Chronocide: Mission Snowdrift

A nurse dropped off their jello. Cherry for Victor, and Lime for Hazel.

"heh...and look at that. We get our jello date."

"Its like we predicted the future," she joked

He chuckled "I didn't know you were psychic" he said, raising his spoon "Cheers, Hazel"

She raised her own. "Cheers, Victor."

Victor took a bite of the jello, closing his single eye for a long moment as he savored it and swallowed.

"You know, its when you can't eat solid foods that you really appreciate jello."

He nodded "Tell me about it. It's like mana from the Goddess right now"

"absolutely," she said, savoring hers as well.

He took another bite "how's the lime?" he asked with a thin smile

"Tangy," she said. "I like citrus."

He chuckled "I'll keep that in mind. Make some lemondade for our training session"

She smiled. "Now that sounds nice."

He nodded "Learned how to make a good one" His lips twitched slightly "Would make it when I trained...you know" he waved vaugely, his eye looking distantly out the window.

She followed his gaze, nodding. "Yeah, I get you. I bet you make great lemonade."

"All from scratch" he said , a little proudly. "heh....learned how to do a lot of cooking on my own. Because field work"

"I remember," she said with a smile. "Heh, maybe we can cook something together over a stove at some point."

He nodded slightly "Another date?" He said with a thin smirk.

She blushed. "If you want."

He chuckled , dizzy with painkillers "Sure" He flushed a bit himself "I'd like that, Hazel. I'll dig out the ol' recipie book"

She gave him an ambressed and pleased thumbs up.

He returned it "heh. I warn you...I ain't the fanciest cook in the world..."

"That's okay, I don't have the fanciest stomach in the world."

He ran his fingers through his short brown hair wincing as he brushed the white medical patch on his eye "I make a mean meatloaf burger"

"Sounds fantastic. I haven't had real meatloaf in ages."

He raised his eyebrow "no? It's a staple around here"

"My mom didn't cook all that often. We had a lot of frozen meals."

Victor nodded very slightly "Was that way at my home too, before I joined the army and got additional training"

"I've cooked for a while now, but I don't usually cook that much meat, actually."

"Got a favorite meal?" he asked, spooning his jello

"Red beans and rice, and grilled corn," she said after a moment.

"huh" Victor said, taking a bite of jello "I got a grill, somewhere. If you wanna grill up some corn"

"I think it'd go well with meatloaf burgers, if you did."

He nodded "Sounds good to me" he raised his jello cup "We keep making plans to eat together"

"Maybe its cause we hardly ate over the last uh-- however long that was," she chuckled, raising her own.

He finished his jello off with a look of numb satisfaction "Probably it. ANd the desire to actually eat something other than half spoiled rations"

She chuckled. "That's a big one."

"not to mention good company" he mused

"well, that's kind of a given," she chuckled.

He nodded, and gave a thin smile  "yeah, H. I think so..." he leaned back in bed "But all that's for when moving stops hurting"

She nodded. "Yeah, for now I think we should probably just put our feet up."

"Kick back and enjoy our mandatory vacation" he said with a dry smirk. "Until then...we don't have to face the world"

"Good. I'm not sure I could right now."

He closed his good eye "Neither could I. In here, it's almost like everything that happened was a damned dream"

"easy to feel that way," she agreed. "Not in kansas any more."

He nodded "but it wasn't. We have the scars to prove it. "

"We sure do," she agreed. She gentlytouched her bandaged shoulder. "and we'll carry them the rest of our lives."

Victor rubbed his missing eye "heh, just like the scars we can't see"

She nodded, and sighed. "They'll probably be around even longer."

Victor was quiet for a long moment "But at least we don't have to face them alone" He murmured "there'll always at least be that"

"yeah. We don't have to face them alone."

"Matching wounds that'll always bleed." he said softly "Long after we leave this hospital and move on in our careers as the government's attack dogs" his voice  tensed

She gave a bitter little laugh. "I guess that's the business."

"Until the day we see true peace" He said , looking up at the ceiling "Until then...they can call us heroes all they want...but what are we, H? Are we really heroes? I watched heroes die, and I don't feel especially heroic"

"Me either, V," she said, shaking her head. "I don't really know how I feel..."

"Neither do I." He admitted "We...did our duty. And that's all a soldier can be asked to do"

"feels like a hell of a lot, sometimes."

"It is a lot, H." he said in a soft voice "Soldiers do what citizens cannot. We fight and kill to protect. and even then, sometimes the world will turn it's back on us"

"Kinda fucked up," she sighed. "but thats the way it is."

"That's a world of war" He said with a nod "That's the world we live on."

Not so different than the world she had left, she mused drowsily. Just with more giant robots.

Victor lay back on his pillows, his eye closed gently "Maybe...." he said in a quiet voice "there's another world out there where people actually know peace....Real peace. "

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It was a day after they were released from the hospital, and the day of their....award ceremony...with Soteria and her cabinet. The day had loomed over their hospital bed for a week. But there was some time before it would begin.

Hazel was given an official uniform, a green and gold military dress uniform, with a matching cap.

And with some time to kill, there was perhaps time enough to finally address one of the events that took place during her mission. Stilletto and her...photoset.

She flushed, holding the magazine rolled tightly at her side as she went to go see the former Ballerina.

Stiletto had been given a room in the facility, and it only took asking a few guards to find her quarters. The dark green door stood before her, labeled '201'

She flushed a little and fussed with her uniform before she knocked.

The door opened on the tall, sharp faced and dangerously elegant Stilletto. She had a short cigarette holder between her fingers, as she took a deep drag. "Heron" she said, with a quirk of her eyebrow "It is a surprise to see you here"

She looked up at her with an embaressed smile. "I had something to give you."

Stilletto's eyes drifted to the magazine, and widened "Vell then . Come inside"

She strode inside, chuckling nervously. "Thanks by the way, for you help on the mission."

She closed the door behind her "It vas vhat I could do" She said "i only vish I could have helped you more" She smiled very slightly "Even if you figured out my secret"

She chuckled. "Well, that was dumb luck." She offered her the magazine.

She chuckled , taking a drag of her cigarette "perhaps it vas, young lady" The elegant woman purred, her lips brushing the end of her cigarette holder as she took the magazine and leafed through it "this is a collecters item after it vas banned, you know"

"It was banned, huh? Im lucky someone held on to it."

"I am hot property it vould seem" She said in amusement , before resting on a pinup of herself "look at me. I vas so young. So beautiful"

"You still are," she said, looking her over.

Stilletto was a little older, and gone was the youthful air that her serious eyes radiated in the photos. She was more weary, her face sharper, more mature. She flushed "why thank you" She purred. She still had a dancer's body. Elegant long legs, beautiful hips, and a lithe figure.

"I'd even say you're a little more beautiful now. More mature."

She gave Hazel a long, calculating look with a slight smirk "Oh you flatterer" she purred

Hazel smiled back at her, not quite innocently. "I just call it like I see it."

Stilletto pat the bed, inviting her to sit "mmm, well. How about this. You can keep this collectors item. And vhen you read it, you think of me, hmm?"

"I won't be able to help myself," she said, sitting down.

She slipped an arm around her "And vhat vill you think, seeing this woman" She tapped her pinup "and thinking of the veapons expert from your first mission?"

"I'll think, gosh, its getting really warm in here," she chuckled

She smirked, and rubbed her shoulder "I haven't even shown you how I dance" she teased

"I wouldn't want to impose," she said with obvoous eagerness.

Stilletto thought about it for a moment, her fingers drumming on Hazel's shoulder "It would not be imposing. I vould delight in showing you. If you do not mind watching. "

She leaned in to the former dance's touch with a smirk. "I wouldn't mind at all. I'd be pleased."

Stilletto leaned over to kiss the top of her ear "For bringing me this relic and reminding me of my past...." She whispered softly "I vill dance like I once did. Vith all the beauty my aging bones can muster"

She flushed hotly feeling her breath on her. "I'm honored."

She stood, and let her fingers linger over Hazel's shoulder "For all you have done, it's the least I could do" She said with a thin smile.

She smiled back, watching her as she moved. "now who's a flatterer?"

Stilletto set her cigarette down, and stretched her long, lithe body in preparation "mmmm, Not myself, certainly"

"Oh certainly not," she smiled

Without another word, she began her dance. She moved with a fluid grace, moving lightly on her toes to an unheard melody. It was a complicated ballet, but she moved with absolute perfection. This was her element, clearly

Hazel watched, enraptured. It was beautiful-- stunning even. She followed her motions with her eyes.

She dipped, and pirouetted with absolute precision. But her body conveyed the music that they could not hear. She leapt, and landed flawlessly, dipping into another twirl without breaking her stride. She may have complained about getting older....but it was clear she was still the ballerina she'd thought she left behind.

Hazel could hear the music in her head, and was awesstuck at the woman's grace.

She finished with a complicated twirl and dip, before coming into the finale with a bow, her dark hair falling over her eyes.

Hazel broke into stirred and sombre applause.

Stilletto stood, her eyes locked on some distant , long gone crowd and hearing the phantom applause. Her chest rose and fell , her intense and dark eyes misting just the slightest as she rose and shook out of her stupor

Hazel stood up, clapping eagerly. "Bravo."

Stilletto shook her head, and smiled stiffly at Hazel with another bow "I see you enjoyed the show"

"Oh very much," she purred. "You haven't lost your touch."

She smoothed out her hair, and drifted back to sit next to Hazel "It would seem not. I'm honestly a bit surprised"

"I'm not," she said. "your mix of passion and skilll, its hard to erase."

Stilletto nodded "Indeed it does. As hard as the world tried to erase it for me"

"even with all that," she said, leaning next to her.

Stilletto slipped an elegant arm around her "Indeed" She purred "thank you for holding onto that magazine."

"My pleasure. I thought it would be a shame to throw away."

"I hope you'll treasure it as part of your collection" She said with a smirk "So you can always remember old Stilletto in her prime"

"I certainly will," she said. Her hand strayed to Stilletto's leg.

Stilletto leaned into her, legs uncrossing as she did so "Vas there another reason you came to my chambers, soldier?"

"I was sort of hoping to spend some time with you," she said with a flush. "But uh, that sounds silly when I say it."

Stiletto laughed "ah" She said with a slight smirk "I do not see how this is silly" She purred "ve flirted a bit on the comm, did we not?"

"we did," she grinned. "you're an excellent flirt."

"I have much experience" she purred, drawing her fingers down Hazel's back "Vhat say you and I...." She leaned forward and nipped her ear "Spend some quality time together" whe murmured pointedly.

hazel shivered, her pulse jumping. "I'd like that very much."

Stiletto took her hand, and pulled her to the bed. Over the next two hours, they got to know one another _very_ well.

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Hazel smoothed her hair and her uniform as she left, heading to the medal ceremony.

Outside of Soteria's office, she ran into VIper, dressed in a near identical uniform, his new eyepatch covering his missing eye. He gave her a stiff nod "ready , H?"

She nodded back to him, and have him a low thumbs up. "You, V?"

He tensed slightly "As ready as I'll ever be" he admitted.

She put a hand on his shoulder queityly.

He gave her a nod, and together, they entered Soteria's office.

The large room was crowded with officials. Knight, Soteria, her inner council and a number of high ranking military leaders. They crowded the desk around Soteria, where the woman sat with a cool and collected expression. Though as the door opened and Hazel and Viper entered, she gave them a small and tired smile

"Welcome home, heroes of peace." She said softly "While the mission was hard on your bodies, I wish to tell you that in completing it, you have saved the free world from it's greatest threat....nuclear annilation. In addition, the Premier is willing to open negociations within the month to end this war once and more all"

Hazel's smile was wan. Whatever else they had done, at least they had accomplished that much.

Viper looked grim , but nodded just the slightest in acknowledgement

"Agent Natalie betrayed our nation" She said in a soft voice "And in doing so brought all of us closer to annhilation than we ever dreamed possible. And in taking her ..out of the picture...we are officially disbanding the Body Unit for all time. and the codename Lionheart is to be retired from use."

Hazel's heart felt tight, and the room felt like it had lost all of its air.

"In it's place" Knight spoke up "i'm creating a new program" he said , clearing his throat "This is the Alloy Unit. " he tapped a paper in his hand "An elite strike force and infiltration agency designed after the activities you two underwent in the Snowdrift mission . Trained by you and lead by you. " he gestured "Hazel. Your new code name, to signify your induction into this new, superior unit, is Steel Heron. " He turned to Viper "and you, Victor, Will be known as Silver Viper"

Hazel nodded in ackowledgement.

VIper tensed again at the words, but nodded.

"You did a good thing" He continued "THis had to be settled. And it had to be settled the way it did"

"By putting that dog down" One of the Officials..... Frost? Foreign Advisor  Blaze Frost....said with cold eyes.

A few of the officials looked like they agreed with him.

Viper's eyes only grew cold.

Hazel couldn't keep the glare out of her eyes either.

Soteria visibly winced at his words, but kept her mouth shut before announcing "Regardless, you have been promoted. And in addition, i would like to bestow upon you medals for your service above and beyond the call of duty"

She nodded, somber and hard. This wasn't something either of them wanted a medal for. But how could one refuse?

Soteria bid them to approach her desk, and gestured to a box half opened before her.

Hazel hesitantly approached the desk, her throat still choked with enotion.

Soteria lifted the lid of the box as they both approached "For great valor and dedication, I give you each the Medal of the Goddess" She took out two medals emblazoned with a quite styalized peace sign, surrounded by a wreath of berries and leaves. She presented them to the two soldiers with a bright smile.

hazel smiled wanly, and nodded, accepting it silently.

what would her mother say? nothing good, she was sure.

Viper took it, and allowed it to be pinned to his jacket. He didn't smile. His expression was blank and neutral.

"And for the elimination of the ....of Agent Natalie. " She said softly "And your acts of bravery against the Body and Comrade Gagarin, you are being awarded the Heart of Gold, a symbol of your personal service to I, Soteria, and the people of the Pax republic. She pulled out a heart framed by a wreath of thorns, all done in smooth gold. she handed each of them one medal.

Hazel felt sick as she was handed the medal and all trace of her msile disappeared.

Viper closed his eye for a long moment as an aide pinned the medal to his chest. He was silent.

When he opened his eyes, Soteria had stood. Her hands were shaking slightly but everything about her body posture told them she was trying to still them. She stood up straight, and saluted the two. The rest of her office did the same, sauting the two 'heroes' with respect and , in some cases, admiration.

Viper's hand stayed at his side, refusing to return it. "Thank you" He spoke in a low, tight voice.

Hazel held still in solidarity and nodded. "Thank you."

Hazel held still in solidarity and nodded. "Thank you."

The two of them stood in solidarity as the moment grew strained and awkward.

Eventually, the officials lowered their hands, and Soteria slumped in her chair, with a polite cough "I..." She hesitated, and tried to steel herself "T-t-t-t...a....ah" Her hands were shaking visibly now, as she groped for a bottle of pills at the side of her desk.

"What Soteria is trying to say" Knight smoothly drifted in "is that is all. Thank you again, Steel and Silver. And you are dismissed."

She nodded, and gave a sympathetic look to Soteria. It wasn;t her fault.

Soteria took two pills, and closed her eyes with a short nod "d-d..dismissed. please enjoy your....your rest" she whispered.

"Thank you, madam," she murmered. she looked to Victor.

Victor was glaring at them, especially at Frost, but he nodded stiffly. He turned to leave without another word.

Hazel sighed, and followed him.

They left the room, and entered the hall once more, medals jingling on their chests. HIs hand was shaking, and he sought hers out for a moment "Heroes" he said, in a low voice "They keep calling us heroes"

She shook her head. "It feels wrong. BUt, I guess we did stop a war..." she pressed her hand into his.

He held it for a moment "But we just did our duty" he said, tensely "And another war will replace this one."

"It probably makes them feel better, about what we had to do..."

Viper looked down at the glittering badge on his chest "I can believe Soteria thinks that" he admitted "But Frost and the others.... " he closed his eye "I have to tell you sommething later. About why all this happened"

She nodded and squeezed his hand. "Alright. Any time."

"Later. After training" he nodded slightly "Sorry. I'm not ...good company right now."

""Its okay," she said. "I;ll give you some time. I think I need some too.

Viper nodded, and put his hand on her shoulder "if you need me. You know where to find me, H. "

She leaned into him. "Same, V."

He gave her a squeeze "We need some time to think, though. "

She squeezed him back. "You can say that again," she said. "Be well, V."

Viper gave her a thin smile "you be well too, H. I'll see you soon" He hesitated for a moment, before giving her another squeeze and walking quietly away.

Hazel stood there for a moment, before she walked off on her own.

As she waked, she nearly bumped into a figure who came storming around the corner.

Dr. Kovalenko, a pile of papers clutched in her pale hand. She was wearing a suit and her labcoat, and her hair wasn't as pristine as usual. And her eyes were glaring daggers of hate at the world around her. Her sunglasses were even tipped up and nestled in her hairline. She stopped short, and looked at Heron with a steely , red-eyed stare.

Hazel met her gaze with nausea swirling in her stomach.

The Doctor's eyes traced down to the medals on her chest, and her lips tightened "Good evening, Heron" She said thickly, her voice not quite as even and professional as Hazel remembered it being. "I see I missed the ceremony"

"It wasn't much of one," she said just as thickly.

"Given the top secret nature of the project I would _imagine_ not" She said icilly. Though it didn't seem to be directed at her in particular. She clutched the papers tightly "Do you know if they're still in there? Is Frost still there?"

She nodded slowly. "I didn't see him come out."

She nodded stiffly "Good" her voice broke between the letters "Good. I have some inconsitancies that I have to speak of with him" Her fingers tensed "Chrononaut" She said in a soft voice "you never told me how your future turned out"

"we should talk in your office," she said. "when you have time."

"Yes..." She said distantly "That sounds agreeable" She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, and looked into her eyes with an unimpared stare "I just wish you to know something, Heron"

She swallowed, and nodded. "yes?"

"I don't blame you" She said softly "For what happened to Natalie." The words cost her something, as her voice trembled just the slightest at the dead soldier's name. "You're a soldier. and orders are orders. "

Hazel fought for words and only guilt and pain swam up. A small strangled noise escaped her lips, before she nodded.

Dr. Nadiya Kovalenko looked at her with her strangely hued eyes, and a softer expression "I don't like ..." She gestured to the medals "the way Soteria is going about this." She admitted "But you....with the information you had, you did not have many options"

She shook her head, her heart heavy and her lips fumbling.

The Doctor was silent for a moment "But others did have options" Anger flashed in her expression "So if you excuse me. I have some choice words to have with the _chiefs of staff_ "

She tucked her heels in and gave the doctor a salute. "Godspeed, doctor," she said, hoarsly.

The doctor weakly saluted her in return, before turning and continuing her march towards Soteria's office to presumably anger some _Very_ powerful individuals.

She looked after her a moment, before turning to go.

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Simon was sitting in his new office. It wasn't large, and he shared it with one or two other intelligence officers. Despite the fact that it was _Hazel's_ 'victory' in that depressing mess, a lot of the support team got kudos too. And as part of his, he was given a desk in this office and an honorary rank. He adjusted his skirt, nervously checking over some transcripts from their recordings.

There was a knock at his office door.

"C-come in!" he spoke up, happy that the others were off on their breaks at the moment.

Hazel peeked in. "Damn. They really did give you your own office."

Simon positively perked with relief and adjusted his little cap "They sure did. I share it with two others, but..." He gestured to his desk "this little space is mine"

She strode in, closing the door behind her. "promotions a promotion I guess," she chuckled

Simon laughed lightly, his hand over his mouth "well, it means the next time they make me act as comm officer, maybe I'll get, you know. A bit of professional respect. "

"I should hope so. you were a big help." she sat down in a free chair.

Simon smiled a little sadly "I wish I could have been more of one though, Hazel..."

She returned the sad smile. "Its okay..."

He pat the chair of the next desk, leaning over "Lets talk, huh?" He smiled a bit 'Now we don't got anyone to overhear." He crossed his skirted legs. He was wearing tan stockings.

She sighed, leaning toward him. "I wish I knew what to say."

"well, Hazel..." Simon said sympathetically "Just tell me your feelings. Don't worry about context. Just say the first thing on your mind"

"I'm.... upset," she said slowly. "I don't feel....good."

"that's understandable" He said with a short nod. His voice was gentle and reasonable. "It's an upsetting situation. You've killed for the first time, for one. And  in addition, the whole thing turned into a moral grey area. and then..." he froze for a moment, his brow creasing "Please go on"

She slumped in the chair. "Yeah.... I mean a lot of it, it was the right thing to do, but,..."

"But it felt bad. Because people like, say, Snakeeyes, were people with complicated motives and tragic lives?" he asked

She nodded. "exactly. They weren't just.. I mean I know no one's just a villain, but, they had been...."

"heroes?" Simon offered, his fingers gently tented on his lap.

"Yeah," she breathed, looking at the ceiling.

Simon nodded "It was hard to watch from where I was sitting. Can't evenn imagine how hard it was for you..." He reached over and patted her knee.

She sighed. Simon could tell despite how restrained she was, she was very upset.

Simon's eyes watched her with a quiet sadness "I'm sorry, Hazel. I'm here to talk about it. I know you're hurting... and I want to help. Not just as your boyfriend, but as your best friend"

"Thanks Simon," she said. "I wish I knew what to say. That woman, Lionheart....."

Simon smiled faintly at her "You don't have to know what to say. just putting your thoughts on the table should help a bit" He bit his lip "lionheart...?" he encouraged her to go on

"She could have been my mom. Like, me other mm."

"She did look like you" Simon admitted "And, well...her name was Natalie. And your mom...." He grimaced sightly

She nodded. "exactly. doctor kovolenko...."

He shivered "i had a long talk with her after Lionheart passed away" he said softly

"I heard a commotion in the room..."

"She wasn't doing great for most of the later half of the mission" He explained. "She was getting jumpy, and would snap at the other officers. And looked about to cry the rest of the time. When we all saw Lionheart die, she broke down completely. Knight escorted her out, and I followed to try and ease her troubles..."

She nodded, her throat thick again. "yeah...."

"Do you think she's your...you know...other universe mother?" he asked

She nodded. "Yeah. I think she is."

He nodded "T-tell me about that"  he prompted

"she's just like her. I mean you had to have seen. Its her...."

He nodded "Hazel....I was in the same room as her for days. And I know your mom pretty well. It's her. I agree. Just...without a doubt, it's her"

"And you know how she felt about Natalie...."

"Yeah..." Simon had a sad expression on his face "I could tell from the way she worked on that project of hers " he said "And...Natalie" he waved his hand "Was Lionheart. Here at least"

"yeah... I... I wanted to find a way to save her..."

Simon nodded "I know you did, Hazel.." He bit his lip "And I know you tried."

"There was just... nothing I could do..."

"In the end, it wasn't you who pulled the trigger" he said "I'm sorry, Hazel.."

"I can't even be mad at Viper," she said in a low voice. "in a way, she meant more to him than me...."

"She might have been your mother" Simon said in a soft tone, "But she didn't raise you. It's normal to have feelings. ANd to feel she meant something to you. Or at least, the possibility of what she could have meant for you..." He paused before continuing "But he also had a lot of experiences with her and it seems she practically raised him after military school." He bit his lip "He's in a bad situation as well. You both are. You were shoved into a situation they should have used anyone else for, and told 'do your duty' "

"Part of me feels like they did it to be cruel."

Simon grimaced "honestly? I met some of the high command. And I think that was actually part of _some_ of their intentions. "

"How horrible," she scowled.

Simon nodded "you're right to be angry. I think some people used this as an opportunity to...I don't know, get back at Lionheart for something. Perhaps the double cross. Or some other perceived slight" he paused "don't tell anyone I said that, okay? "

She shook her head. "I won't say anything. But im furious."

He gripped her knee "I don't blame you" he said a bit darkly "And if we wind up stuck here....I hope we see them fall out of office"

"yeah," she closed her eyes. "yeah....."

She didn't want to end up stuck here.

He took a deep breath "Speaking of which..." his professional 'therapist' persona cracked a little "When...are we going to get to go home?" he laughed awkwardly "I mean.... People are going to start to miss us"

She scooted closer to him, and squeezed his hand. "Im not sure...."

He took her hand with an anxious chuckle "because I'm a little concerned we're going to be stuck in , like fantasy world 1965"

"Yeah... me too. BUt, Im hoping that's not the case. Im going to talk with... doctor kovolekno... about it. There was a time travel program here..."

He cocked his head "....huh, so it might be able to get us back to the modern day? and...what about getting. You know. .to Earth?"

"That, we'll have to figure out...."

He drummed his finger on the table "I mean...that's something we want, right?"

"Broadly speaking?"

He closed his bright green eyes "Yeah. probably anyway"

She squeezed his hand. "Im sorry you got mixed up in this, Simon."

Simon gave her hand a squeeze with a slight grin "Hey, I'm always following you into trouble, right Hazel? Why would this time be any different"

She chuckled grimly. "No reason, I guess..."

He smiled at her "b-besides. It's not so bad here. I mean..." he bit his lip "This was pretty shitty. But I went to a milkshake shop with this cute guy while you were in the hospital? And that was kind of nice. Nobody really paid us much mind..."

"well that's good," she said. "heh, cute guy?"

Simon flushed, and nodded "He's in the air force doing radar work on the planes and in the tower. Kind of stocky. Blond hair. "

"Oooh, an air force boy. How top gun," she teased

Simon flushed "We didn't play shirtless volleyball if that's what you're asking. yet."

Hazel chuckled. "Almost a shame."

"well, if we can't time travel our of here, I suppose I'll have plenty of time" He mused

"we'll find out- oh, speaking of time travel," she mused

Simon cocked his head "yes?"

"Something happened, when I was in the field."

Simon bit his lip "was this when your feed went weird?"

"Was it on the bridge?"

"Around then, yeah!" He said, biting his lip.

She nodded. "The bird hit. we slipped off the bridge and... and fell..."

Simon raised his eyebrow "huh....I didn't see you actually fall? I mean, for a second the footage freaked out, so I might have missed you tumbling before you caught yourself?"

She shook her head. "we fell, but then it was like- well, it was like reloading in a video game. Suddenly it hadn;t hapepned yet."

Simon froze "wait....what?"

"It was like I flashed back in time for a minute," she said. "after I.... died."

Simon winced "y-you died?" he said, in a strained voice

"yeah," she said roughly.

"Shit" Simon said, taken aback "Tell me about that"

"Fell off the bridge.... hit the bottom- hurt-," she said. "heard your voice.... then, nothing for a minute... just everything went out...."

Simon shuddered "And then you were in the same place as before?

on the bridge and waiting for the bird to strike?"

"before we even saw the bird, yeah," she nodded. "And Viper didn't remember, but i alerted him fast enough...."

"And that's when you wounded it and survived the encounter" He grimaced "i hate to ask, Hazel..."

"yeah?"

"have you repeated the experiment?" He looked shaken just asking

She shook her head. "Didn't wanna risk it."

He nodded "fair, i wouldn't want you to" he said "but it's an interesting question. Perhaps you're functionally unkillable..."

"That'd be.... fucking something, huh?" she chuckled. she almost never swore, but the occasion seemed to call for it.

He nodded, pushing his glasses up "Which, if that's the case, means you have a short range means of preventing others deaths too" he shuddered

She swallowed. "I didn't think of that. But, you're right."

"I wouldn't abuse it. Don't want to ah, make that fatal mistake when you don't understand it. But if the opportunity comes again....you can save someone like you saved Viper if you're close enough"

She nodded. "I'll remember that."

Simon nodded "But please don't put yourself in harms way" he said with a pleading tone "you'll give me a damn heart attack"

"You and me both," she nodded.

"Well, for you it seems the heart attack would be literal" He teased gently "Given the circumstances"

"Guess so," she chuckled

"heh. Gosh..." he paused 'hey, Haze?" He sounded very concerned

"yeah, Simon?"

"I know it's still a bit soon" He said seriously "But if you want to talk about how it ended...I'm here for you"

She nodded. "Thanks, Simon..."

Simon smiled at her "I know how important a friendly ear can be"

She nodded again and squeezed his hand. "I appreacite it. I wish I knew what to say."

Simon squeezed back "The words will come when they're ready" he reassured

She leaned against him. "I hope so. I don't want it to just stay inside and fester."

"I won't let it, Haze" He said in a soft voice "On my honor as a young therapist, I'm going to make sure you talk about it and get it out. But when you're ready"

She smiled embaressedly at him. "Thanks, Simon."

Simon put his hand on her shoulder "you're welcome, Hazel. I'm here for you, ya know?" He flushed slightly "you've been there for me a bunch of times"

"I'll always be there for you," she said

He offered her a hug "it's why we're great friends" he grinned

She squeezed him. "That and you're hysterical" she teased.

He stuck out his tongue "me, hysterical??" He grinned "you're not wrong"

"You know, you're too funny for you own good," she winked

He fussed with his thin little uniform ribbontie, as if straightening a suit's tie "It'll be the death of me, Haze"

"Don't say that," she chuckled. "I'll have to rescue you."

"oh yes. Save me from my own bad jokes, hazel. I beg you"

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The hot sun beat down over the grass and asphalt training field. Bullet holes littered moving targets by the range, dummies were hacked to pieces, and the obstical course was well completed in what had wound up becoming a record time for the two soldiers currently sweating and taking a breather at the edge of the grounds.

It'd been a full week. A full week of various dramas that culminated in Victor and Hazel absconding to the training fields every day to hone their craft and bond. And today's activity was the best they'd managed yet. They beat all their records. And during the mock infiltration, neither of them got tagged by the enemy.

Hazel couldn;t help but amile, her heart pumping fast in her chest, adrenaline coursing through her body as they finally finished the intense session. She rubbed the back of her arm against her forehead. "Nice work."

Viper grinned at her, panting slightly as he stretched his sore muscles. "heh. Thanks" he winked his one eye at her "you did good yourself. Beat your time on the course"

"Guess I did," she nodded, rubbing her shoulder, that still ached a little, "Maybe I'll beat it agian next time. But, maybe not."

He smirked "If you do, I'll buy you a milkshake" he nudged her

She grinned and nudged hum back. "damn, now you motivated me."

He smirked "I don't want you starting to slack, soldier" he stretched again, and ran his hand through his hair "but I think we're pretty burnt out for today"

She nodded, leaning back as she watched him stretch. "Yeah, I have to agree."

He looked over at her "i promised you southern barbeque" he said, with a smirk. He had his shirt off, and all the little scars, not yet fully healed, dotted the pale flesh .

"Oh is that today?" she grinned. She couldn't help looking at his body again without his shirt off, both at his muscles, and nearly-healed wounds.

The wounds were at once poignent and striking, A mix of testament to his pain and to his determination to live. He stretched again, and winked at her, "that's today. Unless you want to postpone."

She shook her head. "Absolutely not. Today is the day. My stomach is empty," she chuckled

He grinned "then we'll hit the showers and I'll break my bike out of storage"

"Your bike huh?" she grinned, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He put his arm on her and used her as a support for a brief moment before he straightened. His arm stayed on her though "Yeah. I have a vintage bike. Built it myself when I was in military school. Had to convince my teacher that field repair was a valid battlefield skill, though"

She whistled. "Nicely done. I have to see this."

He grinned, and lightly punched her shoulder "Do you know how to drive a bike?"

She grinned and put a hand on her hip. "Do I know how to drive a bike? You bet."

He smirked "wanna try giving it a whirl?" he asked

"I would _love_ to, V.'

He grinned "then hit the showers, H. I'll break her out and get you some directions"

she grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "see you in a few then, V."

He returned it, and they went their separate ways

A shower and change of cloths later, she found him with an old 1940's era motorcycle, blocky yet smooth in it's angles. It's exposed pipes and antique charm seemed to fit the sort of rough and bare bones man. He was dressed casually in a bike jacket and jeans. "hey" he waved

Hazel grinned seeing it. "Hey!" she waved back. "Now that's a good looking piece of equipment there."

It was painted a faded dark green. He grinned "Ain't she a beauty?" he hopped off, and gestured "See if you like the feel of her"

"Don't mind if I do." Hazel hopped on in his place, getting the feel for the machine. She'd only driven newer motorcycles of course, but this would be easier, not harder.

He grinned , watching her straddle the beast of a machine. From the struts, in it's original form it might have had a sidecar that Victor had removed. "How's it feel?"

"Its nice," she grinned. "you pull the side car off?"

He nodded, smirking slightly "Didn't really need it most of the time. I have it in the garage, though."

"yeah, I can't imagine using it unless you got a dog," she chuckled

He grinned a little "maybe I will when things settle down. I've always loved dogs'

"I can see it," she grinned. "make sure you get him a helmet and one of those doggy neckerchiefs."

"And some goggles, for the helmet" he ammended, and handed her the key

She took the key and grinned. "You gonna let me drive, or you want to?"

He smirked "I did say you could take her for a spin. You drive"

She patted behind her. "well get on then, Im getting excited."

He hopped on the back, and sat with practiced ease "Good. Be careful on the acceleration" he warned "She's got a bit of a kick to her. A fault in these old models"

She laughed. "Gotcha, I'll try not to rabbit hop her." She put the key in the ignition and started it.

He laughed "She'd buck us off, and then what would we do?" he held her from behind, and prepared for the movement to come.

She flushed a little as she felt his large body settle on her. "we'd have to go chasing her," she chuckled as she revved the engine

He laughed, his chuckle a warm rumble in his chest against her back "she wouldn't get far, but she'd get a bit bruised up "

"And that would be a shame," she chuckled. "Lets stay on the same page." She took care to ease the bike into gear, and start off down the road.

She did tend to jump easilly, but she got the handle on it by being careful and easing her along. The bike was fast, though. She got the sense that it could go as fast as some of the modern ones if she was really pushed.

"You did a lot of work on this baby, huh?" she grinned as she brought her up to speed.

He grinned, his head partially over her shoulder so he could reach her ear "yeah. Spent my whole run in military school and beyond working on her. She's got reinforced tires, too. No real risk of a blowout"

She blushed a little at the contact, but smile. "Nice. very nice." she sped up a little more. "She runs great."

He leaned on her, chuckling again "thanks. She's my pet project. I've got a few other tricks in her chassis, too"

"You'll have to show me when you drive us back!"

He laughed "sure will" he gestured "take a left here"

She nodded, and easily guided the bike left, speeding along, the wind blowing in their faces.

Viper leaned over her shoulder "when you pass the barber, take a right, then a quick left"

"Gotcha." She leaned back into him gently, enjoying the ride as she took his directions.

The ride was smooth, and it passed by a number of small shops. It was a blast from the past...with a diner, a barber, a butcher. All wrapped up in the stylings of the 'wholesome 1960s' pastel aesthetic. And it was a beautiful sunny day.

It wasn't long until they reached their destination. A pale pink building with a light sign on it's front 'Rita's Diner: Southern Pax Fine Dining'

Hazel grinned as she pulled up to it. "This place looks cute."

He hopped off as she parked the bike, and offered her a hand "Yeah, Rita's good people" he said "She moved up from the penninsula a while ago, and opened this place"

She took his hand with a smile. "Oh man, you're in with the owner, huh?"

He chuckled "wouldn't say in with . I don't...meet a lot of people outside the compound" he rolled his shoulders "But Rita and I get along"

"Good enough for me," she said with a smile. She bumped shoulders with him. "Lets get some of that food."

He grinned, and lead her into the homey little restaurant. There were a number of booths, and some southern knick nacks on the walls along with pictures of customers. The smell of southern barbeque and fried foods drifted from the back kitchen.

And an older, bubbly looking woman with graying red hair came bustling forward "Victor!" She cooed "and guest! what a surprise!"

"hey Rita" Victor nodded , giving her a half wave "A booth, out of the way, please"

"Smells good in here," she grinned.

"why thank you, miss" Rita chirped, and took them to a back booth. They were settled, drinks were ordered, and the friendly woman bustled off to give the cook their orders.

Viper had gotten a plate of southern pulled pork and biscuts , with a side of greens.

Hazel had ordered a half rack of ribs, and macaroni and cheese. Hazel settled in the booth across from him, sipping iced tea.

Victor sipped his rootbeer and leaned back "so..." he said with a half smile "you finally get that barbeque you were craving"

"Finally," she grinned. "Real food."

"No more rations and Jello, H" He said with a chuckle "We can start feeling like actual people again"

"That'll be amazing," she said with a smile. "So, mr. real actual person, Victor."

Victor chuckled "that's me. Mr. Real Actual Person Victor.  I am not an automoton"

"definitely not," she grinned.

He grinned back "And you, Ms. Real Actual Person Hazel. What's on your mind?"

"On my mind, hmm?" she leaned on her hand. "I was so taken up with my stomach I kind of forgot to check," she joked

He laughed at that, and leaned on the table slightly. His elbows were propped up. It wasn't polite, but he was sure comfortable "You poor thing. Don't worry . Rita's got your ribs on the way"

She grinned, seeing him much more relaxed here. It was nice. "Oh good, before I waste away."

"wouldn't want that" he said with a smirk "then you wouldn't be able to beat your course time"

"and that'd be a shame," she said. "Though it occurs to me I could get a milkshake now,"

Victor paused, and raised his eyebrow "well damn. I think I'll get one too"

SHe chuckled and gave him a thumbs up. "rad."

He paused "....what?" He raised his eyebrow "There's no radiation here. It's a city"

She looked confused for a moment. "Huh? oh... oh no its short for 'radical', I guess."

Victor leaned back in his chair, looking even more confused "But I'm not radical. And I don't see how a milkshake represents extremist ideas."

She scratched her head "well, I mean I could make an argument that it does," she said. "but... you don't say 'rad' around here? Meaning like, cool, or awesome?"

"It sort of means the opposite here in Pax. Especially now, with war still looming. Radical ideas are sometimes seen as, you know. Dangerous. By most." he shrugged "Gagarin was a radical. I've never heard anyone say it the way you're saying it"

She leaned on her hand. "Huh, I didn't think about that...."

"that gets me curious , H" He leaned on the table casually "where _are_ you from? I don't recognize some of the things you say at all"

She played with the straw in her drink. "well, the trusth is pretty complicated. I wanted to tell you in the field, but every time I started to, something happened."

"well" he stirred his drink as well , "we aren't in the field now. And I highly doubt Panther's about to jump out dressed as a waitress and try to knife fight you to death"

She instinctively looked around a little wide eyed. "Oh he better not be."

One of the waitresses gave her a curious look in response.

Viper laughed "Don't worry. You'd be able to hear him whine about his ability from three miles away. we're safe"

She laughed with him, "true, true. So, I;'ll tell you the story, but you have to promise to believe it. because its a weird one."

Victor chuckled softly "i've heard some weird things in my time" he said "i'll believe you, H. You're a trustworthy one. "

She smiled, their boots touching softly under the booth.

"alright, so, I told you my mother was a scientist, right?"

His boot brushed hers, and he leaned on his hand "you mentioned" he urged

"well, she's researched a lot of things. But one of them is dimensional and time travel."

He froze slightly "....huh. Pax was looking into that stuff a while ago...Dr. Kovalenko was the head of the project...."

She nodded. "I know.  I'm from another dimension, and another time. My mother's research-- it sent me here."

He looked at his drink, and took a long sip "Huh" was all he said for a moment

"So you're from the future? Or another dimension?" he finally continued

"Both-- sort of," she said. "I'm from another dimension, where its the future. My mother's research sent us into this dimension- but in what I think is your future. I was there for maybe... a day? and then something happened and Simon and I got sent here. I think as a latent result of the initial travel."

He asked her to repeat that one more time. And after she did, he nodded slightly "so some sort of leftover energy?"

"Exactly," she nodded. "Like a hiccup."

"and you wound up tripping into our conflict. Even if it ain't yours to fight" He paused "....that makes you real brave, H.  To fight and nearly give your life for a cause you weren't raised to follow"

"I don't know if that's true, but... thanks." she smiled a little.

He smiled a bit back "heh. It means you're not fighting out of commitment to your country. But for the ideals themselves. Admirable"

"I wish i could say I was that admirable," she said. "when I showed up in this dimension, in the future, they recognized me. From this mission, apparently."

He grimaced "...oh." he looked at her with  his single crystal blue eye "So did you know how it was going to end?"

"I knew that they considered the mission was a success and we 'saved the world'," she said, "that was all I found out before I was yanked to this time."

He snorted softly "of course they think that" he shook his head "Must be a shock to figure out what 'a success' really meant"

"Yeah," she said hoarsely. "It was even more of a shock to find out about my 'mothers'."

"I was about to say" he hesitated "you had said Lionheart was your mother. And I don't see how that's...possible. If you're not from here"

"Doctor Kovolenko- she's the exact image of my mother. They even studied the same fields. She has the same voice, and mannerisms. She's... the version of my mother from this reality."

"and...Lionheart once told me there was an accident" Victor admitted, looking down slightly "In which she and the doctor were both dosed with temporal radiation when her time pod went adrift and had to be recovered. " He offered the tidbit of data for Haze

"Dr. Kovalenko is your mother from this reality" he frowned "and in the other? is there a Natalie?"

She closed her eyes for a moment. "There was. I never met her. But Lionheart matched her description from my mother, completely."

"I'm guessing she ...was ah" he looked for a way to say it delicately, but couldn't think of anything but "dead...?"

She nodded, her eyes still closed, trying not to think of that moment at the end of the mission.

"My mother has been grieving for her her whole life. She's even tried to recreate her with a computer."

Victor stiffened, and his fingers clenched his glass for a moment "....a computer..." he murmured "how's that possible"

"Its not, really. But she's getting close. The computers from our time are very advanced."

Victor hesitated "I'm not sure I'd be able to take a computer with her mind" he said awkwardly, his fingers tense

She put a hand on his hand. "I know. Don't worry. If anything its more like, a recording."

He shuddered, but gripped her hand "And its not the point, I guess...." he shook his head "So you came here from another universe where Kovalenko worked on similar experiments. And has a machine that thinks like ..her. And....yuo wound up here. And then you got sent back. So... " he paused "you're the child of the other universe's Dr and Lionheart"

She nodded slowly. "That's the long and short of it."

"hell" he said, and pat her hand "That's one hell of a life you've lead, H. I believe you, but it's a hell of a story"

She nodded, and squeeze dhis hand. "Thank you for believing me. Its been a hell of a ride."

He held her hand for a moment , smiling faintly "heh...I bet..." he paused "does this mean you're going to go , you know, back to the future?"

"I don't know," she said. "I don't know if I can't or can't, or how to figure that out. I'm going to ask doctor kovolenko if she knows..."

Viper nodded, very slightly. Though he looked hesitant.

He shrugged "tell me what the doc says. I'm curious"

She nodded. "I will.  Honestly what Im most worried about is another random jump happening."

Viper grimaced slightly "I hope that ain't the case. We're supposed to run the Alloy unit together"

"exactly," she nodded, and squeezed his hand.

He held her hand tightly, "Heh....damn though. The girl from another world. You're practically an alien"

She chuckled slightly. "I guess from a certain point of view, I am."

He smirked "You don't look bad for a spaceman" he teased, running his hand through his hair "heh....damn... time and universe travel" He looked...like he wanted to say something, but was keeping quiet.

"You look like you have something to say," she said gently.

He grimaced "i don't want to bring dowm the mood of the date..." he said, hesitantly

"Hey, its okay," she said. "our food isn't even ready yet. Plenty of time to bring the mood back up from wherever we bury it. Mood necromancy."

He laughed at that "I hear that's illegal in this part of the country"

"i won't tell anyone if you won't."

He smirked "our little secret, H." he said, before his expression sobered "it's about Lionheart's last moments...and the things she told me"

She pressed her boot closer to his. "I'm listening," she said. "anything you want to say."

His foot firmly brushed up against hers. "It's going to be hard to hear. " he murmured "I'll start with  this...." he took a deep breath "She told me the real reason she betrayed the Pax Republic...and the real reason the government is calling us heroes."

She swallowed and nodded, listening.

His voice quivered slightly "back...back in the days of the war....the Fortune of Nations was created as an instrument of peace. A stockpile of money amassed by the free world." he said in a low, tense voice "But that...changed. And it's turned into just another _thing_ for the rich and powerful of the world to fight over. And....The high command...or those within it who belong to that cadre....they wanted it for Pax. So they sent Lionheart to retrieve it. They set her up as a pawn. A pawn to be sacrificed for nothing but _money_ " His hand began to shake.

"And the fortune of nations...she had it. And she gave it to me to pass to our handlers afterwards. And now they call us heroes for retrieving the free world's blood money"

Hazel could feel her heart beating heavy in her chest. "Pax?_Pax sent her_?"

He nodded "Or someone in the high command. She didn't...confirm if it was something Soteria ordered or another of our commanders. But she didn't _defect_ . She obeyed her orders till her last breath. She followed her nation, and her orders. Even as Pax's ideals changed, she followed. Because that's what a _soldier does_ . A soldier follows orders. No matter what. A soldier is a pawn of their nation. That's what she told me..." His eye was unfocused, misty. He wasn't there in the diner. He was back on that cliffside, looking down into the dying eyes of his mentor. And he was _haunted_ by it.

Hazel's eyes stung, fingers trembling, the scene replaying in her mind as well. "of course she never defected... that's...."

She laughed, quietly, and bitterly.

He nodded, a bitter smile on his face "You see why I couldn't deal with that ceremony?" he said, his voice a low growl "I had to hear that the moment before I pulled the trigger. How she never betrayed our leader. and how this all was a political play for _Some damned money_ . Because a soldier does what a soldier is asked to do. That's what it means to be a soldier."

His fingers drummed anxiously on the table, unable to be still "And there's more she told me... about the Chrononaut experiments'

hazel felt like she could hardly take it. No wonder her mother had so little respect for loyalty and patriotism. if something even close to this had happened to her Natalie....

"what did she say?" her voice came out in a hoarse whisper.

Viper closed his eye. His shoulders were shaking "She told me what she saw when she was flung into the space between time and dimensions"

Hazel took a breath, her leg still against his leg. She waited for him to speak.

He pressed his leg against hers, for the sensation of her presence. Someone close. "She saw the world at peace. A pax without war. Where people were finally at peace"

Hazel closed her eyes too. "That must have been... amazing."

He nodded "Amazing. Yeah" he sighed, His whole body was tensed, and his leg brushed against hers "Wish I could have seen it too."

"Same," she said. "The world I came from- it sure as hell wasn;t at peace."

He smiled thinly "well. Maybe someday" he said, shaking his head "Maybe it was our future. But probably not"

"Maybe it was," she agreed in a low, sad tone. "Only one way to know, I guess."

He stirred his drink "to keep fighting until it happens" he said bitterly "As soldiers."

She nodded solemnly, leaning back on the cusion of the booth.

He spread his hands "And that's what she told me. That's Lionheart's final proclamation" His voice was forced and casual, but his expression told her all she needed to know. Solemn and filled with unspoken pain. He leaned back "That's ....that's the truth of it"

She took a long breath. "That's the truth of it. hell..."

He offered her his hand "I wanted you to know. You know? H. I trust you. We fought together. And you're ..well..." he shook his head "i trust you. And you're her...alternate universe daughter. " he looked her in the eyes "if anyone deserved to know, it's you"

She slipped her hand into his and squeezed it. "Thank you, V Thank you..."

Victor held her hand tightly, his breath ragged for a moment "you're welcome H. i..." he smiled a bit weakly "I appreciate you. Being there." he shrugged "talking to you...helps. With all this"

she nodded. "I'm glad," she said. "Its been eating me up inside too... knowing more... helps."

"It's going to be hard for us" he admitted "we lost someone important to us. and..." he grimaced "the reasons why weren't satisfactory. I'm...glad it helps."

She nodded, squeezing him. "Just having someone to share it with... helps."

He held her hand like a lifeline "it does. It makes all the difference, H"

"I'm with you, Victor."

He nodded, and gave her a sad half smile "and I'm with you, Hazel" he said, "Thanks..." There was the sound of footsteps. He fell silent as the food was presentted to them. Rita gave them a wink, and some milkshakes in addition, before heading off and leaving them be once more.

Hazel picked up her milkshake, and gave it a sip.

It was a delicious, thick milkshake. Classic and made heavy and sweet with sugar. It was probably the best milkshake she'd ever had. They didn't make them like this anymore. Not in most places.

Victor sipped his, quiet for the moment before he smiled sadly "what say we try our hand at necromancy, huh? "

She nodded. "Lets give it a shot. Hell. This milkshake is delicious."

He nodded "Rita makes them herself from a family recipie" he smirked and stirred his "It'd always get one...you know. after a good training session. "

"Heck, that'd make me train twice as hard," she said with a smile, eagerly sucking at hers.

He sucked his for a long moment, chuckling "Sure did. I give Rita's milkshakes credit for some of my fastest course times"

"You should give her a plaque," she teased

"Already did" he said with a smirk, gesturing to one of the walls, where there was a small framed document. "not a plaque, but..."

She laughed. "You're way ahead of the game I see."

"It's because I'm so damned considerate" he joked, and gestured to her ribs "ready to fill our empty stomachs with some quality southern fare?"

"Oh Im more than ready," she grinned. "we;ll see if these napkins can handle me."

He smirked "She's got these napkins soaked in chemicals that do the trick if they can't. Depends how your table manners are" he teased, and mixed his plate up a bit, so some greens got in with the pork.

"Oh they're about as good as you'd expect from an alien," she joked, tucking into the ribs.

He snickered, and ate his pulled pork and biscuits with the manners one would expect from a soldier who eats most of his meals out in the middle of the woods over a scrapped together fire

hers were about on par, really, neither of them offending the other.

His foot bumped hers again as they ate, and between bouts of eating, conversation was brought up. At one point, he asked her what the most 'science fiction' thing the future had to offer was.

She chuckled, thinking about it. "Probably what we call 'smart phones'."

"The telephone isn't that smart" He said, with a smirk

"Oh but this isn't just any telephone," she said. "This is a flat piece of plastic, about the size of the palm of your hand. With it you can make calls to anyone who has one anywhere in the world. Not only that but you can use it to transmit video, still images,  or data. You can send messages in text. Its also an advanced scientific calculator. It knows the time of day, the date, can manage your events and schedule, and handle all your contacts. Its also a high resolution camera that doesn't need film. You can use it to read newspapers and magazines on its screen. And more."

He blinked slightly, and for a moment looked overwhelmed "This sounds like the world's most advanced spying device. hell. We could win a thousand wars with _one_ of those. "

'She nodded. "And we give them to 10 year olds to play with. Its kinda nuts.

"does _everyone_ have one of these things?" He asked, simply stunned beyond belief.

"Pretty much, yeah.  They're a necessity in our world."

Victor leaned back "...huh. Wish I coulda seen them" he admitted

"Maybe i'll find a way to show you one," she said. "Sadly, I didn't have mine on me when I got bumped here."

"Too bad" he chuckled "Maybe your mom'll invent a new one" he said with a slight smirk

"Knowing her, she just might," she chuckled

"Then the spies of tomorrow are taking photos with their fancy tiny bricks, and sending data halfway to Uldovia" he chuckled

"And the counter spies are busy trying to hack their phone signals," she nodded.

"and somehow find the man, based on the signals from his magic brick" he smirked

She nodded with a chuckle. "and it would all be very complicated."

"and very 'science fiction' " he chuckled "it's about then that the aliens arrive'

"ah, but do they come in peace, or are they hostile?"

"I don't know, H. Do they? " he smirked at her

"well, I guess it depends wehre you stand," she grinned. "as far as you're concerned, we come in peace."

"Well I'm glad to be on your side, then" He chuckled "Don't want the alien mad at me"

"You might get alien abducted and probed," she teased

He raised his eyebrow "well. And here I didn't think that happened on the first date"

"I guess you don't hear many alien stories," she joked, blushing.

He flushed a little himself "Guess not" he said , and gave her a thin smirk "Do you have a saucer for this, or what?"

"Oh I wish. definitely left the saucer in the future."

He laughed "well. you're a smart alien. You'll find a workaround. "

"sure, we can hang at your place."

He raised his milkshake to her "i got a pretty comfy bed. It's as good as a saucer , I'm sure"

"Is that so?" she asked with a flush, raing her own shake.

"I think so, spacegirl" he grinned and clinked them together "Maybe you can give me a second opinion"

She turned heavily crimson at her ears. "Be warned, I give a full review."

"hoo boy" he said "i'll be sure to clean out my ashtray then. Don't want marks off for that"

he winked , with a teasing smirk "I think the rest of the experience should, hopefully, hold up under your scruitny"

"I'm sure you'll get high marks," she chuckled, embaressedly.

He sipped his milkshake to mask his flush "how about after this?" he asked. "i'm not doing anything later tonight"

"I'll have to clear my calendar, but what the hell," she joked.

He smirked, and bumped his foot against hers "glad you can clear the space in your schedule for your ol' buddy Victor"

"For you, V, any time."

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A few hours later, they'd managed to get home and away from anyone who'd been looking for them. Dinner was nice, full of gentle flirtations and banter and damn good food. And the ride back, Victor drove, and showed off some of the additions he made to the bike.

But now here they were, standing at the door to his quarters.

Hazel was, honestly, more nervous than she usually was during these kinds of situations. She had had wel, perhaps more than her share of dalliances with girls and boys alike, but there was something about Viper that made her feel like a school girl with her first crush as they lingered at the doorway.

Viper, despite being slightly older and fairly confident in the field, had a flush of his own over his lopsided and wolfish grin "well. here we are, spacegirl" he unlocked the door "Chateau Victor. In all it's splendor" His arm slipped over her shoulder as he walked inside.

She leaned into him as she took a peek.  "Mmm, splendied indeed," she said as she looked around.

It was a small apartment. It had a kitchenette in a tan and blue color scheme, a dark shag carpet over the living room area, and a small old fashioned tube TV hooked up to some sort of psuedo VHS hookup. There was , honestly, a rather large bookcase in the corner packed with novels of all sorts.

He shut the door, and chuckled "the bookcase and TV are mine. The rest sort of came with the place"

"I like a man with a big bookshelf," she teased.

He gently punched her arm "I had a bigger one back at my school" he snickered "Half of it's military texts and philosophy. The writings of generals. Rest of it's , you know, Fiction. I have a lot of down time between assignments"

"what kind of fiction do you like?" she asked, pooling herself onto his couch.

He sat next to her, fairly close "It's stupid" he said with a smirk "But a lot of detective or spy fiction. A smattering of fantasy and sci fi. Something about taking the real war we all have to deal with and making it about elves and hobbits sort of makes it interesting"

She chuckled. "That's funny, you pretty much just described my bookshelf." She scooted closer to him, so they were touching.

He slipped his arm around her, smiling that lopsided wolf's grin "heh. You know. They say that if two people have the same book shelf, they'll probably get along" he winked.

"I think I saw that on a fortune cookie," she teased, she leaned into his arm, stretching her leg up and putting it in his lap;

One hand was wrapped around her shoulders, as his other rested on the knee of her leg. "Funny, thats where I got it from" he said with a smirk " Shenzhou must know it's stuff"

She flushed a little at the warmth of his hand on her leg. "They sure do. esspecially how to make good cold noodles."

His fingers squeezed her knee. His touch was present, but not forceful. He was clearly not trying to force his pace. "and their crab pastries. They practically came from the Goddess herself"

"And they're not even real crab," she chuckled. She leaned in close to him, her fingers stroking over his shoulder and rm.

He leaned into her touch, brushing his fingers just over the top of her knee as he massaged her shoulder "well now you're just shattering my poor illusions about Shenzou cuisine" he grinned, looking into her eyes.

Her eyes met his. "Shame on me. How can I make it up to you?"

"I can think of a few ways " he leaned forward, their bodies pressed closer together. their noses were nearly brushing

"Let me guess," she purred. She closed the tiny distance between them, pressing their lips together.

It seemed she guessed right. Because he leaned in, arm hugging her close to his body, and kissed her more firmly. He had a short, but maintained beard that scruffed just the slightest against her smooth skin. His lips were warm, and wide. And he kissed with raw, but gentle desire rather than practiced skill.

She pressed her lithe body against his larger, rough frame, her sort lips aainst his as she kissed him back, eager, and skillful, compared to his raw passion.

His large , calloused hand...used to carrying weapons of war, brushed along the length of her leg from her ankle to above her knee. He pressed his chest against hers, holding her close as he sucked her lip his teeth just grazing the skin as he kissed her passionately. It'd clearly been a kiss that had been building up for a while now.

It certainly had been building up, Hazel too felt the breaking of the floodgate of attraction that the two of them had been dancing around as they grew closer.

Victor kissed her deeper, pressing their bodies slightly to the couch's back cushions, his hands tracing along the upper part of her knee...and a little higher to her thigh as they let that attraction carry them.

She pressed her leg against his hand, encouraging him as they kissed, her fingers petting down his body.

His body was warm, the skin roughened in places by scars or body hair. He pet his fingers higher, his teeth grazing her lip again in the passion of the kiss.

She nipped him back, teasingly, grinning at him as the long kiss finally broke, the two of them still holding on to one another.

He grinned back at her, his face slightly flushed. He brushed his fingers through her pale hair "how about I show you the bedroom" He said with a chuckle "for your review, if nothing else" he teased

"Right, for my review," she grinned, flushing. "Sounds like a plan."

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It'd been good night. She'd stayed over Victor's last night, and they shared a homecooked breakfast in the morning with the halfhazzard ingredients he was able to have delivered. They'd had multiple more forrays into the fields of passion during the times between , one of which not long before they each had to go. Him, called by duty to a meeting with Knight about this new unit the two of them were supposed to lead (her meeting was set for after lunch. He wanted to speak to them individually first), and her...to her meeting with Dr. Kovalenko to discuss the question of 'time travel' .

She was in good spirits that morning from the whole thing, really for the first time since the mission.

Victor had been in high spirits as well, and even asked if she'd be interested in coming over again that night.

Her footsteps echoed down the nearly empty corridor towards the labs. Strange. there were usually at least one or two guards around.

Hazel was less on gaurd than usual, so the empty corridor only registered a mild strangeness in her mind. She was much more preoccupied with the idea of spending the night again. She had given Victor a very emphatic 'yes' to the idea.

It was set to be another good night, then. He'd even said he'd hit the store and try whipping something up in the kitchen for dinner.

She saw the door to the lab's lobby. She was alone in the hall, but some voices came from within.

"You have to be reasonable, ma'am," a young voice said, from behind the door.

"I'm being _Perfectly_ reasonable Justine" Dr. Kovalenko's voice barked, clearly irate "But they _killed her_ . "

"You can't keep saying that," she said, "even if its true. Someone is going to take an issue with you."

"Take ISSUE with me, Justine?" she growled "as if they have the bloody right" the sound of something slamming on a desk echoed through the hall "those idiots don't know how to propery encrypt anything. I helped DESIGN the computer network. You and I, Justine, created the file encryption  those damned fools use. And I _got my proof_ that this was all for nothing. For mere money. They set my  lover and the mother of my children up  to die for nothing but some extra spending money!" Her voice was near hysterical.

Hazel winced-- she'd better intercept now, rather than later. She knocked on the door.

The voices faltered, and Dr. Kovalenko's tired voice demanded "Come in"

Hazel opened the door. The woman Kovolenko had been speaking with was a petite, handsome featured woman waith dark hair, and large glasses. She was wearing a lab coat.

"Doctor Kovolenko," Hazel said, bobbing her head. SHe looked at the other woman quizzically.

"I was just leaving," she said. She looked over her shoulder at the doctor. "Please, Nadia, for your son's sake, don't make these waves."

The doctor was disheveled. WHich was a bad sign. She was so prim and neat in her presence and dress that seeing her hair mussed and suit unbuttoned over an askew tie and rumpled shirt clearly indicated just how depressed the pale woman was.

"You're dismissed, Justine" She looked away "we'll finish this conversation later" She said coldly, though the worry for her son creased her brow slightly.

"Until then, Doctor," Justine sighed. She gave Hazel a dirty look as she stepepd out of the room, and away down the corridor.

Dr. Kovalenko looked at Hazel, reflecting Hazel's own face back at her with her reflective lenses "I expect you're here to talk about your chronological displacements and or Lionheart's death?"

She closed the door and nodded, frowning. "yes m-ma'am."

The doctor sat in her chair, behind the desk crowded in the corner of the massive workroom.

She looked at one of the photos on her desk. Of her, Lionheart, and their son, and sighed "then lets get this over with."

Hazel sat down in the other chair. 'I know you're busy. and upset.I... know the feeling."

She nodded "I imagine you do" She gave her a long look

She looked back at her with a sigh. "Where do you want me to start?"

"From wherever you feel comfortable" the Doctor stated, her head dropping into her hands. She ran her fingers through her pale , colorless hair. Hazel could see the veins under her skin in places, more prominant with how much she was clearly stressed.

"I'm not just from the future," she said. "I'm from an alternate universe."

The Doctor didn't seem phased by that "ah. An alternate universe? Interesting. We haven't had the technology to properly cross alternate universes. Rather just to see them. Save for..." she paused "well. the accident. But that was a fluke"

"Maybe. But it was something my mother was working on, in our world."

"ah" She raised her eyebrow "a scientist, was she?"

"yes," she nodded. "Doctor Kovolenko, she... I believe she is the alternate version of yourself."

The doctor looked taken aback for a moment, an expression of honest shock on her face "....what?" she demanded "Are you saying that you're my daughter from some other timeline? " her voice faltered as she looked her over, and her lips went tight 'I...think I can see some resemblance. Between all that reminds me of Natalie, there is a little of myself in you"

She nodded slowly. "That's what I'm saying, ma'am. My mother is identical to you. Phsyically, and in terms of speech and mannerisms. "

Kovalenko ran her fingers through her hair again in nervous habit "i see." she said "And I presume that the other universe's Natalie also contributed to your genetic makeup?"

"I don't have 100% confirmation on the subject, but I have good reason to believe so," she nodded

"I can say it's likely" Nadia stated "Given your features. and her presence in proximity to the alternate me." She looked at her with shielded eyes "then I suppose you are my daughter. I'll have to tell Calvin he has a big sister soon." She smiled a litlte wryly "be warned. He'll try to play robots with you"

"That sounds nice," she said with a smile. "I always kind of wanted a sibling."

She chuckled a little sadly "so does he." her fingers brushed her stomach, briefly "And...well..provided things do not implode on me as Justine seems to think they will" she waved her hand "we'll have to have a family dinner so I can get to know my daughter from another world"

"That sounds nice," she nodded. "I'm afraid I did overhear some of your conversation...'

She tensed slightly "Ah. yes. About how I found the truth of Natalie's death"

"you're not the only one who's angry about it," she assured her.

"I imagine you and..." Her expression darkened briefly "I imagine you're very angry about it."

She nodded. "Furious."

"It isn't right, Hazel" She said in a strained voice "It's not right at all. And I'm going to put a stop to it now. I'm avenging her death. I'm taking this evidence right to Soteria" Her eyes narrowed "they seem to have gone behind her back on this one"

"That doesn't surprise me," she said. "It doesn't seem like something she would do, from the little I know her."

The doctor sighed "I know her well. It really isn't. Lionheart...was her favored bodyguard and a good friend." she shook her head "did...did you have any other questions?"

"I can tell you more about the other world, if you wanted to hear," she said, trying to guide her away from the subject of Lionheart a bit. She knew how her mother always got when Natalie was brought up.

And she was already heading in that direction. Her posture had sagged, and misery had started to make it's mark on her expression. She shook her head "Please. tell me about this world you come from"

Hazel nodded, and started to talk about it. All the things that were different. The names of the countries. The technology of the future- the strange parallels between this world and that one.

Dr. Kovalenko listened with interest. And the raw information seemed to help her a bit. The more Hazel spoke, the more the doctor's scientific curiosity drove her to ask questions. She started to get excited "So Pax is broken up, in your world  , into different countries in a continent called 'america' . And Uldovia is... Russia? How strange"

The technology was one place she had many questions, and a smile had even come back to her face as she asked about phones and television and the sort of jets Hazel had seen

Hazel was happy to indulge her, answering all the little questions about the technology as well a she could.

The doctor chuckled softly "Your world sounds facinating" she said with a shake of her head "I'm sorry your introduction to ours ended so....poorly"

She shook her head. "Me too, but it looks like I'll have plenty of time to learn about this world."

"it seems you will" The Doctor reached over and pat her hand "And you, given your connection to my family, are welcome in our home. whenever you wish"

"She smiled. "Thanks. heh, you may have noticed, Ive had to stop myself from calling you 'mom' a few times.

The Doctor smirked a little wryly, her finger brushing a set pens on her desk as she spoke "I actually noticed that. I found it curious"

She flushed a little and chuckled. "Well, now you know why."

She nodded, and took of fher glasses. Her bright red eyes looked at her for a moment, before she winked "well. If you want to call me mom i won...."

There was a click, and the door to the office opened. "Justine?" The doctor spoke up "if that's you, I'm still in my meeting"

Hazel frowned at the sound, and turned her head.

A figure stepped inside the room, and closed the door.

The doctor stood to protest, but the man, for it was a man, raised a silenced pistol that had been shrouded in his sleeve, and fired three times into her body. A gut shot, a chest shot, and a shot at the very base of her neck. The doctor gasped, clutching her neck wound in shock as she stumbled back and against the desk. Her photos and papers went falling to the floor as she struggled to open a drawer with her blood slicked fingers. She gasped for breath "ba-bastards"

The figure turned, and aimed his gun at Hazel "Damn" he said in a voice she didn't recognize "She was supposed to be alone"

Hazel screamed in horror and anger, and in a swift motion made to tackle the figure in a leap.

She tackled him, and he went crashing to the ground, his gun skittering from his hand as he wrestled the angry girl.

The doctor, managed to open the drawer and attempt to aim a revolver at the man. But there was a lot of blood loss. She swooned, as pain overwhelmed her, and fell over in her own pooling blood, the gun limply held in her fingers.

Hazel screamed again, seeing red, and delivered a powerfull blow to his jaw, before wrestling for his lost gun.

He grunted, and delivered a powerful strike to her stomach in return.

And that was when something strange happened. As the Doctor twitched on the ground, her body suddenly hummed with a strange energy.

there was the sensation of whipping wind, and the fallen papers scattered up into the sky in a mini cyclone....as the doctor vanished in a drifting sea of blue sparks, leaving behind only her smeared blood and the cyclone of papers slowly drifting downwards.

Hazel was distracted by the sight of the vanishing body, but only for a moment, furiously returning to the task at hand as she caught her breath from the last blow. She grabbed the man into a headlock.

But that was when she felt the residual energy latch onto her. She felt something inside  very makeup  *tug* , and in a flash of blue and silver light, she was no longer holding the man in a headlock, but traveling through some sort of starfield of dots and lines at what felt like impossible speed.

She'd felt this before. Right down to the strange glimpses of worlds and movement between the lines.

Time travel. She was being yanked through time once again.

The startled Hazel realized that must have been what happened to Doctor Kovolenko as well for some reason- she hoped she was okay.  She held her breath as she watched the worlds flash by, wondering where the hell she;d end up now.

The feeling of the time stream swallowed her, and distantly at the edge of her hearing she could hear a song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYEsFQ_gt7c

Among the starfield of possible worlds, visions of the one she left danced before her vision.

She saw Justine returning to the office to finish her conversation with the doctor, only to find the clearly fatal amount of blood. She saw her distress, and the painful breakdown of emotion that ensued afterwards. She saw her take young Calvin into her custody to raise him.

She saw a group of shadowy men in a quiet warroom. They were celebrating. They were gloating over their successes in the aquisition of the Fortune of Nations. But when they plugged it into their rudamentary computers....half of the fortune was mysteriously missing. Celebration turned to outrage, and she could see Frost stand and shout that at least they had Lionheart....last of the ties to the original Father of Nations group....out of the picture. And for that, they should celebrate.

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NativeAmerican4Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYEsFQ_gt7c

Buffy Sainte Marie - "Universal Soldier"

Hes 5 foot 2 and hes 6 feet 4 And he fights with missiles and with spears Hes all of 31 and hes only 17. And hes been a soldier for a thousand years Hes a ca...

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zYEsFQ_gt7c/hqdefault.jpg

She saw Viper, who came back from his meeting to a base on alert. To the murder of Dr. Kovalenko and a missing Hazel. He had put the groceries he'd bought away in the fridge , and waited by the phone. When she, inevitably, didn't call.... and she didn't return , he was devestated. But when there was no more grief to shed, he seemed to simply go numb. The spriit he'd had all the time she knew him was deadened, and he fell into the leadership of the Alloy Unit. A soldier with nothing to live for.

And she saw Dr. Kovalenko. Dr. Kovalenko who stood up in a foreign land surrounded by foreign people. Guns aimed at her as she stood, unharmed and shaking, with her hands up. Her features were shaken.

And she saw a graveyard.

And at that graveyard there was a grave. An unmarked, forgotten grave in the middle of nowhere. A grave for an unknown soldier. A hero, who lived her life for her country and died in disgrace she didn't deserve. On that grave were two items. The bandana Victor had taken from her, laid out and folded around a bundle of flowers. Left by him.

Tears pattered into the dirt, as another set of flowers...lillies ...was set beside the rest. Soteria Costa, leader of the Pax Republic, wiped her eyes, sobbing softly into her sleeve as she paid her respects and whispered her goodbyes to an old friend.

And in the shadows, a one eyed dog of war leaned on a tree and watched, quiet and still before vanishing into the lonely dark.

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The lonely dark consumed her after that, as the stars seemed to wink out around her. The darkness was suddenly jarred away by a burst of light....and Hazel found herself standing in the room Soteria had provided for her at the beginning of all this. Her clothes from earth laid out on the bed where she had changed into the dress uniform from them. A more modern clock ticked away the minutes on the wall.

Hazel reeled, staggering and holding her head as she tried to come to grips with the sudden change.

She was dressed in the old Pax uniform, with the old emblem of peace on her medals and badges. But she seemed to be back in the modern day. And judging by the clock...only about ten minutes after she left.

If she remembered correctly, her mother was given a room across the hall from her.

She tried to shake off her disorientation, and hurried across the hall. She had to make sure she was even in the right place.

She stumbled out into the distantly familiar halls of Pax's governmental compound. She had double vision for a moment, with the memory of it in the past as compared to now. Nearly the same but...different. The door across from hers was closed.

She shook at the strangeness of the vision. The same, but different. How many years? She pounded on the door heavily.

The door opened, and her mother looked down at her with a quirk of her pale eyebrow. She gave her daughter a thin smile "Hazel" She said with mild amusement "you don't have to knock my door down" she looked the same as she always had. Her hair prim and neat, just as her impeccable suit vest was. The mechanical voice of Natalie spoke in the background, repeating some phrases that indicated she was in a 'test mode' .

seeing her, the normally reserved young lady threw her arms around her mother, and squeezed her. "Mom."

Dr. Davidson looked surprised for a moment, but hugged her daughter tightly "Daughter" She said softly, before pausing. She traced her daughter's back with her hand "you have new scars" she said in a flat tone.

She swallowed and nodded, still holding close to her mom. "I've been gone for... a while."

The doctor froze for a moment, and gave her a tight, loving squeeze "ah. I'm sorry , dear" She said, and drew her close "I didn't expect _right now_ to be the time. But leave it to fate to intervene before I get the bloody chance to explain anything"

Hazel looked up at her quizically, trying to understand. "You... knew something was going to happen?"

Her mother took her arm, and lead her to the soft backed chair in the corner. Across from them was the slowly pulsing red light of Natalie's chassis, the straps of her carrying case loose and splayed on the table.

"I did" She said a bit seriously "Because you told me yourself that they were going to happen. Years and years ago" She leaned over and rustled her daughter's hair "My little chrononaut" she said with a slight trace of affection in her dry voice.

Understanding, and a trace of horror dawned on Hazel's face. "Y-you're Doctor Kovolenko? But _how_ ?"

Her mother looked towards Natalie, very briefly, seeing if her systems recognized the name.

She looked back at her daughter, and took her hand in hers "I suffered a mutation, it would seem, from my experiments with temporal radiation" She said "When my political enemies attempted to dispatch me, the fatal wounds inflicted forced my mutation to activate. I was sent through spacetime, where my wounds were rapidly mended at the expense of my being thrust into a random dimension and time. I wound up on a planet calling itself Earth, in a small Ukranian town, where I was captured and forced into the Soviet Army" she pushed up her glasses

"Oh christ," she whispered. "Mom...." She squeezed her again.

Natalie, it seemed had recognized the name, her systems and lights starting up.

Her mother gave her a tight hug "I've had a lot of time to come to terms with my displacement" She said "And it seemed my mutation sort of...froze my reproductive cycle in time" She chuckled darkly "So you took a lot longer to become much  more than a few cells  than you should have. I thought I'd lost you with the shot to my stomach. Imagine my surprise once I defected and a few years later found myself pregnant with you. My little abonormality" She said with a trace of an affectionate smile.

She looked pleased that Natalie had recognized the name and returned her attention to her daughter.

hazel laughed a strange laugh of disbelief at the strange cicumstances. "I see. So its all a bag of... weird time shit. Mom, you really haven't aged at all."

Dr. Davidson smirked wryly "a benefit of being dosed with temporal radiation, I expect. I haven't aged a moment since the first accident. Not in any way I've been able to tell"

She shook her head "But yes....I'm the same Dr. Kovalenko that you spoke to the night I " she made finger quotes "died"

She squeezed her tightly. "That was just minuets ago, for me....I'm sorry, I didn't get the guy before I got pulled here."

Her mother did a rare thing then. She scooped her into a hug and kissed her on the top of her head "It's fine" She said in a low murmur "You tried, and the temporal energies pulled you away. And we're both alive."

"Thank goodness," she said smiling a little. "But, is it safe for you to be here? Someone tried to kill you."

"I had to come back" She said simply, "I may not believe in loyalty to nations, but I have my loyalty to my world. And to those I know and care for within. My son is here, Hazel" she held her "your brother. And Justine, my apprentice. And Soteria, my leader. If anyone is going to set this nonsense _right_ it's going to be me. and you" She smirked a little "i know you're quite the fighter...and of course" she gestured to the machine "Natalie"

She swallowed, and nodded. "I understand. YOu're right." Hazel was busily mentally reordering the universe internally. "I can't beleive I come from here, not earth."

"Well" Her mother said, with a vauge motion of her hand "welcome home, Hazel. This is where you're from. Earth...it was a stopgap on our way back."

"Good to know," she nodded. "Huh.... uh, about Simon...."