A strange thing happened to be today...In Genetics lab the topic was human genotypes and phenotypes and independent assortment of alleles. We had to use the phenotypic traits of ourselves and our 'spouses' to randomly produce a 'child' through coin flips to determine their allelic combonation of traits. It just so happened that me and my partner produced a female child that suspiciously resembled Koyomiko...dark brown hair, high metabolism, rather tall, poor eyesight (courtesy of me), dark eyes...etc.

Me: (a bit surprised at the outcome) A prophecy!

Partner: Huh?

Me: Oh, nothing. Just that our kid reminds me of a character someone I know created for a story they wrote.

Partner: What was her name?

Me: Koyomiko.

Partner: What's that? ...Chinese or something?

Me: It's a Japanese name.

Partner: Is your buddy one of those anime freaks or something?

Me: No, she was a speechwriter for Richard Nixon.

Partner: Oh.

YOU COULD CUT THE STUPIDITY WITH A KNIFE!

(cough) Anyhow, I thought that was kinda neat. Let us continue!

All disclaimers from pervious chapters apply here as well.

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"Sir, the girl's mind has grown out of proportion.", Dagon spoke to the massive screen before him. It stretched across nearly the entire ten metre wall of the chamber. Upon the screen was displayed a man, not unlike any of the other Dagon excepting the fact that he wore a white uniform instead of blue.

"And you are sure she is tetrahelical?", the man on the screen asked, templing his fingers before him.

"Yes, Sir. She is definately a tetrahelix. Yet, psychic ability has evolved in her.", Dagon stated.

The man on the screen looked taken aback for a moment; his lips fell loose then returned to a stagnant position.

"How do you know this?"

"She was born with her name, Sir.", Dagon answered.

The man sat back in his chair and spoke.

"That's not possible."

"Sir, she said her name was Koyomiko and that she 'always had that name'."

The man on the screen fell silent a moment, as if in deep, disturbed thought.

"And now they are missing..."

"Yes, Sir.", Dagon stated. "I sent a man to call for flyovers of Shasta and the surrouding area."

"You know what to do when you find them, correct?", the man asked.

"Yes, Sir."

"Good. Do not let the humans know of this."

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Sakaki knew they had to hide somewhere. There had been far too many close calls as Chiyo, Kaede and herself wandered the halls of the compound. Many a time they had to crouch in the shadow of a doorway so that one of the alien men could pass by.

Up ahead Sakaki noticed a doorway leading to a large darkened room. Through the high windows on teh outside the room was lit with only a dim glow and looked to be unused.

"In here.", she said to Chiyo, who in turn pulled Kaede by the hand.

After they had entered and the door had slid shut behind them, Sakaki sat down by the door, exhausted. Her mind felt cloudy and that was the last thing she needed at the moment. She needed a concrete plan of escape; any sort of help she could find within herself. She blocked out all incoming sensations and focused. She felt that she desperately needed to focus. Yet, the one thing that could break her concentration was the one thing that occured.

"Sakaki-san!", Chiyo spoke loudly to get her attention.

She saw little Chiyo shivering and pointing. Chiyo's terrified face scared her but what she pointed to was far more horrifying.

In rows upon rows within the chamber were pod-like structures that contained the still and silent forms of many alien men. Some looked to be full grown. Others appeared teenage or younger. All were male and all stood within the glass pods simply staring outward with their black eyes.

"Oh my...", Sakaki was at a loss for words.

"This is what he meant!", Chiyo was hysterical. "He spoke of a conquest...this is it."

"Conquest?", Sakaki asked.

"This is the army! They're using daughters produced by humans to give birth to their own children."

"Eh?...", was all Kaede could add to the conversation.

"Sakaki-san, I'm scared...", Chiyo intoned to Sakaki, who was placid before the lines of men.

"There has to be something we can do.", Sakaki said.

"We can't just...destroy them. Who knows what would happen if we tampered with anything.", Chiyo said.

Sakaki advanced through the rows, gazing at each interred being in turn. Chiyo and Kaede were not far behind.

"We cannot just let this go though. Just think, we are probably the only humans ever to see this.", Sakaki said.

"Yes, but what if-"

Chiyo fell silent as Sakaki pulled her and Kaede behind the last row of capsules. Straining her ears, Chiyo heard the faint footsteps of someone stepping through the doorway of the room.

Chiyo placed her hand over Kaede's mouth just as she emitted a now muffled groan of "Eh?".

Sakaki leaned from behind the capsule to judge their new guest.

He was dressed like any of the other alien men, blue uniform, silver belt, but this man did not look alien. His hair was combed back like their captors but it was a light shade of blonde and spots of unshaven facial hair could be seen as well.

"Good evening, my brothers.", he spoke directly to the sleeping soldiers.

Sakaki immediately knew that this man was not an alien. He had to be a slave or some captured human, or so Sakaki thought.

"Ah, with all the ruckus around here lately, I'm sorry I didn't come earlier. I hear some girls escaped with one of the tetraheloids.", he said as he pushed a few buttons on the front of one of the glass coffins.

"I hear her name was Koyomiko or something. A highly psychic girl; her mothers were best friends I hear. I don't know their names but I hear one was sort of crazy and the other was a serious bookworm; you know, glasses and stuff. Japanese girls too.", he said as he continued to press the consoles attatched to the capsules.

Chiyo closed her eyes tight at the thought of who he may be speaking of.

He moved up the lines of capsules, pushing the buttons on the front of the glass and humming to himself. Chiyo wanted to move; she desperately wanted to move, but moving would definately give away their position in such a quiet room.

Two rows from their position the man raised his head to the ceiling and spoke.

"I know you're there girls. You can come out now."

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Kagura decided that it was time to rest. After walking for multiple hours fatigue had taken a toll on all the girls. Koyomiko seemed to be the only one with energy due to her nap on Tomo's shoulders. All the others collapsed on the ground around the kindling Kagura had assembled.

"I learned how to do this when I was a kid.", Kagura said as she rubbed two sticks together, trying to create flame by friction.

"Mama, you look sleepy.", Koyomiko said.

"Yeah...I am!", Tomo said, her normal excessive energy drained by the trek.

"Sleep, Mama! Sleep!", Koyomiko piped up, walking over to sit by Osaka. "Hiya, Osaka Ba-chan!"

"Wha!?", Osaka recoiled. "Ya know mah name!?"

"MM-hmm!", Koyomiko nodded happily.

"Ehh...?", Osaka droned. "Tomo, why can she read mah mind!?"

Tomo sat up and stared at Osaka.

"Mind reader?"

"Uh-huh. None of ya ever told her mah name and she knows it. She even called me Ba-chan!"

Yomi walked over to her daughter and knelt down beside her.

"How do you know Osaka's name, Koyomiko-chan?"

Koyomiko seemed to think for a moment before answering.

"I just know it."

Yomi nodded darkly, afraid that Osaka may be right. It would also explain how she knew Tomo's name and her own. Yet, she decided to test the theory.

"Koyomiko, who is that?", Yomi asked, pointing to Kaorin.

"You know her name, Kaa-san. That's Kaori."

Yomi stood up, her jaw hanging in awe. That was the nail in the coffin, so to say. No one had said Kaorin's name, and by god, no one ever called her Kaori.

"That's amazing, Koyomiko!", Kaorin said.

"All right!", Kagura said with excitement as her efforts finally bore fruit. Her kindling had finally given in to the friction and had created a flame which was soon a blazing fire. The girls crowded around it to escape the growing chill of the night air.

"I'm going to try and get some berries or something to eat.", Kagura told the others, motioning towards the rapidly darkening forest.

"Dun' go alone! I'ma come too!", Osaka piped up and joined her friend as they ventured into the forest.

That left Yomi, Tomo, Kaorin and Chihiro to pepper Koyomiko with the questions they had been holding inside all day.

"Koyomiko-chan, how old are you?", Chihiro asked.

"Seven!", she said cheerfully whilst holding up seven fingers.

"How is that possible...That doesn't seem-", Kaorin began but Tomo was the one to interrupt her.

"How could you be born just today and be seven years old?", Tomo asked.

"Born today?", Koyomiko tilted her head in confusion. "I was born on November 1st."

"Unless time passed us by, last I remember-", Yomi began but Tomo finished the statement.

"Last I remember it was August."

"I've been here seven years now.", Koyomiko said, snuggling between Tomo and Yomi. "And you've always been my Mama and Kaa-san, don't you remember? I know you remember."

Tomo and Yomi exchanged glances and then smiled down at their new daughter.

"Of course. You're our daughter after all.", Yomi said, giving Koyomiko a kiss on the cheek.

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"That Koyomiko girl freaks me out.", Kagura said as Osaka and her pushed their way past a wall of ferns.

"Koyomiko-chan ain't natural, I'm tellin' ya.", Osaka mused. "She reads minds and stuff, that ain't normal."

"More than that though, she looks around seven or eight! If Tomo and Yomi only gave 'birth' to her today, how the hell does she come out at that age!?", Kagura said, expounding the statement with outstretched arms.

"We gotta keep an eye on her! Who knows what she can do?", Osaka said.

"I agree! I think she's something we don't want to be involved with. But, we can't just abandon Tomo and Yomi. ...Can't ask them to abandon their 'daughter' either.", Kagura said, trying her best to think through the situation.

"Just gotta keep an eye on her...", Osaka said, ruffling through a bush and pulling up a few red berries. "How are these?"

Kagura examined the berries and concluded they were not a poisonous variety. She had learned the skill in a summer camp when she was but a wee child.

"Just collect some of these and let's head back. They'll have to do for now.", Kagura said.

With their heads down collecting berries, the lights in the sky a kilometre away did not distract them from their work.

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