Agents of T.E.M.P.U.S.
Important Author's Note:
Many years ago, I published both a series of stories for W.I.T.C.H. and also a series of stories for Final Fantasy Seven. Both of those series, in themselves, were completed. I then began a crossover series for the two, but real life intervened and it remains unfinished. (I do hope to complete it someday, still.) This story is something different: It still follows my first Final Fantasy Seven story, Courage to Change the Things You Can, but ignores Tseng's portions of chapter thirty five and splits off near the end, midway through chapter thirty six.
This story is episodic, and has no set end point, but will generally follow what TV Tropes calls the 'Half Season Arc' format. The only Final Fantasy Seven character to play a major role, at least a first, is Aeris (Along with my OC Christian) but other characters will return and become more important as things progress. This is kind of a High-school A.U. and kind of a multi-property crossover. Major pairings include Aeris/OC, Cloud/Tifa, Vincent/Yuffie, and eventually Sephiroth/OC2.
Note that the prologue borrows heavily from Courage, chapter thirty-six.
Episode One
Prologue
Gaia 787: (Multiverse Coordinates 5548 x 320 x 11294)
The Forgotten City
June 7, Shinra Year 0008
Sephiroth descended from on high like the madman he was, taking aim at the helpless flowergirl below. This would be his, Jenova's, greatest triumph. With the last of the Cetra dead and gone, nothing could stop his Mother's will to finally destroy this wretched planet that had resisted her for so long. They would take the power freed in Gaia's death throws and travel together to a new world, ripe for destruction. And then another, and another, and another. The Great Culling would never end, until there was nothing left alive anywhere in all the vile Maker's great creation. And entropy would reign supreme, with Sephiroth as the God of Death over it all. "And just one little girl stands between me and-"
The madman's thoughts were cut off as a heavy weight impacted his body from the side. "What in Hell!?" He roared as he looked to see the flower girl's mysterious lover, Christian, he thought the boy's name was, who had apparently jumped from one of the pillars and was now trying to deflect Masamune's aim away from the girl below. Sephiroth was enraged: Ordinarily slaying this one too would be the work of a moment, no harder than crushing an ant. But with Cloud and the others below, he dared not miss his mark on the first try. And this puny little bug was pushing harder and harder against the sword, using leverage wisely, actually managing to deflect the tip of the blade, even if only by an inch. Then two.
When the deflection reached three inches, and there was less than ten seconds to go, Sephiroth realized he would have to take the chance. He drew all his strength, and swung his sword about in a full circle. The foolish boy was cut, deep, across the chest and Sephiroth bought the blade back on target. But the nuisance must have had Barrier active, because he was still in the game, grabbing Masamune's tip with both hands, somehow ignoring the nasty cuts to himself as he pushed, an inch off of target again, two... three.
They struck the ground together, Masamune slicing through the flower girl, yes, but not where Sephiroth had meant for it to. Still, a killing blow was a killing blow. He raised his hands high, gloating over his victory, swooning to the music of Christian's cries as he held the girl in his arms, laughing and laughing, mocking the puppet's demands to know why. But he had places to be. The Reunion was coming, after all. So leaving the weaklings with the parting gift of another battle with Mother, Sephiroth flew away, and off to the north, as Avalanche's second battle with Jenova was joined.
And so it was that with Sephiroth gone, and Avalanche and Jenova distracted with each other, no one was watching to notice when both Christian and Aeris simply vanished, in a flash of light, leaving behind naught but a pool of blood.
XXXXX
Jenova wailed in torment as Barrett's gun-arm struck the final blow. The creature was still crying out, and melting away, but no one stayed to watch, instead rushing to the place where Aeris had fallen. "But... Where...?" Yuffie whispered.
"Did Christian carry her somewhere?" Cait suggested.
Vincent shook his head. "Impossible. You was how he was wounded badly too. And besides that..."
"Besides that, there would be a blood trail." Red finished.
"But... Then where...?" Yuffie persisted.
Barrett looked around angrily. "I'm gonna be real calm-like..." He whispered, and then shouted "What Da Hell Just Happened!?"
"I don't know." Tifa whispered. "Cloud?"
"Yeah Cloud! Let's talk about you almost doin' the job for him!" Barrett exclaimed.
"Hold." Vincent said. "Let's focus on what's most important first and discuss this rationally... For example, what Christian did. He was up there, waiting, almost as if knew what was going to happen. And Aeris, the two of them have been acting oddly for some time. And, need I point out, they've been wearing wedding bands since our last night at the Gold Saucer."
This last caused a minor uproar, but Red said "Yes, I was aware of the marriage. I promised to let them tell you in their own time. As for the rest of it though... Christian has always acted a bit unusual. Aeris began doing so, a bit more, after our visit to Cosmo Canyon."
Tifa said "Let's stay on focus though... Where did they go?"
It was Yuffie who broke several seconds of silence, to say "Well... It wouldn't explain Christian but... We all saw how bad Aer's wound was... Maybe she died, and her body was absorbed into the Planet? I mean, that's not how it normally works, but she's half Cetra, it could be different for them."
"A valid hypothesis." Red nodded.
Cloud shook his head. "Whatever the case... Look, everyone. I know there's something wrong with me. I should quit this journey, get away from all of you. But I can't. Sephiroth is my problem, and I have to stop him. He went north. Let's leave one of Aeris' old staffs here. If she's really gone it's a gravemarker, and if she's alive somehow it's here to use.
Thus did Avalanche continue on their way, unaware of what had happened to their friends, but still on track for everything that lay ahead. Just as Minerva had intended...
Chapter One
Earth 1102 (Multiverse Coordinates 4904 x 912 x 5620)
Just west of Indianapolis
June 7, A.D. 1992
It was the tail end a beautiful early summer day. The sun was just dipping below the horizon, and all across the neighborhood kids and teens were reveling in the beginning of summer vacation, friends and families were visiting, and husbands and fathers were tending backyard grills. In one particular backyard, we find a family of three, the Ransoms, forty year old Beth, Forty two year old Carol, and their sixteen year old son Christian, along with two of Christian's friends, Daniel and Sam. While Carl worked the grill, Beth and the boys were carrying other cookout supplies from the house. Daniel was razzing his younger brother Sam over the latter's newest girlfriend, pointing out that Sam was her tenth 'boyfriend' in less than a year, an argument Christian was doing his best to not take sides on.
Off in the distance, but getting louder, Beth heard the sounds of an emergency siren. "Oh, I hope that's nothing too bad." She said
From his place at the grill, Carl replied "This time of year? Some dope probably dumped a whole bottle of starter fluid on a grill and blew themselves to kingdom come!"
"Maybe, but we can be... What in the world?" Beth said as she saw the flashing of red and blue lights, stopping directly in front of their home.
As everyone watched, two ambulances parked and paramedics rushed from both, carrying stretchers towards the backyard. "Where are the injured!?" An E.M.T. demanded.
"There's no one injured here!" Beth answered.
"Ma'am, we have a call of two severely injured people at this address."
Beth shook her head. "Boys! Did one of you make a crank call!?"
"No way Missus Ransom!" Sam said. "You know we don't do that kind of thing!"
"And besides," Christian started to add, "We've been out here or in your sight the entire-"
It happened suddenly. Before everyone in view, there was a blinding flash of light, mostly white but with hints of blue and green as well. And when the light faded, Christian was unconscious on the ground, next to a brown haired girl no one recognized, also laying on the ground, both of them covered in blood. Beth screamed at the sight of her injured son, while the medics, professionals even in such bizarre circumstances, went to work. Both were carefully transferred to stretchers and loaded on the ambulances for transport.
"What is going on!?" Beth demanded, but no one had any answers, save for one paramedic who said "Ma'am we'll know more once we get them to the hospital." Then the emergency vehicles were gone, and Christian's parents and friends followed close behind.
XXXXX
They arrived at the hospital just minutes after the ambulances. The Emergency Room was in bedlam over the bizarre case, with doctors and nurses running here and there attempting to treat their new patients, but not certain how much good they would be able to do. Family and friends were, of course, required to stay in the waiting room. After an hour, they were approached, not by a doctor or nurse, but one of the paramedics. "You said you didn't know the girl?"
"No, we've never seen her before in our lives." Carl answered. He looked to Dan and Sam who confirmed they didn't recognize her either.
"Well, I'm sure you'll hear from the Doctor soon, they're both doing better than could be expected, especially the girl who was hurt much worse. As in, I'm not sure how she made it. But, what I wanted to tell you about... Something weird happened..."
"Something weird happened in front of all of us." Dan snarked.
"Well yeah, that too, but... When we first got to them, you'll remember they were laying on the ground next to each other. The initial test of their vitals was, well, not good, but better that expected. When they were loaded into the vans for transport, they both started doing worse. Then it got better again when they were bought into E.R. and were right next to each other. Every time they're apart, they get worse, together, better. No one understands it, but we're breaking normal policy and keeping them in the same room."
Just then, a doctor finally came to them as well. "I see you've been filled in."
"Just the basics." Beth replied. "Doctor what happened?"
"Well, your son has a nasty gash across his chest, and severe cuts on the palms of both hands. That's basically it for his wounds, and we're not even sure why he's unconscious. The girl is a different matter. She only has a single wound, but it's far worse. It looks like something literally ran her through from back to front. She was, I suppose, also lucky: You see, there's really just one path an object of the size this must have been can take through a body without hitting anything vital. This missed her heart by one inch, and a major artery by a half inch the other way. And even with that, it's amazing she didn't bleed out before we could get to her." The Doctor shook his head. "And you say this didn't happen until after the paramedics were on-scene?"
"We don't get it either, but no. Christian was fine, there was this bright flash, and boom, this." Carl explained.
The Doctor shook his head again. "You know, I've never been one to put much faith in miracles, even though I do think there must be a god. But something like this..."
"Can we see them?" Beth asked.
"Of course. This way." He led them through the hospital, and to a room in the Intensive Care Unit. As the paramedic had said, both Christian and the girl were there, the beds pushed together, and the first thing Beth noticed was that though neither had woke up, their hands were clasped together.
"They did that themselves." A nurse explained.
"We need answers. How long until they're awake?" Carl asked.
The Doctor answered "I'm sorry, but I can give you no clear answers here. None of this makes sense." He sighed. "I've gotta check on a couple of other patients. You're free to stay as long as you like, and I'll be back as soon as I can." He started for the door then stopped and added "By the way, the police will, of course, want to speak with you. Considering how many paramedics saw this happen, I can't imagine they suspect you of anything, but rules are rules."
"We understand doctor, thank you." Beth said, and looked back at the beds. What in the world had happened?
Chapter Two
It was morning, just past sunrise, when Beth and Carl, along with Dan and Sam, were escorted from the I.C.U. to a meeting room on the first floor, where a pair of plainclothes police detectives were waiting for them. One of the officers read the Miranda rights, then introduced himself as Detective Smithson and said "So, we've already spoken with the first responders. And all of them tell us the same story: That the saw your son, fine, followed by a flash of light and then the situation he and the unidentified girl were in. We're suspicious of this story since it's our job, but we also believe it since no one would tell such a fantastic and unbelievable lie. So, you can relax, there's nothing coming back on you."
"Then why are we here instead of up there with our son!?" Beth demanded.
The second detective, who called herself Kira, explained "Because ma'am, we still have an investigation to do. You were there. Can you tell us anything more about what happened? Anything the paramedics, being further away than you, might have missed?"
Carl said "I was actually the closest. And I didn't see a thing. The light... It was blinding, like staring at the sun. Didn't hear anything either."
"I see... That's unfortunate, in all likelihood we'll never be able to crack this case without any leads." Kira said.
Beth was in tears. "So that's it? This strange thing happens to my son and no one has any answers!?"
A new voice spoke, seemingly coming from everywhere at once: "I have the answers you seek."
"Who!?" Carl exclaimed as everyone jumped to their feet, the detectives with weapons ready.
"Sheave your weapons." The voice said, "They will have no effect on me." And then, appearing as if walking through a solid wall, came a woman. She was tall, beautiful and regal, dressed in golden armor with a gold tiara on her brow. "My name is Minerva. I am the Oyarsa, the guardian protector, of a world called Gaia. And I fear that I am at least partially responsible for your son's current circumstances...
XXXXX
"So let me see if I've got this right..." Beth said. It was an hour later, and Minerva had finally finished her tale. "Other worlds exist. Sometimes, people in one world will get impressions of things that happen in other worlds, and make what they think is fiction based off of them. Sometime in the future, my son was approached to go into another world, your world, because he knew something that was going to happen there and needed to be prevented or a lot of worlds would die. And now you've sent him, and the girl he fell in love with and married, back to our world but as teenagers..."
"You have the gist of it."
"Well then I've-" Beth started to shout, but was restrained.
"We've all got questions." Detective Smithson said. "Like, If you're so powerful, why'd you need him to go to your world in the first place?"
"And why send them here, instead of to the time you took him from?" Dan asked.
Carl added "And why not just heal them yourself?"
"All valid queries." Minerva admitted. "There is a reason for sending them to this time, a reason which I will explain in further detail once they are awake and able to hear it. As for the rest... Remember, the Creator values free will. He wishes for you to do good, but more importantly for you to choose to do good, on your own. Therefore, my authority to directly intervene is limited. That is why I could not just snuff Sephiroth and Jenova out on my own. That is why I could not prevent their injuries in the first place, though for that it is best, in the long run, that they were injured, since if Sephiroth had known Aeris yet lives he would have pressed his attack and all would be lost. And as for not curing them myself, not entirely no, but I have done what I could. They will recover in weeks instead of the months or more it would have taken otherwise."
"Um, I have a question." Sam asked, raising his hand.
Dan batted the hand down. "We're not in school goofus."
"Ask your question." Minerva said with the faintest hint of a smile.
"Well, if that's thirty year old Christian up there in the bed, then where's the mind of the sixteen year old Christian we know?"
Everyone else in the room looked horrified at the implications, but Minerva reassured them "Time is complex. He lived out his life as normal to become the man he is now."
"Is this one of those 'Our puny human minds can't conceive of the truth' kind of deals?" Sam asked.
This time Minerva did smile. "I wasn't going to phrase it that insultingly, but basically yes."
"Why Christian?" Carl asked. "I mean, if this game he knew was so popular there must have been thousands or millions of other people to choose from..."
"Indeed there were. But most already had families of their own, or were already happy. He wanted for a purpose, and, frankly, Aeris was lonely too, and the two of them were right for each other. I believe the Earth expression is 'Two birds, One stone." As Minerva finished saying this, her head turned and she seemed to be looking at something no one else could see. "I am needed on Gaia. I will return once they are both on the road to recovery, but for now, please, keep them safe and together." And with that she was gone...
Chapter Three
It was, as one should expect given the lesser severity of his wounds, Christian who woke first. He looked around the hospital room, seeing Aeris next to him, breathing a sigh of relief at the monitors that confirmed she was alive and stable, then turned to examine the rest of the room and locked eyes with his mother. "Okay this is surreal." He whispered, thinking he was seeing a spirit as she had passed on in his own time.
"I think we're all feeling that way." Beth replied. "But I'm glad to see you awake. I guess that Minerva was telling the truth about you healing faster than normal.
"You met Minerva!?" Christian exclaimed, as he started to sit up in a bolt and regretted it. "Ow... But yeah of course you've seen Minerva, most spirits probably have..."
"Spirits?"
"Well you... um, passed... About a year ago..."
"And there's knowledge I didn't want." Beth said. "Thirteen years to go." At Christian's confused expression she decided to let him off the hook. "Chris... I'm not a ghost. You're back in time, to when you're sixteen. And I mean that literally, you, physically, are sixteen again, and she looks about sixteen too."
Christian looked at Aeris again. It was hard to tell in the dim light, but she did look younger. "Why...?"
"Minerva's supposed to tell us when you're both back on your feet." Beth said.
To the surprise of mother and son, a weak voice said "Then we'd better hurry up huh?"
"Aer!?"
"I'm here love... Barely, but I'm here..."
"Are you in pain? Do you need anything?"
Christian felt her hand squeeze his. "Weak. Tired. But no pain... Minerva's healing boost probably, you know, like how cure spells ease pain too? And I have what I need right here next to me."
Christian squeezed back. "So do I. Aeris, I'm so sorry I wasn't stronger. I-"
"Dilley-dalley shilley-shalley..." Aeris answered. "None of that. You saved me. You saved me and we're still together. Nothing else matters. Besides..."
"Yes?"
Aeris was quiet for a time, and Christian wondered if she had fallen back asleep. But she was just gathering strength before saying "I knew, beforehand, that I would still be hurt. Ganthet and Minerva told me... Said you couldn't know or it wouldn't work... And I'd die..."
Before Christian could ask when Aeris had been told of this, the doors opened and a doctor and several nurses poured into the room, examining their now alert patients. While the doctors worked, Beth excused herself, promising to call Dan and Sam and to return with Carl. What followed was an exhausting thirty minutes of tests which confirmed that neither patient had suffered any detectable brain damage from blood loss. "We were most worried about you young lady." The doctor said. "Your blood type doesn't match anything on file, it's so different we were wary of even giving you type O though it seems to have worked out."
"I have an unusual heritage."
"Oh? I'd like to know more about it." The doctor said, but then he looked and saw that both of his patients had nodded off once again.
XXXXX
It was almost another twenty four hours before Aeris and Christian woke again, and again within seconds of each other. They found the hospital room full, with not only Beth, Carl, Dan, and Sam, but also the two detectives who had spoken with the family before, and one of the paramedics who had taken them in. This last stayed only a moment, and for a good reason: "I'm sorry miss," he said to Aeris after her bed had been adjusted to a more upright position, "but when we had you in the ambulance we found something in your hands and with all the excitement we forgot to return it. I think this is yours." He handed over a silvery white faintly glowing orb.
"The White Materia!" Aeris gasped softly. "I though I dropped it!"
"You were clinging to it for dear life." The paramedic explained. "Anyway, I'll get out now." He turned to leave but Aeris called after him in the most enthusiastic 'thank you!' she could manage in her current condition.
Once he was gone, Christian asked "So... You all have the look of people expecting to hear a story. So what exactly did Minerva tell you?"
"Just the basics, I think." Detective Kira said. "That you were sent to another world to do something very important, and that she sent you and Aeris to this time and place for a reason she'll explain later."
"Wow." Aeris giggled. "It sounds like she left pretty much the entire story for us to cover. Then again, I suppose it is our story so..."
"Yeah." Christian agreed. He looked around the room, briefly meeting everyone's eyes. "Get comfortable..." He said, "This will take awhile..."
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Over the next four hours (With an interruption for lunch and the doctor's check-in) Christian and Aeris told their entire story. Their lives before things started, the plot of the game which represented the unaltered timeline, and how Christian had changed things after arriving on Gaia. There were gasps and mutters of shock and surprise at many points, but after what they had seen no one questioned the veracity of the account.
"And here we are." Christian finished. "And I have no idea what to do about it."
"Do about it? Kira asked.
Before Christian could reply, Dan said "I think I see where he's going with this... They're both used to being adults. They're married for crying out loud! And now everyone will expect them to act like teenagers."
"Got it in one." Christian confirmed.
"That is tricky." Carl agreed. "Maybe Minerva has something in mind?"
"I hope so." Christian sighed.
Aeris asked "Will it really be so bad?"
Christian looked her in the eyes. "Love, it's not the same here as on Gaia. Physically, we're too young to be legally married here, for one thing. We'd never hear the end of it if word got out that we were living under the same roof at, apparently, sixteen... Oh God, they'll expect us to go to school!"
"But, we're still adults in our minds." Aeris said. "I don't feel like a teenager again."
Kira said "No, he's right, that part won't matter. All they'll see is sixteen year old bodies." She then added "Not that we, knowing all this, will give you any problems. But you don't want the higher authorities to know the truth. It could go badly for you."
Christian nodded. "The authorities here aren't nearly as bad as Shinra. But I'd still be very, very wary of them in this case."
"So what are they to do?" Beth wondered.
"We play along." Aeris said. "It's all we can do. We play along, pretending to be normal sixteen year olds, saying we're dating instead of married, hiding that we live together, that kind of thing." She looked at Carl and Beth. "All assuming, of course, that there's room for me."
"As hard as this will be to get used to, you are our daughter in law. We'll figure it out." Carl answered. Aeris smiled in thanks.
"But there's still a problem." Christian said. "How do we get Aeris, who has no records, into the system so she doesn't set off red flags all over the place?"
Detective Smithson, who had been quiet until now, said "I might know a guy who knows a guy..."
Chapter Four
Three days passed. Aided by whatever healing power Minerva had worked, Aeris and Christian continued to improve, though the doctors refused to let Aeris out of her bed yet. "Even at the rate you're improving, we want ten days." They said. Not that this stopped them from starting what physical therapy was possible, trying to keep muscles from deteriorating.
On day five the staff yielded, slightly, to their patient's stubborn streak and allowed her into a wheelchair. Christian, who was back on his feet by this point, was drafted as chauffeur and the couple had soon been back and forth over every inch of the building's public halls.
Day eight was the first time the couple had been alone for a meal. As they ate dinner together, they joked and laughed and watched a terrible movie on cable, but Christian could tell something was bothering Aeris and asked about it. She pulled the White Materia from her bow. "How is this here?" She asked. "Doesn't it need to be on Gaia, for Holy to activate?"
"That is a worry." Christian agreed.
"Can you imagine... If we've done all this, suffered all this pain, for nothing?"
"Try not to worry. Surely, Minerva would have sensed-"
"I would indeed." They looked to see Minerva descending into their shared room through the roof. "Fear not. The White Materia was needed to activate Holy's spell matrix. As that is now done, it can be safely taken anywhere you wish."
Aeris let out a sigh of relief. "In that case, thank you for sending it with me. And... I hope you'll forgive me for not bowing."
"It is excusable under the circumstances."
"In that case, can we get around to the real question?" Christian asked. "He motioned to his own body, then all around the room and said "What gives?"
"Ahh yes. You always are to the point." Minerva said, then explained "What you set out to do has been successful. Avalanche will defeat Sephiroth, while Jenova, sensing that a Cetra yet lives, will abandon Gaia rather than face Holy with the certain knowledge that it would just be used again in the future. But her method of traversing from one world to another is highly inefficient and uncontrollable. Ganthet, watching the timelines, has not been able to determine exactly where and when Jenova will appear next. But, he has narrowed it down, to twenty-four worlds."
"Of which, this is one." Aeris guessed.
"Correct. If Jenova appears here, it will be in a twelve year window, the earliest opening of which is in three months."
"And that's why you sent us back in time..."
"Again, correct. The other twenty-three worlds already have free magic. I have spoken with their Oyarsa's already, and they will have people watching. But we needed someone with magic to keep watch here." Minerva explained.
"I'm willing to do that. It's my world after all. But how can we watch the entire world?" Christian wondered. "Will my Planet speak with Aer, warn her?"
Aeris said "Um... About that... I've already tried communing with this planet and... Sorry sweetie, but your planet is kind of a jerk. I don't expect to get much out of it."
Minerva said "Fear not. I bring gifts. In Christian's room at his parent's home, you will find the satchels you carried in Gaia, with all of your supplies intact. You will also find other useful articles, including new weapons, and a specially augmented Libra Materia. Aeris will be able to use this materia to scan the entire world, once a day, I recommend, for any Jenova cells. The materia will be able to detect even a single cell. And if such is found, I have also provided a Transit Materia, which will allow you to return to Gaia and sound the alarm."
"So all we do is run a security scan once a day?" Christian asked.
"Surely there's more to do than that!" Aeris agreed.
"There may well be." Minerva said. "But for now, heal, recover, start the scans in, perhaps, two months just to be safe. And live the normal lives that, to varying degrees, neither of you got to have the first time around. And with those words, Minerva vanished.
Christian and Aeris sat in silence for several minutes, pondering Minerva's words. Finally Aeris said "Enjoy our lives. She's right there. I understand you don't like the idea of going back to school, but I never got to go. What with Shinra and everything, I'd have been nabbed the first day."
"How did you...?"
"Homeschooling. Self taught, as best I could. If nothing else, Mom could get books from secondhand stores and such. Either way, this is just a new adventure to me."
"I guess it would be." Christian admitted. "But, we've got just a couple of months to teach you a lot of things if you don't wanna raise people's suspicions."
"I might be able to help with that!" Aeris looked to see Detective Smithson standing at the door. He entered and closed the door behind him. "Remember what I said the other day?"
"You 'know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy.'" Aeris teased.
"Exactly. I used to be Special Forces. You make connections since it's the only way to keep people safe. And connections, also sometimes owe favors..." He handed Christian a large envelope. Inside, were a birth certificate, social security card, and several other pieces of forged I.D. All in Aeris' name.
"But these are fake." Christian said as he handed them to Aeris.
"No, these are damned good fakes, backed up in actual government databases. No one will ever question them."
Thank you! But why...?" Aeris asked.
"Like I said, Special Forces. You get a sense for who's on the level and who's not. And the two of you and Minerva are as on the level as it gets. Which means our world could be in danger too, and it sounds like the two of you and your friends are the best shot we've got. So I do the right thing."
"I guess we're set then." Christian said.
"Just about." Smithson agreed. "I hear they're letting you out next Monday. We'll have everything squared away by then. For now, the two of you just rest." He shook Christian's hand and left.
"Rest sounds good." Aeris yawned. "I'm still so much more tired than normal."
"It'll pass." Christian said as he helped her into her bed, then climbed into his. The two beds were still pushed against each other, but with the rails down, and Aeris laid her head on his shoulder. They were sound asleep in seconds.