*
I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. I mean, this place was a castle for gods' sake, and we were staying here as guests. My mom and this guy Piotr were talking quietly across the room, while I wandered about looking at, well, everything. It was pretty much what you'd expect in a castle. Old furniture and stuff mingled with the modern. I had expected it to be cold in here, but it wasn't. The place had been upgraded over the years and the heating system was doing its job just fine. I wandered into a side room, a sitting room I'd guess you'd call it, and looked around. The painting over the fireplace made me do a double take.
"Holy shit," slipped out before I had a chance to stop it.
My mom appeared an instant later to admonish me, but stopped when she saw what I had commented on. "Gods, Piotr. Why on earth did you keep that awful thing?"
Piotr and everyone else filed into the room. "And how could I not keep it? Their beloved Queen who gave up her life for me." He said this with a straight face, but my mom whapped him on the arm.
"It's not that bad, Alyx," my dad said to her.
"But I look..." she began.
"Regal," Manda sighed.
"Royal," Chris added.
"Bored," Rose concluded, and that got everyone laughing.
I just stared at the painting. I could tell it was my mom, even though her hair and eyes were the wrong color. The deep purple gown she wore must have cost a fortune, as well as the crown. Crown? The painting itself was very well done, but it was confusing the heck out of me.
"Your mom was married to Piotr for a short time," my dad said, coming to stand beside me. "It was for work, but they were close friends and still are, obviously."
"But if she was married to him..." I wasn't quite sure what I was asking.
He paused thinking. "She was hired to play the role of his wife, when the woman he was supposed to marry was killed. Your mother looked like her."
"Then how come she's not still married to him?" Not that I wanted her to be, but this was one story I had not heard.
He directed me over to a couple of chairs and we sat down. "This is the short version, ask me later and I'll give you the details." He paused to take a breath. "In order to find out who was trying to kill Piotr, your mom made some arrangements. The result being she took and an assassin's bullet for Piotr and as far as the world knows, died." He leaned back in the chair. We were all tired after today's traveling. "You know that tattoo on Mom's back, the dragon?"
I nodded. It was impressive.
"Well, that covers the scar from that fun experience. Ask her about it sometime. She'll show it to you and tell you the entire story from her perspective." He smiled a bit and then yawned, which got me started. "Come on," he said, getting to his feet. "Let's see if we can convince them to stop talking shop for eight hours."
We walked over to the rest of the family, all of whom were deep in conversation with Piotr and several others. They kept bouncing from English to Kanvian, a variant of Russian, and back. A third gentlemen was escorted to them as we approached, and Mom and Rose switched to Chinese to speak to him.
"We aren't going to distract them, are we?" I asked my dad, who shook his head with a laugh.
He walked up behind Mom and set a hand on her shoulder. She finished her sentence and then turned to look at him. "Whatcha need, Dare?"
"Not to break up the fun, but some of us need to get some sleep," Dad said and much to my surprise Manda and Chris nodded in agreement. It seems that the quicksilver messes with sleep cycles for those who have it fully active, so my mom and Rose only slept a few hours a night normally, and could keep going for several days if necessary. The rest of us needed a normal night's sleep, and the travel time getting here had been almost twelve hours. I was tired.
"My apologies, Darien," Piotr said in a resonant tenor. He made a hand motion, and several people appeared suddenly. "They will show you to your rooms. Actually, it's a wing of the building usually reserved for diplomatic visitors."
"No need to go to any trouble, we don't need to stay here at all," my dad said, not wanting to cause any difficulties.
Mom elbowed him.
"He's legitimizing our visit, Darien," Manda informed him.
Dad sighed. "Sorry, it's been a while since I've done this."
Piotr laughed. "Don't worry about it. I'd give you those apartments gladly even if this were nothing more than a friendly visit. The fact that it is business, business that is of some concern to me, is only a side benefit. It's not often I get visitors who are not after something from me."
Now it was Mom's turn to laugh. "You don't know what we're asking for yet."
"Ari...Alyx...it matters not. I will help any way I can," Piotr said seriously.
My mom moved to him and kissed him on the cheek, and my dad said nothing. "Thank you Piotr."
"Come, let's get you settled. We can discuss this better after we have all had some sleep."
I yawned again just then, no longer caring that I was in a castle or that my mom had just kissed the King as if she did it all the time. Right now I wanted something vaguely resembling a bed and sleep, lots of sleep.
The next two days were busy, very busy. At first I felt like they were keeping me out of the loop. Half the time they were speaking in another language, one of four, and of them, besides English, I only partially understood the Kanvian. My dad was in the same boat and he finally pointed it out to my mom, who truly looked embarrassed. So now I could understand both the Kanvian and the Chinese. Mom had dumped the languages into our heads, leaving us with killer headaches for a few hours, but it was worth it. I felt like part of the group now, instead of a tag-along.
Mom was the only one in the family who could do that little trick. Even Mike doesn't quite understand how she does it, and he's experienced it for himself. Another weird benefit of her odd ability.
Currently we were going over the equipment that we were taking with us. There wasn't that much and most of it was clothing and food. The rest was the various electronics we would need to stay in contact with the outside world and the few pieces that might help us break in to the Lab. I was surprised to learn we'd be doing this on foot, since vehicles would be both conspicuous and nearly useless. The terrain was too difficult for even the toughest off-road vehicle. We were hoping to do the distance in a week with some help from locals. That's why Mr. Chou was here. He was Piotr's contact across the border, keeping him informed about the installation. He was even providing clothes to help us blend in a bit better. Though between the silver and blue eyes we had and Mom and Rose's red hair, there was no way we'd be mistaken for locals under even the most cursory scrutiny.
When my dad came home with his eyes changed, I had to admit I kind of freaked. I knew it would happen to me, but it wasn't supposed to happen to Dad. He was just getting a temporary quicksilver gland, things like that weren't supposed to happen. No one was unduly concerned about it, though, so I tried not to be. The first time I watched my dad quicksilver was both exciting and frightening. I had seen Mom do it a few times -- heck, I've had it done to me a few times -- but that was Mom. Dad, well Dad was the normal one, had been for years. Even though I knew he'd done this before, it was still weird to see him doing it now. I guess I'd gotten used to him not having super-powers. And maybe, maybe, I was a little afraid.
// "Mom, do it again," I crowed. Watching her do those tricks with my toys was just so neat, and since she'd been working so much lately I was able to guilt her into doing more than she normally would. Right now she was acting out one of my favorite stories as she read from the book, and I was loving it. I was hoping to get her to do the next one in the series after. I was pretty sure I could. All I had to do was give that look and she'd cave. She always did.
She was reaching the best part of the story when she suddenly stopped, sucking in air and squinting her eyes as if in pain. What surprised me more was that all the toys she'd been controlling stopped and dropped at that same moment.
"Mom?" I asked a bit concerned.
"'Sokay, honey. Stay here. I'll be right back." She set down the book and wandered out of the play room. After a moment to consider, I decided to follow. It wasn't normal for Mom to suddenly stop playing with me unless it was the phone, and then it was usually work.
"Dare?" I heard her ask. There was a grunt from somewhere nearby. "Dare, what's wrong?"
I peeked around the corner to see my dad curled up on the floor holding the back of his head. Mom had knelt down next to him and was trying to help him, I guess. I could only wonder what was wrong.
When he finally relaxed and sat up, he actually looked frightened. "Alyx, what the hell is happening?"
She shook her head. "I don't know." She looked at his wrist at the funny snake tattoo I knew was there. "Have they changed anything recently that I don't know about?"
He shook his head. "No..." the words got lost as he collapsed into convulsions once again. Mom held him through it, keeping him from smashing his head back against the floor. As soon as he relaxed she got up and ran from the room. She didn't even notice me she was in such a hurry. I poked my head around the corner and looked at my dad. He looked the same as he always did, if a little scared.
"Hey, Ben," he said quietly.
Timidly I walked over to him. "What's going on?"
"Nothing you need to worry about, kiddo." He sounded so normal. Like he hadn't just spent the last several minutes fighting what must have been the nastiest pain in the world.
"Dad..." I was smart enough to know when I was being lied to. Dad was never very good at it around us.
Mom came back then, carrying a needle and a square of cloth. "Give me that arm, bub." she said to him and he complied without argument. She swiped the square of cloth on the inside of his elbow and I could smell the alcohol. Then she carefully poked him in the vein that was standing out in his arm.
"Why doesn't it hurt nearly as much when you do this?" he asked with a sigh.
She removed the needle the contents in him, now. "Because she doesn't live with you," she said with a chuckle. "Ah Dare, it's too soon. You need to tell Claire."
He set a hand on her shoulder. "I have. She says there's nothing wrong."
Alyx shook her head. "That can't be right. Maybe..."
He placed a hand over her lips. "Not now, small ears." He nodded towards me where I was trying to disappear behind a chair.
Mom turned and spotted me. "Thought I told you to stay put." She didn't sound angry at least.
I came out from behind the chair and shrugged. "I was worried." When I got over to them she took my hand in hers.
"Can you give me and your dad a minute? I promise I'll come and finish the story after." She tried to smile, but I could tell she was upset about something.
"Sure." I said and backed out of the room. I peeked back around after a moment to see my dad holding my mom. I knew it was going to be more than just a minute before she came . With a sigh I walked to the play room and began to pick up the toys. I hoped she'd tell me what was going on. I didn't like it when she was scared this way. //
Of course it had been just six months later when everything fell apart. When the problem with the quicksilver gland and the counteragent was finally admitted to. By then my dad had had enough, was not willing to risk endangering anyone else, especially not me or my sisters. They eventually told me what had happened. There was a problem with the newest version of the counteragent they were using. There turned out to be residue it was leaving behind that was interacting with the quicksilver, or rather that addition that had been made to the quicksilver. It not only caused the madness to come quickly and unexpectedly, but also did not register on the monitor.
I always wondered why they didn't pick it up in testing and Mom explained that the only way they could test it was through computer simulation and with rats. The computer sims showed no problems and neither did the rats. It was problem unique to the way Dad's body used and broke down the counteragent. Claire immediately went back to using an earlier version, which solved the problem, but Dad had made his decision. He wanted out.
I guess it was only natural that I would be a little scared about the situation, considering what happened at the end. I knew it was different now, that the problems had been corrected, that there was no more madness in the gland. I had even met a couple of the other I-Men from the Agency, but that was different. They weren't my dad. Maybe some of it was nervousness about this mission, this rescue. Could my dad have used this as an excuse for getting a new gland? There was always the risk that the recipients could become addicted to the quicksilver, or rather to using it. So far it hadn't happened -- they were very careful who they chose to receive a gland -- but they all knew it could happen. I wanted this over with and my family back the way it should be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alyx lay in the brush and snow, looking across the border. There wasn't any real demarcation in this area. No obvious patrols. No fences. Just wilderness. She turned to the person snuggled next to her. "So, what do you think?"
"I think it's fricking cold, that's what I think," Darien said to her in all seriousness.
Alyx laughed. "Poor baby. I'll keep you warm." She moved a bit closer and gave him a quick kiss. Everyone else was back at the small town just a few miles away. Alyx had wanted to scout the best place to sneak across before nightfall. This first leg they were going to do at night, just as a precaution. Once they were far enough across the border they would walk in shifts, day or night, depending on weather. Their goal was to reach that abandoned monastery in two days, then spend a day to recover and revise the plan if necessary. They had the gear to stay in contact with the outside world and would get regular updates on the situation. With Alyx they didn't need to worry about a power source; she could provide the power for any piece of gear they carried.
"This is nuts. We're spies, not a covert ops team," Darien muttered after a moment.
"I really ought to let you read our reports more often. We've been doing stuff like this since Johnson showed up. It's just an extreme version of the snatch and runs you used to do." Alyx turned to look back across the land. Even a good topographical map just wasn't the same as looking at the land itself. She really wished they could do a fly-over -- hell she wished they could just parachute in -- but the Chinese government frowned on strange airplanes in their airspace. They had a habit of shooting first and torturing later. None of them were capable of HALO or low altitude jumps, the only two viable options. Not even she was capable of keeping a plane off radar. So they'd do it the longer but far safer way.
"You guys have been running jobs like this?" Darien asked with surprise. Okay so maybe they didn't often talk details of her work, since it was technically top secret, but still he should have known that.
"Uh, huh," Alyx said, distracted. "Just last month we hit a major drug supplier down in Columbia. Scored some major cash for the Agency." She fiddled with the computer pad in her hand, comparing the map on the screen with the view before her. "Johnson is cheaper than Charlie ever was."
"That doesn't sound right. I mean, I know you guys don't get full funding, but that's more to keep you secret than anything else." He was talking mostly to himself, but she heard him.
"I know, and Manda says something funny is going on, but she hasn't been able to track it down." She tapped a few more keys then shut it down. "Come on, let's grab a couple hours of sleep. We've got a long night ahead of us."
They backed out of the brush and retraced their path to the town. Darien wasn't quite ready to drop the subject of Johnson and the Agency. "I'm starting to really not like this guy."
Alyx snorted. "Careful there. Keep in mind you have stolen property in the back of your head. You could end up working for him yourself."
Darien stopped dead in his tracks. "Please tell me you're joking."
She turned to stand in front of him. "You don't really think Johnson knows we put that gland in your head, do you?"
Darien shook his head, not sure what to think. "You stole the gland."
"Well, duh. Why do you think we did the implantation at my lab?" Alyx said to him with wry smile.
"I... It... Aw, crap." Darien finally managed to say. "You are completely insane." He brought his gloved hands to cup her face. "Completely. Insane."
"And?" She was laughing quietly.
He leaned down and kissed her. It was the only thing he could think of to do, and even after all these years he still enjoyed it. Still found himself willing to lose himself to her, even if only for a stolen moment. "Sleep. We need to get some sleep." He took one of her hands and they continued to walk towards the house they were staying at for the day. "And I'm freezing my ass off out here."
"All right, you wuss. Let's get you inside and warm. If you're good, I may even snuggle with you." Alyx kept her voice serious just to annoy him.
"And who stole a multimillion-dollar gland?" Darien teased right back.
"Does this make me a better thief than you?" she asked with an unexpected bounce to her step.
"Nah, stealing from the government doesn't count, especially if it's from your own boss. 'Sides, 'Maid Marian,' you get caught even more often than I do."
"Hey, 'Robin Hood' that was the first time I'd ever tried to steal anything outside of the Agency's purview. At least I had a back-up plan in place for the melt-down." Alyx countered with a grin. It had been a long time since she'd thought about her first foray into a life of crime. It certainly had not been her, or their, last.
"And now we have our very own band of 'Merry Men'." He paused, thinking. "The world is lucky we're the good guys, busily overthrowing the modern day Prince John and Sheriff of Nottingham. We could be very dangerous if we wanted to be."
"Darien, just think what we could do to Vegas in one night." She grinned and watched as that thought sunk in.
"Well, now I know where our next vacation shall be, but the question is; do we reenact Ocean's Eleven or Robin and the Seven Hoods?"
That got both of them laughing and they were still chuckling over it when they walked into the house and shed their winter clothes. Most everyone was dozing so they found a stray spot without any napping bodies and curled contentedly about one another. It was to be their last peaceful moment for a while.
Alyx looked down at the computer pad as they walked. They were using a modified version of a GPS tracking system to show their location which was then added to topographical map that showed the location of the monastery. They'd made good time, but they needed a rest and the monastery was the only shelter around for miles. According to their guide it had pretty much been abandoned, except for those brave few willing to risk saying a few prayers there. The Chinese government had gotten even worse than when she was a kid. A lot of the Buddhist monasteries had been destroyed over the years. The fact that this one still existed was astounding. She was looking forward to seeing it.
"We should be able to see the place soon," she said to Chris, who was her scouting partner this time. "It can't be more than a couple of miles at most."
"Good. 'Cause we need a big break. Manda is almost as out of practice as Darien, but he's kept in better shape." Chris commented, his breath steaming out about them.
"Hey, remember that Darien was tied close to home back then. Long distance hikes in the woods were not his specialty," Alyx said as she continued walking. They came out of the trees and looked up at the rock wall a hundred yards before them. The pathway cut into the cliff was impressive. Alyx tipped her head back and looked up. "Holy cow." she muttered.
"No, that's India," Chris said rather offhandedly. "Didn't realize the couple of miles would be straight up."
"Neither did I. When he said it was on the side of a mountain, I didn't think it would be quite this literal." She had to admit that it was quite impressive. "Should we head up or head back?"
"I really don't want to have to climb that twice," Chris said. Suddenly, as he watched, his mom put her hand to her forehead and went to her knees. He rushed to her side. "What's wrong?"
She couldn't answer; the pain was exquisite. She forced herself to close off the light connection she was keeping with the rest of the family and the pain finally eased. She gasped for air and found herself being held by Chris who looked rather worried. "Not me. It's Ben." She cautiously reopened the connection to find the same mind-blinding pain still there and she quickly closed it down. Next she tried only Darien. *What's happened?*
*Alyx? Get back here. Ben's collapsed. We need Chris.* Somehow his mind voice was completely calm.
*On our way,* she sent back and then turned to Chris. "Why now?" she commented to the air as Chris helped her to her feet.
"We've been expecting this," Chris commented as they headed back towards the rest of their group at a trot. "The timing does suck, however."
Alyx was quiet for several minutes and then said something that she knew she should have said long ago. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you guys."
"Don't think that way. Yeah, it was tough. Even tougher after Jess died, but we understand." He reached out and stopped her. *Really. You did what was necessary and we had relatively normal lives because of it. Not one of us feels differently.*
Alyx sighed. "I...." She shook her head.
*We're just glad we got you back,* Chris sent and he tried to send his emotions as well so that she could really understand.
*Me too. Thank you.* She knew telepathy was difficult for him, and she appreciated why he was talking to her that way.
"Can we get moving now? There may not be much we can do, but I, for one, would like to make sure Ben is okay." Chris said this lightly, knowing she was worried enough already.
Alyx nodded and they got moving again. She checked ahead every few minutes, not necessarily speaking to anyone, but just checking over their minds to see their level of concern. While they were all worried, with the exception of Darien, they weren't overly concerned. They had all been through this themselves.
*Manda, we're nearly there. Don't flambe us,* Alyx sent ahead as they neared the place the others were. Just a few minutes later they came out of the trees and brush to where the group had stopped. They'd bundled Ben up in the spare blankets and cleared an area of snow. He was lying with his head in Rose's lap. Other than Darien, she was the only one of them that had no active telepathy, so she would not irritate his mind as badly as Manda would.
"He's come to a couple of times, but he keeps passing back out." She lifted her head to look at Chris. "Kinda like you did, bro."
Chris nodded and dug through his pack for the medical gear he had brought. Alyx waited impatiently while Chris checked him over. Darien came to stand behind her and wrapped his arms about her. "There was no warning. He just dropped."
She leaned back against him. "He'll be okay. He has to be," she said quietly.
"Holy shit," Rose suddenly swore as her hand went to her forehead.
Everyone had pretty much the same reaction, except Darien, who looked about in bewilderment.
"I got it." Alyx said through clenched teeth. Damn, the kid was strong. She imposed shields on Ben from the outside, something she hadn't had to do in years. It took a moment, since she was a bit out of practice, but she finally got them in place and secure. There was still discomfort being broadcast, but she realized it wasn't Ben anymore. "Rose?"
Chris looked at his sister. "It's about damn time."
"What's going on?" Darien asked, trying to keep his voice steady.
"Apparently Ben's not the only one whose powers have decided to kick in." Manda answered, rubbing her forehead.
Chris clarified. "Little sis here has always had the potential for telepathy, but unlike the rest of us, it didn't manifest itself when she hit puberty. Ben's emergence seems to have finally triggered hers as well."
"We need to get these guys inside." Alyx said, going over to the two seated on the ground. "Can you walk, Rose?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Mikey taught me shielding, so it's not too bad."
Alyx supported Ben while Rose got to her feet. He opened his eyes and looked up at her. "Hey there. You back with us?"
He groaned and tried to sit up, but she held him in place. "No you don't. Trust me, you need to rest for a while." She looked over at Darien who knelt down beside them.
"How are you feeling?" Darien asked him.
"Head hurts, but not as bad," he answered, his words slightly slurred.
Alyx looked over at Chris, who nodded reassuringly. "He's about as expected. None of us had as bad a time as you. He should be okay in twenty-four hours or so, barring problems." Chris looked at Ben. "But you need to rest until then, understand?"
Ben only nodded. This was nothing like he'd expected.
Darien scooped him up. "Lead the way."
They grabbed backpacks and the various pieces of gear and, with Chris in the lead, they made their way to the monastery.
None of them really wanted to remember that climb. The pathway was only about two feet wide and very steep, though it was very well maintained. There were obviously quite a few people in the area who visited, just as their guide had suggested.
Their guide had been forced to leave them the day before, after an urgent message from Piotr requested his return. He'd been reluctant to leave them alone and given them all the knowledge he could before going, including rumors of secret passageways in the monastery.
Given the climb and the starkness of the cliff face, they weren't expecting much when they finally reached the top. They were all well and truly surprised. Once they walked in through the rather plain main entrance, they discovered an open courtyard with a stream running through it. While Darien, Chris, and Rose began to set up camp inside one of the buildings, Manda and Alyx went investigating. The courtyard was impressive enough, but outside behind the monastery it was breathtaking. Statuary stood amongst an extensive garden, covered in almost completely undisturbed snow, which extended back to a natural wall that was part of the mountain itself. Out of curiosity, Alyx climbed the wall and looked around. On the other side, the ground fell away into a dry ravine that may have once been a riverbed. Pulling out the computer pad, she oriented it. This must be an offshoot of the main river that had been diverted, for it wasn't marked on her map. She added the feature and climbed back down.
By now she had a killer headache herself. The three of them made their way back inside and helped finish setting up the camp in a room off to one side of the main courtyard that had an enormous fireplace. There was wood stacked nearby and Rose had already gotten it piled on the hearth.
"Hey, Manda. Care to put that odd talent of yours to work and save me the trouble?" Rose was smiling and Manda nodded. Darien actually turned to watch. He'd never actually seen her use this particular talent of hers.
Manda sighed, but walked over to the fireplace. She closed her eyes and took several calming breaths to prepare herself. Her control needed to be perfect. Alyx watched her quietly, knowing that Manda was far better at this than she was. Manda opened her eyes and the logs burst into flame. "Crap. Too much."
Alyx compensated for her and drew off some of the air, causing the flames to die down. "You are out of practice, young lady," Alyx admonished. "You are going to take more field assignments, no matter how much it hurts."
"Yes, mother. Or would that be 'boss'?" She got this odd look for an instant. "But you're right, I am out of practice and I shouldn't be."
"Don't worry about it, sis," Rose said. "Let's just get set up and get some food into us. I'm starved."
"Yes, oh great one. I am yours to command," Manda said with a laugh. They spent the next hour getting settled and actually cooking some food, providing the group with a warm meal for the first time in five days. It might have been a simple stew, but they didn't care.
After dinner, Alyx and Chris checked over the patients again. While Chris ran some tests on Ben, Alyx dealt with Rose and her sudden emergence of powers. "So, what is going on in that head of yours?"
Rose laughed. "Mikey always said I was blocking something, guess he was right." She looked over at Darien. *Right, Mr. Darien?*
Darien twitched and turned to look at her. "I just figured it was my imagination. I mean, you seemed to know things way back then, but you never showed any signs since we met again."
Rose laughed. "I know. I apparently started blocking the ability when Jess died." She shrugged. "He was my father."
"Yes, Rose, he was your father, no matter what else he may have been," Alyx said to her daughter. "Now relax for me, and let's see what we have here."
Rose sighed, but complied. She hadn't had this done since she went through what Ben was going through now.
Alyx was not nearly as good at this as Mikey, but she was the only other one who could even slightly gauge what powers might have kicked in. She was rather surprised to discover that Rose had a weaker version of her own talent. She'd been receptive all this time, and of course had the quicksilver, but she'd been blocking her mental abilities.
"Well, you're a lot more like me than you thought," Alyx said with a smile. "You'll need to practice your shielding. And be prepared to have contact problems. I still do, even after all these years."
"She's got your talent?" Chris asked from beside Ben.
"Much milder. She'll...you'll..." she turned back to Rose. "Probably be a mild telepath and empath, and you'll never have to worry about batteries again. Beyond that..." Alyx shrugged. "You'll just have to wait and see and test yourself."
"Mom, could you come here?" Chris called to her.
Alyx looked at Rose who waved her hand. "Shields, food, rest. I know the routine by now."
Alyx patted her on the shoulder and got up to go over to Chris and Ben. She sat down next to him and brushed the hair off his forehead. "How you feeling?"
"Okay, Mom. That was not fun," he replied, trying to smile. He sounded incredibly tired, which was to be expected.
She turned to Chris and raised one eyebrow. "Well, his telepathy and empathy have kicked in, turned up a notch, but we expected that. That wild talent of his appears to be a bit stronger, but it's hard to judge with that one. It's too different from what I'm used to. His readings are within the norm, but I would suggest an extra day here to rest as a precaution."
Alyx nodded. "If we need to then, yeah, we'll stay an extra day. Our latest intel suggests that nothing has changed. We can't help Dani unless we're at one hundred percent."
Ben struggled to sit up and Chris helped him. "I'm sorry Mom. I didn't mean..."
"Don't, you. We knew this could happen at any time. In fact, the pressure of this adventure may have set it off early. So if anyone is to blame, it would be me," Alyx said to him.
"It was my idea to bring him," Darien said, coming over to them. "That would make it my fault."
"I could have argued about bringing him," Manda added.
"Same here," came from Rose, and Chris shrugged.
"You'd have to blame all of us, Ben." Darien said . "We tend to stick together."
"All right, I get it." Ben felt a little embarrassed.
Rose brought over tea and some of the stew they'd made for dinner. "Eat, kiddo. You need it, even if it doesn't feel like it. Trust me on this."
Everyone else nodded in agreement. "I'll stay with you," Chris said. "You all get some rest. I have a feeling we're going to need it."
*
I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. I mean, this place was a castle for gods' sake, and we were staying here as guests. My mom and this guy Piotr were talking quietly across the room, while I wandered about looking at, well, everything. It was pretty much what you'd expect in a castle. Old furniture and stuff mingled with the modern. I had expected it to be cold in here, but it wasn't. The place had been upgraded over the years and the heating system was doing its job just fine. I wandered into a side room, a sitting room I'd guess you'd call it, and looked around. The painting over the fireplace made me do a double take.
"Holy shit," slipped out before I had a chance to stop it.
My mom appeared an instant later to admonish me, but stopped when she saw what I had commented on. "Gods, Piotr. Why on earth did you keep that awful thing?"
Piotr and everyone else filed into the room. "And how could I not keep it? Their beloved Queen who gave up her life for me." He said this with a straight face, but my mom whapped him on the arm.
"It's not that bad, Alyx," my dad said to her.
"But I look..." she began.
"Regal," Manda sighed.
"Royal," Chris added.
"Bored," Rose concluded, and that got everyone laughing.
I just stared at the painting. I could tell it was my mom, even though her hair and eyes were the wrong color. The deep purple gown she wore must have cost a fortune, as well as the crown. Crown? The painting itself was very well done, but it was confusing the heck out of me.
"Your mom was married to Piotr for a short time," my dad said, coming to stand beside me. "It was for work, but they were close friends and still are, obviously."
"But if she was married to him..." I wasn't quite sure what I was asking.
He paused thinking. "She was hired to play the role of his wife, when the woman he was supposed to marry was killed. Your mother looked like her."
"Then how come she's not still married to him?" Not that I wanted her to be, but this was one story I had not heard.
He directed me over to a couple of chairs and we sat down. "This is the short version, ask me later and I'll give you the details." He paused to take a breath. "In order to find out who was trying to kill Piotr, your mom made some arrangements. The result being she took and an assassin's bullet for Piotr and as far as the world knows, died." He leaned back in the chair. We were all tired after today's traveling. "You know that tattoo on Mom's back, the dragon?"
I nodded. It was impressive.
"Well, that covers the scar from that fun experience. Ask her about it sometime. She'll show it to you and tell you the entire story from her perspective." He smiled a bit and then yawned, which got me started. "Come on," he said, getting to his feet. "Let's see if we can convince them to stop talking shop for eight hours."
We walked over to the rest of the family, all of whom were deep in conversation with Piotr and several others. They kept bouncing from English to Kanvian, a variant of Russian, and back. A third gentlemen was escorted to them as we approached, and Mom and Rose switched to Chinese to speak to him.
"We aren't going to distract them, are we?" I asked my dad, who shook his head with a laugh.
He walked up behind Mom and set a hand on her shoulder. She finished her sentence and then turned to look at him. "Whatcha need, Dare?"
"Not to break up the fun, but some of us need to get some sleep," Dad said and much to my surprise Manda and Chris nodded in agreement. It seems that the quicksilver messes with sleep cycles for those who have it fully active, so my mom and Rose only slept a few hours a night normally, and could keep going for several days if necessary. The rest of us needed a normal night's sleep, and the travel time getting here had been almost twelve hours. I was tired.
"My apologies, Darien," Piotr said in a resonant tenor. He made a hand motion, and several people appeared suddenly. "They will show you to your rooms. Actually, it's a wing of the building usually reserved for diplomatic visitors."
"No need to go to any trouble, we don't need to stay here at all," my dad said, not wanting to cause any difficulties.
Mom elbowed him.
"He's legitimizing our visit, Darien," Manda informed him.
Dad sighed. "Sorry, it's been a while since I've done this."
Piotr laughed. "Don't worry about it. I'd give you those apartments gladly even if this were nothing more than a friendly visit. The fact that it is business, business that is of some concern to me, is only a side benefit. It's not often I get visitors who are not after something from me."
Now it was Mom's turn to laugh. "You don't know what we're asking for yet."
"Ari...Alyx...it matters not. I will help any way I can," Piotr said seriously.
My mom moved to him and kissed him on the cheek, and my dad said nothing. "Thank you Piotr."
"Come, let's get you settled. We can discuss this better after we have all had some sleep."
I yawned again just then, no longer caring that I was in a castle or that my mom had just kissed the King as if she did it all the time. Right now I wanted something vaguely resembling a bed and sleep, lots of sleep.
The next two days were busy, very busy. At first I felt like they were keeping me out of the loop. Half the time they were speaking in another language, one of four, and of them, besides English, I only partially understood the Kanvian. My dad was in the same boat and he finally pointed it out to my mom, who truly looked embarrassed. So now I could understand both the Kanvian and the Chinese. Mom had dumped the languages into our heads, leaving us with killer headaches for a few hours, but it was worth it. I felt like part of the group now, instead of a tag-along.
Mom was the only one in the family who could do that little trick. Even Mike doesn't quite understand how she does it, and he's experienced it for himself. Another weird benefit of her odd ability.
Currently we were going over the equipment that we were taking with us. There wasn't that much and most of it was clothing and food. The rest was the various electronics we would need to stay in contact with the outside world and the few pieces that might help us break in to the Lab. I was surprised to learn we'd be doing this on foot, since vehicles would be both conspicuous and nearly useless. The terrain was too difficult for even the toughest off-road vehicle. We were hoping to do the distance in a week with some help from locals. That's why Mr. Chou was here. He was Piotr's contact across the border, keeping him informed about the installation. He was even providing clothes to help us blend in a bit better. Though between the silver and blue eyes we had and Mom and Rose's red hair, there was no way we'd be mistaken for locals under even the most cursory scrutiny.
When my dad came home with his eyes changed, I had to admit I kind of freaked. I knew it would happen to me, but it wasn't supposed to happen to Dad. He was just getting a temporary quicksilver gland, things like that weren't supposed to happen. No one was unduly concerned about it, though, so I tried not to be. The first time I watched my dad quicksilver was both exciting and frightening. I had seen Mom do it a few times -- heck, I've had it done to me a few times -- but that was Mom. Dad, well Dad was the normal one, had been for years. Even though I knew he'd done this before, it was still weird to see him doing it now. I guess I'd gotten used to him not having super-powers. And maybe, maybe, I was a little afraid.
// "Mom, do it again," I crowed. Watching her do those tricks with my toys was just so neat, and since she'd been working so much lately I was able to guilt her into doing more than she normally would. Right now she was acting out one of my favorite stories as she read from the book, and I was loving it. I was hoping to get her to do the next one in the series after. I was pretty sure I could. All I had to do was give that look and she'd cave. She always did.
She was reaching the best part of the story when she suddenly stopped, sucking in air and squinting her eyes as if in pain. What surprised me more was that all the toys she'd been controlling stopped and dropped at that same moment.
"Mom?" I asked a bit concerned.
"'Sokay, honey. Stay here. I'll be right back." She set down the book and wandered out of the play room. After a moment to consider, I decided to follow. It wasn't normal for Mom to suddenly stop playing with me unless it was the phone, and then it was usually work.
"Dare?" I heard her ask. There was a grunt from somewhere nearby. "Dare, what's wrong?"
I peeked around the corner to see my dad curled up on the floor holding the back of his head. Mom had knelt down next to him and was trying to help him, I guess. I could only wonder what was wrong.
When he finally relaxed and sat up, he actually looked frightened. "Alyx, what the hell is happening?"
She shook her head. "I don't know." She looked at his wrist at the funny snake tattoo I knew was there. "Have they changed anything recently that I don't know about?"
He shook his head. "No..." the words got lost as he collapsed into convulsions once again. Mom held him through it, keeping him from smashing his head back against the floor. As soon as he relaxed she got up and ran from the room. She didn't even notice me she was in such a hurry. I poked my head around the corner and looked at my dad. He looked the same as he always did, if a little scared.
"Hey, Ben," he said quietly.
Timidly I walked over to him. "What's going on?"
"Nothing you need to worry about, kiddo." He sounded so normal. Like he hadn't just spent the last several minutes fighting what must have been the nastiest pain in the world.
"Dad..." I was smart enough to know when I was being lied to. Dad was never very good at it around us.
Mom came back then, carrying a needle and a square of cloth. "Give me that arm, bub." she said to him and he complied without argument. She swiped the square of cloth on the inside of his elbow and I could smell the alcohol. Then she carefully poked him in the vein that was standing out in his arm.
"Why doesn't it hurt nearly as much when you do this?" he asked with a sigh.
She removed the needle the contents in him, now. "Because she doesn't live with you," she said with a chuckle. "Ah Dare, it's too soon. You need to tell Claire."
He set a hand on her shoulder. "I have. She says there's nothing wrong."
Alyx shook her head. "That can't be right. Maybe..."
He placed a hand over her lips. "Not now, small ears." He nodded towards me where I was trying to disappear behind a chair.
Mom turned and spotted me. "Thought I told you to stay put." She didn't sound angry at least.
I came out from behind the chair and shrugged. "I was worried." When I got over to them she took my hand in hers.
"Can you give me and your dad a minute? I promise I'll come and finish the story after." She tried to smile, but I could tell she was upset about something.
"Sure." I said and backed out of the room. I peeked back around after a moment to see my dad holding my mom. I knew it was going to be more than just a minute before she came . With a sigh I walked to the play room and began to pick up the toys. I hoped she'd tell me what was going on. I didn't like it when she was scared this way. //
Of course it had been just six months later when everything fell apart. When the problem with the quicksilver gland and the counteragent was finally admitted to. By then my dad had had enough, was not willing to risk endangering anyone else, especially not me or my sisters. They eventually told me what had happened. There was a problem with the newest version of the counteragent they were using. There turned out to be residue it was leaving behind that was interacting with the quicksilver, or rather that addition that had been made to the quicksilver. It not only caused the madness to come quickly and unexpectedly, but also did not register on the monitor.
I always wondered why they didn't pick it up in testing and Mom explained that the only way they could test it was through computer simulation and with rats. The computer sims showed no problems and neither did the rats. It was problem unique to the way Dad's body used and broke down the counteragent. Claire immediately went back to using an earlier version, which solved the problem, but Dad had made his decision. He wanted out.
I guess it was only natural that I would be a little scared about the situation, considering what happened at the end. I knew it was different now, that the problems had been corrected, that there was no more madness in the gland. I had even met a couple of the other I-Men from the Agency, but that was different. They weren't my dad. Maybe some of it was nervousness about this mission, this rescue. Could my dad have used this as an excuse for getting a new gland? There was always the risk that the recipients could become addicted to the quicksilver, or rather to using it. So far it hadn't happened -- they were very careful who they chose to receive a gland -- but they all knew it could happen. I wanted this over with and my family back the way it should be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alyx lay in the brush and snow, looking across the border. There wasn't any real demarcation in this area. No obvious patrols. No fences. Just wilderness. She turned to the person snuggled next to her. "So, what do you think?"
"I think it's fricking cold, that's what I think," Darien said to her in all seriousness.
Alyx laughed. "Poor baby. I'll keep you warm." She moved a bit closer and gave him a quick kiss. Everyone else was back at the small town just a few miles away. Alyx had wanted to scout the best place to sneak across before nightfall. This first leg they were going to do at night, just as a precaution. Once they were far enough across the border they would walk in shifts, day or night, depending on weather. Their goal was to reach that abandoned monastery in two days, then spend a day to recover and revise the plan if necessary. They had the gear to stay in contact with the outside world and would get regular updates on the situation. With Alyx they didn't need to worry about a power source; she could provide the power for any piece of gear they carried.
"This is nuts. We're spies, not a covert ops team," Darien muttered after a moment.
"I really ought to let you read our reports more often. We've been doing stuff like this since Johnson showed up. It's just an extreme version of the snatch and runs you used to do." Alyx turned to look back across the land. Even a good topographical map just wasn't the same as looking at the land itself. She really wished they could do a fly-over -- hell she wished they could just parachute in -- but the Chinese government frowned on strange airplanes in their airspace. They had a habit of shooting first and torturing later. None of them were capable of HALO or low altitude jumps, the only two viable options. Not even she was capable of keeping a plane off radar. So they'd do it the longer but far safer way.
"You guys have been running jobs like this?" Darien asked with surprise. Okay so maybe they didn't often talk details of her work, since it was technically top secret, but still he should have known that.
"Uh, huh," Alyx said, distracted. "Just last month we hit a major drug supplier down in Columbia. Scored some major cash for the Agency." She fiddled with the computer pad in her hand, comparing the map on the screen with the view before her. "Johnson is cheaper than Charlie ever was."
"That doesn't sound right. I mean, I know you guys don't get full funding, but that's more to keep you secret than anything else." He was talking mostly to himself, but she heard him.
"I know, and Manda says something funny is going on, but she hasn't been able to track it down." She tapped a few more keys then shut it down. "Come on, let's grab a couple hours of sleep. We've got a long night ahead of us."
They backed out of the brush and retraced their path to the town. Darien wasn't quite ready to drop the subject of Johnson and the Agency. "I'm starting to really not like this guy."
Alyx snorted. "Careful there. Keep in mind you have stolen property in the back of your head. You could end up working for him yourself."
Darien stopped dead in his tracks. "Please tell me you're joking."
She turned to stand in front of him. "You don't really think Johnson knows we put that gland in your head, do you?"
Darien shook his head, not sure what to think. "You stole the gland."
"Well, duh. Why do you think we did the implantation at my lab?" Alyx said to him with wry smile.
"I... It... Aw, crap." Darien finally managed to say. "You are completely insane." He brought his gloved hands to cup her face. "Completely. Insane."
"And?" She was laughing quietly.
He leaned down and kissed her. It was the only thing he could think of to do, and even after all these years he still enjoyed it. Still found himself willing to lose himself to her, even if only for a stolen moment. "Sleep. We need to get some sleep." He took one of her hands and they continued to walk towards the house they were staying at for the day. "And I'm freezing my ass off out here."
"All right, you wuss. Let's get you inside and warm. If you're good, I may even snuggle with you." Alyx kept her voice serious just to annoy him.
"And who stole a multimillion-dollar gland?" Darien teased right back.
"Does this make me a better thief than you?" she asked with an unexpected bounce to her step.
"Nah, stealing from the government doesn't count, especially if it's from your own boss. 'Sides, 'Maid Marian,' you get caught even more often than I do."
"Hey, 'Robin Hood' that was the first time I'd ever tried to steal anything outside of the Agency's purview. At least I had a back-up plan in place for the melt-down." Alyx countered with a grin. It had been a long time since she'd thought about her first foray into a life of crime. It certainly had not been her, or their, last.
"And now we have our very own band of 'Merry Men'." He paused, thinking. "The world is lucky we're the good guys, busily overthrowing the modern day Prince John and Sheriff of Nottingham. We could be very dangerous if we wanted to be."
"Darien, just think what we could do to Vegas in one night." She grinned and watched as that thought sunk in.
"Well, now I know where our next vacation shall be, but the question is; do we reenact Ocean's Eleven or Robin and the Seven Hoods?"
That got both of them laughing and they were still chuckling over it when they walked into the house and shed their winter clothes. Most everyone was dozing so they found a stray spot without any napping bodies and curled contentedly about one another. It was to be their last peaceful moment for a while.
Alyx looked down at the computer pad as they walked. They were using a modified version of a GPS tracking system to show their location which was then added to topographical map that showed the location of the monastery. They'd made good time, but they needed a rest and the monastery was the only shelter around for miles. According to their guide it had pretty much been abandoned, except for those brave few willing to risk saying a few prayers there. The Chinese government had gotten even worse than when she was a kid. A lot of the Buddhist monasteries had been destroyed over the years. The fact that this one still existed was astounding. She was looking forward to seeing it.
"We should be able to see the place soon," she said to Chris, who was her scouting partner this time. "It can't be more than a couple of miles at most."
"Good. 'Cause we need a big break. Manda is almost as out of practice as Darien, but he's kept in better shape." Chris commented, his breath steaming out about them.
"Hey, remember that Darien was tied close to home back then. Long distance hikes in the woods were not his specialty," Alyx said as she continued walking. They came out of the trees and looked up at the rock wall a hundred yards before them. The pathway cut into the cliff was impressive. Alyx tipped her head back and looked up. "Holy cow." she muttered.
"No, that's India," Chris said rather offhandedly. "Didn't realize the couple of miles would be straight up."
"Neither did I. When he said it was on the side of a mountain, I didn't think it would be quite this literal." She had to admit that it was quite impressive. "Should we head up or head back?"
"I really don't want to have to climb that twice," Chris said. Suddenly, as he watched, his mom put her hand to her forehead and went to her knees. He rushed to her side. "What's wrong?"
She couldn't answer; the pain was exquisite. She forced herself to close off the light connection she was keeping with the rest of the family and the pain finally eased. She gasped for air and found herself being held by Chris who looked rather worried. "Not me. It's Ben." She cautiously reopened the connection to find the same mind-blinding pain still there and she quickly closed it down. Next she tried only Darien. *What's happened?*
*Alyx? Get back here. Ben's collapsed. We need Chris.* Somehow his mind voice was completely calm.
*On our way,* she sent back and then turned to Chris. "Why now?" she commented to the air as Chris helped her to her feet.
"We've been expecting this," Chris commented as they headed back towards the rest of their group at a trot. "The timing does suck, however."
Alyx was quiet for several minutes and then said something that she knew she should have said long ago. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you guys."
"Don't think that way. Yeah, it was tough. Even tougher after Jess died, but we understand." He reached out and stopped her. *Really. You did what was necessary and we had relatively normal lives because of it. Not one of us feels differently.*
Alyx sighed. "I...." She shook her head.
*We're just glad we got you back,* Chris sent and he tried to send his emotions as well so that she could really understand.
*Me too. Thank you.* She knew telepathy was difficult for him, and she appreciated why he was talking to her that way.
"Can we get moving now? There may not be much we can do, but I, for one, would like to make sure Ben is okay." Chris said this lightly, knowing she was worried enough already.
Alyx nodded and they got moving again. She checked ahead every few minutes, not necessarily speaking to anyone, but just checking over their minds to see their level of concern. While they were all worried, with the exception of Darien, they weren't overly concerned. They had all been through this themselves.
*Manda, we're nearly there. Don't flambe us,* Alyx sent ahead as they neared the place the others were. Just a few minutes later they came out of the trees and brush to where the group had stopped. They'd bundled Ben up in the spare blankets and cleared an area of snow. He was lying with his head in Rose's lap. Other than Darien, she was the only one of them that had no active telepathy, so she would not irritate his mind as badly as Manda would.
"He's come to a couple of times, but he keeps passing back out." She lifted her head to look at Chris. "Kinda like you did, bro."
Chris nodded and dug through his pack for the medical gear he had brought. Alyx waited impatiently while Chris checked him over. Darien came to stand behind her and wrapped his arms about her. "There was no warning. He just dropped."
She leaned back against him. "He'll be okay. He has to be," she said quietly.
"Holy shit," Rose suddenly swore as her hand went to her forehead.
Everyone had pretty much the same reaction, except Darien, who looked about in bewilderment.
"I got it." Alyx said through clenched teeth. Damn, the kid was strong. She imposed shields on Ben from the outside, something she hadn't had to do in years. It took a moment, since she was a bit out of practice, but she finally got them in place and secure. There was still discomfort being broadcast, but she realized it wasn't Ben anymore. "Rose?"
Chris looked at his sister. "It's about damn time."
"What's going on?" Darien asked, trying to keep his voice steady.
"Apparently Ben's not the only one whose powers have decided to kick in." Manda answered, rubbing her forehead.
Chris clarified. "Little sis here has always had the potential for telepathy, but unlike the rest of us, it didn't manifest itself when she hit puberty. Ben's emergence seems to have finally triggered hers as well."
"We need to get these guys inside." Alyx said, going over to the two seated on the ground. "Can you walk, Rose?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Mikey taught me shielding, so it's not too bad."
Alyx supported Ben while Rose got to her feet. He opened his eyes and looked up at her. "Hey there. You back with us?"
He groaned and tried to sit up, but she held him in place. "No you don't. Trust me, you need to rest for a while." She looked over at Darien who knelt down beside them.
"How are you feeling?" Darien asked him.
"Head hurts, but not as bad," he answered, his words slightly slurred.
Alyx looked over at Chris, who nodded reassuringly. "He's about as expected. None of us had as bad a time as you. He should be okay in twenty-four hours or so, barring problems." Chris looked at Ben. "But you need to rest until then, understand?"
Ben only nodded. This was nothing like he'd expected.
Darien scooped him up. "Lead the way."
They grabbed backpacks and the various pieces of gear and, with Chris in the lead, they made their way to the monastery.
None of them really wanted to remember that climb. The pathway was only about two feet wide and very steep, though it was very well maintained. There were obviously quite a few people in the area who visited, just as their guide had suggested.
Their guide had been forced to leave them the day before, after an urgent message from Piotr requested his return. He'd been reluctant to leave them alone and given them all the knowledge he could before going, including rumors of secret passageways in the monastery.
Given the climb and the starkness of the cliff face, they weren't expecting much when they finally reached the top. They were all well and truly surprised. Once they walked in through the rather plain main entrance, they discovered an open courtyard with a stream running through it. While Darien, Chris, and Rose began to set up camp inside one of the buildings, Manda and Alyx went investigating. The courtyard was impressive enough, but outside behind the monastery it was breathtaking. Statuary stood amongst an extensive garden, covered in almost completely undisturbed snow, which extended back to a natural wall that was part of the mountain itself. Out of curiosity, Alyx climbed the wall and looked around. On the other side, the ground fell away into a dry ravine that may have once been a riverbed. Pulling out the computer pad, she oriented it. This must be an offshoot of the main river that had been diverted, for it wasn't marked on her map. She added the feature and climbed back down.
By now she had a killer headache herself. The three of them made their way back inside and helped finish setting up the camp in a room off to one side of the main courtyard that had an enormous fireplace. There was wood stacked nearby and Rose had already gotten it piled on the hearth.
"Hey, Manda. Care to put that odd talent of yours to work and save me the trouble?" Rose was smiling and Manda nodded. Darien actually turned to watch. He'd never actually seen her use this particular talent of hers.
Manda sighed, but walked over to the fireplace. She closed her eyes and took several calming breaths to prepare herself. Her control needed to be perfect. Alyx watched her quietly, knowing that Manda was far better at this than she was. Manda opened her eyes and the logs burst into flame. "Crap. Too much."
Alyx compensated for her and drew off some of the air, causing the flames to die down. "You are out of practice, young lady," Alyx admonished. "You are going to take more field assignments, no matter how much it hurts."
"Yes, mother. Or would that be 'boss'?" She got this odd look for an instant. "But you're right, I am out of practice and I shouldn't be."
"Don't worry about it, sis," Rose said. "Let's just get set up and get some food into us. I'm starved."
"Yes, oh great one. I am yours to command," Manda said with a laugh. They spent the next hour getting settled and actually cooking some food, providing the group with a warm meal for the first time in five days. It might have been a simple stew, but they didn't care.
After dinner, Alyx and Chris checked over the patients again. While Chris ran some tests on Ben, Alyx dealt with Rose and her sudden emergence of powers. "So, what is going on in that head of yours?"
Rose laughed. "Mikey always said I was blocking something, guess he was right." She looked over at Darien. *Right, Mr. Darien?*
Darien twitched and turned to look at her. "I just figured it was my imagination. I mean, you seemed to know things way back then, but you never showed any signs since we met again."
Rose laughed. "I know. I apparently started blocking the ability when Jess died." She shrugged. "He was my father."
"Yes, Rose, he was your father, no matter what else he may have been," Alyx said to her daughter. "Now relax for me, and let's see what we have here."
Rose sighed, but complied. She hadn't had this done since she went through what Ben was going through now.
Alyx was not nearly as good at this as Mikey, but she was the only other one who could even slightly gauge what powers might have kicked in. She was rather surprised to discover that Rose had a weaker version of her own talent. She'd been receptive all this time, and of course had the quicksilver, but she'd been blocking her mental abilities.
"Well, you're a lot more like me than you thought," Alyx said with a smile. "You'll need to practice your shielding. And be prepared to have contact problems. I still do, even after all these years."
"She's got your talent?" Chris asked from beside Ben.
"Much milder. She'll...you'll..." she turned back to Rose. "Probably be a mild telepath and empath, and you'll never have to worry about batteries again. Beyond that..." Alyx shrugged. "You'll just have to wait and see and test yourself."
"Mom, could you come here?" Chris called to her.
Alyx looked at Rose who waved her hand. "Shields, food, rest. I know the routine by now."
Alyx patted her on the shoulder and got up to go over to Chris and Ben. She sat down next to him and brushed the hair off his forehead. "How you feeling?"
"Okay, Mom. That was not fun," he replied, trying to smile. He sounded incredibly tired, which was to be expected.
She turned to Chris and raised one eyebrow. "Well, his telepathy and empathy have kicked in, turned up a notch, but we expected that. That wild talent of his appears to be a bit stronger, but it's hard to judge with that one. It's too different from what I'm used to. His readings are within the norm, but I would suggest an extra day here to rest as a precaution."
Alyx nodded. "If we need to then, yeah, we'll stay an extra day. Our latest intel suggests that nothing has changed. We can't help Dani unless we're at one hundred percent."
Ben struggled to sit up and Chris helped him. "I'm sorry Mom. I didn't mean..."
"Don't, you. We knew this could happen at any time. In fact, the pressure of this adventure may have set it off early. So if anyone is to blame, it would be me," Alyx said to him.
"It was my idea to bring him," Darien said, coming over to them. "That would make it my fault."
"I could have argued about bringing him," Manda added.
"Same here," came from Rose, and Chris shrugged.
"You'd have to blame all of us, Ben." Darien said . "We tend to stick together."
"All right, I get it." Ben felt a little embarrassed.
Rose brought over tea and some of the stew they'd made for dinner. "Eat, kiddo. You need it, even if it doesn't feel like it. Trust me on this."
Everyone else nodded in agreement. "I'll stay with you," Chris said. "You all get some rest. I have a feeling we're going to need it."
*