Author's Notes Please Read: Okay first and foremost to the faithful readers(especially Hybrid Thing) I am SO sorry for the delay but er...I've started college (which sucks by the way, I have NO free time anymore), and besides college and studying I have full time job. I feel really bad because I know there were/are (hopefully at least) a few people who regularly read this story as soon as I posted it. To them I'm sorry and I promise I'm going to do my very best not to let this happen again. Plus, I like this story and I've pretty much got the ending and lots of down the road drama already worked out in my head, so I intend to finish Dark Heavens. Really, cross my heart hope to die. To my new readers, what the fuck do you care? You just started reading this thing, don't fucking bitch about the delays to me for at least a month or two, dammit (jk). Sincerely I hope you enjoy the chapter.

It was one of those strange days for Stun, one where the normal day to day routine with the children felt distant and hazy, as if he was watching the whole thing unfold from outside his own body. His skin tingled and crawled with anticipation, of what he was completely unsure of just yet. Perhaps it was because through all the daily rituals, his conversation with Jenny was constantly at the back of his mind. He wished more than anything in the world that he hadn't shown those pictures to her, but there was no way he couldn't. If she had similar knowledge about him, he would want to be told. His conscious had him screwed either way, it seemed.

He really just could not comprehend how Jenny was dealing with the situation with Shina. To know what she knew...it would drive him made. And combined with Shina's obstinance...yes he would indeed have gone mad.

"Uncle Stun?" a small voice broke through his thoughts. Stun's head jerked up and away from the book he'd been feigning to read, eyes focusing on the small face of Ursula. He looked at the little zoanthrope and then the clock. Eight fifteen, the children were not due to be up until nine, and the younger ones, Ursula in particular, could not often be forced up a second before (unless of course she was thinking of making breakfast for everyone).

"Ursula, what is it?" he asked, noticing she was clutching her teddy bear, aptly named Ursie Jr., very tightly.

The little girl's big brown eyes, already shiny, glazed over as tears began to form and she let out a little whimper before running to her caretaker. Stun put down his book at once to pick Ursula up in his massive arms, stroking her hair as she cried into his shirt.

"Shh...little one," he murmured. "Don't cry, I'm right here, you're safe."

"I–I had another one of the dreams!" she sniffled. "It–It was awful, Uncle!"

Despite the way his entire body went rigid from her words, Stun did nothing to allow the girl to sense any of his fear. Instead very calmly, almost soothingly, he asked, "What happened in your dream, Ursula?"

"The bad people came!" she told him, voice muffled by the fabric of his shirt. "They came to hurt us and destroy our home!"

"The same bad people you've drawn before?" Stun questioned, doing his very best not to take the girl and run right then and there. Ursula's dreams were frightening, when she dreamt them once, they were simply things that could happen in the near future, if she dreamt them twice...he prayed this was not a reoccurring dream.

"I–I saw the fire again, Uncle," she sobbed to his dismay. She looked up at him with her big brown eyes. "I'm sorry!" And she began to weep again.

"Calm down, Ursula," Stun told her calmly, even as he stood and began running towards the dormitories. He pushed open the door to the girls' room first.

"Martinique!" he said going over to the nearest bed where a girl of about sixteen years and what appeared to be South American heritage slept. He nudged her gently. The girl, already half awake, sat straight up at once, flicking on the lamp beside her bed as her eyes found the older zoanthrope's.

"Yes, sir?" she asked, her voice hushed.

"Get up and get the girls dressed then get out into the hall," he ordered, tones barely above a whisper. "I'm going next door to tell the boys the same. Hurry."

Martinique nodded with the conviction of a soldier before pushing back her blankets and going to rouse her younger roommates. At the same time Stun slipped out and next door, this time waking a blonde boy, also in his mid teens.

"Jonathon," Stun said turning the lights on himself. "Wake up Jonathon."

"Dr. Goldberg?" the boy questioned groggily, sitting to attention just as Martinique had. He rubbed his eyes on the back of his hand. "What–what is it, sir?"

"Up and dressed, help the younger ones," Stun told him. "Meet out in the hall. The girls will be there too. I'll be right back."

Just as his female counterpart had done Jonathon leapt out of bed to follow Stun's orders. Still carrying Ursula snugly against his chest Stun made the jog down the hall to his study. Throwing open the door and hitting the lights he went to his bookcase, looking over the shelves for a particular item. He found what he was looking for fairly quickly, a red book with an unmarked spine. Flipping it open revealed a hallowed out space filled with cash were there should have been words. He slipped the book into his shirt, making a mental note to slip it to Martinique or Jonathon once they made it to the surface, as there would be no telling what would happen to himself. He would at least make sure the children got away and were provided for. Taking a few more seconds t dress himself so that none would see his blue skin in the morning light. He doubted anyone would be paying attention in any case, as the institute was located in practical back alley of Manhattan, it's only normal visitors being crack addicts, hookers, and their fellows.

Upon entering the hall he found his charges filing out, Martinique and Jonathon helping a few of the younger children put on their shoes and other last minute garments. He counted the faces present, they were all there.

"Dr. Goldberg," came the voice of a boy named Eddie. "What–what's going on?"

"There's no time to explain everything, children," Stun said calmly. "Just know we must leave and we must leave now."

"Uncle Stun, are we–are gonna come back?" a boy just barely older than Ursula asked. "Is this still gonna be our home, Uncle?"

Stun pushed back the ache in his chest at the child's words and the look that crossed his and his peers faces. All of these children were orphans and in almost every case his zoanthrope institute was the only permanent place they'd ever come into.

"Probably not, Kenneth," Stun said, unable to soften the truth for his young ones. "Now come along. We've no time to waste." And he beckoned them to follow.

Stun led his frightened and sleep weary charges past the elevator and into his room, a room they had been forbidden from entering on all other days. He spared a second to hand Ursula over to Jonathon, before going over to yet another bookcase, and heaving it aside like a cardboard box. The children stared in wonder at the doorway the book case's absence revealed.

"Come along kids,"Stun said, taking Ursula up once again after he'd opened the door. "Hold hands, those of you with nocturnal vision need to switch it on. Jonathon, hold onto my shirt, I don't care if it rips just don't let go. The rest of you form a line, Marti, I want you to bring up the rear. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," came the expected chorus of young, scared voices.

"All right," he said moving into the blackness. As an afterthought, Stun called so that all his pupils could hear. "Don't worry, my darlings, I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

By the way Ursula continued to cry, he did not think he'd done such a good job of convincing. Nevertheless he pushed onward down the dark hall, now sort of red in his night vision, until he reached the end and a series of metal rungs that lead up to what appeared to be a man whole cover.

"Jonathon?" he murmured reaching up to test a rung. It felt as solid as the day it was built.

"Yes, sir?" the teenager said gripping the beetle man's shirt a little more tightly.

"Take, Ursula again," he said turning to hand her gently into the arms of the boy. "I'm going to open it and check things out. I'll be right back." And he scrambled up the rungs, popping the manhole cover up. He looked around, doing his very best not to exclaim in horror as his eyes turned towards the left and the building that covered their home. It was on fire, just like in Ursula's drawings. It took every ounce of control for Stun to keep himself down and restrain himself from seeking out and maiming whomever had destroyed his home. Hi bite down on the inside of his cheek, forcing a wave of calm to cover him and formulate plan before slipping back down.

"Children," he spoke in quiet, almost serene tones. "Someone or something has set fire to the building over the Institute." He whistled sharply as cries of disbelief and sadness began to fill their little tunnel. "I'm telling you this," he began again when they were quiet, "because once we run from here, I will not be able to hide it from you. I need you all to be strong because we must flee quickly and I do not know what will be out there. Be assured I will not let anything in this world take you from me, but you must be calm and run when I tell you to run. And if by chance I have to leave you must listen to Marti and Jonathon. Do you all understand."

There was a slight hesitation but eventually an uneven chorus of "Yes, sir" greeted his ears.

"Good, I'm very proud of you all," he said hoping the warmth in his voice would comfort his charges. "Now, Marti, Jonathon, come here."

"Yes, Dr. Goldberg?" both teens murmured.

"If I do have to separate myself from you children I want you to take this," he slipped the book from the confines of his shirt and handed it over to the teenage girl, "and go to the WOC headquarters. Do you remember how I told you both to get there?"

"Yes, sir," Jonathon and Martinique chorused.

"Very Good," Stun said, reaching out to comfortingly squeeze their shoulders. "At the WOC you need to speak to Yugo Ohgami, Alice Nonomura, or Shina Gado. If the staff there is hesitant tell them to inform one of the three you were sent by Stun and went to his school. They'll be no trouble after that. Can you do that?"

"Yes, sir."

"All right, I know I can trust you two," the older zoanthrope murmured. "Okay now, we need to get out of here. I'm going to go up to the mouth, Jonathon you'll be positioned on the middle of the rungs, and Marti you'll be at the bottom. Starting with Martinique you'll help the younger ones climb up to Jonathon, who will then help them to me. Any problems?"

"No, sir,"

"Okay," Stun said heaving a sigh. "Let's get going, the sooner we leave the sooner we'll escape the bad things." And without another word, he grabbed Ursula up in his arm and scuttled out of the hole. "Stay here," he ordered the girl, setting her down right beside him before putting his arms back down into the hole. One by one Stun's students climbed up an out to stand with their mentor on the street side. He had gathered them all with the exception of Martinique who was pulling herself up and out of the manhole when the already tense air was set on fire by the crack of a gun and a series of shrieks. Stun paid no attention to the frightened cries, only to the cry of pain as Martinique clutching her arm, slumped on the ground.

"No!" Stun shouted leaping to pick up the fallen teen. To the rest of the children he bellowed, "Run! Run! Run! Follow Jonathon and don't look back!"

The children continued to scream in fright but did as he ordered, running as Jonathon guided them to hide behind the nearest building. Stun, carrying Martinique still, ran in the opposite direction, hoping the bullets would follow him instead of the kids. He jumped behind a broken down car that had been in their alley as long as the institute had been there. Laying Martinique down gently, he examined the shoulder she clutched. She'd been shot, not just grazed, shot, the bullet still embedded in her tan flesh. Luckily though, it had not went deep and the wound was outside, allowing him to pull it out quickly. He was further relieved as there was no spurting.

"Marti, honey, look at me," Stun ordered as the girl bit down on her lip and closed her eyes, doing her very best not to cry. She obeyed, Stun noting her eyes were starting to glaze, like she would soon slip into shock. He held her face in his hands. "Marti, you must stay awake and stay alert for me. I have to go, I have to leave you and fight." He continued to speak as he tore his shirt to form a tourniquet around the sluggishly bleeding wound. "I promise you, I won't let you die here. You or any of the others. Do you believe me?"

Despite her best efforts two tears leaked don the young girl's face and she leaned forward to hug him. "Be careful, Uncle," she cried into his shirt. Stun hugged her back.

"I'll be back soon, Marti," he assured her as he let go and stood. Seconds later he let out a loud guttural cry as he leapt into the air, shifting into his full zoanthrope form and heading toward the sounds of the bullets. As he ran, Stun spared a few seconds to check back on the part of his flock that had ran with Jonathon. They were safe, he could see Jonathon watching him from behind a large pile of debris. Stun prayed for their safety as he found the source of the attack.

He had been here before, in the dreams and drawings of his youngest student, standing in front of a big armored hummer, seven gunmen all taking aim at him. Somehow now, though, he found him self far less frightened than when he looked at Ursula's terrible visions. In fact, knowing he was here finally, Stun actually felt a little calm. He smiled inside, wondering how fast he could dismember them all. Seconds later another round of gunfire started, he wasn't even on the ground when the triggers were pulled.

Somersaulting through the air, Stun landed between several attackers. Grabbing one and snapping his neck before he could fire, the zoanthrope used the limp body of his would-be assailant as a shield, throwing him into another attacker when he got close enough to grab a third by the throat. Crushing the new victim's windpipe with a casual press of his thumb, he once again tossed a the body at his fellows. At this point the rest of the attackers had realized that this might have been a mistake, particularly as three or four more comrades heads were taken of by a quick swipe of the claws on his right hand.

Through the complete fear and chaos of Stun's attack, however, one of the assailants had enough sense to aim hide and aid at the back of Stun's head through the back of sniper rifle. He was about to squeeze the trigger when his scope went black.

"Now, now," a husky voice chided in his ear (or at least close to it, after all he and his fellows were wearing helmets). "Haven't you heard it isn't nice to shoot someone in the back." The shooter jerked his head up to lay eyes on one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen, right before she broke his neck. Jenny blew the body a kiss before picking up his rifle and shouting, "Stephen! Heads up!"

Stun, recognizing her voice, dropped low, allowing his friend to pick off the remaining men, while he punched through the plate armor over the driver's side window on the hummer and ripped out the throat of the man starting to put it in reverse. With that last deed there was quiet broken briefly as Stun changed back into his "normal" form and Jenny leapt to his side.

"It's happening isn't it?" she asked, green eyes wide.

"Yes," he said, already rushing over to where Martinique still lay. He knelt down to scoop the girl up into his massive arms for a second time. "How long were you there?"

"Long enough to make sure they're all gone," she replied. Jenny looked at the girl. "Where–where will you take her?"

"I don't know yet," he murmured. "I highly doubt I can just waltz up to a hospital, can I?"

"No, not wise," Jenny agreed. "But I know what you can do instead."

"What?" he asked.

"Take their car and drive to the private airfields on the eastern side," she told him. "My private jet is docked there in gate 673, I'll call the guards to let them know you're coming and to get a doctor there. Wait for me." And Jenny turned about to morph.

"Jenny–where–" he began.

"I'm going to get my daughter!" she called leaping into the air. "Wether Jane likes it or not, I'm going to protect her! Get your kids and get moving, twenty bucks says the doctor will be there before you at this rate."

Stun watched her go, wishing he could follow her. Shina Gado, you should be grateful, he thought as he called for Jonathon and the rest of the kids and herding them into the hummer, after disposing of the driver's body of course. That woman would die for you. I hope you get that through your thick skull before she has to prove it.

Interlude

Sy and Shenlong stared each other down for a few moments, the first with lips curled in a snarl and fists clenched, the second face blank as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"What," Sy growled, when he could get no reaction by simply glaring at the older male, "are you doing here!"

"Well that's a fine greeting for you," Shenlong chuckled. "You haven't seen me in over a year and I don't even get a hug before you're lashing out at me? My oh my, I should have worked with you better on your manners, my boy."

"Stop fucking with me, Shenlong!" Sy barked, crouching low to the ground, fingers twisting into 'claw' formation in anticipation of an attack. "What the hell are you doing here! What do you want!"

"Why oh why do I have to have a reason for wanting to see you, kiddo?" he asked still toying with the younger man in a cattish way. "Isn't missing you enough of one, son?"

"Not with you and those other two deranged idiots you've allied yourself with, Pops," he replied, the last word thrown to bite and sting. Wether it worked, Sy could not read in the scarlet of Shenlong's irises. "Now answer me, God dammit! What are you doing here!"

Shenlong sighed, pocketing his shades. "So direct, I really should have attended to your manners more."

"You should have," Sy agreed. "But then again you should have attended a lot of things better, shouldn't you've?" At that there was the tiniest spark in Shenlong's eyes, but Sy didn't pursue the subject that caused it any further. "Now I'll ask you one last time, what are you doing here, Shenlong?"

"I came to deal with you kid," he said, cutting the cat and mouse routine.

"What makes you think I'd want to deal with you?" Sy demanded coldly.

"Maybe the fact that SHE had finally risen," Shenlong replied an equal amount of ice in his voice. At once Sy's wrathful features went slack, the glow in his eyes disappearing as they widened in complete fear.

"Y–you didn't!" the younger man exclaimed hoarsely. "You couldn't!"

"We could, and we did, Sy," Shenlong told him. "It's only a matter of time before all the other pieces fall into place. The Cloud, the Lightening, the Thunder. They will all gather for her and be sacrificed in the end. You know that."

The fear dissipate from Sy's face at once, the rage taking control again.

"She's MINE!" Sy shouted. "You bastards stay the fuck away from her!"

"Trust me we don't have to go after her, son," Shenlong said. "SHE will take care of all the chasing for herself. All we're going to do is watch...and of course do a little button pushing..."

"What gave you done!" Sy hissed, now trembling with rage. "What have you done to Shina!"

"I haven't done a damn thing," Shenlong replied, the vindictive cat returning to his tone. "Now the soldiers at her home right now...well...I can't promise anything for them."

"You SON OF A BITCH!" Sy roared louder and with more anger than Shenlong had ever managed to in his beast form. The older man ducked and rolled as the younger's shout cause quite a little boom around him. He felt his heart miss a few beats as Sy's eyes glowed like amethyst fire on his face.

"If anything happens to Shina, I WILL KILL YOU!" he said in voice that was otherworldly and frightening enough to make Shenlong think twice about the things he was doing. He had no time to make a reply, not even to blink because there was a second boom of power, and when Shenlong looked again Sy was no where to be seen.

The clone picked himself up slowly, dusting off his clothes as he looked at the spot where Sy had been standing not a moment before. He stood there for a long time, just staring at the cement. Finally reached inside of jacket to pull out a satellite phone. He pushed the first unmarked button to the left and brought it to his ear.

"Has he taken the bait?" came the cold voice of Xion on the other end.

"Yeah," Shenlong said, swallowing hard as he remembered the look on Sy's face. "He's getting ready to play knight in shining armor. How are things on your end?"

"Bremen called a few minutes ago," the Unborn told him. "He and his team have already went hunting."

Interlude

"Vansant tighten the lines!" Gado ordered his new temporary (hopefully in any case) second in command, as his team stalked through the dense Amazon. They'd been searching for their would be opponents, a group of Drug peddling Guerillas since very early that morning, and had yet to find a trace of their whereabouts. Needless to say everyone was more than a little frustrated and tired as the later afternoon began to where on. "Avionne, communication lines still open with camp?" he asked as they came upon a ravine.

"Clear as that big blue sky, Mon Capitaine," the only woman in the unite besides his absent daughter, their field electronics expert, told him.

"Good," the old lion said more to himself than anything as they made their way along. Still though Gado could not help but feel there was something very wrong with things. He wasn't sure, none of the tips they'd heard sounded fishy, the people who'd paid them for their assistance couldn't be described as particularly cunning in action or speech, it was just the air...and he had a good idea of what had caused it.

"All right people, halt," Gado ordered holding up his hand. "We'll stop here for a few minutes. Paxton?"

"Sir?" came the reply from his scoutmaster as he appeared before and saluted his leader.

"Take your boys and cross that ravine after you've had about six minutes rest," Gado told him as he opened his canteen to take a short drink. "Scope and report back wether or not there's a point of us crossing or just splitting to the north or south."

"Sir, yes, Sir," Paxton said with another salute before going off to tell his men their orders. Meanwhile Gado motioned to Vansant, Avionne, and two other unit leaders called Egret and Kaz.

"Sir?" they all said at once.

"Rest," he ordered. "Well except you Avionne, you need to set your com. center up, I'm not sure how soon we'll be leaving this place."

A second chorus of "Sir, yes, Sir", and they too left him to attend to their duties. Gado took the moments of alone time to retreat behind a few trees. No one was likely to follow him as they probably assumed he was using the latrine. Behind the trees he reached into his vestments to pull out a familiar photo. He was surprised after all this time, especially after these last few months, that the thing hadn't been faded and rubbed to nothing by his fingers.

"Ma fille...comment je vous manque..." he murmured tracing the line of Shina's face. It was almost funny to him now, once he thought he could not live with the girl, not bear seeing her entangled in his harsh existence. And now...he almost laughed, he couldn't live without her. Gado had cursed himself many times over the years, for the things he could not give his child, for his lies he did give, for the things he had missed and lost with her. Now though, even the self loathing brought no relief over his situation with his child. He closed his eyes, mind slipping to place and time he'd tried for many, many, years to forget.

/"Alan, Tomas and Ingrid just agreed..." came a soft female voice from behind him as he stared out his loft window in Paris. He had two good eyes, back then, both of them keen as they turned to meet a pair of green ones.

Jenny Burtory, his lover at the time, had never looked so beautiful, or so sad. And it was all because of the being resting comfortably inside her belly, swollen from sixth months of carrying.

"I'm not surprised," came the murmur of another man. "They have been trying forever to have one of their own."

Alan glanced to his right, where his best friend and constant compatriot Yuji Ohgami sat, a toddler little less than two slumbering against him. He was envious of Yuji, truly at that moment. He could afford to keep his offspring, the mother of his son was a normal woman with a normal job and a normal life. There would never be any need to fear little Yugo would be blown to bits in his father's apartment, or he might get kidnaped while Yuji was off doing important work. His mother's normalcy would provide a haven for the boy, at least during the tender years for which he would need protection from the world of the two older males in the room. When he was older though, well that was up to fate. Yuji dreaded the times that were to come for his son, but Gado had never been so vexed on the boy's behalf. Perhaps because it was not his child, Gado though, had thought just looking at Yugo shortly after he was born he was going to be a strong one. Gado was seldom ever wrong when it came to those instincts.

Not you though, Cheri, the lion thought, glancing back at Jenny who had a long fingered hand gently pressed over her belly. Two days ago they had found out it was going to be a girl, so whenever Alan found himself thinking or talking of the baby, the word Cheri, always popped into his head. He'd already given her a pet name in his mind. A useless and stupid thing to do, considering the way they had just recently decided to deal with her arrival. Your Mama and I aren't so good at splitting this domestic routine up. We tried though, you should know.

"I know I've said this before, you two," Yuji murmured, moving to press a hand over gently his son's ears incase things got loud. "But you're making a mistake."

"I don't see how it could be bigger than deciding to raise her in all this mess," Jenny murmured, stroking her stomach. "I may be blonde, but I'm not a complete ditz, Yuji. Janie's safety comes first."

Gado raised an eyebrow at that last sentence. "I thought we agreed not to name her?" he questioned folding his arms.

Jenny shrugged her shoulders. "We agreed on many things, paramour," she replied nonchalantly. "We also agreed not to ask about the gender." Her eyes became a little sharp and he looked down at his boots.

"I like the name Jane," Yuji offered, trying to ease the tense air. "Feels like a combination of Jenny and Alan...if I'm not being too–"

"You are," Alan cut in tersely.

"Sorry," Yuji said holding up his hands.

"Just please stop it, Yuji," Jenny told him kindly. "We've both made up our minds...My life is too dangerous and so is Alan's, there's no way in hell we could keep and protect her."

Yuji's eyebrows went up but he said no more, mostly because Yugo had woken up and was begging for attention.

"Da-da!" he said pulling on his father's shirt. "Da-day hungey! Icken ousp!"

"Well he's certainly your's," Alan commented. "Not even a second awake and he wants to stuff his face–he um–he was saying he wanted some food...right?"

"Chicken soup," Yuji replied as he stood with his boy in his arms. "Isn't that right, my little hairless monkey?"

"Da-day!" was the gurgled reply.

"Yes, I thought so," Yuji laughed, cradling Yugo on his hip, an awkward pose for the thin man. "Well I believe I have to go feed the lad. I'll see you both later."

"Au revoir," Alan said, reaching a big hand out to gently pass it through Yugo's already thick head of hair. "Et au revoir à vous aussi, petit l'un."

"Revoir," Yugo burbled then hiccupped.

The three adults laughed.

"Don't get too excited," his father said. "He repeats just about anything. I highly doubt you'll have my kid speaking two languages." He moved Yugo from his hip to rest against his chest, tickling the child's sides as he did to induce a fit of giggles.

"Goodbye, Yuji, it was nice seeing you again," Jenny said shaking his hand.

"Likewise, Jen," he said with a smile.

"And goodbye to you too, handsome," she cooed ducking her head down just a little to kiss the toddler on his cheek.

"Icken ousp!" Yugo laughed.

Again the three laughed.

"Yes, yes, I know, the beast must be fed," Yuji chuckled. "Goodbye, all, I'll talk to you later."

"Bye."

"I'll see you later, Yuji."

The couple waited a few seconds after the front door had closed before Gado turned to face his lover.

"Yes, before you asked I explained the rules to them," Jenny sighed a little wearily as she passed him to sink into the nearest chair. "No contact with us whatsoever after we give her to them. They won't let her know she's adopted let alone give her our names. I also called Mershon," she named her lawyer, "and had him type this up. They'll get a paper to sign over all of this."

Gado grunted, going back to stand before the window. "You make it sound like it's all so simple," he murmured looking down on the city lights. "The way you talk."

"Yeah...isn't it lovely to imagine a world were it all could be that easy?" she asked.

"I–I don't want to do this Jen," he said quietly, almost so that she didn't hear him. "I know we said we wouldn't talk about it but I–"

"So don't then," she cut him off cooly, rubbing her stomach as if to reassure the child inside. "It won't do any of us any good."

"Still," he said, walking over to lay his hand over hers, specifically the one she had upon her belly. "I really wanted...I think...Yuji could have a point..."

"He does," she told him with a tearful sort of smile. "We could try Alan, we could, we could be the picture perfect little family...and Jane would make it to her fourth birthday if she was lucky."

"Yeah," he agreed. He smirked just a little. "Forgive me it's just seeing Yuji with Yugo..."

"Yes, well, Yuji isn't us, he's at least got a safety net for his son," she said. "He can afford to indulge. There's no way on earth we could be so selfish to risk her life, we're in far too deep, paramour."

"I know," he said closing his eyes. "I know."

"Look at it this way," she said forcing a cheerful smile, though tears had started to run down her face. "Our Jane will be about the most loved little girl in the world. She'll be living with people who'll adore her, and she'll have more who adore her even more from afar."

"Again, amour, I commend your flowery turn of phrase," he chuckled. "It does make me feel a little better."/

"I'm an idiot," the old lion murmured aloud, staring down at the picture a few more seconds. He repeated that sentiment to himself many times over as Avionne yelled for him.

"Capitaine!" she shouted bringing him bolting out from the trees. "Capitaine, the signal from the main camp has been cut!"

"All channels!" he demanded trying to remain calm.

"Oui, every one!" she said, fervently looking over all her equipment and trying to find a way to make it work. "Sacré!" she yelped again suddenly.

"What now!" he demanded as the ominous air began to rise all through his units, each man tightening hold on his weapon.

"Paxton's communicator just went out!" she almost shrieked.

"Calm down, Avionne!" Gado ordered, refusing to let himself become frightened or flustered. "The rest of you get on guard and–"

Gado was interrupted by the shout of several men, and a gunshot. Gado turned just in time to see Vansant's brains splatter upon two underlings.

"Condamner!" the lion roared. "Obtenir en bas! Obtenir en bas! NOW!" Despite his forceful tone though, nothing he said could affect his men, particularly as Avionne, and several others received fates identical to Vansant's. With another curse Gado, knowing there was not much else he could do, yelled, "Retraite!" To those still alive and could hear. It was complete mayhem.

The remainder of his soldiers scattered, as they were taught to if a situation like this was ever to come up, not that scattering helped much as several helicopters had appeared out of no where. More curses escaped Gado, who, seeing there was not much option left if he was to survive, morphed, and began a run.

How did they know? He thought as he ran. How could they know? I was so thorough! I've never been duped before, not since... His mind flickered back to when he'd lost Yuji, he'd been so bereaved so distracted by his loss he'd nearly let himself die. And then he thought of Shina...

He roared again, much more loudly as a fifth helicopter appeared from nowhere, right before him. He got a good enough look to see a sniper checking him out from inside before he had to duck when the weapon discharged. As he rolled he noticed the sniper hadn't fired a bullet, but a little red tipped dart. They were hunting him, and only him.

"I don't think so!" he snarled before starting another sprint, zigzagging through the trees. That didn't seem to be helping him in the slightest however, as the darts kept coming along with the chopper. Gado did not stop though, not even when he felt one of the darts pierce his arm, or when bullets started coming. He ran, and ran, and ran, until he came to the mouth of the ravine. He stared down at the lush canyon below, it was at least a thousand foot drop onto the canopy down there.

The old lion tried to think. There had to be something, some way out of this... Gado grimaced as a sudden woozy feeling washed over him, he snarled, pulling the needle from his arm.

I am not going to go like this, he said to himself forcing clarity and strength. I won't! Not until I see Janie again! Not until I–

A third roar erupted from Gado as his pursuers hit him with a second dart, then a third and a fourth straight after. Apparently, they were tired of playing chase.

Je suis désolé, le chéri., Gado thought to himself as he once again pulled out Shina's picture. Pour tout. Je vous aime. He kissed the photo and jumped, arms outstretched in a swan dive as he plummeted. He didn't close his eyes as he fell, there wasn't a need to, if the tranquilizers they'd shot him up with worked like they were supposed to he'd be asleep by the time his body broke apart on the debris below. Or at least that was how it was supposed to happen, Gado's plan was interrupted by two more choppers that came out of no where (at least it seemed that way to him at first, after all the tranquilizers were starting to make everything very fuzzy), a net tied between them.

Quite artfully the two helicopters positioned themselves just perfectly to catch him. Laying in the sagging of the net Gado's vision began to scissor in and out, but he was still aware enough that when he looked up at one of the copters, inside he recognized one of the people standing there immediately. It was a man as massive as him, but far more scared and craggy in features, his right hand missing.

"Bremen..." he groaned remembering the last time he'd ever saw that man. It was the same day he'd lost his eye. Fear filled his core for what Bremen was going to do. None of Gado's fears had anything to do with what would happen to him physically, he'd been through enough pain to take anything like that. What ate at Gado's mind were secrets he had been entrusted with, things that could be taken from him by any number of ways and that he had sworn to uphold. Biting down hard on his lower lip, he used the pain to give focus and clarity, while he forced his right hand to go up to his neck. Reaching into his shirt he felt around until his fingers caught around the chain of his dog tags. Pulling the tags out of his shirt he felt around for the tags themselves. Gado's tags were a bit odd, there were three of them instead of two, and of course the third wasn't really a tag. He felt the three pieces of metal, grasping the one that had a strange series of bumps covering it. Grasping it firmly in his think fingers Gado snapped that tag in half, letting the pieces fall.

Hurry up, were his last thoughts as the blackness claimed him. Shina, Mon Dieu, please get over your anger. Please, I need you now, chéri. Please, please, don't be so angry at me that you forget the promise we made...

Interlude

"You summoned me, Elder?" a young woman, thousands of miles away from Gado, asked as she entered the tent of a man with a long mange of white hair.

The woman was a tall, svelte creature, mostly legs. Her skin was a soft golden brown color somewhat akin to caramel withlong black tribal lines tattooedspiraling down her legs and arms, and could also be seen peeking through on her abdomen. The long cascade of hair down her back as black as the man's standing in front of her was white. She dressed a little strangely, a light blue sarong tied about her waist (to show the legs off no doubt), a wrap shirt of an even lighter blue secured with a white sash, and a pair of sandals that laced up mid-calf. Her eyes, which were large and long lashed, were the of the same sky tones as her skirt, and they regarded the old man before her with respect and wariness.

"I did," the old man, who was actually her paternal grandfather, said inclining his head just a little. "It seems that there is a situation with brother Alan."

Her eyes once, so cool became just a tad wider. "Uncle Alan?" she murmured. "He's in danger?"

"Very much so, Kish'hana," the Elder replied. "He broke his talisman not even a moment ago. It's runes of memory told me many things. You are needed by your people. He must be rescued."

"And cousin Shina, Elder?" she asked. "Where–is–is she all right?"

"No, I do not believe she is," he told her, shaking his head sadly. "But she is not with brother Alan," he added this last part quickly, allowing his granddaughter a bit of relief. "She is in trouble as well, though I do believe she will soon be out of it. You must find her and her companions–know now there will be many–and take them to rescue brother Alan. Remind her of the Sithan'Kri, it must be upheld."

She nodded at once.

"Go, Kish'hana," the Elder ordered waving his hand. "And hurry! There are many things that twist and burn beneath the surface. I feel this is only a harbinger of darker things to come. Go now and become Shai'daikour."

"Yes, my Elder." And she bowed deeply before exiting the tent.