The Masque of NeverMore, Chapter 4

Charlotte had almost reached and had just swung the others into cover when she heard a whisper in her comms. “I’m sorry, I lost it Charlie…” and the ground reached up to smack her down then threw her in the air before rising to meet her again.

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Charlotte tumbled a few times before coming to rest as she’d tucked herself into a ball after the first encounter with the ground to allow her armor to best absorb impacts and minimize the chance of something being in the wrong position when blunt force caused it to go rigid. It seemed like an eternity, flying through the air as the shockwave picked her back up and threw her to hit the top of the hill that sheltered the children only to glance off like a stone skipped by some careless giant.

It took a moment to realize she’d actually made it through intact and was looking at a road from an oddly canted angle mostly inverted in the ditch. When she was able to get her bearings she untucked and launched herself to her feet in the middle of the road in a twisting flip, coming down running back toward the hill sheltering the children. They appeared to have been tossed around by the ground-shock but the blast wave had been deflected over them and upward. Some were already getting up and beginning to check others with surprising presence of mind for children their apparent ages. Pete and Jorge were assisting and appeared to have the situation well in hand so she veered in the direction of the busses, one of which was on its side.

“Mel, sitrep?!?” Charlotte was still over a hundred meters away from the bus when the emergency exits built into the top popped open and a child popped out of both, apparently unhurt. They quickly assisted another out and another and by the time she reached them the bus was already half empty.

“Well you can forget the idea of putting that hollow back together but everyone that should be alive is. Some injuries and one seriously awesome midair bat-catch. Lots and lots of friendlies inbound, expect an ambulance in a bit under 30 seconds, fire truck right behind but I think mostly we’re just gonna need some minor first aid and transport for the kids.” Mel sounded as amazed as Charlotte felt.

“How about cover?” Once more Charlotte found herself standing without any real way to help as others had stepped in, effectively pushing her back. She allowed it, knowing her team was more than competent.

“The machines are running full out and its kinda curling back over the edges and flowing down the hollow. I know whats going on and I’m spooked, anyone with even the slightest whiff of superstition is gonna be shittin themselves. Looks like full cover will be restored within 2 minutes and anywhere we are there’s already fog.”

“OK, we can’t restore it the way we thought but you got a pretty good view of the damage so you tell me… could we make it look like no one has ever been there? No road, nothing?”

Charlotte had several feeds running on her HUD and noticed an orange marker on one of the children’s icons. She dug a little deeper and noted the child in question had some breathing difficulty and was already being given an inhaler, the orange shading fading toward white as she watched. Flipping through the others she noted only minor scrapes and bruises, a few sprains and one broken arm which was already in an immobilization brace. That was one of her runners and she watched the stoic set of the kid’s face, knowing just what sort of experience allowed a person to be that calm and not show the pain they had to be in.

“Not if you want a full old-growth ecosystem that would sustain any scrutiny or even be viable.” The voice was Lilly’s. “That whole area is completely blown to hell… half of it looks like its been freshly ploughed. It’d be easier to just turn it into a park and let it run wild. I can guarantee no one will want to live or farm there for a long time. You might be able to use that though…”

“You think its bad enough we could play dead?”

“The only thing the overheads really got was you skipping off the top of that hill into the fog. There’s some vehicle traffic that just can’t be covered in and out of the ops area so I don’t think so, not completely anyway. The way things have gone I’d be inclined to think they will assume they missed at least a few of you. I would anyway…”

Charlotte took her friend’s thoughts onboard, her mind racing to find the next step toward an idea just glimmering at the edges of her awareness. She noted the children being given reflective blankets that doubled as ponchos to keep the increasingly hard rain away with approval. A sudden influx of emergency vehicles and others, local citizens come to render what aid they could increasingly occupied the available roadway.

“Mel…”

“Yeah?”

“Lets turn off the fog and make the traffic so obvious they can’t miss it if they tried. Make it look like John’s Island except we want them to think we took heavy casualties, that they knocked us back but not down. We’re going to leave a few traces they’re bound to see but we can do our best to make it look like we’re hiding and running away. After that it’s a matter of vanishing for real.” Charlotte laid out the first steps, all she really had firmed up in her mind at that point.

Mel, Tina and Lilly dropped into a private conversation but Lilly was the first to speak.

“She has some kinda batshit crazy idea doesn’t she? It may have been a while but I know just how she sounds….”

“Oh you can bet on it.” Tina laughed. “I think we all know that tone.

“Be afraid… Be very very afraid… Bwahahahahaha!” Mel chimed in. “Seriously though, they’ve forced her to get devious and that’s… well if I weren’t on her side I’d be doing my best to run away and hide!”

“Well whatever she’s got going, lets do our bit. I’ll take care of the fog machines and get anyone not already headed here going. The more traffic the better!” Lilly clicked out of the channel and went to do her end while Mel and Tina continued overwatch.

“Knowing her there’s gonna be something disturbingly literary to whatever she’s planning…” Mel mused.

“Like what, Moby Dick? I just can’t see Charlie making a good Ahab…” Tina chuckled at the thought.

“Hell if I know. Something devious, deadly and completely unexpected, you can bet on that!”

It took several hours for them to gradually exfiltrate under cover while several made a point of leaving trails on foot in different directions. The sheer volume of kids had required that the County get involved although they managed to contain it within the county limits and work to get the children back to their families where possible. For some this was not possible, having no family left or having been taken too young to know enough to locate them. A few had even been sold into slavery by their parents which meant returning them was not an option.

The team spent another week in the mountains during which time the locals got together and remade the entire hollow into a park which would be allowed to run wild and become a nature preserve. The contours of the land had changed somewhat as much of the results of natural weathering and erosion had been wiped away by the explosions but they had created more wetland and bottom land using the creek which originated in springs throughout the little valley.

More than a few mature trees had been moved from other locations but even more half-grown trees and seedlings were planted as well. Obstacles had been deliberately built that would impede any human traffic and hopefully discourage even those who knew nothing of what had occurred there.

“Time for me to go Lil…” The two old friends embraced and Charlotte hugged Griff as well. “We’ll be out of contact for a few months. You know the dead-drops if you need to get in touch.”

“We’ll miss you…” Lilly wiped away a tear. “The kids seem to like it here so I’m sure we’ll be busy enough to keep occupied.”

“You’re an angel for taking all eight of them, both of you. I can’t thank you enough.” Charlotte wiped away a tear of her own. “They really need stability and safety and I can’t think of anyone or any place better.”

“”Griff and I want to adopt them…”

“If they agree then I say go for it. They have a better chance of a happy childhood here, with this community, with you two. You already have an idea how rough some of it is going to be…”

“You know it doesn’t matter. They need, we can help. How could we do anything else?” Griff cut to the heart of the matter. “You pay attention to whatever nastiness you have planned and don’t worry about the kids. We’ll make sure they know they can get a message to you anytime they need.”

“Nastiness? You wound me, sir!” Charlotte clutched her chest as though stabbed through the heart and acted it out. “Oh… cut to the quick, I am!”

The entire room burst out laughing at Charlotte’s antics. “Yeah… um, that acting thing… keep your day job…” Lilly slid the comment into a momentary silence and set off another round of laughter. Once it had subsided she continued. “All kidding aside… I won’t ask you to play it safe, it’d be like asking a pig to stay outta the mud. Just come back to us, ok?”

“Not something I can promise, you know that. We’ll do our best.” Another round of tearful hugs later they departed.

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Charlotte and Yves sat out on the broad verandah of the ranch house watching the light fade as the sun gradually lowered itself into the western sky as though tired from the long day. Freshly cut hay lay on the ground drying, lending its sweet smell to the air as they sipped at drinks, laughter spilling out of the main room of the house in occasional bursts.

“I got a drop from Lil today.”

“How are the kids doing?” Yves tightened his arm around her and set the swing back into motion with a heel.

“Better than we could have hoped. The adoptions are all finalized and she says having parents again has done the kids a world of good. The others have all been adopted into the community and are integrating pretty well with the locals. As horrible as our reasons for going there were I’m glad we did…”

“I’m glad because of the kids and just for you Cherie. You worried they would judge you for how long?”

“Since the night we had to leave and I told Griff about myself. Maybe even before that. When there is so much hatred thrown your way its hard not to internalize it, begin hating yourself…” Charlotte sighed and leaned into Yves’ embrace “and once you’ve learned to hate yourself its very hard to imagine that someone else might feel differently about you.”

“Is it still that difficult, to think that people would love you, welcome you into their homes and hearts?” He moved his hand up to run a finger along her collarbone with a feather touch.

“I wish I could say no…” She grasped his hand and drew it a little further downward so his caress was on the sensitive spot just below the ridge of bone. “Maybe one day I’ll be able to get past that. Helping these kids… hunting down those monsters… it helps a little. And I guess there’s the flipside too… If I wasn’t so fucked up I might not be out here doing this and then who would help these kids?”

“Still you, most likely. Cherie, I think sometimes you hide your true motivations even from yourself. It is your nature to help, when and how you can, no matter what. Our friends in the mountains who knew you before… they said the same. I think you would be doing this or something very like it even without the horror you went through.”

“Maybe…” was all Charlotte could say. They sat there together for a few minutes enjoying the sunset and the gathering dusk.

“This op won’t run itself love. Lets go.” Charlotte slid off the swing and pulled Yves’ hand. He followed her into the main room where their team waited. Things had gotten quite boisterous in the room but within a few minutes they’d settled down and were all watching Charlotte pace in front of the giant fireplace.

“So I’m sure you all figured out I had some sort of devious plan going on…” she paused for the expected laughter ”and I’m not going to disappoint. For those of you who thought I’d do something with a literary bent, you’re right on target but maybe not quite the way you think…”

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It had taken another few months of carefully planned and executed hits, building a story in the minds of their opponents which told them there was a new threat, one that preyed on individuals. They were careful to make the hits look as brutal as possible to maximize the fear they would create although in reality the terrible things were done to corpses, not living people. It wore heavily on all of them, even knowing that they weren’t really torturing someone to death.

It was finally time. First they gathered in groups of 2 or more, thinking only singles would be eliminated but then those too were targeted. The groups had grown larger until they had finally gathered together on a single island far out in the pacific at a resort they used for the more casual slavers. Being the sort of group they were they each employed some method of masking their identity and there was to be a grand gathering, a party for the besieged.

It would of course be a costume ball given the circumstances and that too was exactly according to plan. Most of the team hid while Charlotte walked in amongst them, a tight red gown covering her from neck to floor and a hooded cape flowing back from her shoulders. Her face was covered by a prosthetic which blended in to completely alter her appearance, then a domino mask atop it along with a cascade of fiery red hair flowing over the cape.

Many of the assembled partiers thought she was going for “Little Red Riding Hood” and she let them think what they would, the anticipation building as the time for her plan to come to fruition grew near. She watched a masked figure come to the podium and tap against his glass with a fork, the high ringing seeming to almost physically stop any conversation and drag every eye in his direction.

“I heard your cries for help and as your leader, I have invited you here to share with me my refuge. I understand many of you have left homes and businesses behind to make this escape and I will ensure every possible comfort is provided for. You may put yourselves at ease for we have the ultimate security here… no one knows where we are. The ocean is our security fence, the reefs around the island its barbed wire and the sharks its guard dogs. Now, eat, drink and be merry!”

He turned away and the party resumed but as time passed it became clear that the revelry was strained, a living thing trembling at the end of a chain. There were several different areas with varying grotesqueries of “Entertainment” and differing styles of music and dress for each piped through a high quality sound system. Every hour that passed was marked by a bird, a raven which croaked a single word.

“Nevermore!”

The only ones who knew this wasn’t part of the entertainment thought it was a glitch in the system and ignored it but still, with each hour the raucous croaking would cause the revelry to grind to halt as each of them listened to that rasping word, never realizing it was 5 decibels louder each time and subsonics were added to set the nerves even more on edge.

The hour of midnight approached and even the hardier souls amongst those gathered were beginning to quail, evincing an almost physical dread of the next croaking, taunting word. When it came it was deafening, something that could be felt deep in their bones. This time a bell followed, again and yet a third time… and then faded into silence to begin the strains of a classical metal tune. The party atmosphere gradually revived until a certain point in the song when the lyrics suddenly screamed out “Take a look to the sky just before you die!” and they struck.

The remainder of the song competed with screams as Charlotte calmly walked up to their leader and with a blindingly fast backswipe of the blade which suddenly protruded from her wrist slit his throat. There was just enough time for him to realize what had happened before he fell but the bright fountain of blood from the gaping wound sprayed all around. Charlotte quickly pulled her hood up and closed the fasteners that turned her dress into armor before pulling her sword from beneath the cape and hewing a path through the throng of bodies to join her team as they extended a phalanx to engulf her and pull her back behind their lines.

Charlotte realized she was being forced away from the butchery and tried to find a way through the wall of her allies, finally giving in as Yves pulled her gently away. She finally allowed him to lead her to the side where she sat, panting raggedly from her exertions and watching blood drip down the gutters in her blade.

“You do not need those nightmares Cherie.” She opened her mouth to protest and he raised a finger. “We all agreed. You have had more than enough horror in your life and if we can take some of that burden from you it is our honor. Let us… let them… have this.”

“I…” Charlotte felt deflated, all the energy that had been thrumming through her nerves suddenly drained away “I thought it would feel different, somehow. Victory, relief… something. I couldn’t even manage to get angry and now I’m just numb.”

“Good. Stay numb and functional for a while, okay? We’ll be off this island within the hour. We staged an extra transport for the additional kids we’re taking out of here, both will be landing in 15. If you really need to do something go clean the blood off and help with the kids. We’re all in full armor and they need to see a human face.”

He handed her a mass of wadded up cloth from one of the tables and went to join the others at their gruesome work. Charlotte sat there for another moment before carefully wiping and sheathing her blade out of sight, pulling the hood and mask away from her face while leaving the skin-mask and the domino mask over it in place. The blood wiped from her costume fairly easily as it was made of material similar to their armor but lighter in weight and texture. She looked herself over and wiped her face clean of a stray bit of blood-spatter, then took a deep breath, centered herself and went to look for the kids.

Yves had been right, the kids were doing their best to put up a show of bravado but the featureless faces of the armor had them more than a little frightened, wondering what would become of them now. There were some older teens amongst them helping to keep the younger ones calm but finally seeing a human face made a palpable difference, even with the mask.

She strode over to them and touched the elbow of the girl who seemed to be minding a group of younger children. The girl turned, got a look at her face and visibly relaxed, a look of awe slowly spreading across her face. “You’re her, aren’t you? I knew you’d come to save us!”

Charlotte was taken aback and had to think quickly. “I’m not sure who you think I am…” she dissembled.

“To hear the Masters tell it you’re a demon straight from the deepest pits of hell but I don’t believe in such things. I just know you scare them shitless.” She grinned, a flash of white in her face. “There’s a story, about a girl who killed her master and came back for revenge but they also say she died. I think you’re her.”

“If I were this woman… would it matter?”

The girl had to pause for a moment, clearly taken aback by the question. After a second or two she replied “Yes… and no. Different context. You’re here to rescue us from slavery and so far that’s a big plus with who you actually are being secondary. For me personally, emotionally… and for the others too… it matters a great deal. Your story has been the hope that kept more than a few of us alive.”

“A bit sure of the answer to your own question aren’t you?” Charlotte was trying to hide her amusement. This girl was a sharp one indeed!

“Well the armor pretty much clinches it. Whatever that stuff is I know it isn’t on the market and I’ve only heard it described in connection with your raids. Its just as scary as they said too! Why aren’t you in armor?”

The girl’s words were almost tumbling out in a refined English accent and Charlotte couldn’t help but grin. “Who says I’m not?”

She pulled her hood up and let the full mask settle into place, then triggered the fasteners on her gown again and just for fun added a dramatic flourish with her cape. There were noises of amazement from the kids.

“Wow… I never would have guessed… That’s so awesome!” She sobered quickly and asked the next logical question. “I don’t get it though… why not just wear your armor?”

Charlotte struggled to give an answer that would make sense. “Well… you see I’m a big fan of Edgar Allen Poe and for other reasons he ties into this whole affair, having lived in the same place where this confrontation began. They were striking back at us and innocents were being hurt in the bargain, potentially quite a lot of them. This was a way to get them all together and make them think it was their idea… wipe the whole nest of vipers out. We hoped they would bring their slaves with them so we could rescue you all at once but we had plans in place if not. We would have found you but I’m glad it worked out this way…” Charlotte broke off.

“Whats your name, anyway? I’m Charlotte.”

“Emma Slade.” She gestured to the small group of kids that had formed around them. “That’s Mikey, Yasmine, Gabby, Abby, Abi, Mahmoud, Isaac, Rajzcik, Beth and Parninder but he goes by Singh.”

“Alright Emma. I’m going to count on you guy’s help here ok? We have transports incoming to take you to safety. If possible we’ll reunite you with your families but know if it isn’t possible or if you don’t want to go back into an environment that may be unsafe for you… there are options. There’s a whole world full of people who think what was done to you is beyond horrible, not just me, us…”

“I know Miss Charlotte. We all know... we just had no way to escape, to ask for help…”

“Just Charlotte please. Charlie is even better.” Charlotte swept hood and mask back and released the fasteners, allowing her gown to resume its shape. “And I understand being unable to escape. It took me years and it only happened by sheer chance. If it hadn’t happened the way it did I wouldn’t be alive now.”

“I wished so many times I could kill my master the way they say you did… or any way really. I just wanted the bastard dead!” Emma reigned in her outburst and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

“Its better you don’t have that nightmare. For years I saw it every time I closed my eyes…” Charlotte took a deep and slightly ragged breath of her own, fighting down the rising emotional tide. “Just know it is done. None of them leave this place.”

“Good!” one of the younger boys interjected. “I hate that bastard and I’m glad he’s dead!”

There were noises of agreement all around.

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“I’m going to miss having kids around the house…” Yves was indulging in a bit of melancholy while Charlotte lifted smoothly from the driveway of the old mansion, eschewing her normal sharp maneuvering in favor of a sedate departure.

“I’m glad Emma’s parents accept her, I just wish it was true for all the kids.”

“We’ve at least made sure they have a safe and loving environment moving forward. You saw the looks on their faces… Those kids are actually happy!”

Charlotte debated timing for a moment, then just blurted it out. “My exam last Tuesday… Annie says I’m ready!”

Yves didn’t quite understand for a few seconds, then a look of excitement crossed his face and decided to stay. “You mean?”

Unnoticed by Yves, she’d begun descending again and they were approaching the driveway of a considerably smaller cottage. “Well there is the little matter of needing some assistance… in the beginning phases, just to get things started you understand…” Charlotte was teasing him and it was clearly working.

“Cherie, I want nothing more than to get started on that right now!” He looked outside and noticed their descent just as Charlotte flared and came to a hover above the parking pad, letting the craft drop the remaining few inches to the concrete as she cut power. “Why are we stopping here?”

“Well you did say you wanted to get started and I happened to have a house nearby…” Charlotte unbuckled her safety harness and reached over to give him a quick kiss before climbing out and skipping excitedly through the rose-covered arch, following a winding path toward the equally picturesque door set in what looked like a wall of roses and climbing vines where the occasional window and a flash of whitewashed building could be seen.

Yves wasted no time in following. “How many houses do you have, anyway?”

“I think you mean ‘How many houses do we have’… and I’m not quite sure. It varies a bit with the market, some of them come and go. This is one of the ones I keep for personal use when I’m in England, there’s one being retrofitted still up in Scotland, a couple in Ireland… I wound up inheriting all the properties my former ‘husband’ owned once the courts declared it was self defense.” Charlotte flipped a hidden cover open and punched in a combination on the newly revealed keypad. There were two quiet beeps, then she stood and put her eye to the outside of the peephole in the door. There was a muffled sound of multiple bolts drawing out of position, then she twisted the ornamental knob set in the middle of the arched door and pushed it open.

Yves followed her inside and watched while she entered another set of codes, waiting for the acknowledging beep-code before closing the door behind them. Charlotte took his hand and led him through a short hallway into a spacious bedroom with one wall completely transparent, sunlight streaming through to bathe the room in its mellow glow.

Charlotte kissed Yves deeply and they made quick work of removing each other’s clothes. Their lovemaking was frantic at first, more relaxed on the second time around and positively mellow by the third round. By then they’d both decided cooking was out of the question so they ordered out and the drone arrived just as they’d finished their exertions.

“Perfect timing…” Charlotte mumbled, her head lying on his chest as they caught their breath. “I could eat a horse.”

“You know if you wanted horse we’d have had to go out. I think under the circumstances goat is an acceptable substitute.” He caressed the tip of her ear with a finger.

“Funny. Oh I almost forgot to mention… There’s a lovely little place right on the Catalan coastline and the refit was finished a few months ago.”

“You’re sure? I wouldn’t push it you know.”

Charlotte propped her chin on his chest and looked up into his eyes. “They are your parents Yves, and they will be our children’s grandparents. There is quite a lot they have no need to know but I will not hide from them. Now lets go eat!”

Charlotte matched action to words, pulling an odd backward kip and landing on her feet while Yves rubbed the spot on his chest where she’d dug in for leverage with her chin. She danced out of the room and was already setting the containers out on the table by the time Yves made his way in, having stopped in the bathroom on the way.

“M if shogoof” Yves mumbled around a bite of what had turned out to be a truly exceptional curry.

“I will never understand how you can even breathe with a mouthful like that, much less talk! It is pretty awesome though. Who would have thought the best curry in the Cotswalds is made by a guy from Czechia?” Charlotte took a moment to chew and swallow.

“The look on his face when he saw his son… That was truly beautiful. I wish his wife had survived though. Its terrible to have so much heartbreak in the middle of joy.” Yves had managed to swallow and paused for a sip of the truly excellent wine that had been included with their dinner. “Still, I think they will be ok. Rajczik and the other kids have formed a pretty tightly knit support network and with all the parents and foster/adoptive parents involved its even stronger. Did you happen to notice he and Abi’s mom seemed to have hit it off?”

“I did! It would do my heart well to see them get together. At least something good will have come from all this horror…” Charlotte finished her dish and leaned back with a sigh of repletion, taking another sip of wine.

“I wish you wouldn’t do that.”

“What?”

“You always act like you’ve done nothing, run yourself down. You’ve rescued hundreds of people, reunited families and helped forge new ones and in the process you’ve removed some truly bad people from this world.” He held up a finger as she tried to protest. “You’re going to say we did it. That’s bullshit and you know it, cherie.”

Yves watched her struggle with that. “Yes, we... Your team… helped but none of this could have happened without you. None of these people would know each other without you, or have created the sorts of action plans you do. None of us can match you in the field, in ops, in cyber…” Charlotte shifted uncomfortably at the praise she could not bring herself to accept.

“This… the never accepting credit but always taking blame. I wish I could make you see how truly extraordinary you are.”

“So what are we going to tell your parents?” Charlotte tried to deflect.

“You can tell them whatever you like. I am going to tell them everything if its ok with you.” Yves didn’t push, waiting for her to reply.

She had to take moment to digest the import of his statement. Finally she nodded. “OK, everything. You’re sure its safe?”

Yves chuckled. “My parents have held high level clearance since before I was born. I’m pretty sure mom is going to pick your brain about secure installations once she figures out you’re the one behind that game. They’re both obsessed with it but her specialty is secured facility design so…” he shrugged. “Dad is likely to bother you about the cyber end of things and my little sister will go nuts over your armor. Aside from overdosing on hero worship you have nothing to worry about.”

“You don’t think my past will be an issue?”

“It was never an issue Cherie. If anything they will think more of you for it.”

“I wish I could be so confident about it…” Charlotte fretted.

“Lets go now.” Yves got up and pulled Charlotte to her feet beside him.

“Like, right now?” Charlotte smiled at him.

“Yep!”

“Mind if we get dressed first?” She reached down a lightly thumped the head of his penis, causing him and it to jump a little. “I mean if you really wanna let it all hang out ok…”

Yves chuckled and drew her in for a kiss. “Oh yeah… I should have mentioned their place is ‘clothing optional’, always has been. You might make them a little jealous though.”

“I am so not up to meeting my husband’s parents in the buff! Go get a shower and get dressed, we leave in an hour.” Charlotte disappeared into one the palatial bathrooms and shut the door behind her while Yves just shook his head and went for the other shower.

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Slightly more than an hour later they lifted off and were soon over the English Channel and in another hour they were landing at the coordinates Yves had provided.

“You never mentioned your parents were quite so well off…” Charlotte looked around at the ancient fortress that surrounded them.

“Well its not the sort of thing you go around telling people and I just didn’t think about it…” He shrugged and unbuckled his harness. “Besides, I’m fairly sure you actually have a bit more than they do. Mom inherited this old pile and has done more than a little bit of updating over the years to make it comfortable and secure. Her hobby, basically.”

“Hey your sister looks really good for having had a baby 3 months ago.” Charlotte was unbuckled and preparing to exit.

Yves followed her gaze and chuckled. “That’s my mom.”

“Oh… She looks an awful lot like that supermodel… Bianca something or other…” They’d both exited the car and were walking toward the waiting figure.

“I think the name you’re looking for is Montgolfier, dear. I look like her because I am her and you” the stunning woman looked her up and down “have to be Charlotte. I knew you were something special to have captured my little boy’s eye and you certainly are. From what I hear your brain is even hotter than the rest of you!”

Yves blushed for her. “I think you’re going to make my husband spontaneously combust. I’ve never seen the tips of his ears go quite that interesting shade of… What would you call that anyway?”

“Approaching vermillion, I think. Perhaps we should let the dear boy escape?” Bianca turned to Yves.

“Give your mother a kiss and go say hello to your sister. She should be just about done feeding.” Bianca gathered her son in for a tight hug. “We’ve missed you. Don’t stay away so long next time.”

“I won’t mom.” He kissed both cheeks and she returned the greeting. “I think I’m gonna say hi to dad first. I might need to work up to seeing my sister breastfeed…” He wandered across the courtyard.

“That by itself was worth the trip Mrs Montgolfier.” Charlotte chuckled.

“Just Bee, please. You’re family and I won’t have bullshit formality in my home.” She laughed.

“Then I’m just Charlie. I will admit to being more than a little nervous. I didn’t quite know what to expect and then I actually see you and… oh wow, that’s where he got those eyes…” Charlotte trailed off uncertainly, feeling a little foolish.

Bianca laughed, a silvery tinkle in the afternoon sunlight. “Well there’s no mistaking a woman in love there! Fortunately he only got about half of his great-grandfather’s nose. Now a little birdie tells me you and I share an interest. I don’t know if you’re a gamer or not but there’s a game called ‘Swamp Siege’ you might find interesting. Its this MMO game where you attempt to breach the defenses of a secure installation. Its fiendishly difficult and every time someone finds a weakness it gets fixed so nothing ever works twice…” She trailed off, looking at Charlotte’s grin.

“It yours, isn’t it?”

Charlotte couldn’t help herself and giggled. “It was a design tool. The game part just sort of evolved. We figured what better way to design a secure structure than to put it out there for anyone to attempt to breach it, right? Talk about a learning curve! People are downright inventive!”

“And have you built anything from those designs? Somehow I get the idea it wasn’t just an intellectual exercise.”

“I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours!” They both laughed.

“It’s a deal. For now though, I think its time we go and introduce you to your new sister and your niece before we go dig our men out of whatever rabbit hole they’ve fallen into” She reached out and fingered Charlotte’s top. “What is that material? I’ve never encountered anything quite like it.”

“I should hope not! It’s not actually a fabric in any sort of traditional sense. It’s a sandwich of passive ballistic armor and a piezoelectric crystalline superfluid that provides protection against up to medium- grade milspec firearms, sharp instruments and blunt force. It also provides temperature control in a wide range of environments, is air and watertight but wicks away moisture so it isn’t stuffy. Oh and it provides power.” Charlotte laughed ruefully. “It’s a byproduct of an attempt to build a better space suit. This version wasn’t up to taking impact at orbital speeds but it turns out to be just the ticket for a mixed terrestrial use. For now its completely proprietary and I’d be a bit upset if anyone outside of a very select group had ever heard of it.”

“Ok, now I’m the one feeling intimidated. I can’t get over how it feels and hangs… its like plush silk and I’d never have guessed it was armor!” She began to walk across the courtyard, drawing Charlotte along behind her. “Lissa’s going to go nuts over that stuff. What do you call it anyway?”

“Um… I mean it has an alphanumeric series designation but we haven’t named it or…” She shrugged, bringing a laugh from the older woman.

“Not to worry, Lissa will dream up something catchy. Now tell me, how did you happen to meet my Yves?” She stopped and turned to look at Charlotte who’d suddenly frozen. “What on earth is the matter, dear? You look terrified!”

Charlotte’s mind raced but not toward anything, just in aimless circles. She finally managed to move and words came to her, for the moment anyway. “It’s a… well, there’s a lot to the story and we agreed we should tell everyone at once.”

“Mystery Girl, eh? Whatever you’re worried about I’m sure it’ll be fine and its not our opinion that matters anyway, is it?” Bianca deftly captured her arm and started her walking again.

“It matters to me.” Charlotte changed the subject, still more than a little uncomfortable and fearful of putting a foot wrong. “So who taught Yves to cook? He’s a true food artist.”

“Ah, that would be Giselle, an old friend of mine. She retired from modeling to begin a family and found another love in cuisine. Her restaurant has 2 Michelin stars. It should have been 3 but there was a mishap in the kitchen and the critic claimed the lights of the ambulance ruined the ambience… pompous jackass. And you? Do you cook?”

“Not exactly, not in his class anyway. I can follow a recipe reasonably well and maybe even tweak it a little but that’s about it. He can take a few totally random things that shouldn’t go together and turn them into a foodgasm. You’ve never eaten at his restaurant?”

“Restaurant? I thought he was doing some sort of intelligence work?”

“I suppose you could call it that. We work together on a few things. You really didn’t know he had a restaurant?”

“I’m not surprised, I just thought it’d happen once he got tired of fieldwork. He’s always been one to devote himself completely to one thing at a time and master it.” Bianca pursed her lips in a thoughtful moue.

“Oh he still does… he just switches focus quickly. He can be quite versatile when the need arises.” Charlotte blushed a little, her unfortunate choice of words coinciding with a twinge from below and reminding her of their amorous exertions earlier that day.

She followed Bianca into a spacious room which was clearly a workshop with the exception of one corner that was set up as a nursery. “Lissa, meet your new sister Charlotte.”

The woman straightened up from fussing with her baby and pushed a few strands of silky black hair behind her ear. “So you’re the one that finally tamed my brother?”

“What, thats a thing? Have you met your brother?” Charlotte put on an incredulous look and drew a smirk and a snort from Elissa.

“I think she’ll survive, mom.”

“I think you’re worrying in the wrong direction dear. I get the impression our boy is doing well to keep up with her and even that might be a bit charitable. That top she’s wearing? Rated for medium milspec firearms and a bunch of other stuff and she says it was a spinoff of the space suit she was really working on! Swap Siege? Hers. I’m sure there’s more…”

“Ok… that’s a bit much. Both things were team efforts with some truly spectacular minds and Yves is a leader in that. All I really do is look at things a bit sideways and support the people who really do the work…” Charlotte broke off as Elissa fingered her top.

“Oooh thats exquisite! I’ve never felt anything quite like it… and this is armor? It hangs so well and feels so light! What kind of fabric is this?” She’d gone from feeling the material to examining it closely.

“Technically speaking it isn’t. It’s a sandwich of long-chain carbon lattice which acts as a passive armor and is air and water tight. Between is a piezoelectric crystalline superfluid which provides the bulk of the armor’s impact resistance capability and power for the interior layer which in turn enables wide-range climate control. Yves mentioned you were into armor and the like…” Charlotte suddenly found herself unable to think about armor as her arms were filled with a sleepy infant.

This was a new experience for Charlotte and she barely noticed anything else for a moment, held captive by the young life in her arms. “iana” was all she managed to catch. She managed to pry her attention away for a moment.

“I’m sorry, I completely missed that. You were saying?”

“Her name is Juliana. You do have it bad, don’t you?” Elissa looked amused. “You don’t feel pregnant to me so that means trying, yes?”

“Um, yeah…” Charlotte floundered.

“Good! This one is going to need a cousin. Maybe next time we plan things better so they are closer age-mates, eh?” Bianca beamed at her.

“Mom, you can’t go scheduling other people’s pregnancies for them! What if they only want the one child? What if we only have one? Ooooh what is that?” They’d walked back into the courtyard, Charlotte being careful to cradle Juliana protectively in her arms.

“A car. Well, our car.”

“That much I get but I don’t recognize the make. It looks fast.”

“It’s a custom job and its faster than strictly necessary but I’m a bit of a speed freak. The form factor limits things a bit so top speed is limited to mach 1.75 at 20 kilometers over land. Faster than that there’s just no way to cancel enough of the shock wave to avoid a sonic boom and mostly we have to stay subsonic anyway because of antiquated laws. I’m afraid it doesn’t look very much like a family sedan although I assure you it is.” The subject of the conversation gleamed in the late afternoon sunlight.

“My wife is a mad gearhead. You must be Charlotte” The slender young man who appeared deftly extracted Juliana from her arms and gazed raptly at her for a moment. “and I’m Francois Crane, proud daddy to this little bundle of awesomeness. You know she’s going bother you till you tell her who built it, right?”

“Isn’t she a little young for that yet?” Charlotte smirked.

Francois chuckled and cooed to his daughter “Your auntie has a terrible sense of humor little one. We’re just going to have to vaccinate you with puns!”

“One of our group is waaay more of a speed freak than me and this is her idea of ‘sedate’. I actually asked for something with at least the interior volume of a large SUV that had sufficient range for transoceanic flights. I guess I could have been a little more specific…” Charlotte noticed the other three staring at her and trailed off. “What?”

“So your friend just built you something that can outrun half the fighter jets out there and be quiet doing it as a family sedan?” Francois was incredulous.

“Well not me exactly, more us. It was a wedding gift from Mel and Tina, not something I would have thought to commission. The area where we live is salt marshes and its far more convenient to use watercraft for most things, roadable cars otherwise. I’m afraid it mostly sits in a garage.” Charlotte shrugged as though apologizing.

“Must be some garage! You know we’re going to have to come visit, yes?

“Consider my home to be yours as well. You are welcome anytime although you may wish to call before arriving, just in case there’s something going on that requires a change of venue.” Charlotte shrugged. “No worries if so, I’m sure one of the houses will meet with your approval although I’m afraid we’re a bit short on the medieval castle front…”

“It is a bit pretentious, isn’t it? I’m afraid I inherited it and its one of those things that cannot be sold or even bequeathed outside the direct lineage of my family. Fortunately it had been fairly well modernized in most of the interior spaces before that sort of thing was legally frowned upon and I’ve been able to get away with a few defensive improvements. It makes a nice secure space for children to run and play and everyone has all the room they might need.” Bianca gestured to one side of the courtyard. “There are apartments ready but unused at the moment, feel free to pick any that strike your fancy and call it another home.”

“Thank you for your generosity. I look forward to the possibility of happy times here.” Charlotte tried not to let her uncertainty, her fear of rejection color her response and winced inwardly, certain she’d failed.

Her assumption was immediately verified when Bianca looked at her sharply. “Only the possibility?”

“How would you like some samples of the armor material Lissa?’ Charlotte was desperate to change the subject.

“I would love some… and some information on working with it because I have some design ideas already… but you’re not going to get away with changing the subject so spill.” Elissa demanded. “What has you so concerned that you think we might reject you?”

“Yves and I agreed we would tell you everything together and we will.” Charlotte tried to remove the sudden fear that filled her from her voice.

They’d reached a massive door which opened silently as they approached and walked into a grand entrance, proceeding directly through to a smaller door off to the left side of the entryway as the massive doors silently closed themselves behind them. After a short walk through a maze of corridors they entered another spacious room where Yves sat talking with an older man who bore a strong resemblance to him.

Yves rose and hugged his sister, exchanging air-kisses and doing that odd male handshake/half-hug with Francois. “Dad, this is Charlotte. Charlotte, my father Henri.”

The older man rose and took Charlotte’s hands, exchanging the two-cheeked air kiss which seemed to be local custom and drew her into a hug. He then grasped her shoulders and held her at arm’s length, looking into her eyes. “Such a lovely new daughter I see before me… and yet you seem so tightly controlled, as though you fear something. What is it child?”

Charlotte was frozen for a moment, riveted by eyes the grey of a stormy sea peering into her very soul.

“She would not tell us anything until we were all together. Well here we are Charlotte so please… tell us what… why…?” Bianca’s concern was clear in her voice.

Her eyes flicked over to Yves who gave an imperceptible nod of encouragement. “Well there’s rather a lot to tell, perhaps we should all get comfortable?”

Over the next 3 hours Charlotte told them everything, with the occasional input from Yves when she was deflecting credit to someone else or taking unwarranted blame for something she could not have prevented. Having seen their vehicle and clothing there was very little in the way of disbelief especially as they knew about the sort of work Yves had done for their government.

When she was finished there was a moment of silence amongst the gathered family. Bianca was the first to speak.

“You seemed so certain we would think badly of you and now you’ve told us everything… I don’t understand. I thought highly of you simply because Yves did at first but having heard the story of your life… you’re more like some kind of mythical hero! You’ve been through ten different kinds of hell and you come out the other side only to plunge back in and pull others out. I’m sure I speak for all of us here when I say that I admire you… and the things you’ve been through just make me want to smother you with love.” The others nodded in agreement.

Charlotte had to think for a few moments, struggling to understand. These people admired her? Had they not understood? “I’m sorry, maybe I missed a couple of things. You did catch that I’m transgender, yes? That I’m a murdering vigilante? That I’ve dragged your son not only into a relationship with me but into my work as well?”

Charlotte once again braced herself for rejection only to find gentle smiles and outstretched arms drawing her into a motherly hug. She was frozen for a moment, unsure how to respond. “Yes dear, we heard all of those things and every single part of it matters, just not the way you think. To me… to us… it all speaks to your essential goodness and strength of character not to mention willpower enough for an army!”

Charlotte finally began to allow herself to relax into Bianca’s embrace and was astonished to find herself crying, just quiet tears at first but working into gut wrenching sobs. “I’m sorry…” she finally managed to get out between hiccups. “I should not have thought so badly of you, to project my own fears onto you. It was uncalled for and I apologize.” She wiped her face, then blew her nose loudly on the offered tissue before retreating to a spot beside Yves on a sofa and taking shelter under his arm.

“Nonsense Charlotte.” It was Henri, his smooth measured tones helping to sooth her still ragged nerves. “Given the way things were in America when you were young, what happened to you later… all of it really… your fears were entirely rational. I want you to be very clear about this. You are our daughter always. Nothing can change that now and we are learning very quickly to love you, for how can we not?”

There were expressions of agreement all around the room. “One thing though… “ Elissa leaned forward. “You gave us the idea you were trying to become pregnant. I did not think this was possible?”

“Well I’m a bit of a guinea pig.” Charlotte smiled. “I’ve been fortunate enough to have the very best medical care and along the way I’ve made more than a few friends with researchers in various fields. I’m not sure if you follow the current state of printed organs and their longevity issues but a team I was working with decided to drop back a step technologically speaking and try growing with stem cells on a scaffold. It worked beautifully and it resolved the longevity issue but there was a catch… The organ had to be implanted in an immature state and grow to maturity as it would in the normal course of a child growing up.”

Seeing that everyone was tracking she continued. “Anyway, a few years ago they implanted me with uterus, ovaries, everything really. A week ago I got the okay from my doctor to become pregnant and she says there should be no issue carrying to term as everything looks good. I should even be able to deliver vaginally. I hope to be only the first of many women who were unable to bear children for a multitude of reasons to have her life changed, the gift of life itself given to them.”

“Oh and you have to keep this a secret for now, they won’t publish their results until after I’ve had at least one child. I do rather like the idea of timing things so our next kids have closer age-mates though, how about you Lissa?” An arched eyebrow was met with a wry chuckle.

“Well since you put it that way then yes, I think it’s a great idea!”

“Wait, don’t we get any say in this?” Francois spoke but Yves nodded his agreement.

“No!” All three women chorused and laughed.

“The more grandchildren the better! Timing I don’t care about so much.” Henri was jovial and everyone laughed with him. “Now, I’m beginning to feel a little hungry. I think perhaps we should take this ‘family car’ in our courtyard and go see what Giselle is serving, no?”

There was agreement all around and at a quick call from Francois a nanny showed up and took little Juliana into her care, not without some additional doting on her by all concerned. Shortly they were securing safety harnesses and Charlotte was performing her preflight check. Yves reported all secure and she started the turbine, letting it doppler up into inaudibility before engaging power couplings and feeding juice to the motors. Fan blades pitched to provide maximum thrust as the car lifted gently from the ground and a barely audible series of noises indicated the gear had retracted and locked, verified by her displays.

She eased the vehicle high enough to clear the walls and moved forward at a fairly sedate pace until they were almost a kilometer away and 10 above ground. With a quick check of her passengers, she tilted the nose up and went to 80% forward throttle. Over 3 g’s pressed them back into their seats and within 90 seconds they had passed mach 1 and 20 kilometers and were still accelerating. Charlotte began to ease back on the throttle until they leveled out at 30 kilometers and just over mach 1.6. Gravity returned to its normal downward orientation and Charlotte engaged autopilot before swiveling her seat around to face the others.

“Sorry about the rough ride, I prefer not to loiter at commercial traffic altitudes. I did try to be gentle about it but Firefly doesn’t do ‘gentle’ all that well.”

The expressions that greeted her were of delight and in Yves’ case a knowing smirk. “She’s actually not kidding. Don’t worry about it though, she’s the best natural pilot I’ve ever seen, in or on literally anything. She only pushes the envelope when she flies alone which everyone who knows her will tell you is a truly terrifying thing to watch. With passengers… basically you can have faith that if everything possible goes wrong all at once and a few impossible things as well she will still get you to ground safely and most likely unhurt. I’ve seen her land an old style airplane with one wing half missing and taxi the damn thing to a hangar.”

“So that was you landing that old 737 in Colombia? How did you manage to vanish? No one ever knew who the pilot was…” Henri’s interest was piqued.

“I didn’t have much of a choice. I had no desire to stick around and explain the 11 dead hijackers and was able to fade into the passengers since I was one after all. No one questioned me and I left the country an hour later on a rented G7. Bit of a clunker but it got me to Quito where I had a ride of my own stashed.”

“What she’s leaving out is the 37 kids we’d rescued who were on that plane with her and who all found loving homes because of her.” Charlotte blushed at Yves’ words.

“I just did what had to be done, nothing special. Anyone else would have done the same.”

“Son, I think this is one of those times when retreat is the best option.” Henri grinned.

“Voice of experience, eh dad?” Yves returned the grin.

“Your mother does not accept praise or compliments well. I do wish she would but it is also one of the many things I find beautiful about her. Your sister is very similar in that way and I think your wife perhaps even more so than either of them. You, though… I think you might be very nearly her equal in that way so perhaps it is a thing for you both to learn?”

“He’s right you know.” Lissa chimed in. “You’re just the same. You always give credit to someone else and take the blame that belongs to others by right. You think Luis and Guillaume didn’t talk about how you saved their asses and got demoted for it? You think no one noticed when your entire unit was decorated and you refused the honor?”

“Can we not have this conversation right now? I didn’t accept because I fucked up and got people who were in my care killed. That’s all there is to it.” Yves turned to look out at the cloudscape.

“No more talk of such things tonight, OK? Giselle has something special planned for us and I for one wish to enjoy it without rancor. She has even provided nonalcoholic beverage substitutes for two of our number which she informs me have met with high praise. Tonight, we will eat, drink and be merry for we have much to celebrate!” Bianca accepted the various expressions of agreement and nodded to herself.

“So how fast can this ‘Firefly’ of yours go, anyway?”