He fired twice more, with the same result, Anne catching the bullets before they could harm anyone. As the hammer clicked on an empty chamber, she stood, in what seemed to her to be a very slow fashion, and then turned, looking at the man who had just tried to kill her.

It was suddenly hard to take the world seriously. Feathers had just sprouted from her arm. Feathers, and her arm. The concept was entirely too much for her to comprehend. She had wondered how the whole angel arm thing worked. Apparently, it was instinctive. She wondered if she could do it again. Probably. More contemplation needed.

She prided herself on her clear observational skills, then took a step towards the suddenly pale guard. She could watch his hand shake back and forth as he held the gun, the barrel wavering slightly as he panicked. The soft click of hammer on empty chamber sounded once, twice, then Anne was on him, punching him in the diaphragm and the back the head, employing the same move just because it seemed appropriate. And so easy… he never had a chance to block. His eyes seemed unable to track her as she moved towards him, he seemed barely able to start to react to her presence before she dropped him.

It took forever for him to fall to the floor. She watched him fall, and wondered why gravity seemed to be working differently now. She had plenty of time to look at her arm, amazed. It was back to normal, but her sleeve was shot, torn to hell and gone. Damn, and she had liked this shirt, too. It was soft and comfortable and warm and a pretty shade of green.

Maybe she could fix it. She looked at the tatters a little more closely. A little thread, some time… no, it was toast. Damn.

The man was still falling. What had Effie called him? Josh? She dimly remembered seeing him around. He was another one of those plant hating people. She knew that, knew he was in their group. Whatever their group was. She hadn't really cared, been much too focused on her own work. Besides, she wasn't really a plant, was she?

Oh, yeah. Guess she was.

Josh finally hit the floor, and Anne lifted her eyes from his fall, searching for her friend. Effie's eyes were wide in her too-pale face, her mouth open but lungs too shocked to scream. Anne walked a pace towards her, and she hastily backed up.

"Freak," hissed out of her throat. "You, you're one of them," she accused, hatred dripping from the words she managed to force our, then turned and ran.

Dimly Anne heard her start to scream, but her mind was frozen. Freak. Oh, yeah, guess she was. No point denying it anymore. Cat was definitely out of the bag, milk was spilt, glass was broken, it was over. Done. Her shoulders slumped with the defeat.

Then her mind began to work again. She squared her shoulders and turned back to Meryl and Ace. Both were looking at her with identical gazes of shock and surprise.

"I thought… I thought you were a Genalt," managed Meryl.

"So did I, for awhile."

"But, you… you're…"

"I was told that it was more convenient for me to be a plant."

"Told?"

"Is this the place or the time to be having this conversation?" she asked as she walked back towards them. She offered a hand up to both of them, Meryl taking it, Ace glaring at it, and then at her before getting up on her own.

"No. I guess it can wait. But… does Knives know?"

"No. Why should he?"

"Well, he… and you…"

"He's a racist pig. I'm not about to make that easy for him."

"Um." Meryl was at a loss for words.

"Let's go, ladies," Anne said, shooing the two ahead of her. "These people aren't playing around."

They turned and made their way to the garage. The plant owned fleet greeted them, vehicles parked in neat rows, the ceiling arching high overhead. Lights hung round the roof illuminated the entire cavern, shadows diminished under the halogen glow.

Meryl climbed into the first vehicle, Ace jumping over the hood to take the passenger side. Anne stopped outside Meryl's door.

"What are you waiting for, Kiley? Let's go!"

"You guys go. I'm not running."

"What? Are you insane? Those people want to kill us!"

"I know. I'll cover your escape."

"But we need you. That damn barrier is still up!"

"Oh, yes. That." Anne licked her thumb, reached into the car, and pressed to Meryl's temple. She quickly accessed her memories, picking up what Meryl knew to have been tried. "Oh," she said after a moment.

"What does that mean?"

"I can't believe you guys didn't know that."

"Know what?"

"You just needed to say the catch phrase."

"What?"

"Girls rule."

"I'm not following."

Anne pressed her thumb to her temple again, this time passing on information. "Have them do this, and make sure they say the catch phrase."

"Now get in the car," Meryl commanded.

"No. You guys get going." A few shouts could be dimly heard, echoing through the corridor they had just left. "We don't have time to argue."

"Leave her," said Ace.

Meryl looked at the two of them, then growled as she turned the engine over. "Fine. It's your funeral."

"I hope not," Anne said calmly.

The car roared out of the parking space and towards the open doors. Guards entered the room and a few well-trained members actually drew and started shooting.

This wouldn't do. Anne thought about taking her shirt off, to keep it from getting destroyed, but figured that would be pointless.

She drew on that part of herself that she tried so hard to ignore, feathers sprouting from both arms as she drew their attention.

"Hello boys," she called out. "Want to play?"