Disclaimer: If you recognize the characters, they aren't mine. Just playing in the sandbox so graciously provided by JMS and the Wachowskis.

Reminder: I'm also on Twitter as "avidbeader" if you're reading here as a guest and would still like a way to get story updates.

Thanks: A quick tip of the hat to Poetry and their fic "The Courage of Our Hearts" over on Archive of Our Own for a bit of inspiration. Ultimately I decided that Daniela is the type to observe but not necessarily connect the dots on her own, but this was the fic that gave me the notion of Hernando and Daniela comparing notes as they start to realize that something's up with Lito. I really recommend that story (note the "explicit" rating) as a neat study of Daniela's motivations and character.

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"Morales! Get in here!"

Diego got up from his desk, gathering the file on Sarah Patrell with the fingerprint report from Matheson on top and the file with Clete's photos at the abandoned church. Matheson' prints were a perfect match to a previously unidentified set found in the living room of the girl's house, the last place she had been seen before disappearing. He waved to Michael Gorski, who was leaning against the desk of one of the lieutenants and trading stories. Gorski excused himself and hobbled over, following Diego into Sobczak's office.

The captain was not alone. Two men in suits were already there, sitting in chairs facing a single empty chair across from Sobczak's desk. Diego immediately realized he was being set up. The only question was whether the captain was taking the initiative or being leaned on by whoever was represented by the suits.

"Mr. Gorski, this is a personnel matter."

"Screw you, Sobczak. The only thing Morales has been working on all day is the Matheson situation. That means anything you have to say to him has to do with my boy being missing."

Diego offered him the chair, which he took, stretching his leg out.

The gentleman in the tan suit cleared his throat. "Mr. Gorski, this case has serious implications, given your son was trying to push his way into more contact with a terrorist. You should let us handle it."

"You try to remove me and I'll be calling in everyone who could owe me a very large favor if I asked, from the mayor to one of our U.S. representatives. And if you want your goddamn shiny teeth to keep their caps, you won't even think of finishing that train of thought. My kid is not colluding with terrorists."

"If Maliki is even a terrorist," Diego added.

He found himself the recipient of two death glares from the suits and total confusion from Sobczak.

"I mean…the man appeared on the DHS lists less than a month ago and was important enough for an immediate briefing. But the very same night he approached Will for a chat. Not exactly the behavior of someone trying to keep a low profile, walking up to a cop." He glared at the captain. "And then the minute Will does anything semi-official to investigate, you're on his ass warning him or suspending him. What was the signal for you people?" Diego turned his attention to the suits. "BPO? Niles Bolger? Nomi Marks?"

Navy Suit spoke this time. "Officer Morales, you are about to push yourself from a reprimand or suspension to being arrested for obstruction in a federal case."

Diego froze at that, but Gorski snorted.

"Your buddy there just blinked. He thinks you've overplayed your hand. And this useless ass-kisser of a captain is ready to shit his pants at the thought of ANY of this getting out."

That got Diego's brain firing again. "Captain, I don't know why these men seem to think Matheson is important enough to protect by issuing threats, but I have some facts to lay out. One, copies of the photos showing him on the scene of an unreported situation in our precinct, removing what looks an awful lot like a body with a bunch of people in full hazmat protection. Were you notified of this? And I don't know how, but Will knew this had happened. He talked about a nightmare, seeing a woman shoot herself, and recognized the church even though we'd never been by it before. When we went in, he knew where she had hidden a drug stash and the gun. He went back through security camera footage of the place for the night he had that dream, and two hours had been erased."

Gorski was suddenly listening to him very intently.

"Two, there's the fingerprint report. Matheson's prints match a set of unknowns found in the house of one Sarah Patrell, a cold case of a child who vanished without a trace seventeen years ago. I already put those results into our records, according to procedure. The local stations always check those records by two-thirty in case there's something worth reporting on the five o'clock news."

Everyone glanced at the clock on Sobczak's wall that read 3:14, except Gorski. He looked up at Diego.

"That bastard had something to do with Sarah Patrell disappearing? And now he's after Will? He came in with some garbage about Will having a disease and needing brain surgery! There's nothing wrong with my son! He was right about Sarah! He was right and I didn't believe him!"

Diego glared at the suits. "Seems like Matheson and his cronies want to poke around in the skulls of lots of people. Niles Bolger, who got up and walked out of his nursing home after being a total vegetable for years. Nomi Marks, suddenly thrown into a high-security wing of a hospital and scheduled for brain surgery against her will until she managed to escape. And now an officer of the CPD whose record was clean as a whistle until last week?"

Sobczak's desk phone rang, making them all jump. The captain picked up the phone, "Now's not a good time."

The voice of the desk receptionist came through at high volume from the handset. "Captain, I have two news crews here that are demanding information about a breakthrough in a cold case. The disappearance of Sarah Patrell?"

"Fucking hell." Sobczak let his head drop into his free hand.

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Capheus led Kabaka back inside and they found Shiro and Amondi chatting happily over cups of tea. Amondi had pulled out her tablet and was showing Shiro an app that held some of her favorite comic books.

Capheus waved the man to a chair and then sat next to his mother. "All right, Mr. Kabaka. What is the second part of your…gift?"

"You are aware that Amondi has been undergoing treatment to keep her leukemia in check."

Capheus nodded.

"A match has been found for a bone marrow transplant, which is Amondi's best chance of beating the disease. The donor in question is in Hong Kong. I have arranged for the transplant to be performed in a state-of-the-art facility in India. Mumbai."

Capheus tried to hide his reaction, and Kabaka continued as if he had not noticed.

"There is also a facility there that has made some striking advances in antiviral therapy. They can suppress the symptoms of AIDS for months at a time. I would like to sponsor your mother's treatment there, if you would travel with us."

Capheus blinked and Shiro sat up a little straighter. Capheus tried to frame his question politely. "Why is it important that we travel with you?"

"It simplifies my preparations. And it gives Amondi a chance to spend time with a woman who is not her teacher or her maid. While I have tried my best, I know Amondi deserves a more motherly figure in her life."

Amondi jumped up and hugged him. "Dad! You're the best ever! I don't need a mom!"

Kabaka chuckled and hugged her back. "Thank you, light of my life. But I know what is true. I think getting to know this remarkable woman can only be a good thing."

Capheus' thoughts raced through the situation. Clearly Kabaka had learned that Capheus did not respond well to intimidation and was trying to maintain the relationship by presenting a more gracious face, even as he honed in on the one thing that could make Capheus continue associating with him. His mother's health.

The down side was staying near Kabaka and losing income as the Van Damn remained sidelined for longer, losing the success gained by his actions against the Superpower gang.

The up side included medical treatment for his mother that would at the very least make her more comfortable and possibly extend her life long enough for a cure to be found.

And going to Mumbai gave him a chance to meet Kala in person.

"Mr. Kabaka, if we travel with you, that delays my return to work."

Kabaka held up a hand. "I have three of my men who are prepared to drive your bus in your absence. They will support your conductor and if you wish they will stay here and guard your home while you are gone."

At that point Shiro spoke up. "Mr. Kabaka, your generosity has become too much. Why is my son's situation so important to you?"

Kabaka looked over at her, then at Amondi. "As I have said, I owe both my life and my daughter's life to him. And perhaps for the first time, I have found a man of a rare courage and conviction who cannot be tempted nor threatened without him finding a way around the situation." He turned back to Capheus. "If I cannot have you working for me, then I wish to have you work beside me. Perhaps I will learn something this way."

Capheus looked over at his mother, who nodded slightly but with her eyes narrowed. She was only partly satisfied with that answer but willing to go along. He held out a hand. "Very well, then. I will accept both your gifts."

Amondi squealed and jumped up, flinging her arms around Capheus' neck before the men could shake hands. "It's going to be fun! We're going to fly and visit India and see the world!"

Capheus had to admit, hugs from Amondi certainly made the situation feel a little better.

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Several days had passed since bringing Daniela home. There had been no sign at all of Joaquín using the pictures and Lito was beginning to worry. After a long discussion with Hernando, Lito decided to start with a visit to his agent to admit his sexuality and ask for advice on a strategy for exiting the closet. It was Hernando's day off and he began catching up on several things that he had let slide during the upheaval.

As he folded laundry, he set his phone to speaker and began playing through his backlog of voicemails. After the first few unimportant ones, he slowed down and stopped, listening to Lito as his messages got more drunken and frantic, rising to a fever pitch that sounded for all the world like he was considering suicide.

"I have all these voices in my head, but yours, it's the only one I can't live without."

Hernando saved that one and listened through to the end, to Lito's sudden determination to do the right thing. His tone, his attitude, everything was a complete one-eighty from earlier.

Hernando saved the last message, and listened to the previous one again. Mechanically, he finished folding the clothes, thinking about that phrase…voices in my head. He thought of a hysterical Lito, breaking down in traffic and talking about seeing a crying Korean woman as he complained about abdominal pain and claimed not to know where he was.

As he began putting the folded clothes away, Daniela arrived from an audition. Hernando's spirits lifted a little, seeing her fully healed and radiant, and he came down to meet her, kissing her cheeks.

"How did the audition go?"

"I don't know. I think I'll get a callback, but I'm not quite sure that I can give them exactly what they want. I'm not sure I can play the character as dumb as they want."

"And you shouldn't have to. A better role will come along." He steered her to the sofa. "I want to ask you something."

"Of course."

"I know you and Lito had only been on a few dates before you arrived on our doorstep." He paused as she blushed a brilliant red, remembering her performance at his door. "Anyway. You may not have as much of an idea as I do, but it seems like Lito has been acting differently for some weeks now. He woke up one night from a bad dream, and it affected him on the set for several days. He couldn't remember his lines, he was distracted. It seemed to get better, but he's still had moments."

Daniela nodded, remembering the day Lito had rear-ended another car and Hernando's description of him seeing things.

Hernando held out his phone. "Listen to the two saved messages."

She put one hand to her mouth, listening to Lito's declaration that he couldn't live without Hernando. Her expression changed to confusion at the confidence in the next message.

"I think that must have been when he decided to come get me."

"Dani, please, think a moment. You said that Lito fought Joaquín, just like one of his movies."

"Yes! It was amazing!"

"But, Lito doesn't know how to fight. He knows the moves for staging a fight for a camera, but he has never given me any indication that he knows how to really fight. And I've known him for a long time."

"But he did! Joaquín caught him off-guard with the first punch, and Lito missed the first few times—"

"Because he's been trained to aim in front of the target?"

Daniela frowned. "Well, maybe. But then he landed a really good one!"

"And what happened next?"

She stared into space, trying to remember. "Joaquín got him a few more times, then threw Lito over a hedge. That's when I tried to stop him by hitting him with a shovel…"

Hernando could guess what Joaquín might have done next and tried to push her past that part. "What did Lito do?"

"He came up with flowerpots in his hands, throwing them at Joaquín."

"See? That sounds like Lito, like a scene from a movie."

"And then Joaquín knocked him down hard and kicked him, and it looked like he was finished."

"Then what happened?"

"He…he got up. And stated in a really cold way that they weren't done."

"A cold way?"

"Yes, really…flat, businesslike. Almost like he was talking about the weather."

"And they started again?"

"I suppose you could say so. Lito gave him one shot…all it did was turn his head. He just…absorbed it. And then he started laying into Joaquín." Her expression turned worried. "Now that you're asking, it was different. Calculated, precise. If Lito could fight that well, why didn't he do so from the beginning?"

Hernando sat back and nodded. "Thank you. Thank you for telling me."

She turned to him, her eyes pleading. "Is something happening to Lito?"

He sighed. "I think so. But I have no idea what."

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Nomi watched as Amanita finished wiping the iPad clean, removing all traces of her mother's account. As Grace almost never used the blasted thing after they gave it to her the previous Christmas, they felt justified in asking to borrow it for a while. Nomi then created a dummy account, still using Metzger's credit card since the ass had never bothered to set up any fraud protections and there was still no trace of his murder on the news.

She tossed in some popular apps and games and established a large credit so Will could buy more if he wanted. Now Amanita watched as she put together a shopping bag of tech.

"Tablet, hotspot, solar USB charger, hub, and cables. Hopefully this will keep him up to date and occupied as long as he's stuck inside."

Amanita toyed with one of her braids. "Should we try to get in touch with his partner?"

"I'm not sure. I think Will should make contact next. He's got a way to do it now."

"I still can't believe you all can just hand each other stuff across oceans and continents. That is so cool! Instant delivery and no shipping fees!"

Nomi shrugged. "I didn't even think about it until Will and Lito were here. I could feel them, I could hand things to them. Will was holding the travel phone when he left and it left with him. So I'll bring this stuff to him and see if we can pull everyone together for a meeting tomorrow. Three of us are in the same time zone now, but it's still going to be stupid-early for me and stupid-late for Sun."

"Such are the hazards of a global network," Amanita replied.

Nomi snorted at that. Amanita reached over and took her hand.

"Got time for a little networking with me?"

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Will emerged from the bathroom, relishing the feeling of being clean. Judging from the state of his clothes and the itching of his skin, at least four or five days must have passed while he was out of commission. And while intellectually he appreciated the presence of the adult diaper when he stripped for the shower, he would be very happy never to know who had taken care of that detail.

He put on the T-shirt and sweatpants, noting that all the tags had been cut out. He glanced around, examining the room that would be his own kind of prison for the foreseeable future. The light coming from the row of small windows near the ceiling was fading as the sun set. He moved to turn on the one lamp in the room and wondered if he could ask for another one.

He was debating whether to bother putting on his shoes again as he wasn't going anywhere when Riley knocked and entered with a tray. She had another of those protein drinks and more water with the labels torn away, but this time there was real food. His stomach rumbled loudly as the smells hit him.

"You should still eat slowly and not too much at once, according to Kala. But I made some eggs and toast."

He took the tray from her and set it on the chest. He reached out and pulled her close, embracing her tightly. He shared his last memory of fear and desperation and hope before the drugs had taken effect and his relief that they had found a safe harbor for now. She shared the memory of her stumbling to her feet and staggering down the slope to get in the ambulance, her resolve chipping away at the agonizing memories of Magnús and Lúna because Will was here and needed her now.

"I knew you could do it. Thank you."

She snuggled into him, then drew back. She ran a hand over his face. "You need to shave."

"I will, after I eat." He sat on the bed and let her bring him the tray.

As he dug in, holding himself to a slow pace, she went into the bathroom and collected his clothes. "This place has a laundry. I'll wash your things. And I'll see if I can find something for you to do for now."

Nomi appeared, a shopping bag in her hand, in time to hear the last of Riley's comment. "I think I can help with that."

Will finished the toast and set the tray to the side so he could stand. "Oh, really?"

"Here, early happy birthday." She handed him the bag.

Will reached in and pulled out the iPad. "What's this?"

"Entertainment. You've got a hotspot with a big enough data plan that should last as long as you don't watch too many videos or stream movies. There's a credit on this account if you want more apps. And this is a solar charger that you can leave in the window so you don't have to worry about having access to electricity if we have to move you again. It's a bit slow, but it'll do the job and keep both devices and the phones charged if you're patient. All the cables you need, including an extra for your own phone."

Will plowed into the bag, astonished. Riley moved in and hugged Nomi. "Thank you!"

Will looked up. "Yeah, seriously, thank you."

"Just trying to help, as you once again charged forward without a plan."

"Well, you all seem to have a knack for recovering."

"Just don't push us too hard. Now, is there anything else I can bring you from San Francisco?"

Will looked through the bag again. "Earbuds? I could listen to music that way."

"I can do that. But you've got plenty of money in the iTunes store to buy it rather than stream it."

Will nodded and Riley looked at the tablet wistfully. "I wonder where my iPod is."

Will reached over and put an arm around her. "Probably with your dad. He was in the hospital with you the whole time until they transferred you to BPO. But hey, we can both choose music."

Riley nodded as Will handed her the tablet to look over and Nomi began pointing out things to her. He felt his heartbeat hammering away again and sat on the bed to recover. A wave of depression swept over him as the enormity of the situation hit him. He was exiled from his home for who knew how long and had seven others to keep safe. How long was it going to be before he could see his father or friends? Would he ever have his job back? What would happen to his apartment? Would he ever be able to go home and not look over his shoulder for the rest of his life? He put his hands over his face, fighting the sudden urge to cry.

Nomi broke off from her conversation with Riley and knelt in front of him, gently pulling his hands away so he would look at her. Her expression said she felt his pain and understood exactly what he was feeling. "We'll fight for you, Will. We'll protect you, the way you've been protecting us." She wiped away the few tears that had escaped and were trailing down his face. "I owe you my existence – without you to get me out of that operating room, I wouldn't be here. It may take a while, but we are going to get our lives back."

She leaned forward and put her arms around his neck. Riley slid beside him and he put an arm around each of them. Nomi shifted to include Riley and they held each other close, drawing comfort and strength from their connection. They would be there for each other.

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Kala approached the temple slowly, looking for the radicals that had attacked Manendra, but they were nowhere to be seen. She walked to her usual spot in front of the statue of Ganesha and reached into the straw bag. She pulled out her offering and laid it at the feet of the statue, bowing as she did so.

"My lord Ganesha, I must appeal to you as the Remover of Obstacles. For there is a very large obstacle in my path and the path of my…my friends. I have an idea what to do, but I will need your guidance and wisdom. And, regrettably, I think I will need aid from another source to succeed."

She took out a second offering and moved across the temple to another statue. This one was human in appearance, smiling serenely down at her, a snake coiled around his neck and four arms instead of two.

"My lord Shiva, I know I have never sought your guidance before and am not worthy of your attention. However, I believe there will soon come a time where I must act as your hand in order to protect myself and my friends. I pray you will accept my offerings and grant me your strength as we try to survive."

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Author's Note: Thank you for reading!