Negative

"No."

Everyone jerked up short in what they were doing as Ai shook her head and stood up from her chair, still holding Maya as the girl slept.

"Ai…" Weaver started, only to pause as Ai shook her head again. "We want to help!"

"By making ripples in the fabric of reality?" Ai queried. "Multiple realities?" She asked as Sam rose to his feet and moved to her side. He didn't speak, but his face showed he wanted to. He knew not to argue though. Not with her about this. "No. I won't let you do that. One life measured against an entire reality is no contest at all. Even mine."

"Ai, we could make it work!" Valere begged, not moving from where she squatted.

"At what cost, Valere?" Ai asked, suddenly tired. It had been a long day. "I may be selfish, self centered, whatever, but I do have limit to what I will accept as collateral damage. I don't want to die, but at the same time, I do not want to make a mess that transcends realities either. I am taking Maya and getting her to bed. I need to make sure the others know what they can talk about and what they shouldn't."

"Ai, please!" Valere begged, but she still didn't move.

"Don't wake Maya." Ai warned as Weaver and Anya also rose from their chairs.

"Your reticence does you credit, Ai." Weaver said softly, but her face held sadness. "There are options. We will talk."

"I don't think there is anything to talk about." Ai said quietly as she started for the door, Sam at her heels. Valere stare at her and tears started to fall down the girl's face, but Weaver was there, pulling the girl up into an embrace as Valere sobbed.

"Ai." Janet's voice came from her screen and Ai paused halfway to the door. "If we can, with no ripples, would you?"

"I don't know." Ai admitted. "I have been this way all my life so, I honestly do not know if I can change." She frowned, but then looked at Sam and smiled a little. "I would like to try, but only if there is no danger. Right now? Maya needs a bed. Sam and I need beds. After that? I will talk to Alley. See what she says. If it can be done with no messes, I will consider it. But only if." She warned and everyone and awake present nodded except Valere who was bawling into Weaver's shoulder. "I am sorry, Valere, but I know my limits and this is the way it has to be. Be well."

With that, she walked out the door. Between one step and another, the world shifted as it had when she, Sam and Maya had entered, but this time, she was back in the building the nest had claimed. Sam appeared at her side and nodded to her, his face grave.

"Ai…" Sam started, but Ai shook her head.

"This is not something I can decide right now." Ai started off and Sam followed, a worried look at Maya vanishing as they headed for the dormitory. "We will talk, but for now? Show me Maya's bed."

"Right." Sam was clearly not happy with this, but he also knew not to push Ai too far. So many memories. Ai wasn't sure which ones he had, but he clearly remembered some of their 'discussions'. That was the only possible reason he was so subdued.

The dormitory was quiet as the pair entered. Several of the kids were wake, but none spoke as Sam let Ai to where an empty bed was made. Ai paused as Sam held up a hand. He indicated a doll that lay on it and frowned, but then, it moved on its own and both mismatched standing beings stared as it shifted tot he side. Mina sat up on a bed beside Maya's and nodded to them.

"Maya wouldn't want her trap to hurt you." Mina said quietly, so as not to disturb her sister's slumber. Ai looked at Maya's twin, smiled a little sadly and nodded. Many had had been tormented took solace in such defense as they could erect around themselves, both mental and physical. She lay Maya down on the bed and shifted her to lie a bit more comfortably. She brushed the girl's cheek, wary of the bandaged head and then stepped back, only to pause as Maya whimpered in her sleep.

All three conscious beings shared a worried look, then Ai laid a hand on Maya's arm and the girl quieted. Ai retracted her hand, but not all the way as the girl reacted as if in loss again. Ai slowly shook her head and then carefully sat down beside the bed. She kept her hand on Maya. She was careful not to brush the… No! That wasn't a doll! Or not a normal one! It was an action figure! Ai stared at the GI Joe toy from the 1980s or a decent facsimile thereof and then at Mina who winced as Sam gasped.

"Where did she get that?" AI asked quietly.

"I don't know." Mina admitted. "She found it in the place where we hid. Where that man hurt her and…" Mina broke off and swallowed hard. "Is that…?" She broke off again, unsure of what to say.

"The action figure is Scarlett from the G.I. Joe team." Ai said quietly. She knew her own organization and her enemies. "My enemies never made their cyborgs as female proportioned. I am not sure why. That toy line had female figures on both sides."

"Indeed it did, Nightstalker." Sam smiled at Ai who returned it, but then his gaze settled on Maya. "You can't stay there all night." Ai just looked at him and then at Maya. At her silent resolve, Sam frowned. "Ai, you need sleep too."

"Maya went through a ringer." Ai retorted. "I bet Mina and the others reacted almost as well as she did. I am here for all of you." Mina would not meet her eyes and Ai sighed. "Mina, it isn't your fault, Maya's or anyone else's." She kept her voice low, but pitched it to be audible to anyone awake. "We go on." Again, Mina looked away and Ai fought to keep from sighing again. "You all made a mess, but no one died. Except me." She qualified and everyone relaxed a bit as she continued. "But I got better. It is all good."

"No, its not." Mina said quietly and Ai stiffened. Sam did the same at Ai's side. "Life is not fair, but this… How much must you suffer?" She begged, still not looking at Ai.

"It was my choice, Mina." Ai tried to keep censure out of her tone and mostly succeeded.

"I know that." Mina finally looked at Ai and the soldiers stiffened as she saw resolve in the girl's eyes. Not grief. Not fear. Not anger. Resolve! "And this is our choice." No, that wasn't just Mina's voice! Maya's mouth moved as well. Every one of the kids, including Sam, was looking at her and starting to glow with psionic power!

"Mina! NO!" Ai shouted as purple power flared around her, but her voice went nowhere. None of the kids move.

Then, she was somewhere else! She lay on a hard surface, and no matter her struggles, she could not move. The energy that surrounded her was many colors now. Green. Red. Purple. Yellow. She wore her old Nightstalker uniform, but it was frayed, tattered and torn.

"There is only one way past this." A familiar voice sounded in Ai's head as the cult member she had sort of forgiven appeared beside her. Yǎtíng had been crying, but now, her face held resolve just like Mina's had! "I am sorry, Ai. I didn't know!"

"Let me go!" Ai fought the restraints, as useless as that was.

"We can't." Ai went still as Alley appeared beside Yǎtíng, her face sad, but also resolved. "We need you, Ai. The kids needs you. I need you. I want to let you rest, but I need you. I need you whole. Yǎtíng?"

"I am on it." The girl who looked so much like Ai and wasn't moved out of Ai's field of view even as Alley took Ai's struggling hand in a gentle but firm grip.

"What are you doing?" Ai demanded even as Alley started to glow and power flowed into her. It felt heavenly! Alley did not respond and Ai felt fear rise. "Alley? Matron? What are you doing?"

"Explaining. Trying to fix this." Alley said sadly as power flared into Ai and then she…

She…

Ai felt her rage uncoil from deep inside herself and then it faded. Then, she felt shock as something appeared beside her. Another bed! On it lay another female human form! But this one was garbed very differently from her. Was that a red tie that the other wore over a white shirt? That paled as Ai saw the mask that the woman wore. EXALT! The bed was only a few feet away and Ai felt faint as Alley reached out with the Viper's other hand and pulled the mask down from her face! The other human had Ai's face! She was restrained to the table, but she was not fighting. She was awake and aware, but not fighting as Ai was. Odd.

"Another clone?" Ai asked weakly.

"Nothing so benign." Alley said sadly. "This isn't physical. It is in your mind. I must not have known. Or I didn't care. I am sure Jian knows. I bet Lizbeth knows. They didn't tell me. I… I am sorry, Ai." She was so abject, so hurt and lost that Ai's heart went out to her. "Why?" The Viper demanded of thin air. "Why did I do this?"

"You were desperate." William Carter's voice came out of nowhere. "I offered my aid."

"And damned how many souls to this...this mental hell?" Alley begged, still holding Ai's hand as Carter appeared nearby, his form still clad as EXALT, but this time with a fedora on. A gleaming backpack had wires that connected to a bracer like thing on his arm that sparked with fell energy. "Whatever I am suffering, whatever my punishment for this, I earned!"

"Matron." Was Carter chiding Alley? "You did not do this. Your future self did. The future is not set. You say this often enough and with her? You can fix it."

"You didn't hurt me, Alley." Ai begged Alley, not liking seeing her creator in such emotional pain.

"Yes, I did. Or the future me did, like Carter says." Alley wilted and then she straightened. "Maybe I didn't know or want to know, but this I can fix. Carter, where is it?" That was firm, calm and merciless. If he quibbled, she would have no problem taking the information from him by force.

"You ready to probe?" Carter said with a small smile as Alley gasped. "There is some truth in even the craziest conspiracy theory or it would not last."

"You didn't!" Yǎtíng said sharply from out of Ai's field of view. "You EXALT scum! You did that to her? You monster!"

"Yes, I am." Carter allowed. "I did what I could to make it easier. She slept through it." He slumped. "She can't this time."

"No." Alley said weakly and then turned to Ai who felt shock and fear cross her face. "Ai, it is okay." Alley promised. "This will not be pleasant for you, but we can undo what he did. Lying piece of shit." She snarled at Carter who shrugged.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?" Ai screamed and Alley jolted. Then Ai went still as the her on the other table spoke!

"Alley needed soldiers to fight the war that X-Com lost in Mega Primus." The other Ai said in a calm, almost reflective voice. "She needed superhuman warriors who could do the job, no questions asked. We are loyal. We serve the Matron." That wasn't Ai! Was it? "The only way to make such was to create genetically altered beings who were superior to humans in almost every way. But to do that quickly? Alley needed a template for such."

"What?" Ai said in a tiny voice and then stared at Carter as he nodded to her. "You? But…"

"I died in an asylum, Nightstalker Ai." Carter said with a sigh. "But before that happened, my mind was copied. The X-Com fools did not know what they were doing. They wanted to know how Asaru had enslaved me and any long term effects of Ethereal possession, so they did lots of tests. I did not cooperate and they were not gentle. Much of the records of what happened were either forgotten or made to be forgotten, but when my body died, I still existed in some odd, alien way. Not physical. Not able to influence the world in any way. I was stuck in a dark limbo but then EXALT found me and made me an offer I could not refuse. I knew they were crazy from the beginning, after all, they were looking for alien DNA to use to make themselves superhuman! That said? I had no idea." He slumped a bit and shook his head. "I had nothing to live for, so when they offered me a job and a chance to stick it to X-Com, I took it. I have never claimed to be sane. Not since the fire killed my family, but that…" His stance firmed up and he shook his head. "Then, when EXALT and X-Com both failed, the ones who owned me wanted Jenni. They wanted her DNA and her kids' DNA. I don't know how they found out about her. I was never cleared for that."

"Pilots." Ai said weakly and Alley nodded. Carter did as well.

"That is my thought." Carter agreed. "I THINK the Advent program was based on a planned one that EXALT had on the books, but I don't know. They did secrets like Alley's nest does." At that, Ai stilled. How could he know that? When was he from? Ai's time or this one? Carter nodded. "You are confused, Nightstalker. You have every right to be. I will explain, but they need to do what has to be done now and it will not be pleasant for you." Was he embarrassed?

"Do I have to watch?" Ai asked, a bit snidely just as her other self did the same, in the same tone of voice, no less! Ai stared at herself, who stared back and both shared an ironic grin.

"No." Alley smiled as she looked from Ai to her copy and back. Said smile fell.

"Why probe?" Ai asked carefully. There was only one reasonable explanation for all this. The UFO conspiracy theory about abductions and 'probing'. Not that such made any sense at all, even for conspiracy theories. The very idea of a race that had such technology as to be able to travel the stars or inter-dimensional having to cause pain in people's rear ends to test was ludicrous in the extreme, even for wackos. "What are you looking for?"

She fought not to react as the table shifted a bit, splitting her legs wide. She felt exposed and vulnerable, but warmth spread from her hand that Alley still held and she was comforted. Alley would not hurt her, or if the Viper had to? She would make it as easy as she could.

"They need to find me." Carter said quietly and Ai stared at him even as the table tilted up almost like a gynecologist's chair. "I existed in your time a mind within a tiny mass of cells. Not a cancer, although to the uninitiated, they look like cancer cells. They cannot be killed though. EXALT sure tried after I told them I would not bring them Jenni or the girls."

"You... I don't believe you!" Ai snapped as her head hurt for a moment, but then Yǎtíng made a noise of displeasure and the pain faded.

"Ai, calm. Calm." Yǎtíng crooned to her sibling and the other Ai closed her eyes, laying back on the table,. But Ai felt her rage flare and Yǎtíng cursed. "Matron!"

"I know." Alley said sadly. "Ai, this won't be fun, but I will do what I can." Why was Ai suddenly so angry? At Alley of all people? The Nightstalker fought her rage, but it did not retreat, indeed, it seemed to grow stronger!

"Ai, it is not you." Carter said firmly enough that her eyes were pulled to where he stood. Was he surrounded by yellow energy. It sure looked that way. "The will to survive is in all of us. Be we organic, technological or psionic, we all yearn to live. The kids need you. They don't need me. Alley and the others will rid you of me and it is about bloody time."

"You killed Shamash." Ai said as something pressed against her rear end. That didn't hurt, but then something- She gave a cry as it did hurt! Deep! "I…"

"Ai, Time out." Alley said sadly as the pain bit deeper and deeper into Ai's abdomen. Something wafted into Ai from Alley's hand it helped, but the pain was overpowering. More soothing came from Ai's head, but the pain. Oh my god! The pain! Ai, tried to seek her place of solace, of discipline, but it eluded her. Embarassment added to the pain as she failed her training.

"I… I can't…" Ai pleaded as the pain flew through her. The other her was arcing on the table, but made no sound. "Alley, I am sorry! I can't!" Tears were falling unheeded by anyone as the pain came in waves.

"Yes, we can." The other Ai said and purple power flared around them both! She wasn't psionic, but… Then, something went 'snap' inside her and the pain vanished. Ai felt faint but stared as Carter gave a cry of pain himself and vanished in a puff of yellow energy.

"That is it." Alley crooned to Ai as she felt power flare within her and the other her vanished from the table. She as glowing purple! She... This wasn't her! "That is it, my dear. You are whole again and I will see you healed of what he and I did to you."

She didn't do it. Carter's voice held scorn now and it wasn't aloud! It was in Ai's mind! I did. It was all me. See if you can convince her?

I am a soldier, not a god. Ai managed a quip and several people laughed in Ai's mind even as she was falling back to where she knew her body sat in the dorm.

Yet. Carter's mind caressed Ai's in a way that she knew she could never explain to anyone who wasn't a psi.

Alley? Ai begged as fear came, but it was soothed away by many minds. I don't want to be a god. Goddess. Whatever.

You think I do? Alley asked, more than a bit snide. Rest, Ai. You have a lot of healing and lot of learning to do. But you will manage. That is what heroes do. Manage the impossible.

I am no hero. Ai retorted automatically, but then, a sense of laughter came from many minds all around her. I am not!

Funny, Ai. Alley snorted even as Ai found herself back in her body, but lying on the bed beside Maya who was hugging her gently. Gentle darkness beckoned and Ai was not afraid as she spiraled into it. She was not falling alone. And… Everyone was singing. Ai did not know the tune, but it was beautiful.

Welcome home, Ai. Mina said as Ai fell asleep. Welcome to our choir of minds.

Ai sighed, gave in to the inevitable and joined the song, Sam at her side. Like always.