I'll admit that I'd lost interest in this story. It took so long to get softwear to write it with, and post it with, that I just got caught up in other things. And then, of course, when I did post, I only got one review. It makes for very depressed authors. So I shoved WFYSTR to a back burner. However, as all things do, it eventually came up again. I have a burning desire to write a new chapter. It may not be very long, but I'm not even sure I have an audience anymore!

So even if this get's completely ignored, I'd like to thanks you all for all the good times I've had, and hopefully you've had some too.

This story is getting very deep, and I even have trouble keeping up with it at times, so just imagine that the earth is growing up, and like any young child, it is learning to walk and to say

Disclaimer: All themes, characters, places, events, etc., from Lois Lowry's The Giver belong to her. However, I do like to keep track of stories branching off mine, so if you'd like to use a character, or characters of mine, you need only ask.

Thank you everyone!!!
-Siti Marie



Chapter 6
Clash of the Titans

Dawn slowly came to. She shook her head, and as it began to throb, wished that she hadn't. She began to methodically try to move every muscle in her body, just to make sure she still could. Finally she opened her eyes. She was in a warm bed. Could the whole thing have been a dream? A groan from the bed across the room brought her back to painful reality.

She was trying to sit up when the door opened. To her utter surprise, a woman walked in, and when she saw that Dawn was awake, paced over to her bedside. Where was she? Where am I? Dawn was confused. This wasn't in the Community, or anywhere else Dawn had been. Not that that counted for much, she thought wryly.

I'm your great grandmother, sort of. You can call me Granny. Dawn! We were all so worried about you, what happened--no, tell me later. Let me clean up your face again. Dawn's hand flew up to her face, and instead of the burning pain she should have felt from touching the cuts, she encountered numbness and stitches.

Will they- she started to ask.

Granny cut her off. Scar? Yes, but not nearly was bad as they were going to. There will be thin pink lines running across your face for the rest of your life. You and Gretele are lucky that Yanheld and Toomar found you when they did. The storm has continued to get worse; they had to dance with a pair of cyclones to get you and Gretele back here.

I have to get back-- she broke off into hacks. She saw Granny's face contort into a nest of agony.

No! You haven't been exposed. Unless... With a speed Dawn wouldn't have thought that her aging great-grandmother could have achieved, Granny skidded to a halt at Gretele's bed. You have to tell me, Dawn. What kind of water have you and Gretele drank in the last two days? Was it out of the river?

Dawn didn't know. She'd been initiated, hadn't she? And the Clan would never poison it's own members, would it? Her face hardened in anger. It would, and she knew it. She wouldn't be surprised if every drop of water she had drunk in the last couple of days was poisoned. I don't know Granny, but the chances are that both of us have been drinking directly from the riv-- She began to hack again, and suddenly felt light headed. Her last conscious thought was wondering why Granny was running toward her...

**********

Phillipa stared out the window; the storm didn't seem to be letting up. Jonas was out of it for now, and Fiona was with him. Everything seemed to be falling apart. Even Lily couldn't keep everyone calm now, not with the hailstones hitting the ceiling, and with darkness pressing closer; except where it was pushed back by candles. Suddenly she stood up and shouted, I can't take it anymore! I have to DO something. Angela is worming her way deeper and deeper into systems people forgot to turn off! Someone needs to get out there, yes, in the storm, and smash some computers. How many old, unused systems do we have, which, like bicycle repair, or the Speaker system, have been so conveniently forgotten? I nominate me! She began to walk toward the door. A girl who had been introduced as her cousin, Eliza, grabbed her arm.

I'm going with you. We'll grab boards of something as cover, and check ever building in the Community if we have to! The girl's eyes flashed, and Phillipa saw the same determination she felt in them.

I'm going too. Bruno stood up, and walked over to their little group. He turned and glared at Jinkie, Koren, Aimee and Asher, daring them to say they couldn't go.

It was Koren who spoke up. If you won't be talked out of going, at least let me help. I have personal force fields, which should repel those hailstones, and three communicators. I'll go with you as far as the main computer hub, and try to track Angela's progress. I only have three force fields, so I will use A board or something;' it isn't far to the hub.

I'll try to help you from here. This is where all of the utilities controls are centralized. If you give me one of those communicators, I should be able to tell you when she's gone into the utilities system, and where. It was Aimee who spoke up this time.

I'll go with Koren. Jinkie finally said.

The eight nodded tensely at each other and got to work.

**********

Toomar watch as yet another solution turned yellow. He had tested most of the people near to Goren's house, and so far, only two had been immune. Those two had been sisters who were merchants in dyes and cloth, both of whom lived in the same house, alone. He'd talked them into moving in with separate illness stricken families to help with treatment. The only advice he'd been able to give the sick people was to boil all their drinking water and treat the symptoms, hacking cough, high fever, and increasing delirium.

Toomar had spent most of his time in the forest since he was a little boy. He'd bonded, that was the only way to put it, with the forest itself. He'd seen it happen with others. Ruric had a special bond with his horses, and likewise with Farblend's hounds.

When Toomar had found Yanheld, it had seemed like a dream come true. He'd finally become certain that he wasn't insane, that he did have an ability to communicate, almost with the forest. After that, it had only seemed natural to take up housekeeping with Yanheld, after all, when you have such a great thing in common, all the little ways in which people are different seem to make less and less difference. He'd felt complete...Until now. The subtle connection he'd always felt with the forest was no longer subtle, or benign, it was strong, and all he felt from it was anguish, and pain. Not a physical pain in him, but a deeper kind, one that struck him though like an arrow.

His arms ached from holding up the heavy log he was using as cover from the hailstones. All he wanted was the forest, and normal rain, and a roof over his head. Yanheld's company would be nice, but he wasn't going to be greedy. But this rain had to stop.

Suddenly, a doe ran out from cover under a tree. Startled, she reared to avoid trampling him. As it was, all she did was scare the living daylights out of him. Then she was on the ground, a large hailstone had struck her on the head. Forgetting about his own safety, he dropped his log and tried to pull her back under the thick conifer tree. The doe came to when she felt his pulling, but instead of lashing out at him, as he had expected that she would, she pushed at the ground as if she were trying to help him. For whatever reason she did it, however, it gave the extra amount of gumption needed to pull them both to safety. As they lay under the tree, both gasping for breath, Toomar couldn't help but wonder, am I going crazy, or did I just risk my life for a deer's?

**********

With a sigh of relief, Jinkie pushed open the door to the central computer hub. About half of the computer monitors were smashed and small pieces of machinery littered the carpeted floor. He cast an interrogative look around the room, looking for any sign that one of the computers was on. Find anything yet, Koren? The voice was distorted and a bit muffled. Her heard Koren's murmured negative, and finally placed the voice as that hologram expert, Aimee.

Jinkie wandered into the next room, and heard the low hum which meant that a computer was on. he called, and began to swing a baseball bat at the computer.

Jinkie, no! Not yet. Maybe we can trace her, predict her patterns or something. Remember, we need to trap her back into her tube! To Jinkie's shock, however, the computer shut down, and one across the room powered up.

Hello gentlemen. A disembodied voice sounded in the room, and Angela's image appeared right next to Koren. The man cursed, and swung a gloved fist into the seemingly solid image. His fist passed right though. I don't think so, mister. she turned to Jinkie. I've been reading up' on history around here. You've found some way to turn off the Sameness Generator. It was a nice try, but didn't it ever occur to you to dismantle it. I can turn it on at any moment. The same way I can with the computers.
Shall we play a game?

Koren muttered to Jinkie, She's stalling, something's wrong with her plans. Some piece of her perfect picture is missing--

Angela cut him off. I'm using the old Speaker system, Koren, and I can hear every word that you say. It's the way that system was designed, you know?

Jinkie elbowed Koren in the ribs. What kind of game, Angela? And if we lose, what happens?

Angela looked surprised. Why my dear Jinkie, you die, of course.

**********

Aimee could only stare at the systems panel. The surge of power she was beginning to refer to as Angel Power was zooming all over the board. She'd tried shutting all the systems down, but they only turned on again. Flipping the top of her communicator up she said into it, Find anything yet, Koren?

Nothing at all but dark, turned off computers. Hey wait, Jinkie found something. Shi--

Koren? Koren! Is anyone there? Koren? Jinkie? Aimee shouted into the communicator. Koren and Jinkie were obviously in some kind of trouble, but all she could pick up was static! She tried to pick up Eliza's group. Nothing.

Not even static...

~Siti~