The Sixth Line of Defense

by Shiva Winters

  Chapter Eight: Violent Winds

  It had grown late already, even Shiva who was more often than not the last one to fall asleep had already gone to bed, and to be honest Rei's recovery should have sent her into her own bed long before those moments. Still, even though she had honestly expected something amazing from all the stories that Kali and Alex had told her and Vala during the flight had not quite compared to real truth of life inside Anslaw. The sense of that place had perhaps kept her awake into those late hours of the night like no other thing could have. While she had known right from the start that Shiva had been someone special, she had been so very quiet and secretive that it had been hard early on to understand that first instinct. Those children had been so very amazing right from the first moments Kali had lead her inside and all throughout the hours before bed time, and even then one of them had stayed with her. A little girl named Poe who so rarely spoke that some of them were under the impression that she was mute. An empath on a scale that she couldn't quite comprehend, Kali had explained that she had long ago drew back behind a barrier to protect herself and hadn't quite ever found a reason to come out of it. Even Athena and Isis had been amazed by the way Poe had taken to her, spending every waking moment holding her hand or sitting in her lap.

  In truth after being greeted by such warmth and kindness she could easily forget that many of them had known almost instantly what had happened to the three of them, having telepathically picked up those memories without her or Vala being aware of it. While Rei had desperately struggled to keep her own burning sorrow from bleeding through and making her daughter's even worse or making Shiva's guilty feelings even more intense while they had been secluded away at the Jarson facility, at Anslaw that sorrow seemed almost to fade from her senses. Perhaps it was Poe's influence on her as the little one slept quietly and happily in her lap while she and Kali spoke softly even as the twins slept in one room and Shiva and Vala slept in another, perhaps it was the fact that everything was so far away, but Rei was almost tempted to believe that she was needed in that place. While it was true enough that Vala still needed her, she had long since acknowledged that her daughter was growing up, and in truth Vala's thoughts had been more often been ones of supporting her and Shiva.

  "You're pretty quiet." Kali murmured softly to her.

  "Kind of just lost in.. the amazing strangeness of all this.." Rei told her, having not be truly aware that the woman across from her had stopped talking. "I.. honestly don't know why, but I feel better just being in this place."

  "It used to be pretty depressing, before that it was frightening and horrible.. but now it feels just a little like home." Kali murmured to her thoughtfully sounding just a touch amused. "I don't even know when it starting feeling that way.. I guess maybe it started with Alex.. and grew when I realized that there would always be a need for this place." Rei made an interested noise at that casual statement. "Even if the winds do somehow change and more of us will get to go outside, some of us would be either too dangerous or put too much at risk by kinds of things Shiva is more or less able to handle. Some of us like Poe and Ayla are simply too strongly gifted to spend more than a few hours on the outside. Poe wouldn't be able to handle being around that many uncontrolled emotions, Ayla.. well she would probably break under that many unprotected minds." Kali told her with a sigh. "It's true enough we can be a noisy lot, but our shared learning as taught most of us to use at least some basic techniques that keep our thoughts from simply flying ever which way and to dampen our emotions for the sake of those who can't help but be aware of them."

  "There was a time long ago.. when I resented what was done to me when I became a part of Series 3. Hearing people's thoughts, knowing what they are feeling.. I didn't know how to deal with it. In some ways you could say I cursed those that had changed me. But over the years, I have come to understand so many things so much better than I would ever have been able to had I not been changed into another person." Rei commented to her. "While I might still curse those that did all these things to all of you.. in this place.. I feel more comfortable here than I ever did out there, surrounded by people who understand their gifts so much better than I ever did."

  "Maybe we'll get to keep you then.. the heavens know the children all adore you.." Kali suggested playfully.

  "Will Shiva be all right.." Rei murmured finally feeling comfortable enough to breech that subject. "That is.. no one really ever told me what happened during the attack.. and she must know the kind of trouble she might end up walking into.."

  "I won't lie to you.. the odds seem to be against her, but.. when I was still a kid.. when we were all still kids, there was everybody else.. and then there was Shiva. We all knew there had been some kind of accident during the research being done on her. But we were never told what had happened, the scientists were all trained to block out even our strongest attempts to hear their thoughts, and she never told us. But we all knew the guards, the doctors, everyone was scared that she might one day turn on them." Kali murmured sounding mysterious and thoughtful. "To be honest, I was one of those who just saw Shiva.. I was probably a lot like Vala back then, I simply knew she was someone who was not dangerous to me. But I.. could not have imagined then what Shiva was capable of.. what she did to get you three out of there alive. If we were taking bets, I'd put all my money on her, without hesitation."

  "If we are taking bets, I've got a hundred bucks on me." Shiva murmured sleepily as her soft footsteps carried her into the room.

  "What are you doing?" Kali demanded of her with great suspicion.

  "Oh, please within two minutes of telling anyone, anything, everyone knows it. I must have gotten a hundred questions about how I was going to open up the vault, when I was going to do, if I wanted help, if they could come watch. I don't need any distractions.. and I certainly don't need an audience. Tis the hour of sneaking, my lady, and I am going to go right ahead and sneak." Shiva responded without hesitation and with great amusement as she gave a still sleepy murmur. "If Vala wakes up, tell her I'll be back in an hour."

  "Right-o." Rei agreed swept up in that mischievous spirit.

  "Mama?" Athena called as two pairs of feet stumbled into the room.

  "You two can come.. you at least can be useful." Shiva murmured to them. Isis squealed and seemed to jump up into Shiva's arms, before Athena came over to her side and more than likely took her hand. "We'll be back." A moment later two pairs of footsteps retreated away followed by the sound of the automatic door opening and then closing.

  "She'll be fine with this and that.." Kali confirmed. "Let's get you two into bed and I'll go inform my husband that Imp-lets are on the move and looking for late night trouble."

  "You'll wait up for them?" Rei asked as she indeed begin to feel tired.

  "Yes, of course." Scooping up Poe and with Kali's gentle guidance she was soon sliding the two of the into the warm folds of a waiting bed.