Benji was horrified. "He's hitting her! He's not supposed to do that! My mommy tells me never do that! He's hitting her! He's hitting a girl!"

"It's okay, Benji," Emma hastened to reassure him, craning her neck to speak upward to the seven foot tall man. They were all in the dojo, watching as Shalimar and Brennan worked out against the only ones who could give each other a real challenge.

"Brennan's not really hitting Shalimar, and Shalimar isn't really hitting him back. They're practicing. Like playing. Pretend," she added, trying to help him understand.

"Pretend?" Benji didn't seem convinced.

Emma could see why. She was used to their antics, but watching the feral jump from wall to wall and do a fine job of kicking Brennan in the head during her travels would widen more than a few eyes, let alone a pair belonging to a kid in a man's body. And Brennan was giving as good as he got: Shalimar mis-judged, and got slammed to the floor. It didn't bother her; before she jumped up she lashed one perfect leg out in a classic sweep and dumped Brennan to the mat beside her. She giggled, leaning back onto her elbows. "Had enough?"

"Nope," Brennan grinned. "I'm just getting warmed up."

Shalimar waved to Benji who was still standing beside Emma, awe-struck. "Want to try? I'll take it easy on you."

"Naw." Benji's attention suddenly was focused solely on his shoes.

"C'mon." Shalimar jumped to her feet and extended her hand. "It's fun. We don't really hurt each other. We pull our punches."

At Benji's puzzled look, Emma whispered in his ear, "Shalimar means that they don't hit hard. They're practicing, remember?"

"You can do it," Shalimar urged. "Come onto the mat. We'll take it slow, and I'll show you what to do."

But Benji still held back. "My mommy says I can't hit girls. I'll hurt them," he explained.

Shalimar looked over at her sparring partner. "That sounds like your cue, Brennan."

Brennan grunted, but softened it with a grin. "Chicken. Just 'cause he's taller than Mt. Everest…"

"So are you, Sparky, but you don't see me backing down."

Now Brennan laughed, pleased to be able to get a rise out of his team mate. He lumbered back to his feet and winked at Benji. "C'mon, buddy. Let me show you how it's done."

Benji edged toward him, wanting to participate but clearly afraid of violating his mother's edicts. Or worse—"You won't hurt me?"

"Nope," Brennan assured him. "We do this all the time, all of us. Even Adam joins in."

"My mommy doesn't."

"It's okay," Emma said, wondering what this man-child did every day. Bea Sutter didn't seem to have much time for him, working sixteen hours a day trying to find a cure. Who cared for him? "Your mother said for us to look after you while she works with Dr. Adam. You can play with Brennan, just like Shalimar did."

"All right." Benji finished squirming onto the exercise mat.

Brennan took the lead. "You take a position like this. Put your hands up in front of your face so that I can't hit you there. Turn your body sideways. That's it." He threw a sideways glance at Shalimar and Emma, who were watching with interest. "This kid's a natural. Look at his stance. Picture perfect."

"Look at his size," Shalimar murmured to Emma in response. "Adam was right; Genomex and the people funding them were definitely looking for a super-soldier. I guess we're just lucky that they didn't find the right formula. Think of how different the world would be with an army like that in the hands of a few."

"Benji's lucky as well," Emma agreed. "Think of living with that thought all of your life: being created to be a killer. I don't think I could stand it. But look at him: he's sparring with Brennan as if he's done nothing else for the last twenty years."

Shalimar's voice took on a harder edge. "He may not have. I'm watching those moves, Emma, and Benji looks as though he's had some training somewhere. There—that sequence. That's been taught. Emma, this kid knows how to fight. Where did he learn that?"

Which was something that Brennan had already found out. The elemental went in nothing flat from a teaching mode to an all out fun match. He reached out one long arm to find it blocked by an arm equally as long. He grinned. Sparring with the rest of the team was fun, but being evenly matched against a man closer to his own size and weight was better. The fact that Benji was even bigger than Brennan simply increased the exhilaration factor.

Brennan tried a spinning back kick to the head. Benji blocked it with his forearm and whirled around with his own kick. Brennan just barely ducked in time, the foot parting his hair. Before he could recover, Benji swept his feet out from under him and Brennan landed on his back side.

More fun. Brennan leaped back to his feet, only to be met with a devastating left hook. He staggered back. Benji advanced, aiming a follow up right that Brennan managed to block in time to keep his teeth from rattling around in his head. Damn, but this kid is strong! And fast!

"This is just for fun," Shalimar called out, warning in her voice. "Take it easy, Benji. Pull your punches."

If Benji heard, then he didn't understand. He kicked out at Brennan's head, and the elemental staggered back, wiping blood from his lip. "Hey, Benji! Ease up, man! This is just practice."

"Brennan?" Shalimar called out, clearly asking if her team mate wanted help to get Benji back under control.

Brennan didn't have time to answer. He ducked, then jumped back to avoid the follow up. This was getting serious. Another block, then another. He went into purely defensive mode. "Benji, snap out of it, man!" He didn't want to hurt the kid, but it was either that or get hurt himself. Neither option was acceptable. He looked for another.

Benji's expression was intent. He was no longer aware of the world around him. Everything was focused on the combatant in front of him, the opponent that was his target. His objective was clear. He struck.

Brennan's block was perfectly executed but inadequate to slow the sheer power of the attack, and he was hampered by his need to keep from hurting Benji. The force of Benji's blow sent him sailing into the unforgiving wall. He crashed; the girls could see him crumble.

"Brennan!" Emma exclaimed.

Shalimar scrambled onto the mat, terrified for Brennan. Benji wasn't finished. Someone had obviously drilled into his dim mind that his opponent should never be counted out until seen in his coffin, and Benji was on his way to do just that. He grabbed Brennan bodily, lifting him high over his head.

Shalimar attacked. She bounced off the wall and barreled into Benji's mid-section, causing him to whoof and double over, dropping the elemental. Brennan fell to the mat with all the grace of a sack of potatoes. Emma hastened to haul him out of the path of the remaining combatants.

Now it was Shalimar's turn. Shalimar was quick, but so was Benji. Gone was his insistence on 'not hurting girls'. The giant was no longer thinking, simply reacting. He blocked every blow that Shalimar launched, and landed several of his own with his substantially longer reach. There was no sanity in his eyes, just a burning desire to conquer his enemies. And Shalimar, like Brennan, was hindered by the need not to inflict any permanent damage.

Emma had had enough. "Benji!" she commanded. With a swift look she threw a mental whammy.

Benji's eyes rolled back in his head, and his knees sagged as though pole-axed. Shalimar tried to catch him, to slow his descent, and ended up half underneath the seven foot body.

She looked up at Emma from the mat, a sheepish expression crawling onto her face.

"That didn't go so well, did it?"