I laid in bed for a little bit, but it wasn't long before I decided I just couldn't stay still anymore; hell, after all the staying-still I'd done in this place, it was the last thing I wanted to do. Against Emi's advice, I got off the bed, my legs buckling at first when I tried to walk. But after taking a few small steps, my legs started to get the hang of it again, and I walked across the room slowly, then back to the bed, repeating it about a dozen times to get them to loosen up.

"You have no idea how good this feels," I sighed, leaning against the footboard.

"Then why do you still look like you're in pain?" Emi inquired.

"Have you seen the back of my legs? It's all welted. About the only thing those bastards didn't do is bury me up to my head in sand and stone me." I reached into my jacket, grimacing when I realized my gun wasn't in there. It actually took me a moment to remember what had happened to it. "Oh yeah…that," I mumbled, gingerly touching the wounds on my face. They were tender, but scabbed over. "Emi, what did that rat do with my gun?"

"I think he has it in his jacket."

I made my way out of that room, through the water room, making a conscious effort not to look at Bruce's bloodied corpse, and to the main room, where Nezumi and his twisted head still lay. I got down on my knees and, trying not to look past his shoulders, dug through the inside pockets of his jacket. I found a 9mm in the right pocket, but that wasn't it. I ignored it and dug through the left pocket, grinning when I saw my Spitdevil. I took it, making sure it still had the magazine in it before I put it in my own jacket.

Sitting a short distance away were my socks, shoes, and sleeve. Sitting down on the ground, I yanked my sleeve on, biting my lip to keep from crying out when I had to tug it over some of the welts on my leg. After I had it on, I slipped on my socks and shoes, my fingers fumbling as I tied the laces. My pinky was still purple, and plenty swollen, but I doubted I'd find any tape around here to bind it with.

"Son of a bitch," I grumbled, standing up to take a look at Nezumi again. "Emi shouldn't have been so easy on you."

"Easy?" Emi repeated, looking dumbfounded as she came into the room. "You saw what I did."

"I meant it was too fast. I would've liked to shoot his dick off or something. I'd still like to, but there's no point when I can't hear him scream in pain."

"…Are you ok?"

"I'm super. Let's get out of here before those other guys show up. How long do we have?"

"Thirty minutes, assuming they won't be early."

"Are you bugged?"

"What? No."

"Good. So let's go."

We both went out through the other door, and after weaving down a long hallway, which was just as bare as any of the other rooms had been, Emi led us to the front door. She took a breath and unlocked it, peeking her head out to make sure no one had arrived early. "Nobody," she said. "It's clear." She ushered me through, then shut the door behind her.

"We're outside," I breathed. "We're free…" I sucked in a large helping of fresh air. It felt like an eternity since I'd had anything other than the stale kind inside that place. But at the same time, I could smell something else. Smelled like…

"Rain!" I yelped when right at that moment, it thundered, and rain started to fall, lightly. As it fell on me, I could feel myself stiffen up, my heart starting to race. Water was falling on me, again. I put my arms over my head and crouched down, whining, in full panic mode. "No! No!" I yelled.

"Y-Yumeko," Emi stammered. "It's rain. It's okay."

"I KNOW!" I screamed and pulled at my hair. "DAMMIT!!"

"Get up, get up!" She pulled me to my feet. "It's ok! I'm right here! Just pull your jacket over your head if it bothers you! It's ok…"

I gulped and nodded, pulling my arms out of my sleeves so I could put part of the jacket over my head. "Better," I sighed. "Dammit…it's just rain…why…?"

Emi looked at me guiltily as we turned and headed down an unknown street, the sidewalk and streets already wet, glistening under the streetlamps and neon signs of businesses lining the street. It was twilight. It had been darker than this when we'd first arrived here, so that told me we had been in there at least a day. Damn. Mom and the others were probably worried about us. And none of this looked familiar to me. Just great.

We walked down the street in silence for a while, nothing but the sound of rain and the occasional car passing us, splashing lightly at our feet as they passed by. The last thing I wanted was to be wet again, so I instinctively jumped back, but after a moment, I was able to relax. The rain was actually kind of warm, perfect for summer. I slowly lowered my jacket, wincing as the raindrops pounded my head, but I let them come. They were a nice contrast to the freezing water I'd endured just a while ago. I slipped my arms back into the sleeves.

"When did you get your memory back?" I asked in a low voice, shifting as I walked. I wasn't sure if I wanted her telling me anything that I hadn't already witnessed. "Was it when he zapped you in that alley?"

Emi shook her head. "No. I woke up at that warehouse after you had already been locked in the closet. They asked if I remembered them, and I said yes, from when they and Bob pushed me out of the truck. They said they'd help me remember, so they took me to another room and had me sit in a chair, where they plugged this machine into the back of my neck. They turned it on, and suddenly…I knew exactly who they were. I knew exactly what you were talking about when you said I'd absorbed something into my body. I remembered everything."

"Remembered your mission. Tell me about it. There's a lot of blanks Sylia's still trying to fill in. She had a feeling that the thing between ASI and Genom was a set-up, an inside job. Is that true?"

"Yes. Quincy wasn't thrilled at all that the United Nations wanted him to hand over the OMS, but it didn't take him long to figure out a way around that. Rather than just refuse – as he'd done at first – he figured if he just made it disappear, then it wouldn't be a problem. ASI is a major Genom subsidiary; they provide the C-Class Boomers with their muscle, literally."

"I know that."

"Well, he got together with Isamu and told him what he wanted to get done—"

"Wait. Isamu?" I inquired. "Who is that?" This wasn't a name I'd heard before.

"He's the president of ASI. One of the few people who knew about the OMS. He was very intrigued that Quincy wanted him to hold the OMS for him for a while. Isamu hand-picked several of his most trusted people – Bob, Nezumi, and Bruce – and told them about how the heist was going to get pulled off. And to make sure they'd get it done, Quincy lent him a 33D Boomer."

"You."

"Yes. 33Ds are assassin Boomers, but they're also more human-like than any other. One could blend in just fine without raising suspicion among anybody. He had me activated, and downloaded instructions straight into my brain. The three picked me up straight from Genom Tower, and we got dressed for the occasion – all in black, with masks. We had to look as much like regular goons as possible. We were even given assault rifles."

"We saw the security tape of the heist," I said. "You were the one who shot out the camera, right?"

"That was me," she said with a nod. "I suppose that's where the footage ended."

"Yeah. Why, did something happen after that?"

She gulped. "It was supposed to look real, the whole thing, even if it all didn't get caught on tape. The ones who had the OMS in that van were disposable people, people nobody in Genom or anywhere else would miss. So…we shot them all in the back of the head and left them there."

"They…they had to have known it'd be a setup!" I gasped. "They knew, right?!"

"The ones in the van? No. Nobody told them. You really think someone would have volunteered to deliver the OMS if they knew they'd die?" The way Emi asked that sent chills down my spine. Her voice was just so cold.

"No…probably not," I concurred. "So at what point did you decide to absorb the OMS? Was that in the plan at all?"

"It was," she said. "But as you pointed out to me, there was a problem, but I wasn't able to get it across to those guys before they put me under and wiped my memory."

"You mean…?"

"I realized it after I did it. They'd thought I'd be able to just unfuse with it and spit it out of my stomach or something," she said sourly. "But once it was done, I realized what had happened, and I knew undoing what I'd done would be nigh impossible. But I didn't know that…trying to remove it would kill me. I tried to tell Bruce but he said it was time to go under, and then he shocked me, and the next thing I knew, I woke up, in his undershirt and boxers…"

"Whoa whoa, start from the top. After the heist, what happened?"

"We sped away in the semi," she said, clearing her throat, "and we were supposed to lay low for a while until we could get back to the ASI building. But the police got on our tails; somebody had seen it and called them. Bob and Bruce sprayed them with gunfire, while Nezumi, who was at the wheel, yelled at me to absorb the thing. I took off the black outfit, took the OMS out of the case, and just…did it."

"So just in case you were caught, nobody could figure out what you stole," I surmised.

"That's right. We were…supposed to head back to the ASI building with the OMS and stay there for a couple days, and then some Genom people would come and take it back. It was only after they gave me my memory back that I understood the fire at the ASI building I saw on TV. It was them. They'd…expected the OMS to be there and it wasn't, and somebody got really mad."

"That's what Sylia thought too," I mumbled under my breath. "So she was right all along."

"It wouldn't have been there anyway."

"Huh?"

"Even if I wasn't dumped, it wouldn't have been there. Isamu never intended to give it back. He's been eyeing Quincy's position for years, and when he asked Isamu to keep an eye on the OMS, of course he was thrilled about it. He'd be able to have the power, even if he couldn't get the title. If Quincy couldn't get the OMS back, he'd be at Isamu's mercy, and I already said that ASI is the one who makes the muscles for the C-Class Boomers. If Quincy tried to do anything, Isamu could deploy as many Boomers as he wanted against anybody who came after him."

"How do you know all this? I thought Quincy had you on loan to them. That would mean your allegiance would be to him, not to Isamu."

"ASI's specialty is C-Class Boomers, not D-Class. Quincy had told him I'd obey him, be a good little drone, and Isamu took it at face value. He blabbed about the whole thing right in front of me before he deployed us to get the OMS. I played along, but of course I was going to make sure the OMS got back to Genom. I was prepared to assassinate him if I had to; it was my mission, after all."

"And you have to get rid of anybody who's in the way," I finished, grimacing. "I know the drill."

"I know about the other 33Ds," she said. "Boh came before me. I didn't know the specifics of his mission, only that he was terminated on his first one. He was one of the first. I came online a year after he did, and this is not my first mission. It's my fifth, though I don't remember anything of the first four. I was modeled to look like a young teenage girl, because no one would ever suspect someone as innocent-looking as me to be capable of anything malicious." I made a face, but before I could say anything she added, "Boh WAS the one who stabbed you and Michiko, right?"

"Yeah, that's right." I let out a sigh before inquiring, "So you getting your memory erased… Was that a part of the original plan?"

"No. Bruce, Bob, and Nezumi realized I wasn't entirely faithful to them, ASI, or Isamu, that I still intended to make sure the OMS got back to Genom, no matter what else they were planning. It wasn't that I never got the chance to tell them I couldn't unfuse; it was that I chose not to. Didn't matter if they weren't going to have it. I picked up my gun to shoot them, because they were in the way of that mission! And then…Bruce used the stun gun on me, and that was the last thing I saw before I woke up without knowing what had gone on. That was when they dumped me from the truck, and when I met you. I suppose it was just a temporary thing, knowing a Boomer like me could survive on my own. I don't think they entirely thought it through – they could've still brought me back to ASI and Isamu – but humans are irrational under duress."

"Don't start talking like a Boomer," I warned. "I know you're a Boomer, but…you've always been human to me. Don't change on me now."

"It's too late. I can't be the innocent Emi you knew before all this. I wish I could, but I can't self-delete my memory."

"What about your mission? You're gonna have to kill me too if you still intend on giving the OMS back."

"As far as I'm concerned," she said, stopping in her tracks and grabbing my shoulders, "you're my first memory! I only remembered the mission after I got to know you. My first priority is taking care of you. The mission is a moot point. I'm not sure they'd be thrilled about having me essentially being the OMS anyway! It could be a little more complicated than what Quincy had in mind!"

We both chuckled.

As we started walking again, I again took a look around at my surroundings. Some buildings had familiar names, but I couldn't place why I seemed to recognize them; I'd never been down this street before, had I? Then something told me to look up.

It was almost dark, but against the light of the taller buildings, I could make out something. Earth. Rock. Were we against a cliff? No…

"The Fault!!" I exclaimed. "I know where we are! We're in the Fault! Timex City!! I thought these buildings looked familiar!"

Emi looked at me, confused. "But…"

"I've driven by these buildings a thousand times coming to Raven's Garage! It's about another half-mile in that direction!" I said, pointing in the direction we were heading. "Damn, I'd thought we were in Kyoto judging by how long they drove us around in that van! I guess they were driving in circles to throw us off!" I let out a sigh of relief. "I just hope Mackie's there."

That half-mile was one of the longest of my life. After we continued in that direction, my fatigue from the past…day?...started to catch up with me. My stomach began growling loudly, and I tried to ignore it at first, but the pangs only got stronger. I knew I hadn't eaten in a long time, but now that the adrenaline rush from being a captive and under torture had worn off, the parts initially pushed away by my fight-or-flight survival instinct were starting to nag at me. I groaned and held my stomach.

"What's wrong?" Emi asked.

"Hungry…starving," I complained.

"Just a little further…"

"I know. I can make it. It's just annoying…"

We walked for several more minutes, with me mostly leaning on Emi now that my body was letting me know of its need for fuel. But once I saw the "RAVEN'S" sign lit up above the mustard-yellow garage, that was all the inspiration I needed. I squealed and took off towards it, Emi gasping my name as she ran after me. Almost there…almost…

"Noo. You're kidding," I whined, banging on the closed garage door. "Closed."

"He's probably with Sylia and your mom and the others looking for you," Emi said. "Am I right?"

"Probably. But…" I thought for a moment. There had to be another option. "That's right. His apartment building is another block down. Let's try there."

"Are you sure he'll be there?"

"No, but he's bound to be there sooner or later. C'mon."

By now, I was forcing myself to stay on my feet as I made myself walk one more block, down to an apartment building I pointed out to Emi, one that was aglow with light. It was six stories high, and unfortunately for me he lived on the top floor, but on the bright side there was an elevator, so I wouldn't have to go through one more torturous process, the one of climbing stairs. That was one piece of respite I never thought I'd be glad for. I was always someone who took the stairs when she could. But right now, that wasn't even something I was considering.

"Tokyo Timex Flats," Emi read aloud as we reached the parking lot. "Is this it?"

"Yup…" My strength drained out of me, and I dropped to my hands and knees. "Agh…help me up…"

She pulled me to my feet, putting an arm around her shoulder. "You really need something to eat," she said. "Just tell me where to go, and I'll help you get there."

I nodded, walking slowly with her support as we crossed the parking lot and entered the lobby of the apartment building. It was nothing fancy – wouldn't expect anything like that in this part of town – but as long as it had the elevators, which it did, it was fine. I told Emi to press the button for the sixth floor, and I almost fell over as the elevator took off faster than I expected, taking us up. Damn, had my legs atrophied or something? It hadn't been THAT long since I'd used them.

The elevator let us off on the sixth floor, and I was about to tell Emi to head down to apartment 611, but I didn't have to. I saw someone down the hallway, at that very door. Someone with black hair and stubble on his face. I recognized him.

"Mackie…" I called out. "Mackie!"

He turned, then did a double-take as his eyes practically bugged out of his head. "Yumeko!!" he yelled, sprinting over to us. He grabbed me by the shoulders, making me grimace, and Emi looked ready to step in and tell him not to do that. "Where have you been? What the hell happened to you two?!"

"It's a long story," I said. "Can I…come in and get something to eat? I can't say I was fed…"

"Of course, of course. Come on, you two."

I was never so happy to see a friendly face.

No sooner had Mackie made me a BLT than I was devouring it, savoring the flavors that burst in my mouth, as if I'd never eaten anything before. It was so wonderful to actually eat something again! My stomach ached, but instead of aching from hunger, it was in gratitude, like it too had been looking forward to having something in it again.

While I scarfed that and the potato chips he served with it down, he made a call to Sylia on his vidphone, putting her on the speaker as soon as he dialed the number.

"Sis," he said as soon as her face appeared on the screen, "it's a good thing you told me to come home and get some rest, that's all I can say. Right after I got here, Yumeko and Emi both showed up."

Sylia genuinely looked surprised, and repeated it out loud. In the background, I could hear Mom, Linna, and Nene all yelling in celebration. "Are they ok?" she asked.

"Emi's okay, but Yumeko looks like she's had it pretty rough. I'm just getting them something to eat, then I'll be bringing both of them back." He turned to me. "Do you want to talk to Sylia or your mom?"

"I'm fine," I said, which made Mackie cock his head in wonder, but he turned back to the phone.

"I think she'd rather wait until she gets there. I'm on my way."

"All right," Sylia said. "I'll see you in a bit."

Mackie hung up and came back to the kitchen. "Aren't you gonna eat anything?" he asked Emi, who hadn't touched her sandwich.

"I'm making sure Yumeko doesn't make herself sick," she replied. "As she said, she wasn't fed at all the whole time we were there."

"How long as it been?" I asked. "Because I have no idea. I just know it's at least been a day."

"You don't know?" he gasped. "Yumeko…it's been two days."

"…Two days?" I'd been locked up and tortured for two days straight?! It didn't seem like it had been that long at all! But at the same time, it had seemed like an eternity. "Two days?! God dammit! I don't believe it! How did I…survive two days like that?"

"What happened?" he asked as I buried my face in my hands.

"Doesn't matter," I said. "We're here, aren't we? Let's just get going to Sylia's so they don't worry anymore."

"Yumeko, show him," Emi suddenly said.

"Show him what?"

"Your legs."

I grimaced and stood up, turning so my back was to him, revealing the welts on the backs of my legs. Mackie cursed under his breath and shook his head as I picked up the remainder of my sandwich and bit into it. "They beat you," he growled. "I could tell that from the ones on your face. What else did they do?"

"It doesn't matter," I said again, holding up my hand. "Do you have any tape for this?"

"Sure, hold on…" He went to the hall closet to rummage for his first-aid kit, while I turned to Emi.

"What am I supposed to say?" I whispered. "I don't want to tell them."

"Which part?" she asked.

"Any of it!"

"So don't," she said simply.

"It's not that simple! The moment they see me they'll start interrogating me just like those guys did! And if they find out about that rat and his busy hands—"

"What rat?" Mackie interrupted, tape in hand, looking concerned. "Yumeko…what did they do?"

"Nothin'," I said haughtily, tossing my head.

He sighed and gingerly took my hand into his so he could tape up my fingers. "You don't have to tell me," he said as he wrapped the tape so that my pinky was bound to my ring finger, "but whatever did happen, Sis is gonna want to know. And so is Priss."

"I know." I jerked away my hand. "Thanks. But I'm a big girl."

"A big girl who's had more than her share of problems," he pointed out as I turned away. "But unlike your mother, you've at least been willing to fess up when you have a problem you can't handle by yourself."

"And I can handle this."

"And what is 'this'?" I heard him ask, followed by a hand on my shoulder. I cringed and instinctively grabbed the wrist the hand was attached to, spinning around and pulling it forward. With my other hand, now clenched in a fist, I socked him in the face and let go of his arm, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Yumeko!!" Emi gasped, pulling me back.

"Don't TOUCH me!!" I screamed, only to realize my mistake when I saw who it was I'd punched. Why had I punched him? He wasn't Nezumi. I'd thought… "M-Mackie…"

He gave a shake of his head and rubbed his eye, already swelling up. "Dang. You have a good swing, just like Priss…"

"I'm sorry," I stammered, stepping back. "I couldn't see you, I thought…I thought…" I dropped to my knees, hiding my face in my hands again. The tears I'd held back for the – apparently – past two days surged forward, threatening to break free. What a time to lose it.

I heard him sigh and sit up. "Yumeko, listen," he urged gently, his voice right in front of me. I looked up and saw him sitting there, just inches from me. "I don't know what those guys did to you, but we need to help you. You freaked just now, I know. You don't need to say you're sorry."

"I am sorry," I said again, tears streaking my face now. "It's just…every time that rat put a hand on me…it was to hurt me…"

"Okay," he said with a nod. "I'll keep my hands in your sight at all times, ok?" He put up his hands and grinned. "See? Here they are. I won't do that again."

"Heh…" That forced me to smile. "Okay."

"Now, is it ok if I help you up? We really should get going."

"That's fine."

The ride over to Sylia's building was quiet. Mackie looked uncomfortable with asking anything or doing anything sudden, as his new black eye was evidence enough that I wasn't to be surprised. Emi sat in the back seat and didn't say a word, while I yawned and looked out the window at the buildings we passed by. It seemed like so long ago I'd seen them, having been stuck in a cinder block for forever. I wondered if I'd ever be able to traverse the streets as freely as I had just a few days before. Would I ever feel the same doing so, feel safe? Tokyo was a dangerous city to start with, but I'd always felt comfortable getting around by myself; now the idea seemed a little…unlikely. I hoped this feeling would pass, and soon. I wasn't ready to become a recluse just because of some stupid thing that had happened that I had no control over.

No control… Damn. That hurt me. The fact that I'd been completely and utterly helpless to do anything to stop any of it. Mom and Sylia and the others, they'd never understand. I knew they'd had their share of trials before I came along, but I doubted any of them had had to go through something like this. I'd waged a two-day battle, and would have lost horribly had it not been for Emi, but now I was exhausted. I just wanted to go to sleep and forget about it all for a while. I just wanted to get back to normal.

But was that possible?

"We're here," Mackie said once we pulled up to the security gate.

"I don't wanna deal with them asking questions," I moaned as we went through and he found a parking spot. "I just wanna go to sleep. I don't even think I slept."

"It's just a while longer," he assured me. "Then I'm sure they'll let you sleep all you want."

"You swear?"

"I'll make sure of it, unless they all want matching black eyes," he joked.

"Sorry…"

"I told you, you don't need to apologize. Your nerves are frayed, I get it. Priss was the same way for a long time after her rape. Didn't like anyone, especially me, coming up behind her unexpectedly. I should be the one apologizing. I should've known better."

"Mom's still like that," I said. "Leon was there at the gym during my first therapy session, and he put a hand on Mom's shoulder and she elbowed him in the chest. Really threw me for a loop. She never did that with Hiroshi or Max, and when she did beat on them it was always in good fun." I frowned as I caught on to what he'd been insinuating. "And I wasn't raped, Mackie."

"Okay."

But why did I still have this sinking feeling in my stomach as I thought about it? If it wasn't rape, why did I feel so…ashamed? I just hugged myself as we all got out of the truck and headed inside, making a beeline for the elevators. Emi stuck close to my side, as if to ward off any more potential attackers. It confused me at first, but then I understood: she knew the others would probably 'attack' me once we got off the elevator, and I just smirked to myself. Her presumed assumption wasn't too far off; they probably would.

And if it wasn't for Mackie stepping in front of us as the elevator door opened, they would have.

"Hold it!" he yelled, holding his arms out in front of him when Linna and Nene started to charge forward. "She needs a little space."

"What happened to YOU?" Nene inquired, pointing at his face.

"I caught her off guard. C'mon." He urged them on backwards so Emi and I could get off the elevator. Mackie lowered his arms, and Nene ran up to me, looking worried and relieved at the same time.

"Yumeko. We were worried about you," she cried. "What happened?"

"Are you two ok?" Linna asked.

"We're fine," I said. "And Emi has her memory back. She has a lot of information that we might be able to use."

"It'll take a while," Emi said, "but I can explain everything to you."

Sylia, who had been standing back, gave a nod. "Let's go get comfortable, then. It seems you're not the only ones who've figured some things out."

Everyone filed into Sylia's apartment, but I stayed behind for a moment, turning to look at Mom, who also had been standing separate from the others. She walked up to me, uncertain of how I'd react to her.

"Yume," she started, "are you okay?"

"I'm ok, Mom," I replied. "A little beaten up, but I'm ok."

"I can see that." She reached to hug me, and I jumped at first, startled, but then relaxed and let her wrap her arms around me, taking care to do so gently. "I was so worried about you."

"Why didn't you come?" I asked, choking up. "After the explosion at the diner…why? The Boomers?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "Two dozen 55Cs. Had to bring out the Motoslaves to handle 'em all, and by the time they were all dead, you and Emi had disappeared into thin air. Sylia found your earrings in the diner…"

"They were no good anymore as a communicator," I said. "I didn't even think about them being trackers until after we got caught by the ASI guys."

"The ASI guys?" she repeated. "It wasn't Genom?"

"Uh…no. It was the guys who shoved Emi out of the semi."

She grimaced in thought. "Well, that's a new twist. Because the Boomers were definitely sent by Genom, and they set up that explosion too. I guess the ASI guys just used that to their own advantage."

"One of them told me they didn't rig the explosion or send out the Boomers," I concurred. "So I guess not only are they after each other, but we got caught in the middle."

"You could say that. I think we've got a hell of a fight on our hands."

"And we still have Emi to worry about. We still have to turn her over to the UN, or at least make sure she doesn't fall into Genom or ASI hands again! We need to protect her!"

"I know. But right now I'm worrying about you."

"I'm fine! I'm not the one to worry about!"

"You were the one who was missing for two days!"

"And I wouldn't have gotten out if it weren't for Emi coming to her senses! She killed the bastards!"

Mom went wide-eyed, then let out a whistle. "She did? Her? Well, shit, I gotta give her props for that. How'd she do it?"

"She…snapped one guy's neck and rammed the other one's head into the wall about a half-dozen times," I recalled, grimacing at the memory. "She snapped his neck so hard his head did a 180."

"Damn. Why didn't she do that to start with?"

"After she got her memory back, she…forgot I was her friend. She helped the other guys, uh…interrogate me, and it was while one of them was shocking me did she come around—"

"Shocking?" She gave me a look. "You mean they Tasered you?!"

"He used a stun gun, and they also gave me a water treatment, strung me up so I was forced to stand, locked me in a closet…"

"You should've…" She choked up and wiped at her eyes. "You should've told her to leave something for me. I'd have made damn sure they suffered more!" She gritted her teeth and made a fist, looking like she was going to punch the wall. "God damn it. Those lousy f—"

I turned around, showing her my legs. "That too," I added with a nervous laugh.

"Looks like they beat you with a belt," she said, seething evident in her voice.

"Yeah. Said I apparently never got spanked as a kid, so they wanted to make up for it."

"Too bad they're already dead," she growled. "Emi let them off WAY too easy. Pieces of shit…fucking pieces of shit…"

I can't tell her, I thought as she raged to herself. It's too much as it is. If I just told her that, she'd lose it for sure. "Uh…dontcha wanna hear what Emi has to say?" I asked, pointing towards the door to Sylia's penthouse.

"Sure," she said, heaving a frustrated sigh. She looked at me quizzically. "Is that all?"

"Yeah. That's all."

"You look like you're not telling me something, Yume. I can see it."

"I'm just tired and the sandwich Mackie gave me was the first thing I've eaten in two days. What you see is someone who's really sore and really needs a good night's sleep. And, tomorrow, a really good breakfast." It was a half-truth, but as much as I was willing to admit.

"…Okay. So, what does your friend know?"

"I can't explain it all. I'll let her do the talking. She's probably already doing a lot of it right now."

"Let's go have a listen then."

I let out a small sigh as I followed her. She seemed like she already knew what I was hiding; why bother keeping it to myself? I just kept telling myself it was easier like this, at least for now. It had taken me almost a year to fess up about the party incident. I couldn't possibly admit to something much more serious than that barely a day after it happened. I wasn't ready to tell her, or anybody, but I had a feeling that it wasn't going to stay quiet until I was ready.

When me and Mom entered the penthouse, Emi was just finishing up about her mission and how she believed that Genom had blown up the ASI building, with Sylia, Nene, Mackie, and Linna all at full attention.

"…I'm afraid you all might be in danger," she said, hands tucked in her lap. "ASI and Genom are both willing to fight for the OMS, and because you're in the position of having to give it to the UN…you could say you're stuck between a rock and a hard place."

"The mission is to hand it over or destroy it, no matter the cost," Sylia stated. "I'm not about to simply destroy you just because it might be more convenient for us. We're going to get you to the UN, somehow."

"Say, is the UN helping out in any way?" Linna asked somewhat dryly. "They can't seriously just be waiting for it to fall into their lap. If they want it, they need to take some initiative to make sure they get it!"

"I am afraid we are on our own," she replied. "But seeing as Emi can shut down Boomers at will, this battle could work in our favor."

"I think it only works if she knows what Boomers are there," I interrupted, making everyone turn towards me in surprise. "The Boomers we fought near ASI shut down because Emi had been watching the evening news and saw them. The chef Boomer at the restaurant only worked better because she saw it and wanted it to so everyone would get their food faster. Her abilities aren't gonna be worth jack shit unless she's literally on the battlefield with us."

"She's right," Emi allowed. "We could hear the Boomers after the explosion at the diner, but I wasn't able to shut them down."

"But under those circumstances, maybe you just weren't able to concentrate," Nene added. "Maybe you don't need to see them; maybe you just need to be able to have a clear head."

"In any case," Sylia said, turning to Nene, "do you think you and Mackie could come up with a sort of portable scanner for Emi to use?"

"Do you have a plan?"

"Not yet, but in case we do need to take Emi with us somewhere and we run into trouble, it would be helpful if she knew what was there without having to see it. It would keep her out of harm's way."

"They wouldn't target me anyway. I have the OMS," Emi said.

"But do they know that if you die, the OMS is useless? No more than a lump of metal?"

She grimaced. "No, I don't think so."

"All the more reason for the precautions."

"You told us about ASI," Linna said, "now what about you and Yumeko? What happened after you were captured? How'd you—"

"Yumeko told me not to say anything about that," Emi said, cutting her off.

"You can tell 'em how you got us out though," I said with a smirk.

"That's not really necessary…"

"Sure it is. That's what Linna was about to ask anyway. Right?"

"Yeah," Linna admitted.

"The short version," Emi said, "is that I snapped Nezumi's neck and rammed Bruce's head into a concrete wall."

Everyone else in the room except for me and Mom grimaced at the imagery. "And what…provoked that?" Nene asked nervously.

"They were hurting Yumeko and wouldn't stop," she replied, not elaborating.

"They hurt me the whole time," I said flatly. "I'm not gonna talk about it. Yeah, it took two days for Emi to remember who the hell I was, but at least we're out of there. Done. Finito. End of story. Q.E.D. That's it."

"Well, I think that settles that," Sylia said as she stood up, in a tone that made me doubt her words. "Linna, Nene, Mackie, you can head home if you want."

"Nah," Nene said with a smile. "I think I'll work on that portable scanner. What were you thinking, something in the shape of a watch?"

"Whatever you can come up with. Have Mackie help you."

"I'm already here, so may as well," Mackie said with a shrug.

"What about you, Linna?" Sylia asked.

"I'll stick around for a while," she replied. "I'm too wired to hit the hay now."

"All right."

Nene and Mackie left to go work on how to make a portable scanner that wouldn't be painfully obvious to the casual observer, while Mom approached Sylia and Linna did likewise to me. "So, uh…" I said nervously, scratching the back of my head. "Are you still gonna expect me to come in to work tomorrow?"

She grabbed me and pulled me close in a tight hug, almost knocking the wind out of me. "Don't worry us like that again," she said, voice choking up. "And don't worry about work. Take whatever time you need. Don't push yourself. I know you tend to do that."

"First thing on my list is a long nap," I remarked. "As soon as I figure out what the hell Mom is asking Sylia about over there…" I motioned towards Mom, who was talking with Sylia in a voice so low I could barely even hear her, let alone make out the words. But she kept looking at me and pointing at me, so I assumed it was about me.

"She thinks you're hiding something," Emi mumbled.

"Why would she get that impression?" Linna asked, looking at me. "You're only her daughter, why on earth would she think YOU would be hiding anything?"

"Oh, can it," I said, rolling my eyes at her lowball sarcasm. "I'm not hiding anything."

"Well, you won't tell ME what happened."

"It's nothing impressive. Don't worry. A look at my face and legs are all you need."

"I see those, but…"

"Yumeko," Sylia called, "come over here."

I grimaced and did so, while she motioned at Linna and Emi to stay where they were. "Priss and I are a little concerned," she said in a low voice.

"Concerned about what?"

"She said you told her what you've been through over the last few days, but still feels you're holding something back. Now why would she think that?"

"Because she's anal. C'mon, I haven't slept in two days! Of course I look like hell! Maybe getting beat up has something to do with that too!"

"That's not it, Yumeko. Priss noticed it, and I've noticed it as well. You're holding yourself differently, and as she put it…your eyes are dead."

What the hell did that mean?

"I'm just tired."

"I'm worried, and Priss is worried, that you were raped. Were you?"

"No!"

"Then let me perform an exam. It won't take that long."

"You want to catalog my bumps and bruises, is that it?! What the hell for?!"

"Yume," Mom sighed, "I know the signs when I see them. You're keeping yourself apart from everybody, you're avoiding eye contact, you're…looking like you're ready to bite off the head of the next person who tries to talk with you…"

"I got beat up for two days! What do you want from me?!" I spat. Why the hell wouldn't they just leave me alone and let me go to the nearest guest room to lay down? That was all I wanted right now, was just to get some damned sleep!

"Just let me take a look," Sylia urged gently. "It'll take five minutes."

"I'll give you one," I warned, hugging myself, which seemed to only make Mom more worried. Or something. She gave me a look I'd never seen on her before. What was that look for? Did she really think I'd been raped? I hadn't been, so I had nothing to hide by consenting to the stupid exam. I just didn't want anybody seeing those parts again. As far as I was concerned, the only people who should've been allowed to look down there were lovers or spouses, and gynecologists. Not wanna-be rapists who thought that taking a girl's virginity sounded like fun and games!

I shivered at the memory as Sylia, Mom and I left the penthouse and headed down the hallway to the exam room. I just had to tell myself that this wasn't going to be like that, that she was just going to do as she said she'd do, an exam. It'd be started and over before I'd even know what was going on, just like getting a shot.

But still, I'd be dropping trou. Even so, this was being done willfully, unlike before, when it was more like my trou being yanked off and tossed to the side. At least she'd be gentle…right?

After taking off my shoes, socks, shorts, and panties, I climbed onto the table and stuck my feet in the stirrups, hugging myself again. It seemed cold in here all of a sudden, and not just because of the sudden rush of air on my privates. Sylia put on some gloves and crouched down to take a look.

"There's some tearing here…" she said, my whole body tightening up as I felt her fingers. As much as I wanted to deck her, I knew she didn't mean any harm. I told myself to relax and just let her do her job, but it was hard.

"Hurry it up," I moaned, trying not to cry. Why did she have to touch down there to see what had happened? I didn't want anybody down there, doing any type of exploring.

"I'm almost done, Yumeko." She turned to Mom, whose face was red with anger. "Partial transection of the hymen…"

"What's that mean?" she growled.

"It means it's torn a little bit."

"So she was raped!!"

"Not in the sense you're thinking," she corrected. "It looks more like it was digital."

"…A finger?"

"Or an object." Sylia looked up at me. "What happened, Yumeko?"

"Nothing…happened," I stammered through clenched teeth, still hugging myself. "It's nothing!!"

Mom walked up to me and put a hand on my shoulder lightly, like I was a china doll. "Yume, please," she whispered. "I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at those guys who did it to you. Tell us what happened."

"I wasn't raped!!"

"You were still violated by those sons of bitches."

"Don't gotta tell ME that! I KNOW what happened!!"

"So tell us."

I started shaking and took my legs out of the stirrups, sitting up, not bothering to reach for my panties or shorts yet. "It was…after he whipped me with the belt," I mumbled, hugging myself tight, head bowed. "He uncuffed me, then recuffed me with my arms behind my back and…he pushed me to the ground. He took off my shorts, then my panties, then…"

"Then?"

"I tried to get him away," I said, starting to cry. "But he held my legs apart with his knees. And he…put two fingers in, rammed them in. He was laughing the whole time."

Mom buried her face in her hands, trembling as she started fighting off tears as well.

"He took them out when I started bleeding, and said 'She really is a virgin!' Then he unzipped his pants to do it for real. But I…stopped him."

Mom lifted up her head. "What? How?"

"I…peed on him."

She let out a chuckle despite her tears. "You pissed on him? That's…different."

"It freaked him out enough to get him to stop."

"Where IS this warehouse you two escaped from? I'm gonna go down there and shoot up his corpse!!"

"Priss," Sylia said sternly.

"I thought about doing that too once he was dead, but I didn't," I said. "No use if you can't hear him scream and see him writhe in pain…" I got off the table and grabbed my panties and shorts. "Can I PLEASE go to bed now?! You saw what you wanted to see. I'm still a virgin, so everything's ok."

"It's NOT ok!!" Mom screamed. "Yume, that guy had his fingers in—"

"Priss!" Sylia snapped. "Step out!"

"What?!"

"I said step out! Being emotional is not going to help matters right now. I will talk with Yumeko while you cool your head."

"Cool my… Shit!!" She stormed out of the room.

"I was expecting that," I said, looking away. "She's mad. I knew she'd be."

"It's not aimed at you," she said slowly. "Why didn't you mention anything earlier?"

"Why would I? I knew it'd just make everyone upset. And it doesn't matter anyway, 'cause me and Emi got out," I choked. "What I went through…"

"…IS relevant," she finished. "Don't try to downplay anything that happened."

"It would've made everything ELSE irrelevant! Everybody would've concentrated on that when there was a lot of other shit that went on! I KNEW it'd be like that!! Didn't you see the look on Mom's face?! She was more horrified by this than by anything else!"

"Because she knows what it's like to be subject to an attack like that," she said. "No parent wants their daughter to go through something like that."

"For the last time, I wasn't raped!!"

"In a sense you were," she said gently. "It's still a violation of your body, of your being. It's still an extremely traumatizing experience. But it is one that we can help you get through. Are you willing to let us help you?"

"…I just feel dirty," I said, starting to cry again. "I can still feel his hands on me…"

It seemed like she was changing the subject, but she wasn't. "You're tired," she said, taking off her gloves before leading me out of the room and back to her penthouse. Mom was nowhere in sight. "I'd like to talk with you more about this tomorrow, but for right now I'm going to help you get some rest."

Entering the penthouse again, Sylia ignored Linna's questions as she led me to the bathroom, brushing her off with a "We'll discuss it later." Bending over the large tub, she started to draw a bath.

"What're you doing?" I asked.

"A bath will help you go to sleep," she answered, sprinkling some bath salts into the water. "These are lavender-scented, which too will help you with sleep."

"I've been awake for two days, so I don't think I'll need any help getting to sleep."

"It won't hurt," she said with a chuckle. "The hot water will help with your soreness as well. I'll bring you some towels and some sleepwear, and after you're done I'll take care of those welts on your face and legs for you. All right?"

"Um…sure," I stammered, feeling embarrassed. It felt like she was doting on me just because I'd been a little beaten up. "Thanks, Sylia."

After she left, I slowly stripped my clothes, setting them aside along with my leg sleeve. I stood over the tub, leaning forward to gaze into the water. I saw my reflection, and for the first time, the welts on my face. The one on my left cheek was higher-up than the one on my right, sitting just outside the corner of my eye. The right one was lower, smaller, about the size of a half-dollar, but still looked equally nasty. "Heh, looks worse than it feels," I remarked, gingerly touching the scabs before dipping a foot into the tub.

I jumped at how hot the water was; it was hotter than I would have ran it, but at the same time, it felt nice, especially compared to the ice-cold water I'd been subjected to earlier. Inch by inch, I lowered my leg into the water until I touched the bottom, then I stepped in with my other leg and gradually sat myself down. The welts on my legs, still somewhat fresh, stung at first, but the feeling went away almost immediately once I sat down in the tub.

I let out a sigh and sunk into the water until it was up to my neck, looking up at the ceiling, the air above me steamy from the water. This was nice. I couldn't remember the last time I'd taken a bath. Mom didn't have a bathtub in her apartment, only a shower, and it went likewise with me. In Sacramento the main bathroom had only a shower, but the private bathroom adjoining Irodia and Tyler's room had a bathtub. The thought of me asking to use it had never occurred to me; taking a shower was what had always come natural to me. But now that I was here, up to my neck in almost scalding-hot water, I wished I did have a tub in my apartment. A tub, a furo, something to sit and relax in. This wasn't bad at all. And Sylia was right; I could feel my muscles start to loosen up all over. And here I had thought running the showerhead over my neck and shoulders was the best thing for tight muscles.

After shampooing and conditioning my hair – which was tricky given my bound fingers, and I had to remind Sylia to change the tape now that I'd gotten it wet – I dipped the back of my head in the tub and scrubbed it out, then laid back again and closed my eyes. My limbs were turning to butter, but I didn't mind. I could've sat in here all night if I knew I wouldn't fall asleep and almost drown myself. I didn't care if I turned pruny; it was better to be a hot prune than a cold one.

There was only one thing on my mind at the moment, and it wasn't about the events that had transpired over the past few days. It was just about Sylia. She'd never let me use her tub before, or at least not since I was six years old and spending the night with her. As far as I could recall, she didn't let Mom or the others use it either. Maybe she felt bad for what I'd gone through? Or maybe she wasn't worried about me as a Knight Saber, but as my aunt?

I'm thinking about this way too much, I thought. I really need some sleep. I better get out before I do it in here!

After stepping out of the tub and carefully drying myself off, I pulled on the pajamas that Sylia had brought in and went out to the main living area. No one was in there except for Sylia and Emi. "Where's Mom and Linna?" I asked.

"They're outside on the patio, talking," Sylia replied. "How was your bath?"

"It was great. Thanks."

"I have the ointment ready if you want me to put some on your legs."

"It might help."

She had me take off the pajama pants and lay down on the couch on my stomach. Opening the bottle, she squeezed a generous amount in her hands, and rubbed her hands together to warm it up before she rubbed it on the back of my legs.

"Mmm…" I moaned. "That feels good…"

"This will help with any residual stinging," she said. "I'll apply some more in the morning, and then they should be healed in two or three days."

"I can live with that. Oh." I lifted up my hand. "Can you change the tape on my fingers?"

"Of course."

Once she was done with the ointment, I pulled my pajama pants back on while she went to get some tape. After she came back, she slowly removed the old tape, put it aside, then wrapped the new tape around the fingers. "Did you set this yourself?" she inquired.

"Yeah, right after I had it broke," I quipped.

"It seems to be healing well. You did good. I'll give you a shot of some protein compound in the morning to speed up the healing, and then by tomorrow night it should be good as new."

"Thanks."

"You can go ahead and head to bed if you need to. I know you're tired."

I nodded and stood up. "Thanks again, Sylia."

"Not necessary," she said coolly.

I just smiled and headed for the nearest guest room, Emi following right behind me. I turned on the lamp next to the bed and crawled in. Oh! Sheets! I was actually laying down on something soft!! I pulled the covers over my shoulders and curled up. I was actually staying warm! I could get comfortable! I swore to myself I would never take this for granted again.

"They do care about you," Emi said. "You know they do."

"I know," I said, yawning. "Though Mom has a funny way of showing it sometimes."

"Give her time. I think she just needs to be able to wrap her head around it."

"What about me? I still gotta wrap my head around it!"

"You'll be okay," she assured me with a soft smile. "You're strong, and you have friends to help you."

"Yeah…"

I closed my eyes, and I felt her touch my shoulder as I stirred and got into a comfortable position. Things would be ok. They had to be.

She was still there when I fell asleep.