Chapter Summary: More of the past comes to light.
Chapter Word Count: 5,514

Disclaimer Update: The World as Myth is an idea explored by Robert Heinlein in The Number of the Beast. It is only alluded to here. Romana and Romanadvoratrelundar belong to the BBC. No Time Lords or Ladies were harmed/used in the making of this chapter. Furlings and Goa'uld belong to whomever owns the Stargate properties.

"An interesting place," Miranda said, looking around the clearing at the small dwelling. It wasn't a style she was familiar with, with a wide porch surrounding it. She could only assume it was modeled on an early Clan design. She could detect a single being in the area, once she'd adjusted for the virtual aspect of the Clan learning pods.

"What are you?" a soft voice said, from a dark corner of the porch. "You are not a being I am familiar with."

"You can call me Miranda," Miranda said, slowly moving onto the porch. "I have been asked to speak with you by your Clan Council."

"Why?" the woman said, stepping out of the shade. "Have they sent an assassin? Are they employing the gods now?"

"I am not a god," Miranda said, "merely someone who has moved to another plain of existence. Your wellbeing is a concern of theirs."

"They do not know what to do with a Clan traitor such as myself," the woman said, quietly.

"They certainly have mixed feeling about you," Miranda said. "They are facing a war with an ancient enemy of the Clans and some would rather wait until afterward to decide your fate."

"Who endangers my Clan," the woman said, glaring fiercely at Miranda.

"The Sun Stealers of Kraal," Miranda said, "though they refer to them as the Bugs, for reasons that escape me."

"They are not very bug-like," the woman said, "but they destroy all in their wake. The last time we faced them we lost our beloved war leader, Ixchel. Mother still cried for her on Remembrance Day, many sun cycles after her loss."

"You knew this Ixchel?" Miranda asked, intrigued.

"She was the hearth father of my mother. Her descent into madness began then."

"So you remember her," Miranda stated.

"She was the first to show me the ways of the Clan hunters," the woman said. "To teach me to reach inside myself for the strength we all have."

"Please sit," Miranda said, changing form and creating a seat for herself.

"You are a god!" the woman said. "The gods could do such things."

"No," Miranda said. "Just more advanced. I was once as you, limited by my flesh. I was rescued and given this form."

"You have family," the woman said. "There is something about them that radiates from you."

"Yes, two daughters of the Wind Clan," Miranda said, "and my wife is of the fabled Winter Folk."

"The Winter Folk are a myth, a tale from before the Clans went to space," the woman said, her voice rising at her surprise.

"They exist, though they have been in hiding so long they don't remember their origins," Miranda said. "She is all things to me."

"I would meet her," the woman said.

"Now is not the time," Miranda said. "Now is the time to discuss your future."

"I have none," the woman said. "My Clan was destroyed by my folly. The new Clan Council sees little of value in my existence. They have kept me locked away in this not-place."

"The Clan learning pods," Miranda said. "They are a safe space for you. You are protected from outside dangers."

"It is still not a real place," the woman said. "I can feel time passing differently out in the real place."

"They are not aware of this," Miranda said. "They would not wish for you to suffer."

"It is not suffering," the woman said, "but it is confusing. I know there are things I should be doing but not here."

"What do you think that is?" Miranda asked.

"I have thought something is endangering the Clan but they have said nothing. And you have now told me it is true," the woman said. "I must join the fight against the Kraal."

Miranda paused, there'd been a change in energy levels while they were talking. The woman was becoming brighter at some mental level. Miranda cautiously stopped time and examined this energy. It was unlike anything she'd seen before, though with a faint resemblance to what had surrounded Lady Sophia when she communed with her gods. Restarting time, she came to a decision.

"I cannot free you," Miranda told her. "That is not my purview. But I can visit and we can talk. I may also bring others."

"I would like to meet your family," the woman said. "I find the idea of a living member of the Winter Folk intriguing."

"Later," Miranda said, repeating her earlier denial. "And now I must go."

"Please come again," the woman said. "For longer conversation."

"I suspect your name shall become important," Miranda said. "The name your mother gave you does not fall lightly off the tongue."

"You may call me Romana," the woman said. "It is not truly my name but the name of the woman my mother named me after, in her own language."

"I had wondered," Miranda said. "The name you were given is not a Clan name."

"No," Romana said. "It is a musical name but few can bring that out."

Nodding in agreement, Miranda stood up, dismissed her chair and orbed away, and out of the Pod environment, reappearing in the Council chamber.

"Back so soon?" Rachel asked, noticing her presence. "We were about to break for dinner."

"I shall not keep you long then," Miranda said. "I have a simple request."

"Go ahead," Brittany said.

"I would like to involve Ixchel in this evaluation of your Clan Mother," Miranda said. "I believe it may benefit both of them."

"We haven't allowed Ixchel into the pods yet," Brittany said. "It is not clear what effect they would have on her."

"She shall be safe," Miranda said. "I shall bring her with me."

"You have a way of entering the Pod environment without using the Pods?" Rachel asked.

"Yes," Miranda said. "It is just another energy level. I have spoken with your Mother and believe Ixchel's presence with be beneficial. Mother is familiar with the Clan member of that name from this universe."

"That's a coincidence," Quinn said, frowning. "Hopefully they were on good terms at the time."

"It appears so," Miranda said. "The term used was 'hearth father'."

"Really?" Rachel said, excitedly. "That was an ancient practice in the Clan. It was a parental role. Do we know if Ixchel had the same relationship in her home dimension?"

"We shall find out," Brittany said. "Do what you need to," she said to Miranda. "If we can rehabilitate both of them we shall come out far ahead."

Miranda nodded her thanks, and silently left, returning to Andrea's side.

"That was quick," Andrea said. "you've only been gone for five minutes."

Smirking, Miranda leaned into her and leisurely kissed her. "Time flows differently in different places. I have found a role for our little Ixchel to play."

"Really?" Andrea said. "She has been a bit mopey. What is it?"

"She shall help me with Mother," Miranda said. "Or Romana as she prefers to be called."

"Romana? Really?" Andrea said. "That name sounds familiar."

"It's possible you are thinking about a character in a certain English television show," Miranda said. "There are some similarities."

"Really? Do you think Romana, the Time Lady was a real person?" Andrea said. "I thought the show was science fiction, pure make believe."

"She claims to have been named after a friend of her own mother," Miranda said. "While it's possible that, somehow, this Romana was named after a real woman, a Time Lady, it could be just a coincidence."

"Or another one of those portal leaks?" Andre said. "There was a phrase to describe this, but I can't remember it. Something about fiction in one universe being real in another."

"Yes," Miranda said. "But it easily leads to confusion and headaches. Who creates whom, is one of the perennial issues of such a belief system. I prefer to believe it's a coincidence."

"Spoil my fun," Andrea said, pouting. "I'd like to believe that Mother's original Romana was really Romanadvoratrelundar."

"Believe what you wish," Miranda said. "We are unlikely to ever know the truth."

"How is Ixchel going to help with the problem of Romana?" Andrea said. "She's not exactly stable herself."

"Romana has fond memories of someone with that name," Miranda said. "It's possible it is even the same person."

"But Ixchel is from the Goa'uld universe," Andy said.

"They share some similarities," Miranda said. "If they are from the same point in Clan history it shall help both of them to meet."

"And the Council went along with this?" Andy said, surprised.

"The Council prefers to believe that everyone deserves a chance to prove themselves a valuable member," Miranda said. "Second or even third chances are not surprising. They see Romana as someone of immense value, if she can be successfully treated."

"And that is what you'll be doing while the girls and I continue on our collecting trip," Andy said, nodding to herself.

"Yes," Miranda said.

"Have you thought what you'll tell the girls? They are expecting you to be here," Andrea said.

"Just the truth. They'll understand," Miranda said. "We also need to discuss you."

"Me? What's there to discuss? Sure, you and Aunt Sue are keeping secrets from me, but what's new about that?" Andrea said, frowning at her wife.

"These secrets are not meant to harm," Miranda said, "but you are correct. Some things should not be kept secret."

"Like?"

"Who you really are," Miranda said.

"I'm Andrea Sachs-Priestly, Andy for short," Andy said. "That's as real as it gets."

"You are also, according to your Aunt Sue, a member of the Winter Folk," Miranda said, pronouncing it with a lilting accent.

"The what?" Andrea said.

"The Winter Folk are an ancient people who interacted with the Clans thousands of years ago, long before the Clans took to traveling in space."

"The Clans," Andrea said. "The Clans came from different planets in the same body of stars. Though, no one has ever explained why they are so interconnected and share so much genetics."

"The answer is the Winter Folk," Miranda said. "They traveled using some unknown means to all of the planets where the Clans lived. It is suspected that the Winter folk seeded the Clans among the stars, taking them from their original world."

"That's pretty detailed for a myth," Andrea said. "There are numerous stories about ancient aliens who populate the stars using humans stolen from Earth."

"The Goa'uld universe is a real example of where it happened on a large scale," Miranda said. "The Goa'uld took humans from Earth and scattered them across their universe. Though there were other ancient peoples who existed before then that built the Gates used by the Goa'uld."

"So, someone thinks these Winter Folk created the Clans?" Andrea said. "How likely is that?"

"It is speculation," Miranda said. "There is no proof, just ancient stories. The Lady Memory can show them to you if you wish."

"Speculation, but you and Aunt Sue are sure I'm one of these 'Winter Folk'?" Andrea asked. "How can you be so sure?"

"Your Aunt Sue showed me convincing proof," Miranda said. "Your family traces its lineage back several thousand years to a family of these Winter Folk who arrived on this planet long before the Clan."

"So my mother and father know this?" Andrea said. "Why didn't they say anything?"

"I do not believe they know," Miranda said.

"How can Aunt Sue know but my parents not?" Andrea asked.

"I can't answer that," Miranda said. "But we know there is something special about your genetic profile."

"Yeah, it's screwy," Andrea said. "I'm not Clan but I'm also not really human. Except I look human inside and out. How is that possible?"

"I cannot answer that," Miranda said, hugging her. "You'll have to ask your Aunt Sue. She has answers."

"But will she share them?" Andrea asked, leaning into Miranda's hug. "And will they be the answers to my questions?"

"That I also cannot answer," Miranda said. "Only your Aunt Sue can."

"Aunt Sue, Yada Yada," Andrea said, sounding frustrated.

"She does appear to have all the answers," Miranda said. "You should ask her."

"So, why bring Ixchel to meet Romana?" Andrea said, changing the subject after several minutes of silence from Miranda. "Why do you think they can help each other?"

"There was a Clan warrior with that name," Miranda said. "She was apparently a member of Romana's family, though i'm not clear on the exact relationship. Her death hit Romana's mother very hard and Romana believes that's when she started to go insane."

"So, really close, probably you and I close?" Andrea said.

Miranda nodded. "That appears to be the implication."

"The Serpent Clan has always had a high percentage of women in leadership roles. And according to Lady Memory, the gender makeup of the Clan has been heavily favored towards women for the last few millennia, so this isn't surprising." Andrea shrugged. "Not quite the fabled lesbian Amazons of Wonder Woman, but trending that way."

"Different Clans have different gender proportions," Miranda said.

"When do you have time for this?" Andrea asked.

"As I've said, time is flexible," Miranda said. "I need no sleep and have been filling my time learning about this Clan we have found ourselves in."

"Do you regret how deeply we are part of the craziness?" Andy asked. "I know you believe we need to be a part of this if only for the girls but what about you and I?"

"No regrets," Miranda said. "Other than being unable to save my staff when we crashed through that portal."

"You had no control over that," Andy said. "You were lucky you didn't die yourself."

"Some would consider ascending to be a similar thing. Although I am back in your life, I no longer have a life of my own." Miranda frowned. "I do not miss the paparazzi but I would like to be able to take you out to dinner on occasion."

"Have you talked with Brittny about this? She has an excellent head for twisting the rules. Maybe she can bring you back?" Andrea frowned in thought.

"Back from the dead?"

"Figuratively speaking," Andrea said. "Some kind of rescue? Maybe they found you living on some deserted island that had a hidden Clan research facility on it?"

"It has possibilities," Miranda said. "It wouldn't hurt to ask."

"And then you can take back Runway. It hasn't been the same since you disappeared."

"Emily has been doing a halfway decent job," Miranda said, "but she could use proper guidance."

"Halfway decent? High praise from the former Queen of Fashion," Andrea said.

"You want to do what?" Brittany asked, her voice echoing across the comm.

"Resurrect Miranda," Andrea said. "Bring her back officially."

"We aren't buying another magazine," Santana said, her voice sounding like she's sitting next to Brittany.

"I think that would be awesome," Rachel said. "We do have our own media company now. Fashion is the next step."

"We have a war to fight," Santana said. "We can't be involved in something like that."

"Why would we be involved?" Quinn asked, sounding breathless over the comm.

"Alien fashions?" Santana said. "You don't think a magazine like Runway is going to want us on the cover? Hot alien women? Thousands of model-ishious aliens?"

"While the idea is intriguing," Miranda said, "the current state of Runway would require a lot of work to bring it back up to previous standards."

"You can't fire Emily," Andrea said. "She went to your funeral!"

"Not the point," Santana said, before an argument could start. "Do we bring Lady Miranda back 'from the dead'?"

"Of course," Brittany said. "Never a question, it just has to be her decision."

"I think the hidden Clan base on a deserted island in the Bermuda Triangle angle would make for a great epic story," Rachel said.

"Except she disappeared in the Pacific," Quinn said. "Are there any Clan bases in the Pacific that we don't know about?"

"That island were they think they found Amelia Earhart's bones?" Andrea said. "That would make sense."

"And we can find Earhart's long lost diary also," Brittany said, laughing.

"Let's not go too far overboard," Santana said. "If Miranda survived, why didn't Earhart? And what about the other people on that plane?"

"Well, actually," Brittany said, "there actually is a small Clan base in the Pacific. It was used to study that portal to the Goa'uld universe."

"Is it still active?" Quinn said. "You hadn't mentioned it before."

"No, it went into stasis when the Red Pirates tried to destroy the Clan. I didn't see any reason to bring it back online."

"We can't bring back Miranda's missing staff, can we," Andrea said. "So, no Nigel?"

"No," Brittany said. "We can rescue someone, but truly back from the dead? Not possible."

"They didn't survive the trip through the portal," Miranda said. "That was the only explanation I was ever given."

"Could it have thrown them somewhere else?" Andrea asked hopefully.

"No, that portal, and all the others we've run into over the years, all went to one place. Sorry," Brittany said.

"So, we bring her back, and use that old base to do it," Quinn said, "but how? What's the excuse? Why were we even looking?"

"Simple," Brittany said. "We were investigating several old Clan research bases we'd found mentioned in recently discovered records, one in the Pacific, and one in the Antarctic, and found Miranda in the Pacific facility."

"In stasis," Santana said. "No offense Miranda but it's been a few years. We need a reason for you to not age."

"Of course," Miranda said. "And how did I end up in stasis?"

"We'll have to look at the base to come up with a valid reason," Brittany said.

"And how do we get Runway back?" Andrea asked. "You owned a large amount of stock in Elias-Clarke, and I've been slowly purchasing more, but it isn't a controlling interest yet."

"I'm sure we can buy enough stock to make it work," Brittany said. "Though we'll want to do it before you are 'rescued' or it will look suspicious."

"We aren't telling anyone that we own anything," Santana said. "Why would they care? Who knows we own that media holding company?"

"We told the US President, and the Queen," Brittany said. "A few other governments probably know also. It's hard to keep things like that secret."

"How do you get away with it?" Andrea asked.

"There aren't any rules against such things," Brittany said. "And they all operate as independent businesses. If we want to make use of their services, we pay them. Like with you."

"Actually, you don't pay me," Andrea said. "I still get paid by the Mirror."

"Well, we provide all of your equipment, and pay for your living quarters, among other things," Brittany said. "And we pay the accountants who do your taxes. On top of that, we compensate the Mirror for your time. You would have been an editor by now if you hadn't come to work with us, so we covered the difference so they could hire a full time editor in your place."

"That must cost you a lot," Andrea said.

"Worth every penny," Rachel said. "You fill a big hole in our plans."

"And we're astronomically rich," Brittany said. "Between the patents we license, and the valuable metals we get from mining the asteroid belt, it's a drop in the bucket."

"Do you pay any of your people?" Miranda asked.

"Clan? No," Brittany said. "They have access to all Clan resources, depending on position. And they get spending money, if they want to purchase something we can't get them ourselves."

"An allowance?" Miranda said.

"More or less," Quinn said. "We just don't have a culture that places an emphasis on wealth."

"They are aliens," Andrea said to Miranda. "Different culture. Different rules."

"It's an interesting approach," Miranda said. "I don't think Runway could be run that way. As much as the staff is dedicated to producing an outstanding magazine, they could not do it for free."

"We don't interfere in management decisions for properties we've acquired," Rachel said.

"Well, there is NASA," Santana said. "We took that apart and remade it. More efficient. Safer."

"But that was different," Brittany said. "They needed a tech upgrade, and the US government outsourced them to us. But we do pay them, so they definitely don't work for free."

"You own NASA?" Miranda said, raising an eyebrow at that pronouncement.

"Congress wanted to shut it down, since we can do everything cheaper. So we made them an offer and they accepted. We own the civilian facilities, and employ all of the engineers and non-military staff," Brittany said. "It's been slow progress molding them into something we could use, but they are getting there."

"We didn't get the military facilities," Santana said. "And other countries haven't done the same thing. Or have shut down their own space efforts completely."

"The Chinese are still doing their own thing," Brittany said. "We've sold them some useful space tech but they plan to have their own space station and go to the moon on their own. The Japanese shut down their Solomon Islands launch facility."

"But we're looking into hiring some of their staff," Santana said. "Some original ideas were coming out of there until they shut it down."

"We didn't originally intend to be swallowing up all these things," Brittany said. "It just started happening."

"And happening," Santana said.

"And no one has objected?" Miranda asked. "You are basically controlling all of the non-commercial planet based space activities."

"They don't seem to have noticed," Rachel said. "The public, that is. The governments are happy to take the money they were spending on civilian space ventures and spend it on other things."

"Military," Quinn said. "They are trying to secretly develop the same kind of hard suit tech. But they aren't going to get very far without our help."

"If we had more time, we would give them a boost, but by the time they were ready we'd have either defeated the Bugs or failed," Brittany said.

"You aren't willing to give them your current tech?" Miranda asked.

"No," Santana said. "For our own reasons."

"We will gradually boost Terran tech to our level," Brittany said. "But it will take centuries to do it correctly. We want a healthy civilization in this sector. A sudden boost may help us in our battle with the Bugs but the resulting mess would destroy the viability of this civilization."

"So, you are willing to be at a disadvantage in your war in order to have a better future?"

"Yes, Lady Miranda," Rachel said. "We won't sacrifice our planet or the Clan for short term gains. And it's still our planet, even though we are Clan."

"Noble," Miranda said. "I can see why Andrea is on your side."

"They are good people," Andrea said. "But still alien."

"Born and bred in Ohio," Rachel said. "Some of us anyway."

"So, let's get this show on the road," Santana said. "That base needs to be examined, and everything prepared."

"Andy, it would be helpful if you mentioned in your column for the Mirror that we are investigating a number of formerly unknown Clan facilities, and you've been invited along. Once we've checked them for traps, of course."

"Can do," Andy said. "I'm assuming you'll bring me in when you are ready. I need to get back out there. Our recording crew is starting to scan Rome tonight."

"Rome?" Brittany asked. "How long will it take?"

"It's very dense. Both in cultural artifacts and history," Andy said. "We'll be there for months."

"Do we need to negotiate access to any locations?" Rachel said. "We do have a good working relationship with the Vatican."

"I was able to swing access to hard to get to places through my own sources," Andy said. "Though we did have to promise copies of all of the recordings."

"And tech to view them?" Brittany asked. "We haven't released anything that would allow them being viewed."

"They know that. They've requested the tech, when it does become available," Andy said.

"Your source wouldn't be Coach, would it?" Quinn said. "She knows people in some of the most unexpected places."

"Yes," Andrea said. "Should I have cleared that with the Council?"

"Coach speaks for the Council," Santana said. "She would be on the Council if we could convince the Confederation. Stupid rules about Clan Council membership," she grumbled.

"Lady Sylvester is a valuable asset," Miranda said. "I find her lack of ambition puzzling."

"Aunt Sue is very ambitious," Andy said. "But her priorities often seem so alien, no offense."

"Coach's ambition is not to rule, but to make the world a better place," Quinn said. "She just has different methods."

"Her methods line up with ours," Brittany said.

"Well, she practically created the three of you," Rachel said. "She took three talented and ambitious girls and made them into the kind of women the Confederation was looking for to rebuild the Serpent Clan."

"That doesn't explain you," Miranda said to her.

"There are many layers to this swirling mass of plans," Sue's voice said, joining them over the command comm. "The Serpent Clan is working towards saving this entire sector from the ancient Clan enemy and deserve all of the support we can give them. The Winter Folk, also known as the Furlings, also have their part to play. They have a vested interest in the survival of the Clans."

"What do you know of the Furlings?" Miranda asked. "They are a part of the mythology of the Goa'uld universe though none had ever seen them. The so called Fifth Race."

"The Winter Folk are credited with creating the Clans," Rachel said. "Most stories of them are unbelievable, more ancient legend than reality. How did you learn of them, Coach?"

"Years ago, while on an op in East Germany, my team rescued a family from the GDR. A family with amazing abilities. We took a vow to protect their secrets," Sue said. "It is time to reveal this to the Clan leadership."

"And that is how you became aware of Andrea's heritage?" Miranda said. "And became an honorary aunt?"

"Andy?" Brittany said. "She's one of the Winter Folk? One of the ancient founders of the Clans?"

"I was told only recently," Andy said. "I have no idea what it means."

"It explains why you are able to wear our hard suits and use our tech. The foundation and source of much of our tech is believed to have been created by the Winter Folk. There's a special mode that is designed for the Winter Folk," Brittany said.

"Why didn't you notice this before?" Andy said.

"There is special programming in our tech, that it wouldn't work without," Brittany said. "It wasn't clear where it came from or its purpose, it's really subtle. But this partially explains it. It's keyed off of your genetics."

"So you think I can do other things?" Andy said.

"Unknown," Brittany said. "You may just be able to operate at the same level as Clan, which we've already seen. Or you may have another level that we have yet to see."

"A level-up?" Andy said, giggling. "Do I become a Super-Sayan?"

"We don't have those kinds of powers in the Clans," Rachel said. "Clan genetics give us extended abilities from humans but nothing like that."

"The Furlings do have special abilities," Sue said. "Andy's parents used them to rescue my team, putting us in their debt. But they require special training and there is no one to provide that training at this time."

"Not even my parents?" Andy said.

"You may wish to speak with them about it but they don't recall the training. They were stranded on this world years ago, before coming to the attention of the East German government. They declined to explain what brought them to this world," Sue said. "But they were unable to leave."

"Do they approve of my involvement with the Clans?" Andy asked. "They've never said anything."

"They don't know the extent of your involvement," Sue said. "They may be friends of the Clans but the Council has not cleared them for this knowledge."

"We shall have to investigate," Brittany said. "Sorry Andy, but we have procedures for such things."

"Understood," Andy said. "Friends of the Clans doesn't mean they'll be okay with what you are doing."

"They are honorable people," Sue said. "But caution is wise."

"Coach, if you know anything about the Winter Folk, I would appreciate it if you could share," Rachel said. "Clan records concerning them are rare and often incomprehensible."

"That would best be gotten from Andrea's parents, once they have been read in," Sue said.

"And you have no siblings," Brittany said. "So it's just your parents we need to contact."

"Okay, enough of that," Santana said. "What about Operation 'Miranda Reveal'?"

"Two weeks?" Brittany said. "Miranda, can you become available then? It will mean you have less freedom for other things."

"Time is very fluid," Miranda said. "I will still be able to work with Romana and Ixchel."

"Romana?" Rachel asked.

"Your Clan Mother," Miranda said. "Has she not told you her name?"

"We have a string of unpronounceable letters," Rachel said. "She has yet to tell us how to speak them."

"She's named after Romana, from the old British show about an alien time traveller," Andy said.

"That is speculation," Miranda said, at Brittany's puzzled look. "It may well be a coincidence."

"I prefer to believe there is a connection," Andrea said. "With all of the portals that you keep finding, why not? A Time Lady could have wandered through this part of the Galaxy when the Clan first settled here."

"Interesting idea, though I don't believe there are any time travelers in the Confederation. They would have been detected long ago," Brittany said. "But it doesn't really matter. Calling her 'Mother' puts her on a pedestal."

"A pedestal she doesn't want to be on," Miranda said. "The woman believes she is a failure and is simply waiting to be executed for her crimes."

"We don't do things like that," Quinn said. "Especially not to Clan, however badly they might have behaved. Clan life is sacred."

"She does not see it that way," Miranda said. "But hopefully she can be convinced otherwise."

"I would like to meet her," Andrea said. "She sounds fascinating. And how you treat her reveals a lot about your culture."

"We will leave that up to Miranda," Brittany said. "If Miranda believes it is safe for you to meet her, then we will not object."

"She does have some psychic ability," Miranda said. "It is not clear to me yet what that is, but she registers as someone with access to a kind of almost divine power. Much like Sophia."

"Divine power?" Andy asked. "Like a god?"

"It isn't clear," Miranda said, again. "I can sense something around her at times, but not its source."

"My cousin Sophia, as the Clan Weaver, has the ability to contact our gods, though she says they don't really answer her, so much as inspire understanding."

"Has she said anything about what they think of all this?" Andy said, waving vaguely at the Council.

"They aren't the kinds of goddesses who directly interfere in our lives, other than making us aware of their favor," Rachel said. "In the long history of the Clan they've mostly acted through the Council's Weaver."

"Well, at least you know they care," Andy said. "Do the other Clans have real Gods?"

"It's not something we talk about with outsiders," Brittany said. "Every Clan has some connection to the mystical plane but how it works is a closely guarded secret."

"Oh," Andy said, sounding disappointed. "So, no chance to interview them?"

"For your column?" Brittany said. "No, but I'm sure Sophia would be happy to give you an overview, and there's always the Fox Clan and their gods if you want to learn about the clan gods."

"Fox Clan? Who are they?" Andy asked.

"Not one of the original Clans," Quinn said dismissively.

"They have their place," Brittany said.

"You've been in contact with them?" Santana asked. "Aren't they too busy hiding away from Clan tech in their temple and little villages?"

"I thought we were going to leave them alone?" Rachel asked. "Do they even know we know where they are?"

"Not yet," Brittany said. "But I had a 'chat' with their Fox god, and have plans for some of them, with his approval."

"That's dangerous, babe," Santana said. "Remember what they say about the gods."

"Don't interfere in the affairs of the gods for they are quick to anger?" Brittany said, winking at her.

"No, that's wizards," Andy said.

"Works for the gods also," Santana said. "I hope you know what you're doing there, Brit."

"It's all under control," Brittany said. "Another cog in the plan."