Author's note: all previous disclaimers and notes still apply. There has been a time jump of approximately 10 years. Addendum italics can also indicate a character's inner voice separate from thoughts.
Ripples and Rumblings
It started slowly and softly like most things do. The return of a city-ship to her second home. The arrival of a letter (or three) fifteen years after it was sent. The receipt of notice of death. The arrival home of children from college. The publication of a paper that sent shockwaves through the academic community and the people on whom it had the greatest effect.
NCIS headquarters, Washington D.C.
For the NCIS team led by Leroy Jethro Gibbs, it began with a letter and a notification of new material by a favored author. Gibbs had been sorting through the mail for his team when an old grungy envelope caught his eye. Squinting he barely made out the addressee and part of the return address. "Tony, you know anyone in Cascade, Washington that would have wrote you a letter fifteen years ago?" he asked.
Tony DiNozzo looked up, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Maybe one of my Heart Brothers, why?" "Letter for you postmarked Cascade that far back. Looks like it was following you until it got lost," came the reply as the team's phones went off simultaneously. "It's Abby, she needs us down in the lab. She called Ducky, too," Ziva David informed the team even as they all moved towards the elevator. Gibbs passed Tony his letter as they stepped aboard.
Abby Sciuto was bouncing with nervous energy when everyone arrived in her lab. "Good, you're all here, I think someone stole some of Dr. Sandburg's work and published it without permission. Look at this," the Goth lab tech threw what appeared to be an academic paper up on the screen. "Sandburg, Sandburg, what else has he written?" Gibbs asked, knowing it was important. Tony meanwhile was looking back and forth between the letter in his hand and the name on the screen. The paper and author, The Sentinel by Dr. Blair Sandburg, sat there all but screaming at him. If it was his baby brother, why hadn't it clicked before? If it really was then the letter… half listening to Ducky's reply, Tony ripped open the envelope and quickly read the letter.
"Dr. Sandburg wrote The Thin Blue Line about six years ago. I believe it was his doctoral dissertation and has become the standard for how law enforcement is seen and understood as a closed society," Ducky answered Gibbs' question. "Abigail, what makes you think that this was stolen?" "Because it reads like a personal journal, not a scientific or research paper. The voice is definitely Dr. Sandburg's but it's just too personal. There is zero objectivity here. The 'subject' is referred to by name, that's just not done. Several events are detailed more like an official police report, again not done in an academic paper. And then there's one part here, purportedly a vision from a Spirit Walk, that's really spicy, like it should be R or X rated spicy," came Abby's response. By this time Tony had finished the letter and was actually a little pale as he finished processing all the information from both the paper in his hands and what had just been said.
"Abby, can you please pull up a picture of Dr. Sandburg and if you can, the military file of Army Ranger Captain James Joseph Ellison?" Tony asked, his voice just above a whisper. "Sure," she chirped, fingers flying over the keyboard. Soon Sandburg's faculty photo was on another part of the screen. The dark brown curls were longer and pulled back at the young man's nape in an effort to appear more professional and somewhat tame, but eyes and face were just as he remembered, simultaneously too young and too mature. "Oh my God, baby brother, how could I have forgotten?" Tony breathed before shifting his gaze to the second picture Abby had placed next to the first. The ice blue eyes and stern patrician features of Jim Ellison seemed to challenge him, scolding him for not keeping up with any of his brothers. You failed them, an authoritative voice whispered accusingly. If Blair almost transferred to another school his first semester of college, how do you think Rodney or Daniel fared? Do you think anyone was looking out for them? Do you really think anyone bothered to try to drag Rodney out of the science labs or extract Daniel from the library? Do you honestly think anyone else actually gave a shit? As guilt began to ravage his mind, a pained whine escaped Tony's lips as he simultaneously came online and zoned.
The noise drew Tim McGee's attention and the younger man flipped instantly from offline to on and his Guide instincts had him moving to Tony's side to bring the, no, his Sentinel back. Tim set about coaxing Tony back using a soothing tone and gentle touch to the other's arm and neck. "Come on, Tony, time to come back now. We need you to clarify a few things, come on, wake up." When neither action yielded results, he took matters into his own hands and kissed his Sentinel.
Meanwhile a burst of feedback and light from Abby's computer caused Gibbs and Ziva to zone as well. Ducky was quick to bring Gibbs back, years of friendship seamlessly transitioning into a strong Sentinel Guide Bond. "Jethro, I know that was shocking but we need you back now. You need to return to me now, Jethro, I can't lead this team alone." Abby also led Ziva back quickly with a "Come on, Z, don't zone out me now. Come on, babe, wake up," and refused to release her Sentinel's hand afterwards. "What was that?" Gibbs asked, still somewhat dazed. "You zoned, Gibbs. You and Z and Tony all zoned hard. Ducky brought you out of it pretty quick and I got Z back quick too. Tony on the other hand took a bit more than his Guide's voice and touch to come back," Abby said smiling as she nodded to the two younger men.
Gibbs turned, took one look at Tony frenching Tim, and promptly smacked his senior field agent on the back of the head. Tony jerked forward slightly and, after detaching from his Guide's mouth, reflexively said, "Sorry, boss." "You better have a damn good reason for shoving your tongue down Tim's throat," their boss growled, scowling. A gentle hand on his shoulder and a soft, "Jethro" from Ducky had the older Sentinel calming somewhat. "That's my fault, boss, I started it," Tim chimed in apologetically. "And if I hadn't stopped it, Tony would have taken you right here. There is a time and a place to Bond and it is not on the floor in Abby's lab," Gibbs scolded them. "Or against the wall," he amended after seeing the look on Tony's face. The younger man pouted.
A new notification popped up on Abby's computer and she exclaimed, "Dr. Sandburg is holding a press conference tomorrow to address the Sentinel paper. I'm telling Vance I need time off, there's no way I'm missing this." "Same here, there is no way in hell I'm abandoning Blair or Rodney or Daniel ever again," Tony spat, still mentally beating himself up. "We're all going. Right now Sandburg is the only expert on Sentinels, Guides, and their Bonds. We need information and we're going straight to the source. I'll get you the details once I've got transportation squared away," Gibbs stated even as he set off for Vance's office. "Oh and Tony, 'you got some 'splainin' to do' about your Heart Brothers and what it has to do with Sandburg and those other two." "Yes, boss!"
Booth residence, greater D.C. area
For Booth and Brennan it was a conversation and their children that brought them online. Brennan had been working in the kitchen and expressing her concern about a new paper by a fellow anthropologist when her husband zoned. Seeley had been subconsciously stretching his hearing out to check on his two youngest children when everything went blank.
Temperance had immediately set aside her task when she saw her husband's face go blank. She moved over to kneel next to Seeley and placed her hands on his knee, "Booth, what's wrong? Are you ok?" She moved one hand to grasp one of his. "Booth, wake up, this is not funny! Wake up, you're scaring me. Damn it, Seeley, wake up!" Temperance yelled, slapping Seeley across the face.
A sudden sharp pain brought him back and he stared at his now sobbing wife. "Bones, what happened? Are you ok?" "No, I am most definitely not ok. Seeley, you weren't responding. It was like you were having an absent seizure but it wasn't that. If I didn't know better, I'd say you zoned," Brennan replied, bordering on hysterical. "I'm sorry I slapped you but you scared me," she apologized in a near whisper.
Booth stared in shock at Brennan as she took several deep breaths. "You never call me Seeley, I must have really scared you. I'm sorry, Tempy. I was trying to hear what Christine and Hank were up to and I blanked out," he explained, trying to sooth his Guide. "That zone thing you mentioned, that's when a Sentinel focuses on one sense too much and gets lost, right? And their Guide is supposed to bring them back?" Booth asked, brain kicking into high gear even as he cataloged the fact that each of his senses was in fact heightened. "Yes," Temperance whispered, easily picking up on her Sentinel's thoughts, their new telepathic link humming as information shot back and forth between them. Booth cocked his head to one side. "Parker's coming up the walk. Answer the door while I get the dials reset?" he asked even as she began to move towards the door.
Parker Booth took a deep breath before raising a hand to knock on his dad's front door. He was glad he hadn't had an episode on his way here from England. Hopefully his stepmom would have some clue on how to fix it. Before his knuckles could even brush the door, it was open and his mom, no stepmom, was pulling him in.
Booth stood and embraced his eldest child. "Parker, is everything OK? Why didn't you tell us you were coming?" "I just came. I need mom, I mean Bones' help," Parker replied, looking embarrassed. "You can call me mom if you want, Parker. What is it you need help with?" Bones asked softly. "I've been losing time," Parker began. "I'll be working on my computer or watching something and it's like I'll blink and ten, fifteen, twenty minutes will have passed." His parents shared a look. "Have things seemed too loud or too bright? Your skin, nose or tongue suddenly more sensitive?" Temperance asked softly. At Parker's nod, she turned to Seeley. "He's a Sentinel," they said at the same time. "You explain it while I secure a ride? Just tell me where to," Seeley stated, pulling his phone from his pocket. Temperance smiled, "Cascade, Washington. Dr. Sandburg is the only expert I know of." Nodding Booth dialed his boss.
NCIS OSP headquarters, Los Angeles California
For G. Callen and his team it started with the sun glinting off of Kensi's windshield just as she put her car in park. The sunbeam bounced through the window and hit Callen square in the face, sending him into a zone. Part of it bounced back and caused Kensi to zone as well. Sam Hanna immediately came online and guided his Sentinel back with softly spoken words and reassurances that he was ok, hopefully the light hadn't triggered a migraine. Deeks also flipped on and gently kissed his Sentinel, coaxing her back to her senses. Once they were all inside, Callen pulled Sam, Kensi and Deeks into Hetty's office, quickly giving their boss a rundown, somehow knowing she'd have an idea of what was going on.
Hetty just smiled and shared her suspicions. "It sounds as if Callen and Kensi are Sentinels and Sam and Marty are your Guides. The only expert on Sentinels and Guides is Dr. Blair Sandburg of Rainier University. There was a paper just published under his name that covers at least the Sentinel part of the equation. He's having a press conference tomorrow to address it. I'll see if I can't get you kids a ride up to Cascade," she finished, reaching for her phone. "Matty, it's Hetty, I need a favor.."
Phoenix Foundation, Los Angeles California
For Riley Davis it began with two notifications: the first announcing Dr. Sandburg's new paper and the second announcing his press conference to address it. Riley eagerly devoured the new paper and quickly realized why Dr. Sandburg wished to address it so quickly. Before she could further analyze the material, Wilt Bozer stuck his head in her area. As he smiled and opened his mouth to address her the P.A. system squealed. Riley covered her ears and appeared to freeze. Wilt was by her side before the last reverberations faded. Gently pulling one of Riley's hands away from her head he began to speak softly as he stroked his thumb over her knuckles. "Riley, Sentinel mine, I need you to come back now. Dial it back, nice and easy, just like in Dr. Sandburg's paper. It works for his detective, it'll work for you too." Riley blinked, smiled and said, "We need to find Mac and Jack and ask Matty if we can borrow a jet. We're going to Cascade."
The same squeal that pushed Riley online had also caused Jack Dalton to abruptly stop in the middle of the hall, face completely blank. Angus MacGyver was immediately beside him, leaning close to whisper in his ear, "Jack, if you don't snap out of it right this minute, I swear I will kiss you in front of God and everybody." As Mac pulled back, Jack replied, "I dare ya to" with an easy smile. This only earned him a playful slap on the shoulder as the pair continued on to their boss's office, meeting Riley and Wilt just outside the door. Upon opening said door they were greeted by their boss staring off into space, a letter in her hands.
Matty Webber wasn't sure how long she'd been lost in her own thoughts but the door to her office closing brought her back to the present. She looked up to the core of her team gathered around her, all of them looking worried. Setting the paper in her hands aside, Matty addressed them, "What's going on?" Jack was the first to speak, "Well we were going to ask to borrow a jet to go up to Cascade, but it looks like you need help first."
"I'm fine, I think, I just got some bad news is all," Matty replied, shaking herself briefly. "Ethan's dead, isn't he?" At her startled look, Jack sighed. "The letter, that's standard notice of death. When did he die?" "Two months ago. They had to clean up the op before notifying me because it was a deep cover assignment," she explained. "Also what is a Sentinel and how do I know that term?"
After Riley gave Matty a quick rundown and explained that the only known expert on Sentinels was in Cascade, Matty agreed that it would be prudent to head up there for more information. Before she could arrange anything however, her phone rang. "Webber," she answered.
"Matty, it's Hetty, I need a favor," came a familiar voice from the other end of the line. "Tell me what you need and I'll tell you if I can do it," Matty replied with a smirk. "I need you to take four of my kids up to Cascade, Washington for Dr. Sandburg's press conference," Hetty stated. "Let me guess two Sentinels and two Guides, Bonded pairs or about to be?" This time Hetty smirked. "Yes and one of the Sentinels is Grisha. I'm trusting you with my son, Matty, keep him safe." "Done. I'll text you the details of when and where to have your team meet up with mine. Oh and I just received notice Ethan died two months ago so now I have to work grief counseling into everything else." "I'm sorry to hear that, Matty, you have my sympathy. I'll ride herd on James MacGyver until you get back. How is young Angus by the way?" "Mac is fine. He's a Guide paired with a good Sentinel so I know they'll be fine." "Thank you for the help. Good luck!"
Global Dynamics, Eureka, southern Oregon
For the group currently assembled in Dr. Douglas Fargo's office, things had been building for at least a month. Both Jo Lupo and Jack Carter had been complaining of sensory spikes and lost time. Dr. Zane Donovan had been mimicking the emotional fluctuations of whichever colleague happened to be closest to him, Dr. Henry Deacon was convinced he had developed full blown psychic empathy, and Dr. Allison Blake had suddenly and accurately analyzed a patient's emotional state before she had even spoken to them. Meanwhile Fargo himself was overly anxious and kept making either aborted movements towards his phone or hanging it up before whatever number he dialed went through.
"The only thing I could find to explain any of what we have been experiencing was a master's thesis on tribal Sentinels and their Guides that was published fifteen years ago and a new paper just released by the same author. I've checked Dr. Sandburg's credentials and he's well respected in both his academic field as well as amongst the local law enforcement in Cascade. I am concerned about his new paper though. It reads like it's his private journal as opposed to your typical research paper. He's holding a press conference tomorrow to address it and I believe it would be wise to see if we could speak with him afterwards," Henry outlined the results of his search for answers. The rest of the group agreed and as plans were solidified, Carter's phone rang.
"Carter," he answered. "Sheriff Carter, I apologize for disturbing you, but Zoe has just arrived home with Lucas and is complaining of the same symptoms that have been plaguing you and Jo. She also said that they seem to balance out when Lucas around. Also I believe Kevin has recently developed a heightened sense of empathy," S.A.R.A.H, his smart home AI, informed him. "Great," the sheriff huffed. "Just have the kids get ready for a trip, they'll be coming with us to Cascade." No sooner had he hung up then Fargo's intercom buzzed and Larry informed him that Ms. Claudia Donovan was on the line. The head of Global Dynamics ordered the call put through immediately and nearly destroyed his own desk as he pounced on his office phone.
Warehouse 13, South Dakota
Much like in Eureka, things had been building at the Warehouse as well. Both Myka Bering and Claudia Donovan had been suffering from severe sensory fluctuations and Pete Lattimer had been refusing to let either lady be alone for longer than a minute or two following an incident with the Studio 54 disco ball. Claudia had finally found an answer in a fifteen year old masters thesis and was eagerly explaining the concept of Sentinels and Guides to the other two. "So yeah Myka and I being Sentinels is the only thing that makes any sense. Pete, the way you've been acting seems to indicate that you're a Guide, most likely Myka's," the redhead concluded. "What about you, Claudia? How do we find a Guide for you? Do we need to find this expert and ask him?" Both Pete and Myka were worried about the young lady that had quickly become their little sister. "Probably a good idea. According to this, Dr. Sandburg is holding a press conference tomorrow to discuss his latest paper titled The Sentinel. It's going to be held at Rainier University in Cascade, Washington which isn't that far from Eureka, so maybe Douggie can join us," the other replied, a goofy, smitten grin on her face as she reached for the phone.
"Hey, Larry, Claudia Donovan. I need to talk to Doug real quick if you can manage it," she said, already beginning to bounce in her seat. Pete and Myka shared a fond look as Claudia was put through to her crush and launched into her spiel on why Doug should join them in Cascade. "Believe it or not we were going to be in Cascade tomorrow anyway for Dr. Sandburg's press conference," came the pleased reply. "I take it that a few of your staff have also presented as Sentinels and/or Guides?" "Yep, two Sentinels and one Guide, poor Pete's the odd man out." "Then we shall see you tomorrow. Meet up at Rainier University?" "Absolutely."
Deep Space Telemetry Network, Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado
For Jack O'Neill coming online felt like a shockwave rippling through him, causing him to stumble. Dr. Daniel Jackson immediately reached out to steady him as Teal'c and Sam looked on with concern. "Jack, you ok?" Daniel asked. "Yeah, I think so but what the hell is a Sentinel?" he replied with a question of his own. Teal'c had a look of awe on his face and began to mutter something in his native tongue while Sam shrugged and Daniel stared at him in shock.
"Sentinel with a capital S?" the linguist whispered, starting to shake slightly. At Jack's nod of confirmation, Daniel took a deep breath. "I haven't heard that term in twenty years. Did it just kind of pop into your head?" Again Jack nodded. "I think we should go to your office or a debriefing room. If you are one, I'm going to need to call a friend…" Daniel trailed off as they began to move to a more secure location, Teal'c trailing behind them like a bodyguard while Sam followed to satisfy her own curiosity.
An aide caught them just as they arrived at Jack's office. "Dr. Jackson, the post office just delivered this with a profuse apology. Apparently it arrived in town shortly after you did and they believe it fell under a sorting table. They just found it during the renovation," the nervous man quickly explained, practically shoving an envelope into the archeologist's hands before beating a hasty retreat. Daniel looked at the envelope and felt his knees buckle. Jack caught him and had them in his office and seated before the other two realized what had happened. Kneeling in front of his friend, Jack placed a hand on Daniel's wrist and was enveloped by everything Daniel. He suddenly understood why the other had been so shocked to hear the term Sentinel and why the letter only added to it.
"Daniel, Guide, calm down. I understand now. Open your letter, confirm it's from Blair. We'll then look up and read everything he's put out there. After that, call Rodney to confirm your suspicions, then call Tony and make sure all three of you are moving in the same direction, ok?" At Daniel's nod, Jack turned to Sam. "Bring Daniel his laptop, please, Sam. And go ahead and pull up anything published by Blair Sandburg in the last fifteen years or so starting with his masters thesis," he instructed. Sam nodded and went to retrieve the laptop. Teal'c waited patiently as Daniel opened and read the letter. Once he had finished and Sam had returned with the requested piece of equipment, everyone settled in for a lecture.
Due to their new Bond, Jack and Daniel were able to tag team the explanation while simultaneously catching up with Blair's work and when they finished, Teal'c finally spoke. "The Goa'uld believed that the Blessed Protectors, what your Dr. Sandberg calls Sentinels, had died out and that their Guiding Lights', or Guides, true purpose had been forgotten. It is said that the most powerful of the Guiding Light were hailed as Shaman or High Priests while even the weakest was a formidable empath. According to legend, Blessed Protectors safeguarded tribes and later cities and were always accompanied by a Guiding Light. A Blessed Protector cannot function properly or unlock their true potential without a Guiding Light to help control their heightened senses and anchor them to reality. O'Neill, do you truly believe yourself to be a Blessed Protector and Daniel to be your Guiding Light?"
"Yes," Jack answered firmly. "Just as firmly as Daniel believes his brother to be Guiding Light to Blessed Protector Jim Ellison. Daniel and I will be going to Cascade, Washington to meet with them. There may be more Sentinels and Guides out there than previously believed." "I'm calling Rodney now, Jack. We'll know more soon," Daniel said softly, receiving a nod of acknowledgement.
Atlantis
For Rodney McKay and John Sheppard the first domino was a single letter in a stack of mail. Rodney's sister had dropped it off saying Rodney might want to read the one on the bottom of the stack first, it was the oldest and was from Blair. John knew from his CSO's reaction that whoever Blair was, he was important to Rodney.
Rodney had the letter open and his eyes flying across the page even as he moved to his computer and set it to compile information on three separate people. By the time he finished reading, the computer had assembled the requested dossiers. The name on the first screen was Blair Sandburg, the second James Ellison, and the third Tony DiNozzo. "Who are these people, Rodney?" John asked. "Blair and Tony are my Heart Brothers along with Daniel Jackson. James Ellison is Blair's Sentinel," the other replied as his eyes flew across the screens, analyzing every bit of the data in front of him. Finally he sat back a soft "Thank God they're ok now" reaching John's ears before Rodney slumped forward onto the desk, shaking. "Rodney, what…?" John reached for his friend only to nearly pitch forwards himself as Rodney came online as a Guide and drug his Sentinel with him. A Full Bond sprung into place instantly and John knew everything.
Neither man was certain how long they had been staring at the screen when Rodney's phone rang. "McKay," he answered sharply, absently placing the device on speaker. "Rodney, it's Daniel. Did you by any chance get a letter from Blair recently that he wrote fifteen years ago?" came the soothing, if slightly trembling, tones of his little brother. "Yeah, I did. Jesus, Daniel, the things our baby brother's been through… two years after he sent that letter he and Ellison were kidnapped and used as hostages for two years before being rescued. Then while he was working on his dissertation, he was kidnapped by a serial killer who wanted to replace him, was involved with all sorts of crazy shit helping out the Major Crimes Unit, and then just before he submitted his diss, some psychotic bitch went and drowned him in a fountain on campus! Our baby brother died, Daniel, the paramedics declared him dead! Somehow Ellison brought him back, my best guess is that it's a Sentinel Guide Bond thing. But he died!" Rodney paused for breath, clearly hysterical, and Daniel jumped in before he could continue. "Rodney, take a deep breath ok? Jack and I are headed up to Cascade for Blair's press conference. You and John should join us. Did you happen to get Tony's number?" "Yeah, he works for NCIS by the way," Rodney said and quickly gave Daniel the phone number. "OK, I'll call Tony and make sure he's coming too. John, do me a favor and get this knucklehead calmed down please. Knowing him he's beating himself up for not checking up on any of us sooner." "Will do, see you in Cascade tomorrow."
852 Prospect St. #307, Cascade, Washington
For Blair Sandburg and Jim Ellison what was supposed to have been a day off started with both cell phones ringing. Both men groaned and reached for their phones, mentally bemoaning the interrupted chance to sleep in. While Blair took his call downstairs, Jim answered with his usual greeting. "Ellison," he growled even as he began getting dressed. "Jim, it's Simon. Sorry to wake you but we were just notified that Blair published his Sentinel findings. I thought you had both decided that it was too risky. Has something changed or are we looking at theft of intellectual property?" the captain explained. "What?" came the confused reply even as he heard Blair exclaim the same from below with a few choice words added. "We'll call you back, Simon. Sounds like it's gonna take awhile to sort this mess out. I can hear Blair cursing and either pacing or stalking around downstairs. I should go make sure nothing gets broken," Jim told his captain. "Just keep us in loop."
Blair's conversation had been equally confusing. Chancellor Edwards had congratulated him on his latest publication and had asked if he would be doing a press junket. Blair had responded that he hadn't submitted anything to be published since his diss and the only planned submission was on his experience in Peru among the Chopec and he was still editing that. Edwards chirped something about The Sentinel being brilliant before she was interrupted by an exclamation of "What the hell?!? I need to look this up and I'll get back to you, Chancellor." And he promptly disconnected.
By the time Jim made it downstairs, Blair had his supposed paper pulled up on the laptop and was growling like his Spirit Guide while muttering very creative threats under his breath and pacing, no stalking, around the loft. "Blair, do I need to call Dad and ask him to refer us to a lawyer?" Jim asked softly. His Guide spun and threw himself at the Sentinel. "Yes and we need to take my laptop somewhere to have diagnostics or something run on it to try to determine how the Sentinel files were stolen. Get a cease and desist order for the publishing house and prepare for litigation. And I need to figure out how the hell I'm going to spin this to the press tomorrow. Damage control? More like disaster cleanup," Blair rambled and managed to short circuit what was sure to have been a rant of epic proportions.
The rest of the day was mostly spent either on the phone at the loft or at Ellison Enterprises. William Ellison had been very angry to learn that the young man he considered to be his son-in-law had had sensitive material stolen off of the high end, very secure laptop he had given the couple as a gift several years prior. He placed his company's legal department at Jim and Blair's disposal and had his own cyber specialists go over the laptop with a fine tooth comb. William even invited a few of the police department's digital forensic technicians to collaborate with his own people so that any findings would be able to be submitted as evidence in a court of law.
By the end of the day, both the police department and Rainier had been informed of the theft of intellectual property and the publisher had been issued a CD order and told to prepare for a lawsuit. The press had also been informed that Dr. Sandburg would be holding a press conference the next day to address the paper. As Cascade's Sentinel Guide pair settled down to rest, they couldn't help but feel like something big was coming.