sure at this time what could have done it, but it's as if a Boomer has tried to fuse with her."

"What? That's not possible!"

"Whoever did this, he knows Jack shit about the human body."

"The thing that attacked her said it was the Birdman. That thing hates Boomers...or am I wrong?"

"Birdman?"

"Yes."

Branks sighed and took out the X-rays. "This city gets weirder by the day. ...I'd say it looks like it tried to fuse with her, due to the nature of the damaged flesh. There are signs of possible probing here, here, and here. Now, nothing known to us can do damage like that. But what it looks like..."

She trailed off, frowning.

"I can tell you it's nothing Genom knows about--"

"We had a female prostitute in here last week with the same markings." Erik's head jerked up suddenly. "They found her with a Boomer on top of her."

"I can assure you that Boomers were not involved," Erik replied coldly.

"After we managed to cut her free - took about ten hours - it looked a lot like this, but worse. There are still a few tests to look into, but whatever it was, you're very lucky. There's no permanent damage."

"How long will it take to heal? Will I be restricted in any way?"

"And also there's a chance that you are pregnant."

"What...?"

"As far as restrictions - besides the obvious - stay off of your feet, no lifting, no exercise, and no undue stress. I'll give you some painkillers and a cream."

"And as for what you were just saying?"

"Yes, the test is inconclusive but the early indications would imply that you are with child."

Erik placed his hand on top of hers; she shoved it away.

"If you like we could do a full run of tests, find out who the father is."

"Yes."

"We'll need a sperm sample and a few more samples from you, then."

"I'm afraid it's going to be rather hard to get this 'Birdman' to cooperate."

"Yes, well...I meant Mr. Kohl here. It is routine, after all."

Hase stared at Branks as if she were crazy. "Well, no harm in it," Erik said lightly. Hase looked up at him sharply; he smiled and she looked away, muttering a few obscenities in German.

"As soon as the ADP can bring us a 'Birdman,' Ms. Kant, we'll have it tested," Branks continued. "But for now you need to get some rest.

She walked out of the room, going to her office and closing the door behind her.

"Did you get it?"

"Yes, my love, a few more minutes..."

"What's the matter, dear?" Vladimir Cinocard asked.

"They think it was a Birdman. They don't believe that it was a dream..."

"And this bothers you?"

"Yes! They'll use force if they have to, in order to find out the truth, and that will endanger you - and our children..."

"Yes...our children. Like the ones the real Ravens have killed. This is fair revenge for them: let our enemies take care of each other!"

"Yes, I know..."

"Good." Vlad smiled, kissing her gently on the cheek and going to the open window. "I'll see you later tonight, my dear. You can bring the samples with you."

He slid through the window frame and was gone.

///

"Feeling any better, Buns?" Erik murmured.

"A little." Hase stretched a bit as she got out of the car. "But whatever that witch doctor gave me, it's making my legs feel like rubber..."

Without another word, Erik lifted her up into his arms and carried her up the hill; Eve deftly recovered his umbrella and held it over them, her dark curls already plastered to her face by the rain.

Far too exhausted to complain, Hase rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. Once inside the house, Erik spared a glance for the still-incomplete south end, then headed in the other direction.

He whispered in her ear, "I think we'll stay in Kathy's room for now."

"Good. I haven't woken her yet."

Erik set her down on the bed, then brushed a hand against her cheek. "Get some rest, all right, Buns?"

"Erik?" Shaine? He forced himself to stay outwardly calm, heart racing as he slowly turned toward the door.

Cullyn stood next to the young woman and distinctly failed to inform Erik as to her identity...he had to assume that it was the new Replicant.

"Hello, Shaine," Hase said weakly.

"This is the new one?"

"Yes."

"Go back to your room, Katerin."

She pursed her lips. "I thought she called me Shaine...?"

"I will call you Shaine when you have earned it. Now go." He glared at her retreating form, then wordlessly stepped out into the hall.

Damn it...where's Eve? There was the sound of water sloshing across porcelain, and as he turned he could see her leaning halfway over a bathroom sink, squeezing the water out of her hair. "Eve."

"Yes, sir?" She stopped, hands still wrapped around the long fall of dark hair, and looked up at him.

"Wake Kathy up and put her in the guest room. I'll be there to see her later."

"Yes, sir." She walked out into the hall, about to pass him by.

"Oh...and another thing. Do you know the names of the other new Replicants?"

"Anri and Zhora."

"Right. Well..."

Eve nodded, scuttling sideways toward escape. "I'll go wake Kathy, then."

He watched her leave, then sighed. Damn that Rabbit.

Damn her for taking my mind off of what's important in all of this: my family...

"Cullyn," he called.

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Come here." He placed an arm around her shoulders, walking her away from the bedroom, then lowered his voice. "I want you to track down these damned Ravens and finish them, no matter what Bunny is doing. And find Shaine. I'm not giving up until her body is dead and rotted and I've seen it."

"Yes, sir!"

"Oh, and one other thing...Hase does not know about this."

"Of course, sir." Cullyn smiled hungrily.

"I'm going out; I'll be back later this evening. Make sure Kathy is awake by then; I gave the job to Eve."

"Where are you going?" He glared at her, and she did her best to look repentant. "...If I need to find you..."

"If you need to find me you can call me."