Calli smiled as she stepped from the shuttle into Arhome. It had been a long job. At times she wasn't sure she was going to make it back. She couldn't wait to see Nathan and tell him about the latest mission. She was glad she had made it out in time for the festival. She had been taken alone, leaving Hawk to keep up their enterprises and worry constantly about her. He had not told Nathan she was missing. Her emergency beacon had never activated and he had no idea where she had gone or what she was up to. He had faith in her abilities and didn't want to worry Nathan unnecessarily.

Taking the space ship had been extremely profitable and the Arhome scientists would be delighted with the new technology to play with. She had been very gratified to find an entire hold of radilite! The tunnel could be completed now.

Hawk stepped out behind her. He wanted to visit in Arhome for a few days. The kids would be delighted to see him. After the festival he was going home to the Settlement for a while. The partners felt they had earned a good rest. Calli would find time to talk to Harkness later though. She was uneasy about only one man being in Cave Entrance to watch the gate during the festival season.

Calli headed for the clinic to find Nathan, while Hawk headed for the barns to find Joe.

"Hey, Linda", she greeted the girl who helped out in the clinic.

"Mrs. Halliday", Linda beamed. "I'm sorry, Dr. Halliday is in conference with Dr. Standish. Do you want me to tell him you're here?"

"Oh, no, just let him know I'll be up at the house, would you?", she asked.

"Sure thing, Ma'am" Linda said.

Calli was in the living room floor mock fighting with the triplets. Joshua, Marcus and Sheila were gleefully attacking her with all their 5 year old verve, squealing with delight as she tumbled them about with much laughing and giggling. Mattie had gone over to the farm to take Joe his lunch, leaving Calli to enjoy her triplets.

"Get mother", Joshua giggled, clinging to her like a sea limpet while Sheila tried to climb on her back. Suddenly Calli stiffened as a loud alarm blasted through the valley. She leapt to her feet, dislodging the kids.

"Quick", she said sternly, her demeanor suddenly serious. "Into the closet. Now!" The triplets looked stunned. Calli hurriedly grabbed Sheila up and snatched Marcus's arm.

"Come on, Joshua", she demanded. The small child quickly realized his mother was no longer playing. He hastened after her as she shoved them into the closet under the stairs.

"Whatever you do, don't make a sound", she said intently and shut the door.

Calli whirled as the door to the living room burst open. Scott stood in the doorway, a shotgun leveled at her midriff.

"There you are", he snarled. "Where's your mutant whelps?"

"Leave them alone Scott. It's me you want. I'm right here", Calli said evenly.

"Yeah, and what are you going to do now? You don't even have any armor on. Don't worry, when I've done for you I'll find the brats", Scott snarled.

"Why?", Calli cried. "Why do you want to hurt your brother's kids?"

" My brother!", he snorted. "He's not my brother. He's a damn bastard!"

"What?" Calli asked, stunned.

"Yeah, his mother was pregnant with him when my Dad married her. Marcus was my brother. Dad took them in and married his mother and look what happened. Good thing he doesn't know this, eh? He wouldn't have helped me get in here if he knew, would he? As for those Kids", he said, spitting out the word like it was sour in his mouth, "they're not related to me at all. They're abominations."

Calli's eyes widened. "No! He wouldn't! Nathan would never help you attack Arhome. He loves us", she shouted at him.

"Love you?" he derided. " A monster like you? Don't kid yourself. He just used you to set this up. How could he love you or those mutie brats of yours? Enough, it's time for you to go!"

Even as he lifted the shotgun Calli dove to the side, rolling toward the wall. The blast hit the spot where she had been. As she leapt to her feet Scott flung a grenade in her direction. She lunged toward him just as the blast caught her, hurling her backward into the wall, cutting into her body, her limbs with the powerful shrapnel. Calli fell still against the wall.

Scott approached the prone figure carefully. She had taken the full brunt of a frag grenade, but he couldn't believe he had taken her out so easily. He reached down the shotgun and prodded at her.

Suddenly the small hand jerked up, grasping the gun, pulling Scott down as she rolled upward, her arm going around his neck. The next thing he knew he was on the floor with a shotgun nestled in his neck.

Nathan and Jewell finished their conference on a difficult case and came out to give the notes to Linda.

"Your wife was just here, Dr. Halliday. She said to tell you she was going to the house", Linda said. Before Nathan could reply an alarm sounded throughout the valley. Invasion! This was no drill. Nathan grabbed his assault rifle from the locker.

"Hide yourself" he yelled at the women. Without waiting to see what they would do he raced from the clinic. Calli was at the house with the triplets. His family was his only thought.

He saw the Arhome guard engaging the heavily armored Enclave soldiers emerging from the shuttle. The whir of a vertibird caught his attention. It landed with amazing speed just inside the Arhome courtyard, between him and his home. He caught sight of Joe, fighting his way toward the house where the triplets were. He dashed for cover as the door slammed open and Enclave erupted. Then he saw his brother, dressed in heavy leather armor, leap from the machine and head towards his home.

Panicked, he shot from cover to cover. Scott's main goal in life was to kill Calli! He had to get to her. The blast of a grenade erupted from his home as he dashed the last few feet into the open door of his living room.

Nathan stopped dead beside a stunned Joe, staring at the tableau before them. Scott was on his knees, his arm twisted behind him, head bowed. Calli held the wrist in one iron grip, a foot in the middle of his back, lifting the soft Arhome dress high on her torn, bloody thigh. She glared up at Nathan, blood flowing freely down her head, streaking across the savage expression. Nathan's eyes riveted first on the shotgun in Calli's other hand, blood flowing from the deep cuts on her arm, down onto the muzzle nestled in the back of Scott's neck, then at Calli's twisted face.

The moment seemed frozen, then Calli screamed, her face maniacal with grief and rage. "How could you? How could you betray us? Me?" Her voice was a high pitched screech almost incoherent with rage. "I should kill him right now! Here, take him", she shouted, shoving the prone man with her foot onto the floor. "He's your brother, take him. I never want to see you again! Never!" Her screaming voice tore through him. Stunned, Nathan tried to defend himself.

"Calli, I didn't…" Calli hurled the shotgun at him.

"Never!" she screamed and fled from the room, breaking into violent tears.

Nathan caught the shotgun and handed it to Joe. "Take care of him", he snapped. "Kill him if you want to." He caught sight of the small face peeking out of the door under the stairs as he turned. "The kids are under the stairs. I've gotta get Calli." He took off at a dead run. He knew the middle aged man would take good care of his kids.

Calli ran blindly toward Arhome Entrance and the Valley of Death. 'Mutant' screamed in her head. 'He never loved you. How could he love you? You're a monster. Die Monster. Die.'

Hawk looked up at the commotion to see Calli plunging into Arhome Entrance, Nathan close behind her. He took off at a dead run. In Arhome Entrance he saw Nathan struggling to get into a radiation suit.

"What's happening?", he growled.

Nathan looked at him desperately. "It's Calli. There's something wrong with her. She ran into the Valley of Death without protection."

Hawk growled, "I'll get her".

"She's my wife!" Nathan shouted. "I'll get her." He struggled with the unfamiliar equipment.

The transport shuttle was much too slow to take. Hawk grabbed his radiation suit from the locker and slipped into it. There was no time to check its integrity. Ignoring Nathan he took off at a run into the Valley of Death. Nathan stopped struggling with the suit and watched him go. Hawk was right, this was no time for jealousy. The big mutant had a far better chance of saving his wife than he did.

A shuttle was sitting in the bay but the controls weren't working. He would have to run for it, as Hawk and Calli had. He could make it if he was quick enough and if the suit was in top shape. It was a good thing the pathway itself had been lined and the enclosure partially finished, but radiation still poured in from the unfinished sides and the dust that collected on the unfinished part of the path. With that partial protection Calli might still be alive and he might make it across.

Dejectedly he went back to work on the suit. He had to go after her. She would need him if she was alive. He stopped long enough to check on the prostrate guard. Good, he was alive, if unconscious. Jewell would take care of him. Nathan stood and swallowed several Rad-X , snapped the helmet into place, and adjusted the radio to the medical frequency.

"Jewel", he said. "I'm going after Calli."

"Yes, doctor", she replied. "Take care of her for us. I can handle this here."

" I know you can", he replied. "The guard here is injured, send someone for him. I'll let you know what's happening as soon as I can." Reaching the end of the protected tunnel into the Valley of Death, Nathan burst into a run.