"Dead?" Jordan blinked. "And how can you be sure she's dead?"

"Cause she's been shrieking in my head every damn day since it happened." Raine couldn't keep the irritation or sarcasm out of her voice. "She knows the kids are missing and she's bitching at me to find them."

"If she knows they're missing can't she tell you where they are?" Eddie was slightly confused. Raine could hear the dead. Could communicate with them. There wasn't anything here she needed any help with.

"Sadly, no." Raine stood and stretched. The tension didn't seem to ease as far as Cade could tell, but he wasn't sure it would until the kids were found. "She's loud and hard to block out but she's also very confused. According to her, the kids were there, then not there. Even the images she's flashing don't make any sense."

"So she's not coherent?" Cade scooted to the edge of his seat. No one wanted kids to suffer.

"Yes and no." Without thinking about the movement, Raine began to pace slowly, obviously trying to gather her thoughts. "Her memories seem fragmented almost. She was out in the yard with some of the kids. They were playing on the playground. One of them yelled something and she turned. She wanted to make sure no one was injured. When she looked back again, all the kids were there. Then it's like she blinked and one of them was gone." A frown pulled at the corners of Raine's mouth as she tried to recall memories that were not her own. "She tried yelling for Sandy, but she was just gone."

"Just disappeared in front of her?" Jordan's tone was skeptical.

"That's what I said isn't it?" Raine's reply was sharp.

Reaching out to touch her hand, Cade looked up at his friend. "It's ok, we'll figure this out." Closing her eyes, she nodded and sighed. "When did this teacher disappear? How far apart from the thing she saw?"

"Ms. Harker's been gone a week. Dead a week. She witnessed Sandy's disappearance a few days prior to that."

"And who did she tell about the disappearance?"

"As soon as it happened, she called the director of the day care and the police. Since she couldn't provide any more details, they started to suspect her. And then she disappeared."

"And now they think that she had to have done it." Eddie finished for her, his voice full of disgust. "Man, the police are so blind."

"How many kids had disappeared prior to that?" Jordan's voice was softer this time. Disappearing kids did not make her happy.

"Sandy Brighton was the twelfth to go missing. There have been two more since then. One the same day that Harker was killed and one a few days later."

"And they still think Harker did it?"

"Yeah. They have no body and I don't know where it is either. Harker doesn't seem to know how she died so I can't help out there. The next two weren't taken from the day care itself. One disappeared from his bedroom, the other disappeared from her yard. They think Harker snuck past the patrols in the area and snatched them."

The group seemed to digest the information for a moment and then, "You said there were no bodies, but since no one else seems to think Harker is dead, that doesn't mean anything," Cade said slowly. "Does that mean you don't hear them?"

Shaking her head, Raine eased to the floor next to Cade's chair. "No. Not a peep. That's what bothers me. If they were all dead, I could hear them. Maybe not all of them, but at least one. But I'm getting nothing. And no one else seems to have seen them pass either. If they're dead, their spirits aren't here."

Eddie and Cade looked at each other.

"Quantum pocket?" Eddie asked quietly.

"That's what I was thinking too," Cade admitted, shoving a hand through his hair.

"The thought crossed my mind as well," Raine confessed. "And since I really have no experience with these things, I thought I'd talk to someone who did."

Scooting to the edge of his seat, Eddie nodded. "We'd have to find the location, isolate the entrance."

"Can it be done?" Raine asked.

"Sure." The hacker nodded again. "It's not always easy and not always quick, but it can be done. But it can't be done from here. I'd have to go there."

Relief swept through Raine. Shouldering the lives of so many children on her own had begun to wear her down. "Can we leave tomorrow?" she questioned. She feverently didn't want to deal with this alone anymore. No matter how many police were involved, she was still alone because none of them understood.

"Of course," Cade rose from his seat and hugged her close. "We'll go tomorrow. Is there a place in the neighborhood we can set up shop?"

"Yeah." Raine sagged against Cade, resting her head against his shoulder. "One of the houses had been for sale The police started setting up surveillance in it, then decided to be a bit more subtle. I've 'moved in' claiming that my husband will be coming in a few days."

"That will be perfect then." Foster ran a hand gently down her hair, down her back, coming to rest at her waist. "We, of course, have room for a quirky friend."

"Hey!" Eddie protested. "I'm eccentric, not quirky."

Raine pulled away from Cade and turned to look at Jordan. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Jordan asked.

"I'm not sure we can explain two quirky friends."

With a shrug Jordan rose, "You don't have to. I'm due back at the company tomorrow sometime. I don't have to be around unless you need me."

Raine eyed the other woman levelly. "Any help is appreciated."

*******

The breeze stirred the grass and leaves around her, but it wasn't enough to bring her mind back to her body. That part of her wandered places her body couldn't go. Listening to whispers from things unseen. She could feel the caress of a finger, the back of a hand. These people had no one else to turn to for contact of any kind. Many of them hadn't realized what had happened to them. Some had things they wanted to tie up before moving on. A few stuck around to help those that didn't understand.

Raine could hear them all.

Sometimes the noise in her head was deafening. Sometimes it was so loud that it threatened to consume her. Threatened to drive her insane. Over the years she had learned to mostly tune them out when she didn't want to hear them. Make them a kind of white noise in her head. The static was always there, but it didn't really require that much attention that way.

But there where times, like these, when she felt that they needed to have contact. Just to know that someone was aware of them. It was those times she sought solitude so she could let her mind wander. Let her mind tune into the static and actually make sense of it.

Doing so drained her. Wore her out. But it had to be done.

There were many names for the place they were in. The place she wandered now. Some called it the Ghostlands. Some called it the Ghost Roads. Some called it the ether. Some referred to it as limbo. She didn't know if there was a real name for it. An official name if you will. But she knew the place was gray. It was a place that always seemed to be full of fog. The spirits cast their own light and their own colors into it, but they always seemed to be dimmed by it. When she sensed them, when she wasn't in this place, the colors were bright, vivid. But here they were always dull and muted.

It was no wonder there were times they sought contact with something other than grayness.

They were worried about the kids as well. The fact that none of them had seen the children pass bothered them all. Someone should have seen it, but thus far if they had, they were keeping it to themselves. Anyone who died always passed through this place. Even if they immediately moved on, they always had to pass through. In some ways it was like a hallway to the places they should be. No matter if you were going to some kind of heaven or some kind of hell, you always had to pass through the gray fog. It was the space between everything else.

But the kids hadn't. Their souls hadn't come anywhere near it as far as anyone could tell.

The feel of the breeze and the sound of the crickets slowly came trickling back to her. In minutes Raine was back in her own body. The approaching footsteps grew louder, but she didn't turn to look. She didn't need to.

"Nice night," she said as he sat next to her.

"Beautiful," he agreed. The silence settled between them. It was a comfortable silence and she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "You ok?" he finally asked.

"Tired. Scared for the kids. But I'm ok." She smiled against his shoulder.

"You seem very distant. Million miles away."

Raine laughed softly. "I told you, I'm always a million miles away." A shrug. "Doesn't seem like you're as distant these days."

Cade arched a brow and looked at her. "What's that mean?"

"Jordan."

"Jordan?"

"Yeah. You've got something going on there."

He was silent a moment as he contemplated. "Maybe," he admitted. "I don't know."

"You're distant from her too aren't you?"

About to protest, Cade opened his mouth, but stopped. Closed it. Took a minute to consider. Then, "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Why?" Raine lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him. Moonlight reflected against violet and her eyes almost seemed to glow as they had earlier. The trick of the moon didn't make her gaze any less intense.

"I don't know," he confessed.

She searched his face for a moment, then returned her head to his shoulder. Silence fell between them once more.

With the crickets sounding around them, Cade spoke. "You don't like her do you?"

"Jordan?"

"Yeah."

Raine's words were careful, but honest. "No, I don't."

"Why?"

Struggling for the right words, Raine pulled away from him and looked to the sky. After a few minutes she answered.

"Because she clings to it. She clings to everything that's gone wrong. Every horrible thing that's happened."

"Why shouldn't she?"

"Because if you never let it go, it becomes you. It eats you whole and you never seen it coming."

Cade was silent for a moment. Her words were much like the words Xevallah had said to him. It made him shiver.

"I told her good bye." His voice was soft, nearly a whisper. The pain was bright, but less than it had been the last time Raine had been near him.

Raine smiled into his shoulder. Looping her arm through his, she pulled him close. "I know," she told him softly. "She came to tell me good bye afterwards."

"She moved on?" The question felt like it was full of glass as it came out of his mouth.

Looking up at him, Raine offered a sympathetic smile. "She thought that if you had let go, then it was time for her to let go as well."

Cade opened his mouth to speak then stopped. He wasn't sure which hurt more knowing she had been around, or knowing that she was now completely gone.

"She loved you Cade, just as much as you loved her." Violet eyes looked into his. Full of warmth and empathy. "But she's dead Cade. Nothing can bring her back. Not grief, or anger, or pain. You finally understood that. And when you did, she knew you'd be ok."

"I know, it's just-" He couldn't finish the words.

"I know," she whispered. Shuffling so she could scoot behind him, Raine wrapped her arms around his chest, her legs around his waist, laid her head against his back and held him.

*******

The words of the argument trickled past sleep and slowly began to work their way into her mind. With a groan, she drug the pillow over her head. It was too early for this. The voices that continued heatedly didn't seem to agree however. With a sigh, she shoved the pillow to the floor and sat up. More words found their way across the air to her.

"Why can't we just use the Hammer?" Jordan's voice. High pitched and angry. "Then no one has to go anywhere with her."

"You know why," Eddie responded in a voice that indicated he was tired of explaining the same thing. "We don't know the long term effects of opening the pockets with the Hammer. It's possible doing so too often could cause a complete break down. And Pockets can lead to anywhere. There's no way to be sure we open one tot he right place."

"That's bullshit and you know it Eddie," she hissed softly.

The tension in the air shifted. The hacker had had quite enough of the current conversation.

"No, what's bullshit is the way you keep clinging to nothing Jordan. The way you keep jumping at shadows and deciding that everyone is a threat. I hate to break it to you, but Raine's our friend. And if you don't like it then maybe you should go."

Raine broke through the doorway in time to see Eddie take a step back. The look on his face was angry. His glare was locked onto the red headed woman and it wasn't wavering. It was enough to make Jordan step back away from her friend, but not enough to keep her from turning on Raine.

Jordan whirled, facing the other woman.

"This is your fault!" she accused. "If it weren't for you, none of us would be worrying about a bunch of kids that may or may not be missing."

Shooting an 'is she for real?' look at Eddie, Raine rolled her eyes.

"No one said you had to tag along Jordan." Her voice was even, neutral. Her expression was amused. "In fact, if you're going to be so hostile, it's probably best that you don't come along." A yawn. "Where's Cade?"

Eddie could practically see Jordan's blood boil as Raine asked the question. Trying to suppress a grin he jerked his head towards the door. "Outside somewhere," he replied evenly. This was going to be quite the confrontation. Better than mud wrestling. He could make a fortune selling tickets.

Running fingers through sleep mussed hair, Raine yawned again. It was going to be a long morning. As she pulled the bottom edge of her tank top down to the top edge of the boxers she was wearing, Raine moved past Jordan. Not bothering to offer a glance at the other woman as their shoulders brushed together, Raine hit the door. Jordan was right behind her.

Jerking away before the other woman could touch her, Raine spun on her heel and faced Jordan. "What the hell is your problem?"

And the match was on.

"My problem? My problem is you. You prance in here, somehow manage to get past Gua gunfire, get us past Gua gunfire, cry and moan that you need help and somehow expect me to believe you're exactly what you say you are? For all I know you're the Gua."

Raine snorted, crossing her arms in front of her chest, managing to look bored no matter how loudly Jordan yelled. The yelling brought Cade around the corner of the house.

"Eddie?" Cade looked at his friend, his tone full of caution. "What's going on?"

Eddie waved a hand in the direction of the two women. "Battle for dominance I think."

"Huh?"

But any reply Eddie might have made was cut off by Raine's sarcastic tone.

"Riiiight. I see how this works. Save your ass and suddenly I'm the enemy." Her voice dropped to a conspiratory whisper. "But that isn't what's bothering you really is it Jordan?"

Jordan's spine snapped straight and she glared at the other woman. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied icily.

A patronizing smile formed on Raine's lips. "Of course not. Heaven forbid you actually have to face up to anything besides anger, isn't that right?" Jordan started to speak but Raine gave her no chance. "You can't admit, even to yourself, that what's really bothering you is that Cade I and spent the night, outside, together, without you. And neither one of us seems to be forthcoming with the details. And it bothers you that Eddie seems quite happy to have me around. Or maybe, without Mabus around to hate, you just gotta find something to fill that hate-void in your life."

Eddie leaned towards Cade, "I'm not sure I want to be drug into this, man. Witness it, sure, but not drug into it."

"Right there with ya buddy," Cade replied, taking a small step forward. "Not sure there's much we can do to put a stop to it."

"Of course they're happy to have you around," Jordan beamed, "You're Miss Polly Sunshine."

Raine smiled cruelly at the other woman and took a step forward. "You know, your brother told me you were always the jealous type." Jordan began to sputter at the mention of her lost brother, but Raine pushed on. "He often thought that once you had won the battle, maybe you'd warm up. He told me that if he had known it would make it worse, he'd have killed you then too. He's ashamed at what you've become."

"Oh shit," Eddie breathed as Cade stepped forward. Grabbing his friend by the shoulder, the Hacker shook his head. Wide eyed, he stared at the battle. "No way man," he said as he pulled Cade back. "Haven't you ever watched those nature shows Foster? Never step between two Alpha females unless you want to lose your head."

"We can't just let them go at it," Foster hissed, unable to take his eyes from the two women.

"It's been nice knowing you man," Eddie replied, dropping his hand from Cade's shoulder.

But there was nothing either of them could do.

"How dare you talk to me about my brother," Jordan spat out. Dropping back a few steps, she pulled the gun from the holster at her back. Drawing down on Raine, she looked across the barrel at the other woman. "Don't ever speak to me about my family again."

Raine laughed. The sound seemed to burn Jordan and the gun jerked slightly.

"Awww, poor Jordan gets an earful of something she doesn't want to hear so she pulls a gun." A smirk filled Raine's features. "A gun doesn't protect you from the truth Jordan. It might stop people from speaking it, but it doesn't change it."

"Shut up." Jordan warned, the gun beginning to waver in her hands.

"He's ashamed of you Jordan. He's had to watch how you've let everything that's happened ruin your life."

"Shut up."

"He's had to watch as you let Raven Nation be destroyed."

"Shut. Up."

"As you nearly got Cade and Eddie destroyed."

"Shut up!"

"As you let yourself be destroyed."

"SHUT UP!" Jordan screamed.

Then the gun went off.

Chaos broke out as the first decibels of gunfire rang into the air. Cade was in motion towards Raine, Eddie in motion towards Jordan.

Throwing up a hand, Raine didn't flinch as the gun fired. Violet eyes flashed in the sunlight and the air shimmered around her. Cade felt the change in the air first. A thickening that slowed movement. He skidded to a stop only a few feet from Raine and watched as the strange gel-like shield formed. The air took on hues of purple and seemed to thicken from the palm of her hand out. Cade could see both sides of it from where he stood and suddenly he realized that the inside glow of the bubble of illusion she had created around them the day before had been this. Protection, even inside the illusion.

The bullet left the barrel of the gun with a small flash of light, but began to slow as it neared the other woman. As it hit the violet light, it seemed to sink into the strange gel. Two inches, four, then six. Then it was still.

Snatching her hand back, Raine let the shield go and the deadly lead hit the ground with a small thud. Before anyone else could move, she launched herself across the space between them and stood toe to toe with Jordan. The red head swung at her and Raine spun with it, letting the blow miss her. The momentum carried her around and she slammed an elbow into Jordan's face. She followed closely with an elbow to the other woman's gut that dropped her to the grass. She let the knife that rested in sheath at Jordan's belt slide free in her hand as the other woman fell heavily to the ground.

"If you EVER try something like that again, I will take you down. And I don't mean with a punch to the face." Taking a few steps back from the crumpled woman on the ground, Raine held up the knife. "You want Gua?" The blade of the knife glinted in the early morning sunlight just before it plunged through Raine's free hand. Never taking her eyes off the other woman, Raine jerked the blade free and threw it into the ground at Jordan's feet. Holding up her hand, letting the blood flow freely down her arm, she kept her voice low and steady. "There's your proof. You wanna try rubbing a little salt in it or something?" Jordan remained silent on the ground, her eyes locked on to the blood running down Raine's arm. "Now I suggest you get the hell over yourself before someone gets hurt."

Cade rushed to Raine's side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Gently leading her away, he lightly took a hold of the injured hand.

"Ow," Raine whimpered under her breath as they made their way to the door. "That hurt."

Unable to help the snort of laughter, Cade shook his head. "Imagine that. But I think you made your point."

"I certainly hope so," Raine replied, a tremor of pain running through her. "Cause I don't think I can stab myself again."

"You could mend it," he suggested as he eased her down onto the couch and took a seat next to her. Gingerly handling the injured appendage, he began to examine it.

"If I do that, she'll freak even more. As it is, she's mostly shaken up and ashamed she let her paranoia get the better of her."

Cade's head snapped up and he looked her in the eye. "You did this on purpose."

A small shrug. Enough to jar the injured hand and she whimpered again as she replied. "Better to get this over with now instead of letting it build until we actually need her."

"You knew she'd fire at you." It wasn't a question.

"Let's just say I knew which buttons to push. And if she hesitated, I could have pushed a little more." A sly, faint smile.

"Dangerous game."

"Dangerous, true. But she won't fail us if we need her."

A jerky nod was Cade's only reply as he rose and headed to the bathroom for bandages.

*******

"That was a neat trick you pulled," Eddie said, highly impressed.

"Thanks," Raine replied as she watched the men load a few boxes and suitcases into her SUV. She'd offered to help until Cade had barely tapped her injured hand. The pain that shot through her hand and into her arm had been enough to nearly make her pass out. Now she stood to the side, cradling the injured hand against her chest. The white bandages that were wrapped around it had a few spots of red where blood had seeped through. The damn thing throbbed like crazy.

"How'd you come up with that idea?" Eddie asked as he shoved one of the last items into the cargo area of the Blazer.

Laughing slightly, Raine shrugged a shoulder, wincing as it jarred her hand. "The people on the internet call it the Jell-O shield."

"The internet? They know about you on the internet?" Eddie blinked at her in wonder.

Raine grinned and shook her head. "Not me exactly. I can't claim the original idea." She leaned a hip against the side of the vehicle and shifted her hand gingerly. "I was watching TV one night, flipping through the channels actually. Not really paying attention. I hit this one and suddenly I couldn't change it. I kept trying but it was like my finger wouldn't move on the remote. So I finally gave up and started watching. Figured there was obviously something someone wanted me to see. Lo and behold the Jell-O shield."

A short laugh came from Eddie, and he shook his head in amusement. Life was never dull with Raine around. "So, you swiped the idea from a TV show?"

"Roswell to be exact," she replied. "Only his was green. But when I saw it, it got me thinking. So I started playing with the idea, trying to decide how it would work, and how it might work better."

"As long as it works."

"That's kinda what I thought. Of course the strange, rabid Roswell fans might try to kill me if they thought I had stolen an idea from their beloved Max." Raine smirked. "They are a strange bunch."

"I'll have to take your word for it," Eddie responded. Lifting up the tailgate, he tossed a look of warning to prepare Raine, then slammed it shut. Reaching for the glass, he pulled it down, then let it fall into place.

A small whimper of pain escaped her as the force of the closing jarred her.

"You should heal that," Eddie said gently.

"Takes too much energy," she told him softly, through gritted teeth. "Besides, it reminds me never to stab myself again."

With a chuckle Eddie shook his head. "So, you guys will get there when?"

"Tomorrow probably. You can come in the day after. You'll be with the truck of furniture and such." Frowning slightly, Raine looked at Eddie. "Is there anything left of Raven Nation?"

Taken aback by the question and the seemingly sudden change of topic, the hacker blinked. "Sort of I guess. A few people around. More trickle in every day. Most of them just want to be around people who have suffered the same kind of loss I guess."

The information seemed to turn over in her mind a moment then Raine nodded. "Think it's possible that we could get a few of them to play mover? If they've encountered strangeness before then they might see something we don't."

"I'll give Jordan a call if you want."

Raine snorted. "Better you than me I think."

Eddie couldn't possibly come up with an argument for that, so he nodded. Touching her gently on the shoulder, he offered a smile. "Take care of him for me."

Moving gingerly, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "I will." Pulling back she offered him a mischievous grin. "Here's hoping he doesn't get me shot again."

Letting out a snort of laughter as Cade came from the house with the last bag, Eddie shook his head.

"What'd I miss?" Cade asked which only made Eddie snicker harder.