Deffdog opened his eyes to see the cold steel of the Broadcast Core while Vaala waited for her spike to be pulled before turning to look at him. He looked back at her, shook his head, and ordered, “Aerios, get her to the brig.”

“Aye sir,” Aerios replied, pulling the IVs from her plugs. Vaala didn't even consider resisting as her crewmate began to lead her away.

“Let's hope this is just a random attack and not something involved with that Agent Thorne,” Deff said. “Vaala, we will talk later.”

Vaala nodded to acknowledge Deff's statement and said softly “I don't...think...she can find me here...”

Deffdog made his way to the Command Deck. He could feel the power returning to the hoverpads. Suezuki had already begun the startup sequence. “Report!” he shouted.

As four sentinels approached the Shadrack at high speed, Suezuki breifed him: "All guns are manned and ready, Deff. There are only four of them. We can easily dispatch them, but there will be others, so we're moving as fast as humanly possible to get the hell out of dodge."

Vaala listened helplessly from inside the brig as the Shadrack's guns began firing. She heard the clunk of a Sentinel attaching itself to the craft, by the sound, she guessed it was somewhere near the comm relays, but a burst of fire from one of the Shadrack's turrets seemed to have eliminated it. Vaala screamed in frustration as she slammed her fist into the bulkhead. “F***ing Mechs!”

Outside, the assault on the Shadrack continued as one Sentinel latched onto a hoverpad. She heard the scraping crunch as she was hurled across the brig. She hadn't been prepared for that fast turn, but a few bumps and bruises weren't that big a deal to her right now.

She could hear Deff yelling. “You guys see that?!”

“Yeah, we see it, Deff,” Dreathon shouted back as the Shadrack's guns began to spit fire. Another fast turn for which she was wholly unprepared tossed Vaala back across the brig in the opposite direction. Then...silence. She guessed that the crew had gotten them all. She knew Deff would be coming soon if that was the case, and she began to pace the cell nervously, wondering what was going to happen next...

--Vaala, Deffdog

“Looks like we're in the clear,” Deff said after scanning the area for any more hostiles. Find a place to set down. I better go talk to...her.”

As Deffdog made his way down to the brig, Aerios shouted from outside the cell door: “Vaala, stand at the back of the cell with your hands in plain sight!”

Here it comes, she thought as she carefully complied with the order. Cameryn had already shot her more than once, but that was in the Matrix. She wasn't about to give Aerios or Deffdog - or anyone else - any reason to do it in the Real. As the cell door was opened, she looked up to see Deffdog, carrying a chair. He put it down and took a seat as the door closed and re-locked behind him.

Deffdog sat at stared at her for several moments, not saying anything. “Deff...I...” she didn't bother with the rest. She just dropped her head and waited.

Deffdog leaned back in the chair. “I don't know what to say to you, Vaala. I thought you were a friend to all of us. How could you do this? And secondly, once you realized you were in trouble, why did you lie about it?”

“I – I thought I could handle it,” she stammered. “Get myself out. But Cameryn – Agent Thorne – she's...” she shook her head, silently willing her emotions not to come out – not here and now, anyway. “She's more ruthless than I expected. She's...there's no humanity left in her.”

“I'm not talking about her, I'm talking about you,” Deffdog said flatly as Vaala just shrugged helplessly.

“I just...I didn't know what else to do. Once I found out what they were really capable of, I knew I had to get out...but Deff, she'll kill me! You saw what she did the other day – 3 agents in just a few minutes. And Marks,” she spat the name, “that was her, Deff...she sent Marks to get rid of Bindi.”

Deffdog nodded. “Everything's fine in that regard, but this is about us. How am I going to trust you after this? How would you deal with this if you were in my position?”

“I...” she dropped her head again and said very quietly, “I don't know. But we have to do something! She might have information on Bindi's condition. And I think I might be able to use her to divert attention--”

“Stop bringing other people into this!” Deffdog shouted. “This is about you and me and no one else!”

“No, Deff. It's not about you...and it never f***ing was. But if none of you – and especially you – ever gives me a goddamned chance to make it right, then just what in the hell do you expect me to do? If that's how it is, how it's going to be, then just save us all the trouble and kill me now, no matter what Bindi or anyone else has to say about it.”

Deffdog sighed. “All right, let's just start with this: what information did you give Agent Thorne?”

“For the hundredth time, I didn't give her any information! I deliberately...misdirected...her efforts.”

“No information on the Trust or Zion efforts?”

Vaala shook her head. “None. I'm still trying to figure out how in the hell she's tracking me.”

“How did she make it so we couldn't find you?”

Oh, for the love of Zion! she thought. How many times are we going to go over this? “She shot me as I was about to jack out. She told me later that it was some kind of code scrambler.”

“The Machines can probably still track you, even more so with that bullet she shot you with. Hell, for all we know, that Sentinel attack was a result of their being able to track your signal, and the time constraint was to give it time to locate our ship.”

“Christ,” Vaala muttered. “Well, can't you just, I don't know, scan me or something? Find out what they're doing, how they're doing it, and get rid of it?”

“Or...” Deffdog mused as he stood and headed for the cell door, “You told them where we were and worked with them to create the facade, to track us down...”

The hatch opened and Deffdog stepped through it. She heard the click of the lock and released a little of the pent-up emotion she'd been trying to keep in check all day. “That is not what happened,” she shouted as she threw the chair he'd left across the small cell. “Arrgghh! That b****,” she said, stalking back and forth like a caged animal and giving the chair a kick that slammed it into the opposite bulkhead.

Standing outside the cell door, Deffdog heard her shouts. “I hope you're right, Vaala. I hope you're right.”

With a little shake of his head, Deffdog walked down the corridor. As he approached Vaala's quarters, he stopped and looked at the closed door. Using his code to open the door, he entered her quarters and began searching. He wasn't sure exactly what he was looking for, but if there was anything at all in those quarters, he intended to find it.

--Vaala, Deffdog

Agent Thorne’s eyes scanned the monitor with quick precision, allowing the accompanying frequencies to load into the terminal, studying Vaala’s research progress. She’d suspected that the Lieutenant would want to download important information from the Machine’s network in order to maintain her cover with the terrorists. Her allowing access led the operative to learn of the faction leader’s condition, in all its horrific glory.

A quick-paced, almost systematic knock roused her attention. The door opened and Agent Gray walked into the room. Thorne stood up and snapped a salute at him.

“I’m here for your progress report, Ms. Thorne,” he said curtly.

“Of course, Agent,” she responded, her English accent sharp and professional. Thorne turned and tapped a few keys at her console, various windows flashing the screen. “Ms. Redwinter is currently researching the operative RedBindi, as well as other key members of The Trust.”

“Am I to understand you forwarded her your access codes to compile this research?”

She nodded. “Yes, sir. She claims to want better understanding of the enemy, in order to undermine their efforts through the use of psychological attacks. As you are aware, RedBindi is a fully-trained operative – physical force within the simulation is not the most efficient method of termination.”

“Yes. You understand, however, the implications that could arise from her having access to such information.”

If Thorne were able to feel any intimidation, she did an exceptional job of hiding it, her cold veneer hardly scratched. “I am well-aware of what she may do, Agent. In fact, I suspect she might have even turned – I have planned for every possible outcome of this scenario. Is that not why I am here? There is not an ounce of data that she can access which would put us at any disadvantage.”

Gray nodded. “Very well, Ms. Thorne. I now must ask about the… original trace program status.”

“It is still in effect, Sir, however some of the code has degraded. It was unavoidable, due to inherent instabilities in the system. Hence why I had to shoot her with the additional tracer recently.” Thorne, though merely an empty shell of what she could have been, managed to give a slight smile.

“And her thought processes – are they intact?” the Agent pressed.

“Based on all surveillance acquired, she still places importance on the item. All her neural patterns indicate the upload is still in effect.”

Gray seemed pleased. “Thank you very much, Ms. Thorne. Please keep me updated on all progress made.”

She nodded her head at him. “Will-do, Sir.” The Agent exited the room closing the door behind him.

Thorne returned her attention to the screen, streams of information glimmering into view. She managed a chuckle, confident her efficiency would triumph.

--Cameryn

Deffdog stood their looking at the hatch to Vaala’s Quarters. He stood their considering the breach of protocol this would be, to enter a crew members privacy. “She brought on herself,” he thought and entered his override code into control pad.

A click was heard as a sign that the door had unlocked. He entered the room to find it a complete wreck, most likely to the Sentinel Attack. He looked around the room then first focused on her computer workstation. He sat at her station and logged in to her computer. While the login process was running, an irregularity caught his attention. A panel appears to have loosened and knocked ajar behind her bunk. He moves to the bunk, and pulls the panel out the rest of the way. It revealed several things, a photograph of who, he did not know, a small ring, and an disk drive that apparently had a cable that ran back into the hull, that he could not follow due to the dark. He examined the disk drive and found it’s eject button. The Disk ejected, and he examined it, surprised to see a label. “Vaala’s Matrix Logs.”

He takes all of the items, and places them on the bunk. He considered going back to Vaala with these findings, but had no reason to believe that she would tell him the truth. So he grabs the items, and exits the quarters. He makes his way to the broadcast deck, and finds Jazz at her usual operator station, with operatives Dreatheon, and Suezuki currently jacked into the matrix.

“Anything, interesting going on,” he asks as he observes the operatives.

“Just the usual, operations, find something kill an exile, that sort of thing.”

He holds the disk out, and hands it to Jazz, “Bring this up. I found it in her room.”

She takes the disk, see the labels and plugs it into one of her disk drives and swaps out a third monitor of Matrix code for the standard zion OS, and waits for the disk to load up. She finds a file and opens it, the screen returned to Matrix Code.

Perplexed she started, typing into her keyboard and brought it back to the OS.

“Oh I see what this is, it looks like she has been recording herself in the Matrix, somehow spliced into the Antenna and recording her actions in the Matrix, its not that complex to do, if you know your own RSI signal well.”

“Hmm, I want to see what these captures say, can you run them through into decryptors?” She starts typing into her keyboard again. A loud beep occurred and the decryption program, alerted that the “Access Denied! Access Codes Required.”

“Dam…”

“Can you not do anything to get around it..”

“Not without damaging the data.., we need her access code.”

“I don’t want Vaala knowing we have this yet. Well hand it off to Red when she arrives.”

Jazz nods and begins shutting down the programs and ejects the disk from her station. He takes the disk and returns it to the other items, which he has now placed in a box.

Maatkare’s Voice pipes in over the intercom. “Attention all hands, the Hovercraft Diluculo is on approach.”

--Deffdog

“Hovercraft Diluculo to Hovercraft Shadrack,” RedBindi's voice came over the comm as Deffdog scrambled to put on his headset and hit the comm switch.

“Shadrack here.”

“Great to hear your voice, Deff. We're headed your direction. Our scans show the area to be clear, so just find a place to set down and we'll meet up.”

“Aye, we already have a spot that should be large enough. Do you see it – at Grid 632?”

There was a slight pause before RedBindi's reply came through. “Got it. Meet you there.”

The Shadrack began to make its way to the clearing, slowly descending on the northern end.

From her cell in the brig, Vaala could hear the landing struts extending. She felt the slight bump as the hovercraft landed and wondered if the Sentinels had done more damage than it sounded like they had and forced the hovercraft to set down and try and make some emergency repairs. She swore under her breath again at Thorne, swearing revenge if she ever got her hands on her.

From his place on the Bridge, Deffdog watched as a small ship quickly appeared beside the Shadrack. He recognized the reconnaissance vessel, noting the armaments that, compared to the rest of the Trust fleet, seemed sparse. The speed at which the ship approached, though, showed its true strengths: speed and maneuverability. The Diluculo, RedBindi's personal ship, landed neatly in a little niche, hidden from sight. Had the Shadrack not watched her land, even they might never have even spotted the other vessel.

“All right, Deff, we're on our way over.”

Deffdog removed his headset and made his way to the cargo hatch to lower the ramp. With the ramp lowered, he stood, waiting, for the Trust Commander to board. It wasn't very long at all before he saw Fenshire and RedBindi moving across the debris-strewn tunnel. He nodded to them as they ascended the ramp.

“Hey Deff,” RedBindi said. “I guess we should get this over with.”

“All right, but first we need to talk.” He produced the box of items he'd taken from Vaala's room. “I found some strange stuff when I searched her room,” he said, showing RedBindi the ring, the photograph, and a disk with the label 'Matrix logs.' “I'm interested in that disk, he told RedBindi, but it can't be accessed without Vaala's access codes.”

RedBindi nodded and took the items. Taking a few moments to look over the ring, she said, “I don't recognize this at all.” Looking next at the photograph, she paled noticeably.

“Red?” Deff asked.

“You said this photo was in her room? Was it displayed prominently or anything?”

Fenshire looked over at his wife with concern. “Bindi?”

“No,” Deff answered. “It was hidden behind a panel, along with that ring and a disk drive that she somehow hooked into our broadcast antenna.”

Waving a hand at Fenshire to let him know they'd talk later, she told them, “I'll...discuss the photo with Vaala when we talk.” Following Deffdog to the Operations Deck, she said, “First we'll see what's on this disk, though.” Greeting Jazz with a nod as they entered the room, she handed her two disks: the log disk and the disk Vaala had previously given her. “We should be able to see what's on this disk now.”

Jazz began punching in commands to pull up the files they'd tried to view earlier. That done, she inserted the second disk. Once the codes were accepted and the files decrypted, the image on the monitor showed a location in Megacity with Vaala clearly in view. RedBindi and Fenshire watched intently, paying special attention to Vaala's dealings with Agent Thorne. After a few moments, Bindi looked over at Jazz. “Jazz, can you confirm this material hasn't been altered in any way – that it's direct feed and not some made up crap?”

Jazz began checking through several lines of recorded Matrix code. Shaking her head, she answered, “It's either real or it's an incredibly good fake. I've watched Vaala a lot, and she is a horrible hacker. It's pretty obvious that this isn't a forgery.”

Bindi nodded. “Good. Time to talk to her then, I guess, because so far...it seems as if she's been telling us the truth.” Nodding at Deff, she said, “Let's head to the Brig.”

“All right. Follow me,” Deff said as he led them to Vaala's cell.

--Vaala, Deffdog, RedBindi, Fenshire

Vaala heard footsteps approaching outside the cell. What now? she wondered, assuming it was Deff. Why does he even bother talking to me when he doesn't believe a d***ed thing I say?

As Deff, Bindi and Fenshire approached, Deff gave Aerios a little nod. Aerios called out, “Vaala, you know the drill. Stand up with your hands in clear sight.” Vaala hauled herself to her feet and did as she was told, again wondering why in the hell it would be necessary – it wasn't like there was anything in here she could use as a weapon.

At the sound of the order, Fenshire placed a hand on Bindi's shoulder. Whatever passed between them as Deffdog opened the hatch, it was indiscernible to the others.

Vaala looked up to see RedBindi enter, followed by Fenshire and Deff. Lovely, she thought. Even more people who don't believe what I've been trying to tell them. Oh well, a cell in New Zion is probably safer than a cell here...

“Please have a seat, Vaala,” Bindi said. “I know how uncomfortable this place can be.”

Vaala paused, looking nervously at the three officers. She sat down slowly as Deffdog closed the door and stood there, his arms crossed, staring at her. She returned the stare, hoping he could see the ice in her eyes as she did.

“We've just reviewed the logs of your time in the Matrix,” Bindi continued. “It seems you were telling the truth. Why didn't you tell us about them?”

Keeping her eyes on Deff, her tone was almost accusatory. “Would you have believed me if I did?”

Bindi raised an eyebrow. “Why wouldn't we verify something you've told us...especially something as simple as 'look, there are some logs in my room'?”

Vaala nearly jumped out of her chair. “You searched my room?!”

“I didn't search your room. Your Captain did, looking for evidence to tell us whether you were lying or telling the truth. It's standard procedure in a situation like this, Vaala. Surely you'd have expected that to happen.”

“What did you expect, Vaala?” Deff asked her. “I'm looking for the truth here.”

Vaala glared back at Deff. “Are you? Because earlier, you didn't want to hear anything I had to say.”

“Vaala!” Bindi said harshly, “did you expect us to just leave your room alone after you confessed to being a Machine spy?”

Vaala dropped her eyes. “No, I guess not,” she mumbled.

“It was necessary, Vaala,” Deff told her. She responded with a shrug. Right now, she wasn't interested in anything he had to say – except maybe one thing...

“So, do you believe me now, Deff?” she asked, a little anger creeping into her voice.

“With what we saw on those recordings...yes, I believe you.”

Bindi didn't give her the chance to respond. “We also found two other things in your room I'd like to speak to you about.” She produced a ring from her pocket and held it out so Vaala could see it. “What meaning does this have to you?”

Vaala glared at Deff again, her eyes all but shooting sparks. “That's mine!” she said, considering grabbing for the ring and then thinking better of it, considering who was holding it. “You had no right to take that!”

Her tone cooling considerably, Bindi said, “Vaala, right now we have to search everything, including things you might consider personal.”

“We found it in the same area as the disk. I had every right!” Deff replied. “These outbursts are not helping, Vaala. Just calm down and cooperate.”

“First you throw me in a cell with an armed guard outside the door, next you tell me you don't want to hear what I have to say, then you take one of the few personal items I own...and now you're telling me to be calm?” Her eyes were burning cold fury as she stared at him.

Seeing that this was going nowhere fast due to Vaala's obvious agitation, Bindi turned to Fen and Deff. “Perhaps Vaala and I could continue this discussion alone?” As Fen immediately started to protest, she cut him off. “I assure you, I'm in no danger from her here. I'm also very sure that Deff searched her for weapons before putting her in here, so there's nothing to be afraid of.” As if I'd try f***ing with her anyway, Vaala thought.

“Yeah,” Deff said, looking at Bindi. “I better leave. My presence isn't helping anything.”

Fenshire nodded, though he still didn't want to leave the two in there alone. “C'mon, Deff. We'll be right outside if Bindi needs anything.”

“Yeah, let's go.”

Bindi waited until the two men were gone before speaking again. “Now, Vaala, it's only you and me here. I expect you to conduct yourself in a professional manner from here on out. No further outbursts.” Vaala knew by Bindi's tone that the other woman was quite serious, so she tried to calm herself a bit.

“I'm doing the best I can right now. It's just...this isn't exactly easy, you know.”

"I know how tough this can be Vaala. I spent the first several weeks of my time in the Trust in a brig on my own brother's ship...The Titan."

Vaala's eyebrows shot up. Christ, I'm pissed at Deff and her own brother threw her in the brig? D***. She sighed deeply. “Fine. What do you want to know?”

Inspecting the ring in her hand once more, Bindi asked, “What is this ring to you?”

“It's...personal,” she said, fidgeting in her seat. She really didn't want to tell Bindi any more than that, so she settled on, “It belonged to someone I knew. Can I have it...please?”

“I'd like to know the significance of it first.”

“It...belonged to my brother. He was--” She looked away from Bindi, not wanting to meet the Commander's eyes. “He was murdered.”

Bindi slowly pulled a picture from her pocket and showed it to Vaala. “Was this your brother?”

She couldn't contain the anger that flashed through her eyes, but she did manage to prevent herself from lashing out again. “Yes.”

Nodding, Bindi got up and walked towards Vaala, who tried to keep her nervousness at being in such close proximity to the other woman in check. Bindi handed over the picture and the ring before returning to her own seat. “He was a Zion operative, then?”

“I-I don't know. He disappeared for a while and then turned up murdered.” She shrugged, playing with the ring to conceal her emotions. “He might have been. He'd sometimes make strange comments to me about things not being what they appeared and about the city not being...real. I always wondered what he meant by that – guess now I know.”

Bindi nodded sadly, a deep pain in her eyes that Vaala had never seen before and that was completely unexpected. “I assume the local authorities ended up with a cold case?”

“Yes. I investigated myself. Nothing.”

“Well, I can tell you for sure that he was a Zion operative during the war and he was a good one.”

Vaala leaned forward. She already knew the answer to the question, but she had to ask anyway: “Do you know what happened to him?”

Bindi nodded slowly. “I do,” she affirmed.

As Vaala waited for her to continue, Bindi sighed deeply, seeming to gather herself. Vaala noticed her shifting slightly in her seat, as if she was preparing for Vaala to leap up and attack. "As I said, he was a very good operative – good enough to be marked for termination by the machines. His death was ordered...and..." She took another deep breath, almost as if she was willing herself to continue. "Lamont was given the order to kill him, which she did in her usual efficient manner..."

“Christ,” Vaala whispered, a little surprised that Bindi had told her the truth – that it had been her – well, not her, but Lamont – that had killed him, and less surprised at this point that it had been the Mechs who'd ordered it. “F***ing Machines,” she cursed. She loathed those overgrown appliances more and more every day. “Listen...you should know something...” she said carefully.

--Vaala, Fenshire, RedBindi, Deffdog

Bindi looked up at her, her eyes full of deep pain. “What?”

Vaala shifted uncomfortably in her chair, wondering how much she should say, before deciding to just spill it. “Before, when I was trying to get Thorne's access codes...I asked her for more information. About you. It was the only way I could think of at the time to get her to input her access codes so I could steal them.” She paused briefly. “She...she downloaded some files. Of you. Being tortured for Lamont's...” Vaala let the thought drop, knowing she looked as nauseated as she felt. She paused again for a moment, trying to control the waves of nausea. “Christ...what the f*** did they do to you?” She said quietly. It was more a thought that had escaped before she could hit the brakes, but it was out there now.

Fenshire opened the door and stepped inside as Bindi paled considerably. “That b****,” he said, referring to Iniuria, “did things that no one should ever have to go through to an innocent woman. We're going to leave it at that.” He placed his hand on Bindi's shoulder and squeezed gently as Bindi fought to regain her composure.

“That is something I prefer not to speak or think about, Vaala,” she answered.

“Yeah, I can understand that,” Vaala said. She'd been trying – unsuccessfully – to purge the images from her own mind for the past couple of days. She couldn't imagine actually having lived through that. “But...that...chip,” she began, unsure of how to ask what she really wanted to.

“What about it?” Bindi asked, her voice turning cold.

"It...well...what did you mean the other day when you said those Agents were tracking me the same way they tracked you?" There was a lot more fear in her voice than she'd intended to let out and she silently cursed herself for it. “I mean, you don't think--” she shook her head, not wanting to finish the question.

Bindi sighed again. "I meant that Marks had probably tracked me... and therefore found you. You must understand, Marks is a program in exile. He once headed up the research into the chip program since its original use was to overwrite operatives. Once they developed new technology for that process and I escaped while maintaining my personality instead of the chip's, he was scheduled for deletion. Apparently his close work with a human imparted some self-preservation and he...fled...at first only to the Matrix and then, he found a way to take over a newly awakened Redpill. At that point in time he somehow... became obsessed with his 'creation'."

Relief washed over Vaala. “So the guy's a nutcase.”

“A nutcase determined to get me back, reinstall the Lamont program...or something like it – supposedly Gruk deleted the last copy of that program – and use me in the current war against Zion in hopes the Machines will see that his program is not obsolete."

Wow, he and Cameryn should get together, she thought. That b**** is just as psychotic. “So you weren't saying that I have one of those...things...” The idea of something controlling her was one she found incredibly disturbing, and her concern was not lost on Bindi.

"I don't think so, but if you're worried about it we can do a simple scan to see if there is one."

Vaala nodded. “Do it.”

"We'll need to head to the medbay. Deff, mind if we use yours?"

"Yeah that's fine, Ill have Bobbi waiting." He answered back over the intercom.

“Come with me, Vaala. You'll have your answer in a few minutes.” She stood and walked to the door that Fenshire was holding open for her and Vaala – slowly and carefully, remembering that Aerios was armed and was still standing right outside the door – got up and followed. Whether she was chipped or not, she'd rather know for sure, either way...and if she was, she'd see to it that Cameryn Thorne and every other Machine paid dearly for it.

--Vaala, RedBindi, Fenshire, Deffdog

Deff led them to the medbay, but opted to simply wait outside the door. “So what now?” Vaala asked, looking around the room nervously.

“Sit down on the bed over there,” Bindi instructed. “I'm going to run a scanner over you and see what we find.”

As Vaala complied, Bindi took the scanner and ran it over her, starting at her head and moving towards her feet. After a few minutes that felt to Vaala to be more like hours, Bindi looked up. “Well, I have some good news and some bad news.”

“Start with the good news. I could use some right about now.”

“Well, you're not chipped.”

Vaala breathed a huge sigh of relief. “And the bad news?”

“You have a tracer in you...which means the Machines know your location here in the Real.”

“Oh s***!” Vaala exclaimed. Deff had been right – those Sentinels had attacked because of her! “Can you get rid of it?”

“From what the scan is telling me, not likely. You'll probably need to be taken to New Zion, where they'll most likely be able to deactivate it.” Calling for Deff, who was standing right outside the medbay door, she told him, “I need to get her off this ship.”

“That would definitely be for the best,” Deffdog sighed.

“New Zion?” Vaala asked before mumbling, “As if this cell wasn't bad enough...”

RedBindi looked at her. “You'll be under my protection in New Zion. It's not likely that they'll do anything while that protection continues.”

“Oh. 'While that continues...' Great,” she said, resisting an urge to roll her eyes. In the past few hours, her situation had gone from bad to worse to horrible. On the plus side, she thought, it's probably about as bad as it could possibly get, right?

“I don't see any reason why it shouldn't—bloody hell,” Bindi swore as the Shadrack's proximity alert started going off.

“Oh, Christ,” Vaala said, her voice practically a whisper as she dropped her head. She knew now beyond all shadow of doubt that the Mechs were using her to find the ship. “I swear, I am going to kill that b****,” she mumbled.

Deffdog ran to the intercom. “Sue, report!”

“A s***load of sentinels just came out of nowhere,” Suezuki told the Captain.

“S***! Get the guns manned and start firing,” Deff ordered.

“Vaala, Fen – with me,” Bindi ordered. “We're returning to the Diluculo. Deff, we'll need to split up – take down as many as you can.” As Deff hit the intercom again to tell Maatkare to prep the APU, she continued. “Cover us while we make out run over to the Diluculo.”

“We won't lift off until the area is clear,” he nodded. “You guys get the hell out of here while we hold them off,” he said as he sprinted for the cargo bay.

RedBindi motioned for Vaala to follow. “Come on,” she said as she took off down the corridor at a run, with Fenshire following close behind. It was all Vaala could do to keep up. As Deff climbed into the waiting APU and moved it out of the Shadrack, RedBindi sprinted across the tunnel. She ran faster than Vaala had even imagined was possible towards the open back end of the Diluculo. As RedBindi ran up the lift, she grabbed an energy rifle and knelt, prepared to cover Fenshire and Vaala if it was needed.

“Jesus, she's fast,” Vaala murmured as she sprinted behind Fen.

Fenshire nodded. “Too d*** fast sometimes,” he agreed. As Fen and Vaala reached the lift, Bindi tossed the rifle to Fen, leaving him to close the hatch. Motioning Vaala to follow her, she ran towards the bridge.

“When we get to the bridge, strap into the chair I point at and don't touch anything. Fen will be along shortly to take control of the guns. And make sure you strap in tight – I can guarantee you've never had a ride like you're about to have.”

“Uh...right,” Vaala said, strapping in and cinching the straps as tight as she could. She was trying very hard not to think about the fact that she was the reason the Sentinels were here right now.

As RedBindi powered up the Diluculo, Fenshire came running down the corridor and onto the bridge. He slid into his seat, buckled in, and brought up the guns. He looked at his wife and nodded, neither of them needing to speak, as she began lifting off from the tunnel floor.

Deffdog watched as the three entered the Diluculo, firing at the swarm of Sentinels the entire time. “S***, you'd think they were attacking New Zion or something!” he yelled, to no one in particular. Flipping on the com switch, he hollered, “Red, Get the hell out of here! Jazz, prime the EMP.” He watched from his vantage point in the APU as the Diluculo ascended.

“We're on our way out now, Deff,” RedBindi responded. “We'll take a few off your back as we go.” Gunfire immediately followed the statement as Fen began targeting Sentinels while RedBindi piloted the ship. They took down several Sentinels before flying off into a tunnel that most ships would never even have considered trying to navigate because of how narrow it was. The twists and turns she made were too fast for Vaala to keep up with and she was suddenly grateful for Bindi's warning to strap in tight, though she did notice that Fen seemed to anticipate his wife's moves without either of them saying a word. The two seemed to move as one, each complementing the other's actions in a way that was unlike anything Vaala had ever seen.

“God d*** this ship is fast!” Vaala commented as she hung on for dear life.

Deffdog watched from the APU as several sentinels broke off and followed the Diluculo. “Sue, is the Diluculo out of EMP range?” he shouted as he continued firing. Suezuki looked on as the Diluculo quickly got out of EMP range and Fen took care of the sentinels on their tail.

“Diluculo is out of range,” she shouted back.

“Blow it!” Deff responded as he hit the emergency power kill switch on the APU. A few moments passed and the EMP still hadn't fired. As a sentinel landed directly in front of the APU, its pincers ready to strike at him, a white flash filled the cavern. The sentinel fell forward, landing on the APU and knocking it off its feet.

“We're in the clear and it looks like Deff took care of his as well,” Fen told his wife.

“Are you sure it's a good idea to take me anywhere?” Vaala asked, clearly unnerved by the fact that not only had the Mechs tracked her here, but that they'd sent such a large swarm of Sentinels.

Bindi nodded, then reached down and flipped a switch. “I highly doubt they'll be able to track you on this vessel,” she smiled. “The Diluculo has a few...upgrades.”

“Oh...okay,” Vaala said, doubting the Commander's word on that one. Upgrades? she thought. What the hell kind of upgrades can stop that? she wondered, reflecting on what she'd just seen. And just what in the hell have I gotten myself into?

--Vaala, RedBindi, Fenshire, Deffdog

For the first time, Cameryn Thorne experienced failure.

“Bugger.”

The surveillance feed she’d placed confirmed the worst-case scenario she’d planned for: the incompetent Lieutenant had confessed to the terrorists.

“I've given them some... uh... misinformation just to keep them busy.”

“They're expecting an attack. They think Neoteny's code bombings are a diversion and that The Trust is behind them, planning something.”

“Not that I expect any of you to believe me, but I want out of this deal…”

“She intends to kill me the instant I no longer ‘serve a purpose’.”

Thorne shook her head and tapped with aggravation into her console, gauging each member’s reaction to Ms. Redwinter’s statements. They seemed to believe her albeit being unsurprisingly angry with her, in particular her hovercraft captain who seemed to take it a bit personally. “Too much emotion, Captain,” she spoke to herself, repulsed at her fellow species behavior. Knowing full-well what could happen next, she pulled out a slim mobile phone and hit speed-dial “1.”

“Agent Gray… we’ve had a complication.”

“You have surveyed all available footage, Ms. Thorne?”

“Yes, Sir. It is rather unfortunate, however not completely unexpected. The Trust has a track record for ‘saving’ their operatives, in both literal and figurative senses.” Thorne’s eyes narrowed. “However, as per our protocol, I will be putting into effect my contingency pl—“

Gray interrupted her by handing her a slip of paper. “You will get into contact with that woman.”

She scanned the paper, noting the name, operative handle, phone number and code signature. She recognized it immediately from her research.

“Agent, I must ask… how solid of a plan is this? The woman is fraught with emotion regarding the leader – she could prove to be more trouble than she is worth. She also has a record of—“

“Ms. Thorne, I did not ask for your opinion on the matter,” Gray cut in sharply. “She will be a vital resource, given her history and knowledge of their Commander.”

Her nostrils flared – she could not fathom why Agent Gray would ask her to bring in outside influence. There was no logic to it; however she still tried to appeal to him. “I understand your reasoning, Agent, however I—“

“You will contact her, Ms. Thorne, and you will use her to… sway our Lieutenant back into our favor.” He leaned on closer to her. “Do – I – make – myself – clear?”

Inside, Thorne seethed. “Perfectly, Agent,” she answered coolly, feeling her eyes flash.

“Then you will get in touch with the named operative the moment you pick up her signal, Ms. Thorne.” He stood up straight and exited her office, leaving Thorne a trifle confused.

What is WRONG with him…?

She flipped the sheet of paper between her fingers nimbly and sighed deeply through her nose. Of all the emotions that existed, frustration seemed to be the only one she allowed herself to express. Thorne prided herself on planning ahead, for operating at the utmost efficiency within her organization; however the failure of an operation was not something she took lightly… or something she let go of quickly. Compiled with Gray’s choice of contingency it made for an unusual situation.

She had no time to contemplate further – the new operation took effect as her contact entered the simulation. Left with little choice, she dialed in the number.

“Hello? Is this a Ms. Riley Shay?”

“Who is this?”

“My name is Cameryn Thorne, I work for the Mega City NSA.”

“And you’re calling because…?”

“I believe we could use your… assistance on a case.”

--Cameryn

Kedemoth mid-day was usually uninhabited, and Cameryn Thorne thought it a perfect spot to meet this new contact. Their brief conversation already gave her an unsettled feeling, knowing full-well it could potentially end in disaster. Iniuria’s impatient manner left a bad taste in Thorne’s mouth, reminding her of the impertinent Lieutenant; however the Agent’s mention of Lamont seemed to perk the woman’s interest. Miffed as she was to her situation, and much as she despised her assignment, Thorne was not one to oppose Agent Gray – other System Agents answered to him so she would be an idiot to revolt.

Iniuria’s transfer completed through the synch point, and Thorne briefly nodded at her. “Pleasure to meet you. Now, onto business.”

Let’s just get this over with.

“I’m sure,” the red-dressed woman answered blandly.

Thorne grinned slightly, launching into her pitch. “My assignment involves the tracking of the terrorist group, The Trust. We believe they are planning an assault on our real-world interests. In order to confirm this, we had sent an operative into their ranks to determine their course of action.”

“And this affects me how?” Iniuria asked.

“I’m getting to that,” Thorne promptly answered.

Iniuria cocked her head to the side. “Then get there faster.”

You’re lucky I’m not here to terminate you otherwise I’d stuff that insipid bandanna down your throat, pull it out the other end and string you up for the Sentinels.

Thorne ground her teeth, but continued. “This operative goes by the handle ‘Vaala.’ Unfortunately, we believe she may have sympathized with them, in particular Ms. Lamont. However she is not stupid – we can only assume she will try to maintain her status with us. This is where you come in…” She eyed the operative, gauging her interest level. Iniuria merely crossed her arms waiting for her to continue.

“I am proposing that you… persuade Vaala to remain with us, by any and all means necessary. In particular, showing her the grotesqueries of Lamont. With this knowledge of her crimes, she will most likely return to her status with us and gain a better understanding of this dangerous leader in order to… terminate her and her followers.”

“I see,” Iniuria finally responds. “And what benefit is this to me?”

“We are well-aware of the resources you have, Ms. Shay, and we are permitting your usage of them within the System if necessary. I have done a thorough case study on Lamont’s activities…”

Play on the weakling’s emotions.

“…and let me just say I can understand your actions, given the emotions you’ve experienced.”

Iniuria took a moment to think. “So, in return for helping you… I’ll not be prosecuted for what… I do?”

“You might say as much,” Thorne said. “If these terms are not… sufficient for you, perhaps other arrangements can be made. I like to consider us… flexible.”

Iniuria nodded. “I… can work with those terms – freedom to move about works. Now, what do you need me to do?”

Good, good.

“I need to be in contact with you for when my operative returns to the Matrix,” Thorne explained. “I can only assume she is in holding for her actions. When she is here, I will send her to meet with you. You may take it from there, in whatever means necessary. If you are in need of any system resources, we would be more than happy to oblige.”

“I have the resources I need to take care of this, for now,” Iniuria noted. “She’ll learn in detail exactly what Lamont did.”

“That is all I require, Ms Shay.”

“I’ll need her code signature,” the woman requested.

Thorne grinned emotionlessly. “Of course, one moment.” She pulled out her PDA and tapped in a few keys. It beeped, and she then slid a disk into its slot, copying the information. A moment later it finished and she removed the disk, handing it to Iniuria.

“The sooner the better,” Iniuria nudged as she uploaded the contents of the disk through the hardline.

“Should be soon,” Thorne responded. “Depends on what the terrorists are doing to my operative. I would assume they are taking her to New Zion, but I know I shall see her sooner than that.”

“I should be around for a little longer tonight.”

“So will I. As soon as I have confirmation of her whereabouts I will contact you.”

Iniuria smiled coldly as she uplinked to her operator beginning her transfer. “Have a good evening.”

Thorne returns the smile, equally icy. “You as well.” Iniuria disappeared from view.

I hope you know what you’re doing, Gray. Placing your trust in an unstable individual…

She cut off her own thought relocating to the Akasaka province. As if on cue, Vaala’s signature appeared on her PDA.

Perfect timing, you side-stepping poddie.

--Cameryn

Vaala sat in her chair aboard the Diluculo trying to figure out how to ask the question that was on her mind. She knew that if she didn't jack in sometime soon, Cameryn would know that something was up. There was even the possibility that she might send another swarm of Sentinels...or something worse. She cleared her throat. “Uh, Commander,” she began, looking at RedBindi, “I was just wondering...It's been a while since I've jacked in. Thorne might be, uh, looking for me – and if I'm going to get any information from her, well...you know,” she shrugged.

RedBindi studied her for a long moment before agreeing. “All right,” she said finally. “But I'm going to have Wheeler monitor you. At the first sign of trouble—”

“--He'll pull me out. Got it.” She grimaced slightly as her spike was inserted and shortly found herself staring at green lines of code streaming before her eyes. As the code faded, she took a look around at the Asian-style buildings. “International,” she murmured as she settled in to wait.

She wasn't kept waiting very long before the phone the Agent had given her rang. “How nice of you to finally make an appearance,” Cameryn's voice came from the other end, sounding more than a little annoyed.

“After your little stunt with Covenant, I was arrested and thrown in the brig,” Vaala told her.

“Oh? Then how, operative, are you suddenly able to enter the simulation?” Thorne asked.

“I believe I have convinced them of my...usefulness for the time being.”

“If that is the case,” Thorne replied coolly, “then we should return to our investigation. You will meet me at the West Akasaka synch point.”

“I presume you have an assignment for me?”

“Yes.”

As Vaala's RSI rematerialized, she caught sight of Thorne, who tapped her earpiece and then began inputting information into her PDA. That d***ed PDA again... Vaala thought. Wonder if she'd know what to do without that thing?

“Ready whenever you are, Agent,” Vaala said impatiently.

“I have found an...independent contact that has gained some valuable intelligence on Trust operations.”

“Is that so?” Vaala didn't like the sound of this at all.

“You are to meet with her and retrieve the intelligence,” Thorne ordered.

“All right. Where?”

“Transport to Jurong's Central line. She will be waiting for you there.”

Vaala arrived at the meeting place to find her contact sitting on a bench, waiting...and not looking pleased about having been kept waiting. Vaala was even less pleased as she recognized the face: Iniuria. She approached the contact, working overtime to keep from simply pulling out her gun and shooting the woman. “I'm told you have useful information.”

“Always,” Iniuria answered. “I need to scan you first, however.”

Vaala backed up a few steps. She knew exactly what this “contact” was capable of and didn't want the b**** anywhere near her – and especially not with a scanner. “Excuse me? What the hell for?”

“Procedure. Now hold still.”

Seeing little other choice, Vaala submitted to the scan. She resisted the urge to laugh. Earlier she'd thought things couldn't possibly get any worse than they already were. Obviously, she'd been wrong.

As she finished her scan, Iniuria held out a cell phone. “I would suggest you not lose this,” she cautioned. “Wait here.”

“Understood.” Wheeler, I really hope you're getting all this, she thought suddenly very uncomfortable with the situation. Just then, the phone Iniuria had given her rang. “Come to Richland District.”

Vaala complied, still very unhappy about the situation.

“S***!” Wheeler exclaimed, his fingers flying over the keys. “Lost her!”

“Vaala, what is your location?” Fenshire asked. “Dammit,” he said when he got no response.

“What?” QuiDormit asked.

“Vaala's meeting Iniuria and her signal just cut out,” Fen answered. “And now I'm being contacted by the queen b****.”

“You want backup?”

“Yeah.”

“Where are you headed? It's going to take me a moment to get there...What the hell is she doing jacking in?”

“Guys, she's fine,” Deffdog interjected. “We found evidence to prove her story...but I think I'll leave her to explain the rest.”

“Tabor West,” Fen answered Qui. “And Deff, she just met with Iniuria and Wheeler lost her signal.”

“Red or Vaala?” Deffdog asked.

“Vaala,” Fen answered. “Qui, Iniuria's coming here. And I saw the recording – I thought she was fine too.”

“On my way,” Qui said.

“After all the s*** I've been through today, I don't need this,” Deffdog muttered angrily. First RedBindi had removed Vaala – his crewman – from the Shadrack, and now she'd just...disappeared again, this time with Iniuria. This was not looking good, no matter how you looked at it.

--Vaala, Cameryn, Iniuria, Fenshire, Deffdog, QuiDormit

Vaala regained consciousness and looked around. “What the—oh, Jesus Christ,” she said as she sat up. She recognized this place – it was one of the constructs Iniuria had used to torture Bindi. F***ing Thorne! she thought. That sadistic little w***e!

“Welcome back to the waking world,” Iniuria's voice greeted her.

“What the f*** do you think you're doing?!” Wheeler, get me out of here...

“Saving your life.”

Vaala was incredulous. “Saving my life? With...this?” she waved her hand around. If this was how the sick b**** saved lives, she'd hate to see how she destroyed them.

“Agent Thorne knows you've turned,” Iniuria told her. “She contacted me to 'turn' you back. I agreed only to save you and to allow you the chance to communicate with your friends. You have a cell phone in your hand – it will connect you to the Trust.”

Vaala paled considerably. “Turned? No, that's...that's not true. She told me to make myself 'invaluable.' That's exactly what I did. And I've seen how you 'save' people,” she said sarcastically. She was d***ed sure she didn't want any part of Iniuria's version of saving someone.

“Yes...and no one deserves a second chance, hm?” Iniuria asked.

“I'm calling 'my friends,' as you put it right now to tell them to get me the f*** out of here,” she said, dialing the phone as she spoke.

“They can't. Only I can,” Iniuria told her. “I'm trying to tell you your options, girl.”

Vaala ignored the comment. “Hello?”

“Where are you, Vaala?” QuiDormit asked.

“Vaala!” Fenshire shouted. “Are you okay? Wheeler, can you get a fix on her?”

“Trying,” Wheeler answered.

“Vaala, are you all right?” Deffdog asked at the same time.

“Umm...yeah. I think,” she answered.

“I want her out as soon as you're able,” Fen told Wheeler.

“The sooner the better, please guys.” Vaala added. She thought she'd rather have faced down Thorne than be where she was at the moment.

“No s***,” Wheeler commented dryly.


Iniuria spoke again: “You also have a decision to make. I can keep you safe in this construct long enough for Thorne to think I've turned you back, thus allowing you to get back in her good graces...”

“How about I just kill you instead?” Vaala asked, taking a menacing step towards Iniuria.

“Go back now and the Agent will know. You will reappear on her radar and you will never get another chance to get close to her.”

Vaala stopped cold. The woman had a valid point, she had to concede. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because...as I've already said, I do not wish the Trust any further harm,” Iniuria replied. “I had a chance and I took it. It was a split-second decision: save you and return you to the Trust or let the Agent deal with you herself.” She raised a brow. “Which would you have preferred?”

“And why should I believe you?” Vaala asked suspiciously.

“Are you still alive?” Iniuria asked. “How do you think I got your code signature without ever having met you...and why do you think your Agent sent you directly to me?”

“Because she's just as twisted as you are,” Vaala answered.

“Can you give us any clue as to your location, Vaala?” Deffdog asked.

“I'm...I don't know,” she answered...and she really didn't.

Iniuria sighed. “I guess the Trust really doesn't believe in second chances. I'm trying to help for Chrissakes.”

“Oh, they do...” Vaala began as Deff interrupted.

“Describe where you're at.”

“It's...Jesus Christ, Deff,” she answered him, “this is one of the constructs she used to torture Bindi. Get me the f*** out of here...” She'd only been able to stomach a few minutes of what Iniuria had done to RedBindi, but it had been more than enough. Turning her attention back to Iniuria, she asked, “How? How is this helping?”

“As I said,” Iniuria answered impatiently, “you have a choice. One, go back now and the Agent knows I've double-crossed her and that you are no longer an asset. Two, stay here for a little while until I can transfer you to a newly-built construct that your friends can access. Then you can go back to the Agent and convince her you've 'returned to your senses'.”

“And what, exactly, do you get out of all this?” Vaala asked, her tone accusatory. “Surely you wouldn't do this out of the goodness of your heart...if you even have one.”

Iniuria sighed again. “Hopefully someone realizes I don't want to hurt anyone anymore.” Sighing heavily, she added, “I made a horrible mistake...it happens. I can't make up for what I did...but I can stop bad things from happening to you.”

“I guess I don't have a whole lot of choice, do I?”

“You have the choice to do what you want. Discuss it with your comrades, and I'll do whatever you wish.”

“I really don't know about this,” Vaala said into her phone with apprehension.

“What's going on, Vaala?” Fenshire asked.

“She says Thorne knows I've turned against her and that she's trying to save my life.”

“Let them know I'll move you to a construct they can access,” Iniuria told her.

“She said she'll move me to a construct you guys can access because she wants to prove that she made a mistake and that she doesn't want to hurt anyone anymore.”

“Okay...” said Fen, not believing a word of it.

“What else?” QuiDormit asked.

“She said that if I go back to Thorne now, I'm as good as dead. But...if I let her do this, she says she can keep Thorne from killing me and that I'll be able to come back to you guys.”

“That's it?” Qui asked, also in disbelief. “No other conditions? I don't trust this b****...”

“If you let her do what?” Fenshire asked.

“If I let her take me to the other construct, Fen. And Qui, I don't trust her either, but I don't see that I have a whole lot of other options right now.”

“Yeah...” Fen said.

“Besides...you guys will be watching, right?” Vaala asked.

“You're d*** right we will,” Qui answered.

“All right, then,” Vaala decided. “I'll do it.”

“All right,” Fen agreed. He really didn't like this, but he could see that Vaala was fairly well cornered.

She turned her attention back to Iniuria. “All right,” she sighed. “Fine. Since I don't seem to have a whole lot of options right now, let's do this.”

“Which this, Vaala?”

“I'll come with you. Just understand that I don't trust you one bit.”

“I didn't expect you to,” Iniuria told her with a slight nod. “Give me a few moments to set up the new construct and let your friends know what you've decided.”

“They already know. You didn't think for a second that I'd go anywhere with you without talking to them about it first, did you?”

“I just wanted to be sure. Them breathing down my neck made me wonder.”

“I'd say they have good reason to breathe down your neck, Iniuria.”

“Yes...they do,” she said, allowing her head to drop a little.

“Suddenly grow a conscience, did you?” Vaala spat.

“Stranger things have happened.”

“Yeah. If you say so,” Vaala said with a frown as she watched Iniuria dial a phone she'd pulled from her pocket.

“It shouldn't take long to return her to your service – a day or two at most,” she told the person on the other end. Vaala had no doubt it had been Thorne that she'd dialed.

Her suspicions were confirmed when Iniuria let her hear Thorne's voice on the other end giving a low, humorless chuckle: “Whatever it takes, Ms. Shay. Whatever must be done. Now, I know that you have a lot of material to cover, so I'll leave you to your work...” Cameryn's chuckle may have been humorless, but the tone in her voice implied that she was taking at least some pleasure in the idea of Vaala's being subjected to Iniuria's brand of 'convincing'. Just like I'll take pleasure in tearing you apart before I kill you, Agent Thorne, Vaala thought. Your time will come - hopefully sooner rather than later...

--Vaala, Iniuria, Fenshire, Deffdog, QuiDormit, Cameryn

True to her word, Iniuria soon transported Vaala to a new construct. Once Fenshire, QuiDormit, and Deffdog arrived at Iniuria's location, she spoke: “Agent Thorne believes it will only take a day or two to 'turn' Vaala. That's all the time she'll have to spend in the new construct that each of you will be able to access.”

“A day?!” Vaala exclaimed. She knew exactly what Iniuria was capable of doing in 24 hours' time, and she wanted no part of it. Still, Iniuria had been right, she reasoned. Everyone deserves a second chance. Well, almost everyone...

Fenshire glared at Iniuria, looking as if it was taking every ounce of his self-control to keep from tearing the woman apart. “You expect us to keep her in this construct for a day?”

Iniuria shrugged. “That was the decision she made. If she wishes to go the other route, she may.”

“Thorne can't track her in the construct?” Fen asked.

“No.”

“Then I say we jack her out of the construct and let her stay in the Real for a day.”

“You can do that as well,” Iniuria told him as she handed him a disk.

“And this is...?” Fen asked suspiciously.

“That will give your operator the location of the new construct. He'll be able to jack any of you in and out of it at any time. Once you all leave the construct, Vaala included, it will be deleted. Now, if you'll give me a moment, I'll transfer each of you to her.”

“Does this block the tracer in the real as well?” Deffdog asked. “This...construct?”

“No. That's not anything I knew about.”

“Dammit!” Vaala said as Inuria appeared before her.

“Hello again,” she said with a slight smile.

“Hello,” Vaala said, suspicion creeping into her voice, wondering how long Iniuria planned on keeping up her 'reformed psychotic freak' act before the real fun began...

--Vaala, Iniuria, Fenshire, Deffdog

“Who first?” Iniuria asked.

“Just do it,” Fen said as Vaala paced nervously, wondering just exactly what Iniuria was up to.

“I'll go,” Deff answered. After all, Vaala was still his crewman.

As Deffdog appeared in the construct, Iniuria welcomed him. Ignoring her, he looked at Vaala: “You all right, Vaala?”

“Yeah...I think so,” she answered.

Just then, Fen and QuiDormit appeared. “Vaala!” Fen exclaimed.

Iniuria gestured towards Vaala. “Your operative, safe and sound,” she told them as Qui crossed his arms and shot her a look that would have wilted most people.

“Surprisingly enough,” Vaala added, glaring at Iniuria.

“You're welcome,” Iniuria said, staring back at Vaala. “I'm glad you're so happy to be free of that Agent.” Vaala thought about saying something less than polite in response, but decided it probably wasn't in her best interests. “It's the best I could do for a quick construct. Go outdoors and you will reappear in the Matrix. Or...your operator jacks you in and out of here. Either way works.”

“Wheeler, get her out,” Fen ordered.

“Well, Vaala,” Deff began. “You have a choice now. How do you want us to handle this?”

“If I leave, Thorne kills me,” Vaala shrugged, “so I guess I don't have much choice but to stay here.”

“You can jack out,” Iniuria told her. “Fenshire has already ascertained that.”

“They can't kill you if you stay out of the Matrix,” Deff reasoned.

“Once again, Iniuria,” Qui said, “it's not like we're easily able to take this character change from psychotic b**** to...well...whatever the hell it is you are.”

“I said the same thing, Qui,” Vaala said, crossing her arms.

“I don't expect you to...but at least you know your operative is safe and sound, correct?” she answered, looking directly at Qui.

“Still,” Vaala began, “we all know that if I jack out now, they'll still find me in the Real. Those Sentinel attacks were not accidents...”

Fenshire tried reasoning with her: “Vaala, that Agent can't track you in here. That means you can jack out and she'll just think you're still in the construct.” As Vaala looked to Iniuria for confirmation, he continued: “They'll find you even if you're jacked in, I assume.”

“Yeah,” Qui agreed, glaring at Iniuria.

“Fen, if I leave, she'll take me right back to Thorne.”

“Who?” Iniuria asked.

“You,” Vaala answered as if the answer was obvious.

“No, Vaala,” Qui argued, “just pop your EJP.”

As Iniuria chuckled, Vaala stared at her again. “You don't actually think I believe you'd just let me walk out of here, do you?”

“No,” Iniuria answered. “No...I have no interest in returning you to Thorne.”

“So exactly what are you interested in?” Vaala shot back.

“Well, we can't take you outside,” Qui said, thinking aloud, “or she'll find you again.”

Iniuria sighed. “If you walk out of here, you return to the Matrix. If you jack out...you appear on whatever ship you're on. It's really quite simple.”

“Is that so...” Deffdog asked.

“And either way, Thorne hunts me down...not much of a 'choice,' is it?” she said bitterly as Iniuria sighed heavily again and rolled her eyes.

Fenshire appeared to be thinking it through. “Supposedly, after a day or so, Thorne will think that you've gone back to the dark side...”

“She can't get you if you're jacked out, Vaala,” Qui said, trying to change Vaala's mind.

“Yes, Qui...she can. Bindi found a tracer earlier. They're tracking me in the Real, too.”

“I don't know if we should try taking her out,” Deff cautioned. “How do we know it won't kill Vaala in the process just to satisfy this witch's need for entertainment?”

Vaala agreed with Deff. “If she says she needs a day, well then, let's give her a day.”

“I told Thorne it would take me a day or so to...'re-educate' you,” Iniuria told Vaala. “Just don't jack in for a day or so and Thorne will think that you're back on her side.”

“You want to stay a day here?” Fenshire asked. “You'll be able to stay in the Real and Thorne will believe you're still in this construct.”

“Do whatever you wish,” Iniuria told her. “If needed, I'll convince her that my...methods worked.”

Vaala still didn't believe her. “Look, I know Thorne's watching, so you can stop pretending that she's not,” she said, glaring at Iniuria.

“Whether you're jacked in or not,” Fen told her, “they'll still track you in the Real. The choice is to either stay in this twisted w***e's construct or jack out into the Real where we can better protect you.”

“I can't spend the rest of my life sitting in the Diluculo, Fen. I'm gonna have to risk it,” she said with a shudder.

“Vaala, remember...as long as you're jacked in, we're trapped at broadcast depth,” Qui said as he shook his head at Iniuria to show his disapproval. “But Deff does have a good point: if we pop her EJP, who's to say it will work in this construct?”

Fenshire shook his head. “For the safety of the crew and ship, I think you're going to have to jack out. If we get attacked by Sentinels...” he let the thought drop off unfinished. “There's little to no reason for you to stay here in her prison.”

Iniuria sighed. “A prison is a place you can't leave,” she pointed out.

“You can more than handle Sentinels,” Vaala told him, “and I really don't believe her at all when she says she won't go running back to Thorne if I jack out. To my mind, that'd put the ship and the crew at a much bigger risk. You saw what happened earlier.”

Qui thought for a moment. “If she knows you left, then she'll know that this little exercise to turn you back didn't work...”

“If I wanted her to know, I'd have brought her to the construct with you,” Iniuria pointed out.

“Our main weapon against the sentinels is the EMP,” Fen said. “Without it, we're dead.”

“Then use it if you have to,” Vaala told him, knowing full well what she was telling him to do.

“All right,” Fenshire agreed reluctantly. “Stay here. But if there's any trouble, Wheeler's jacking you out.”

“If there is trouble, Fen, I d***ed well want him to pull me out,” she said with a grim smile.

“I'll be honest, I'm iffy about all this s***, and I still don't know if this is some kind of trap to get us to be sitting ducks for the Machines to find,” Fen told her bluntly.

“You're iffy?” Vaala asked. Easy for him to say, she thought. He's not stuck in a construct with a psycho.

“Yeah,” Qui said. “We're all iffy.”

“Well thank you, Qui. That just makes me feel so much better...”

“I don't want a d***ed thing to do with those bastards,” Iniuria said harshly, showing more emotion than anyone thought she was capable of. “I didn't ask for this. The Agent came to me and I came to you after making sure your operative was safe.”

Glaring at Iniuria, Fen shot back with as much hostility as Vaala had ever heard in his voice, “And I don't want a d***ed thing to do with you.”

“Look, Fen...if you have to blow the EMP or drop below broadcast depth, just do it. To be honest, I'd rather die that way than by Thorne's hand.”

“That's not how we operate, Vaala,” Fen told her.

“I know that, Fen...but better that than putting everyone at risk over...this...”

“Sorry, Iniuria,” Qui said, “but I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around the why of it all.”

“You and me both, Qui,” Vaala said, fixing Iniuria with a hard stare. “I still find it hard to believe you've suddenly developed a conscience.”

“Do you think I want to be standing here surrounded by all of you?” Iniuria asked them. “I told you: I had a split-second decision to make...I thought I made the right choice.”

Fenshire sighed, his impatience showing. “You have a tracer in the Real. They can trace you whether you're jacked in or not...however, with you jacked in, we're all at greater risk.”

“I know, Fen. That's why I'm telling you, do whatever it takes to keep everyone else safe. But...you did say the Trust was about second chances. Who would we be if we didn't extend that idea to everyone...regardless of how psychotic they may be or may have been? Besides, I'm still not entirely sure that I trust her not to go running back to Thorne if I leave...”

“Let her,” Qui said menacingly. “It'll be the last thing she ever does.”

“The Trust can forgive her all they want,” Fen answered. “I won't.”

Iniuria shook her head. “I am sorry for what was done to your wife. I...was disillusioned and...stupid as hell then. I can't take back what happened, but I can be sure that no one else harms your operatives. Is that reason enough for you?”

“And generally,” Fenshire continued, ignoring her, “that second chance is extended to our members – not the crazy b****es who make innocent people go through years of torture, killing them over and over and over in some twisted construct...being betrayed by their loved ones, watching their loved ones get killed in the most heinous ways,” he paused, his breathing getting heavier and more ragged as he spoke, “being forced to live through false realities where they've had a family and a daughter and watched them killed in front of them!” He raised his voice. “People like that don't deserve second chances! People like that deserve exactly what they've put others through!”

“Nor do most spies deserve second chances,” Iniuria said pointedly, looking at Vaala.

Vaala looked around at the others. “She's got a point, Fen,” Vaala said quietly. “I can sit here for a day. It won't kill me. Thorne, however...”

--Vaala, Iniuria, Fenshire, Deffdog, QuiDormit

“Fen,” Qui said, trying to calm him down, “Let's not blow the lid off this thing while she's got Vaala here. I totally agree and I sympathise, but...”

“And, Fen, I agree as well,” Vaala said, “but maybe making her agitated right now might not exactly be for the best...”

“That's what I'm saying,” Qui agreed.

“Dr. Roberts is planning something,” Iniuria told them. “I haven't found out what yet, but I'm doing my best to find out. Until I do, don't let RedBindi go anywhere without an armed escort in New Zion.”

“Fen,” Vaala said quietly, “It's only a day. I can sit here for a day...”

“Then sit here. If we're attacked, Wheeler will force your jackout protocol.”

“Sounds good,” Vaala agreed.

“I've done all I can to protect RedBindi without your knowing,” Iniuria told them. “You're lucky they haven't managed to slip something else onto a Trust ship,” she said, looking at Vaala. “They keep having...accidents...which prevent them from arriving at their destination. So you can be as pissed at me as you want: I deserve your anger in this matter, but you also need to realize I am helping you to keep your wife and your other operatives safe from harm.”

“Wheeler, get me out of here,” Fen ordered. “I need to go...before I rip this b**** to shreds.”

“It'll be fine, Fen...I hope...” Vaala said.

“I think it's time you left, Iniuria,” Qui said. “I'm going to stick around.”

Iniuria gave a slight nod. “I'll be around, keeping an eye on this construct and alerting you to anything else I can.”

“Qui, you should jack out. If the Mechs do attack again,” Vaala told him, “they're going to need you. I'll be fine. What can happen in a day?”

“Wheeler can just rip me out,” he insisted. “It's not a big deal. Hell, I can walk out the front door for that matter.”

“Wheeler's going to be focused on me, Qui, and on pulling me out if it's necessary. It's only a day, for crissakes. I'll be fine. All I have to do is sit here.”

“Maybe I'm not just doing it for your protection. Maybe I want to stay here so that one of us can keep an eye on you.”

“Where in the hell am I going to go, Qui?”

“I think he's more concerned about who might come in,” Deffdog replied in an attempt to diffuse the growing hostilities between the two crewmen, “as am I.”

“You know what? Fine. Stay locked up. I've had enough. I just hope for your sake that you're not trying to pull anything.”

“Qui!” Deff reprimanded, “Do I need to forward you the logs we've seen today?”

“No, Deff, I deserved that,” Vaala admitted. “Just not from a f***ing murderer,” she added, glaring at QuiDormit.

“Oh please, Vaala,” Qui said, returning the glare. “They would have gotten rid of you by now if you didn't prove of some use to them. You must be doing something right to have made it this far in their good graces.”

“Oh, and I suppose being locked up with an insane psychopath is what you consider being in someone's 'good graces'?” she shot back. “Jesus Christ. Deff, get him out of here, would you?”

“Qui, you need to go now,” Deffdog told him as Qui waved dismissively in Vaala's direction but stayed where he was.

“Do I need to make it an order? Let's go!” Looking at Vaala, Deff asked, “you gonna be all right?”

“Yeah. I'll be fine,” Vaala said with a rueful smile. “24 hours, right? I can do this.”

“Yeah...” Deff said doubtfully. “Just be careful,” he said as he jacked out of the construct.

“Oh, believe me...I will,” she muttered as she settled in for what looked like it was going to be a long wait.

--QuiDormit, Vaala, Iniuria, Fenshire, Deffdog