Aly gasped at Five.  "Are you crazy?  Leaving Eight alone with that horrid monster?  You know what?  I thought that she was my friend back on the island.  But obviously I was wrong when she told Sebastian that she wanted me shot!"

            This made Amy gasp.  "That's right.  Annie was dead, after her treatment wore her down," she said flatly."

            "And she was twenty-five-years-old," Five continued.  "What happened?"

            "No," Eight shook her head.  "She can't be here now.  They said that they gave her an autopsy on the news after she collapsed at her dance recital.  She just can't be alive!"

            "Okay, so there are one of two possibilities," One rationalized.  "Either the first Annie who died was not really Amy Nine and possibly was really Amy Three who was supposedly dead took her place and died for her, while Annie became more powerful."

            Amy shook her head.  "Amy Three is dead as dead can be," she said.  "I saw her myself."

            "Fine," One said harshly.  "Just let me finish.  Or, after having realized what the treatment can do to us, the Organization could have removed the device, and only told us that she was dead so that we would believe that the Organization had lost it's power."

            Five nodded in approval, and so did Amy.  "But why was one clone so important to them?  I'd think that they would discard Nine and just use the remaining ten, or eleven, counting Aly," Amy added hastily.

            "Well," Five said.  "She wants to be here, and fight for them.  The rest of us don't."

            Eight shivered, despite her usual tough outlook.  "Does this mean that I really have to share a tent with Annie?  I might not even survive until morning!"

            Amy remembered how Eight was one of her only allies back at the hospital.  She also remembered how Eight had helped her help Aly on the island, how upset she had been when she thought that Eight no longer liked her, and cringed.  "We can't let this happen to Eight," she objected.

            "Nonsense," Amy Five said.  "We have to.  If…"

            "I have an idea," One chirped.  "Why don't we suggest that Annie stays in a tent with her children."

            The answer came to them.  "Amy Thirteen, may I see you in private for a second?" she asked.

            Aly nodded tensely, and the color faded from her face.  Of course, her friends followed to spy.  "Aly, we all know about your little trick replacing Sebastien's batteries with dead ones.  We have replaced them now, and he is blaming us for your lack of powers, since you were supposed to have had them after we adjusted the imperfections."

"What are you getting at, Cindy?" Aly interrupted angrily.

"We are going to begin our attack in California very soon, and move our way across the United States.  The Andys will begin in Russia.  Anyway, you cannot be like this then.  We must make you like the other Amys now, so that you will be of some use to us," Cindy finished.

            "No!" Aly said, trying to fight Cindy, who dragged her toward a lodge that was set up at their camp.

            Amy stared at Aly and Cindy incredulously. "What can we do?" Eight asked her.       

            "Nothing," Amy said.  "Look," she said, pointing to the two Andys, and two Amys guarding the lodge.

            "Now she'll be just like us," Five reminded them.  "Which might be a good thing, if we are ever going to beat the other Amys."

            "Beat them?" One asked in shock.

            Five nodded.  "One, think about it!  I don't want to hurt anyone any more than you do.  But eventually, we will have to get Nine out of our way, and maybe Ten."

            One gasped.  "You mean, kill them?"

            Five sighed.  "One, I don't want to kill Nine or Ten any more than you do.  But we may very well have to."

            "But why is Nine trying to kill Cindy then?" Eight asked Five.

            "That's what you have to find out, Eight!" Five told her.

            Amy shivered.  She realized that Eight could be seriously hurt, or killed if she really did undergo this task.  She also had a feeling that Five knew this too.  Although Five usually cared a great deal about the other Amys, they both knew, but were not ready to admit, that by war, or by the Organization, or Annie, that some of them might end up dead.

            Aly returned from the lodge, and shivered.  "Do you feel any different?" One asked her.

            Aly shook her head, which made Five a bit tense.  "See that tree branch up there?" she asked.  "Try jumping up and grabbing it."

            "But that's so high," Aly objected.

            "I can do it," Five said.  "Watch."

            With that, Five sprang into action, and grabbed the tree branch swinging around it a few times.  "Now you try," Five ordered.

            "Okay," Aly said.  She squinted, and was a bit scared, but she did manage to grab the tree branch.

            "Ooh, look," Twelve said to Annie.  "Poor wittle Aly managed to grab a tree.  I'm so proud of her!"

            "Shut the H**l up," Annie said angrily.  Obviously, Annie had changed considerably since their last encounter, Amy thought.

            "What's up with Annie?" Amy asked Twelve after she left.

            Twelve shrugged.  "I used to think we were friends.  I thought that we were all just excited about having powers, and being superior.  But after Annie became older, she decided that she was superior to all of us because she was French, and older.  And ever since Monique was born, she's been furious with everyone, and I don't really know why."

            Amy sighed.  "I once had the aging treatment done to me.  It's pretty scary, maybe that's what's bothering her."

            "Oh, no, believe me," Twelve said.  "If that were it, things would be much simpler.  Annie was proud of being older than we were.  She was stronger because of that, and she became even more egotistical than ever.  That was when I had no emotions, but it bothered me then, because I wanted to be the best Amy.  I tried to fight her once, and she was far more powerful.  Once my emotions returned, I realized that we were definitely no longer friends."

            "Oh," Amy said sadly.  "I used to be her friend too, until I found out that she was a Nazi.  But I just can't see why she suddenly hates everyone.  She's spoken against everyone.  She hates the other Amys, she hates the Andys, even Nine, her…I don't know what to call him, and the Organization now."

            "Even Sebastien?" Amy asked in shock.

            "I don't know," Twelve admitted.  "All I know is that Sebastien wants us to destroy pretty much everyone who is imperfect."

            Amy nodded.  "But what is going to happen to Aly?"

            Suddenly, the two girls whirled around as they heard a scream.  "Monique is gone!" Annie shrieked.

            Then, someone else noticed something.  "So is Andy, Number Nine."

            Aly came down from the tree, and looked around the camp area.  "Andy Nine?"
            "Annie, isn't that your husband, or boyfriend?" Amy Two asked.

            "He's not my boyfriend," Annie said coldly.

            "Don't you even care about Monique being gone?" Amy asked in exasperation.

            "Yeah, she is your daughter!" Aly said.

            Annie screamed, and ran into her tent, maybe because of the pressure from having so many people forcing questions at her.  They'll never understand, she thought.  Never.  They'll only make it worse.  Which is why I must destroy them.  Starting with Seven, and Aly.