Chapter 2:

An Excess of Eyes

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Selece had taken Miira's hands for a brief moment, and then the girls separated. Miira headed further upwards, while Selece navigated through the second level air ducts, towards the Protoss generator. Like before, they were both finding the crawl to be slow work, but managed in the end. Selece looked up through a dirty grate, and eyed the people in the room.

One. Two. Three guards in the room. Selece rotated her head slightly to glance at a large work area where several scientists were standing. A grimy, blackened sphere like object was hanging from the ceiling on cables. It was the main hull and generator for the Protoss Observer.

"Alright, well, I can't hide the charges on that thing and scram without someone noticing." Selece thought to herself. As soon as the explosives left her grasp, they would be revealed as they exited the cloaking field. She turned to glance again at one of the guards, who was standing in a corner looking very bored with himself. He was biting on a pencil, and Selece could easily assume he needed a smoke to curb his addiction.

And then, as if switched on in the head, he jumped and screamed so loud the entire room was filled with his sudden horror. He fell to the floor, writhing in pain, his hands on his head. His legs flailed about on the metal floor, kicking whatever was in their way. It just so happened he decided to knock over a toolbox, and the various instruments scattered with a crash.

"Get out! OUT!" His eyes shut tightly closed as his body lurched forward upon the flooring. The other people in the room rushed over to him, and they were attempting to control him before he knocked over any more equipment, but with little success – a jug of cleaning solution was thrown against the wall, spraying everywhere. But even the other guards and the five scientists could not stop his erratic movements. As if by superhuman strength, he was fending them away while crying for help.

"Someone go grab some men from next door!" ordered the lead soldier, turning to an aging scientist clad in a protective gray suit who was ready to speak up in protest.

"We can't! If Command finds out this 'er division is going nutters, 'er dead and you knows it. 'Member the Cosmic Radiance Division? Some guy said 'ee saws a Carrier in his scanners and they gave 'em da boot when they found out he was lying. Da boot an' five feet under!" The soldier considered the objection, and he finally scrunched his face up in disgust after another minute of screaming from his partner.

"Fine. Everyone get your fat…" Selece turned away from the scene, maintaining her control over the soldier's mind as she refocused her thoughts to Miira.

"Miira, it won't be long. I've setup a distraction here for a bit, but in ten minutes, I'm outta here. It's going to be a bit risky."

"Okay, Selece. I will be ready by that time. See you on the roof." Came a reply in Selece's thoughts. She cloaked and pushed aside the grate, dashing at full speed to the generator.

"Little more distraction…" Selece thought to herself, and the screaming soldier gave a rather hard kick to a short, skinny scientist in the gut. She turned back to the darkened metal object in front of her, and jumped fifteen feet into the air, landing onto its top. Placing her hand on the surface there, she plunged a hole through the outside straight down. The excess metal evaporated at her command into a fine, heavy powder that fell to the dirty floor, leaving a rather deep pit.

Selece removed a couple charges from her belt, set them for one hour, and dropped them into the chasm she had created. Seconds later, she was pulling the hatch over her head and crawling away. The screaming in the room ceased moments later.

"Never ordered no endertainments today, but dat was pretty good sarge. Gave Jonny one helluva bruiser in da guts."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Everything had gone according to plan, up until the soldier at the door became sober enough to realize what was going on. Halfway through planting the charges under the table, he noticed a red light on the floor under the workstation, blinking slowly. Miira saw his face change from passive to alarmed in an instant, and she dashed back to the table over the vent opening, cloaked.

"What's the big idea here boys? Where's that light coming from?" He moved closer to the table to inspect it. The scientists looked quizzically at the soldier. Snapping wires could be heard from the entrance to the work room now, and the Confederate team moved to look at the thick sliding hatchway. The light that normally signified whether or not the door was locked was now not even lit at all. "I don't like this. I don't like this at all. Get on comms on an' tell 'em we're having trouble."

"Dead, sir. All dead." Reported a young scientist from a control panel. "And that door won't open without energy." The men turned back to look at the red light flashing on the ground. "I don't suppose you know what that is."

The soldier sighed in defeat, pulling out a small flask of booze from his side. He took a swig, then began a session of starring intently at the scientists. It appeared they were getting ready to reprimand him for drinking in their work area, but at the same time, they seemed to want some of the vile stuff as well, and remained quiet. The scientist at the control panel grew impatient, waiting for a reply. He finally set his hand down upon the metal surface forcefully to regain the attention of the soldier with the subsequent banging sound.

"So?"

"It's a charge. We're goners. I told them back at control they were still alive. Not even a few weeks ago even! But nooo… They demoted me to 'meat with gun'." He roared at his own little funny and took another swig. The alcohol had already begun to take effect. It was pretty strong stuff, to say the least.

"A charge? As in…"

"Boom, boy. Boom!" The soldier lifted his hands in the air sporadically, yelling like a child to illustrate the effects of an explosion. He grinned stupidly. "How 'bout a bit of a drink? Do yer brain a bit of good before it gets melty." He put the container to his lips and chugged this time. "Ya know… I hear these psionics are a couple of little ladies with mighty fine…"

"They would still be in this room, wouldn't they?" The scientist cut in, ignoring the raunchy remarks. "And we didn't seem 'em! They have to be psionics. Don't you have a remote for the disruptors?"

"Eh?" The soldier stared back at the man, leaving his reverie of intoxicated abandon, though it was still apparent in his voice. "Those fizzy boxes in the vents? Yous know, even if we ain't psionic, theys don't feel to pleasantly likes. Bud... whatever. If yer want revenge for yer miserable life, I guess nows yer chance. Where is that thingie-bobbers…" The soldier sorted through his pockets slowly, pulling out a small device. "Heres we go. Would yer do us the pleasures of electrifying our brains to get melties nows?" He put out his hand, and the scientist advanced greedily.

A hushed shot sped out from a barrel behind them all, shattering the device into a million pieces, along with the soldier's hand. A second shot, equally quiet thanks to the silencer, pierced the head of the soldier before he could scream in pain from losing a hand, and he fell backwards with the force a couple feet, dead. Several more shots found their marks. The room was oddly silent, save for the trickling blood running off the work table where two scientists had fallen. Miira uncloaked and dashed back into the ducts. Her charges would be at thirty minutes now. Hers, and all the others in the building. She and Selece had been synchronizing them as they went along, and if she didn't hurry, they would be in the blast radius when the charges decided it was time to explode.

The warm air whipped about the grate at the top of the duct as Miira climbed through. Shouting and banging could be heard echoing down the airways from the room she had just come from. Apparently they were trying to open the door. She turned to Selece.

"It was a bit dirty. We need to get out of here." Miira whispered in thoughts. Selece nodded, and they cloaked again. They secured their rifles on their backs and began to dash to the opposite side of the roof. Selece following Miira, they jumped, intending to land on the next building over. An alarm could be heard in the distance, and then suddenly a great bundle of energy enveloped the area they had just left, hitting both Selece and Miira in mid-air, one after the other.

The effects of the disruption were two fold. Their cloaking ceased as they hit the other building. That, and Selece was knocked unconscious. She had absorbed the majority of the energy, being behind Miira.

It was like being hit on the head with a pillow so hard you saw stars, and then getting up quickly after being at rest, both at the exact same time. Miira collapsed on the concrete roof breathing hard, her entire body hurting from the collision. Her thoughts were disorganized, and yet she still was plainly aware of the fact that Selece was not moving. As her mind began to settle down and become her own once again, she noticed shouting below her. Screams and yells of soldiers entering the building they had landed on. They had heard them land on the roof. She grabbed Selece and threw her on her back, using energy she thought had already left her, to hold her partner off the ground. She cloaked and dashed along the edge, jumping deftly onto a patch of grass in the back of the structure.

"Hold on Selece… Hold on. I'll take care of you. I dearly..." Miira whispered as she ran at top speed out of the compound. Another blast of energy could be felt enveloping the building she was just on, but it was too far away to have any effect. Miira checked her chronometer. "Two minutes."

Miira ran. Ran as hard as she could. As fast as she could. The forest grew dense around her as she left the city limits, and an explosion rocked the area, knocking Miira and Selece to the ground. She quickly crawled into the nearest bush, pulling Selece long with her, and turned to look back. Deep, thick clouds of black smoke rose into the air. Alarms and sirens of all kinds rang out, and air transports could be heard in the distance. Knowing Wraith Bee's would be on the way with thermal detection, Miira took Selece in her arms once more and began the dash back to their home on the coast. The dash back to their safe haven, the place where they didn't have to worry about anything.

Feet falling upon the ground, faster then they could be clearly seen, Miira ran through the trees. She focused her mind on sprinting, and just that. The fact her muscles ached, the fact her throat was dry... It only meant she had to keep pushing and ignore her pain. The sound of alarms began to fade away. The smell of the human encroachment upon the planet drifted off. Wildlife turned cautious eyes towards Miira, but they were confused. She was still invisible to the unaided eye, and her footsteps passed so quickly it was like a sudden breeze whipping through the trees before silence fell once more.

Physically exhausted, Miira closed her eyes. She wasn't really using them anyways. Her feet fell lightly on the path she knew so well. The path she saw clearly in her mind. The path that lead home. An hour had passed like nothing, and Selece was finally stirring now. Miira noticed it instantly.

"Miira…" Selece whispered hoarsely, not bothering to communicate with thoughts. She opened her eyes slowly to glance at her surroundings.

"It's okay Selece. We're getting close now." Miira replied in thoughts, not wanting her company to worry, but also not wanting to lose her rhythm.

"Your energy is very low… Please, Miira… I feel okay, you can sleep on my back and I'll run you the rest of the way." Selece implored, but Miira wouldn't have it. Selece closed her eyes in defeat. Her muscles loosened, they had tensed as soon as she woke. She let out a sigh. "You did very well, Miira. You did an excellent job today. Though, I knew you would do fine. Fine from the beginning to the end. Everything you do like this always reminds me to be grateful we found each other. I am alive today because of the things you do for me. I would gladly give my life to give you another chance at yours... any day."

Miira turned scarlet and skipped a step. No means of concentration or willpower could have hid her feelings. Feelings that seemed to overtake her in an instant; the moment Selece had commended her for something she did well. Even simple things, like finding a plant that was fruiting, it was all the same. Still, the praise she had just received was immense. Her cheeks grew warm, especially since her blood was already flowing rapidly from the long run.

"Thank… Thank you… Selece…" Miira replied in thoughts, though she was obviously flustered. Selece lifted her head up just ever so slightly from Miira's shoulder, and let her cheek brush against the younger girl's. Miira skipped another step, and her thoughts erupted out of her mind to be read by Selece. Thoughts of wanting to stop right there and drag Selece to a bush to kiss her passionately until the final destiny found them. Thoughts of wanting, even for just the comforts of one night, sleeping on Selece's tempting body, and resting her head upon her evermore tempting chest. Once more, Miira's step faltered. Oh, how her body began to feel right now!

It was strange to think now, as Selece reflected on Miira's feelings, how they had gone from lost children to assassins and saboteurs. How they had gone from nothing to living a healthy existence in a hole underground. How their entire race wanted them dead, and yet they still found time to fall in love and share these precious times with each other. And now, just as their bodies truly started to mature, it was as if a new dimension to the word 'love' had been revealed and made truly acceptable. Sure, Selece remembered hearing of the exploits her classmates had taken to. Exploits of lost innocence and youth. Of her classmates becoming mothers and fathers to children they cared nothing about, and of which were taken away to be raised in a military nursery for the rest of their lives. And once again, Selece remembered just how fortunate they were to be away from society.

It was at this time that Miira became aware that her feelings were being read, but try as she might, she could not push Selece's consciousness out of her own. Selece had seemingly taken her own feelings and wrapped them about Miira's to the effect of an unbreakable embrace.

"Don't go too deep… There be strange thoughts…" Miira whispered in defeat, though she made a small, tired smile and continued on her run.

"Oh? Would you prefer to share them with me or should I just root them out?" Selece replied in thoughts. Miira's face, while already pink, flushed a darker hue.

"I imagine it would be embarrassing... for the both of us..."

"No one's around, silly..." Selece let her hand fall to Miira's side, where she let her fingers touch ever so slightly. Miira shivered slightly as the feeling raced through her, and sighed once more. There was no way she could say no to Selece, but that really wasn't the issue. She was drowning in ecstasy with the simple fact that Selece was hanging onto her back and digesting her desires one by one...

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Dusk fell swiftly upon the coast. Selece and Miira had made it back just moments before the light vanished completely. Miira was exhausted, but even so she had practically forced Selece to remain on her back for the journey down to the main chamber. It was fifteen minutes later that they had finally reached their home, and Miira slid Selece off her back and onto the bed. Immediately after, Miira collapsed alongside. Selece removed Miira's equipment from the many fasteners on her jumpsuit, and set it to the side, then proceeded to remove her own. As she finished, Selece leaned to the side to grab a canteen filled with water, then leaned back to Miira's side. She put the container to Miira's lips gently, and they opened as if the caring gesture was a password.

"A light snack and water, then bed tonight. I'm so proud of you for pushing yourself, but, you need to be careful, Miira. Probably not going to do anything tomorrow so you can recover." Selece caringly advised. She smiled down at Miira, who looked up with moist eyes.

"I'd do it again tomorrow just to hear those words," Miira replied after several quiet moments. Selece lifted Miira to a sitting position beside her to eat, letting the younger girl rest her head gently against her chest. Miira found she did not want to move.

"But I'm not going to let you because you need to take care of yourself." Selece explained. "Tomorrow we'll do quiet things." She brought a small bag of fruit around for Miira to pick from. Miira took it slowly, examining the contents. Selece sensed she had something important to talk about.

"There is something you should know, Selece... I was completely depleted after the disruption hit us." Miira whispered. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but still, it wasn't a light matter. The feasibility of cloaking and speed running for more then two hours after already having no energy to do so was inherently impossible as far as Miira could tell.

Selece was silent for several moments, thinking about what Miira had just said. Even so, she couldn't put it together, and sighed.

"There are things in this universe that happen. Things that we know nothing about. Nothing about how they work or why they are there. All we can do is be grateful we were on the receiving end." Selece replied softly.

"And, what about that Confederate that was hidden by the stairs? Where did those stairs go anyways?" Miira asked, looking up at Selece for another comforting answer. An answer that would set her mind at peace and free of worry.

"I'm guessing it's one of the command bunkers. Places where the leaders of the Confederacy live and go about their business. They are heavily protected, and near impossible to find because as we found out, they are shielded against psionic detection." Selece explained. She took a sip of water. "As for that person... I don't know who he is, but he is a very high ranking individual. He clearly had control of the conversation with that general. Not to mention, he has immense psionic potential. But, that's enough for tonight, Miira. Time for bed."

Selece removed her boots, and then stood up. She removed her jumpsuit down to her panties, like every night. Though, it was curious this night because Miira's eyes remained watching Selece, instead of focusing on the task of removing her own suit. She found herself desiring Selece to take off her own black as night garments as well.

"With pleasure," Selece whispered almost instantly. She removed Miira's boots. "Please stand up."

Miira complied silently, standing to face Selece. Selece smiled softly and turned her around to undo the velcro bindings along the back. The top piece loosened, and Selece pulled it off to reveal Miira's bare chest. The new jumpsuits were meant to come in contact with the skin to monitor the health of the user, but that really wasn't the reason why Miira had worn nothing underneath. Like Selece, she had little clothing to cover her skin. Especially underwear. A couple pair of panties were all she had, and it wasn't much different for Selece. Of course, their Protoss friends would have gladly given them some more clothing, but undergarments were something they just didn't have. Especially for women. Selece clearly remembered that 97% of all soldiers were male from her studies long ago. Miira could feel Selece's hand around her waist. This pulled Selece from her memories, and moments later, Miira could feel the lower piece of the jumpsuit falling away. She lifted her feet one by one so that Selece could set it aside.

"My, wasn't that fun..." Selece whispered, pulling Miira into a hug. "Time for bed sweetie."

"But... I want to spend more time..." Miira started, but she blushed and looked away. The fact she was already half asleep didn't change anything. She wanted Selece to caress her skin. She want her to brush against her cheek once more. But to stop all this just to go to sleep? Just because she was tired? Even sugar coated, Miira just didn't want to say yes right now.

"I know, Miira, I know. We have our whole lives to live. A great period of time in which we can share each other's presence. To think that tonight is the only night just isn't true." Selece explained, assisting Miira from a standing to lying down on the makeshift bed. Miira resisted at first, though Selece's breath on the back of her neck made her weak in the knees, and she dropped down slowly to the single sheet. "You don't have to say yes, Miira..."

"Then?"

"Ask of me what you will..." Selece turned the knob on the lantern next to the bed until the light vanished from the room, and pulled the blankets over her and Miira.

"Hold... Hold me tonight," Miira requested, whispering softly. She could feel Selece in her thoughts, seeking out what she really wanted. Miira's eyes closed. It was bliss to be clearly understood, but it was an even greater feeling to have someone offering their comforts to you. Nothing was better then being next to Selece. Absolutely nothing.

Selece's arms wrapped around Miira, pulling her nearer. She could not see Selece, as her back was turned, but she could feel Selece's supple breasts upon her upper back. Selece shifted her arms so that one lay on the bed to cradle Miira's head, and with a silly grin, placed her other, uppermost arm over Miira's bare chest. Miira was ready to melt at the affection pouring out of Selece at that moment, but at the same time she could feel genuine happiness and contentment among Selece's thoughts as well.

Miira began to speak, but words never left her mouth. The feelings were too great. For the first time she could not find the words to describe them. In every which way and form, there was not a single word she could think of that truly conveyed them. Her body began to whisper things to her, and she shivered as Selece's soft skin brushed lightly across her nipples whenever she moved. She was tempted to squirm in Selece's grasp, to capture more of this feeling, though she knew that would be pushing it.

"Miira, these things are for another time. Well... They should be... You need to rest. I have been resisting the urge to just jump on you all day. I don't know how much longer I can hold out, but if you put me to it... You won't be sleeping for awhile... at least... until I'm done with you." Selece whispered, and Miira, no matter how much she wanted more of this feeling, knew it was right to settle down and sleep. A tinge of guilt entered her thoughts, and she knew that Selece was doing so much for her... She would have to repay it in kind when the time was right.