Cende

Since this story is very long, comments go into a separate comment thread. The comment thread can be found here.

-------------------------

Chapter 48.

Paragon City: Tuesday late afternoon

Cende looked up from the reports she had nearly finished as Andrea, in full uniform, approached her desk with afternoon papers in hand. "How bad are they?" Cende asked, eyeing the papers with concern.

The petite commander offered the pages over, "The Times and the Tattler really aren't too bad. The Times is a respectable paper, and while the Tattler is all about gossip, Harvey likes you so he made sure his reporter treated you well. The Caper on the other hand..."

Catching sight of the headline on the tabloid, and the picture under it, Cende blushed. "I don't really want to read the articles right now."

"So don't. We're setting up a meeting with the Phalanx to decide how to handle things. Wright's on the phone with Manticore, sending direct 'porter coordinates and permissions to him, Psyche, and Statesman; everyone should be here within a few minutes." Andrea studied the other woman for a moment, then frowned. "Okay, if you're THAT upset, you don't have to be there."

Cende nodded, "We... Marcus and I. We agreed not to see each other for a while. If is no contact between us, there is no story, and it goes away."

"I'm not really sure how well that's going to work, but whatever. Stay in the living quarters, I'll tell them you're meditating. They'll respect that enough to leave you alone."

With a soft sigh, Cende stood, "You also won't be lying. Thank you, Andrea."

*

Marcus picked up the Statesman mask as Psyche and Manticore finished arranging the instant-teleport details with the Star Patrol, and listened to Positron react to one of the newspaper articles on the other end of the telephone call. Numbly, as the 'porter activated, he wondered which paper the other man had seen first.

As his vision cleared and he moved off the pad, Statesman nodded to the blue-skinned Ray Sharpe, following the commander to the Patrol's conference room. From the phone at his ear, Positron's voice finally clarified into something he could respond to, "...tell me this isn't happening."

"It is," Statesman answered baldly. "And it's not exactly like anyone is thrilled about this, either. We're having a council of war with the Patrol at their base. Please get here as fast as you can." He closed the connection as he heard the other man begin to speak with his companion, then glanced briefly around the room before looking at Sharpe, "Commander, where is Cende? I'd like to make sure she's all right."

Sharpe shook his head, "She's requested to be excused from this meeting and is secluded in quarters. She's fine, but she's not coming out right now."

Marcus clenched his teeth and began to formulate a politely worded demand to see her, now, when Commanders Bowman and Wright walked in, escorting Numina and Citadel. "Operations are normally much smoother, but then, we don't normally have every news and gossip outlet in the state trying to reach us for comment at once." Wright sounded frustrated as she spoke, and Bowman was frowning down at a tablet computer in his hands.

Synapse appeared from another direction, "Andrea says Posi and Tava will be right here. She's meeting them and bringing them back." He dropped into a chair and shrugged, "All I really wanna know is why you were hiding it. From us, I mean - if we'd known you were seriously involved, we could have been ready for it and could have managed it better. "

Glaring at Synapse, Statesman felt his control begin to slip again and sensed the tension in the room ratchet up another notch. He gritted out, "We were not hiding anything. We are both private individuals and felt no need to include anyone else in our relationship." He subsided as Positron and Dr. Tavarisch entered the room and found seats. As he took a breath, he was somewhat startled to feel Psyche's hand come to rest on his arm, then her voice came gently into his mind.

Marcus, let me drain off the anger. You'll do or say something you'll regret otherwise.

I'm entitled to some of it.

Some, yes, but you can't afford all of it. Frankly, none of us can, and it's clouding your ability to think - and you may still have to deal with Jessica later. Let me help.

I very much want to check on Cende. Marcus allowed his frustration free reign, and felt it begin to ease away, along with his anger, under Shalice's ministrations.

Shalice's mental voice was comforting as she replied, I know. I spoke with Andrea; Cende's all right, but she's upset. You need to give her time, Marcus. Let's get through the immediate problems, and then you can work things out with her.

With reluctant agreement, he turned his now-calmer attention back to the meeting at hand.

*****

Paragon City: Tuesday night

Marcus looked up from the file in his hands as he heard Alexis fit her key in the lock and glanced at the clock. It was a quarter after midnight and he was willing to bet she hadn't found time to eat, since she had volunteered to stay in Freedom Corps headquarters and handle emergency communications until they managed to get a clear operations channel set up, free of any press interference. Standing, he headed for the kitchen, intending to make sure she had something to eat before bed.

He had just finished putting a plate together for her when she stepped into the kitchen after changing from her uniform. Spying the food, she gave a tired smile. "Please tell me there's more where that came from. I got half a piece of pizza about five hours ago."

"That's more than I thought you'd get," he admitted as he put the food in to heat. "This is for you; I've already eaten. Synapse got in to my office, retrieved my files, and got them back here while Numina and I were visibly being Heroes of the City and investigating more reports of that so-called Ghost Ship. Once I was sure I had most of the free-floating paparazzi on me, I came back here so that they wouldn't be out harassing others trying to work. I'd hoped that they would have given up by the time you got home."

"Most of them have," she confirmed. "A few are either very persistent, or they're swapping off."

He got the plate from the microwave and placed it in front of her, "Alexis, honey, I'm sorry for the disruption in your life. If you want, I'll get you one of the luxury suites at the Geneva until it all blows over. You shouldn't have to put up with getting through reporters on our lawn every day."

"Thanks Dad, but right now, I'd rather be home. You can ask me again in a few days if it's still going on and see if I've changed my mind, though."

Marcus nodded, "Fair enough. With any luck, and a little bit of persistent nothing happening, it'll all blow over by the weekend, and we can go back to normal." Sighing, he leaned against the counter, "What are we going to do about Jessie's outburst?"

Alexis shook her head, "There's nothing we can do, really. No, Dad, don't get that look. Like it or not, she's an adult. We can tell her we don't appreciate her behavior, and I have, but that's all we can do. I put her on the phones tonight, so she's seen the trouble her outburst has caused, and she had a few reporters contact her to clarify or expand on her statements. She had the sense to say it was a family matter and she didn't wish to comment further, without my prompting her. She's going to have to live with this mess, just like we are, and that's going to have to be enough. She's no longer a teenager; we can't send her to her room or ground her anymore."

"I don't like it." Marcus crossed his arms and frowned. "I don't like it, but you're right. Even so, I think it might be best if I don't see her for a few days. The last thing we need is headlines screaming 'Statesman and Ms. Liberty come to blows' or some other nonsense."

"I agree, and I've taken care of it. What about Cende, how is she handling this?"

Marcus simply shook his head, "For now, the Star Patrol is looking after her."

Alexis stopped eating and stared at her father, "That's not like you at all."

"For now, I said. It's her choice, and I'll respect that. Once we've had a chance to talk, to work out where things stand, then we'll see how things change." He smiled faintly, "It's another thing I don't like, but that seems to be the theme for the day. I have an unfortunate suspicion I'm going to get uncomfortably used to that theme for the next little while." Standing straight, he crossed over to Alexis and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead, "Leave your plate for the morning; I'll wash it when I make breakfast. Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Night, Dad."

Marcus left the kitchen, reflecting gratefully on the friendship that had formed between him and his daughter.

*****

Paragon City: Tuesday night

Cende slid through the dark, shadows held tightly around herself, and approached her apartment from the air. She floated down past the tree, pausing only long enough to make sure that Mr. Chuckles was not waiting for her, and then drifted down to her door, silent and ghostly through the night. The only reporter who had managed to ferret out her apartment address so far - or who was willing to risk attack by gangsters, abduction by mages, or vivisection by zombie masters - dozed in his car, parked half on the sidewalk. He never woke as Cende fitted her key into the lock, opened her door, and slipped inside.

With a sigh, Cende closed and locked the door by feel, then leaned against it in the dark. It was nearly two in the morning, and while she didn't object to being out this late, she did object to hiding. She was honest enough to admit that hiding was precisely what she was doing - she was hiding from reporters, she was hiding from Arachnos and Nova Dominion, and most of all, she was hiding from Marcus. Although to be fair, while I'm not hiding from Ms. Liberty, I should probably be avoiding her. I'd very much like to strangle the woman right now. The thought was uncharitable, but she couldn't take herself to task for it. If the other woman had just shown some control, the whole situation could have been avoided.

And Goddess only knows how the conversation this afternoon with Marcus would have gone.

Shying away from the thought, Cende began to shrug out of her coat and softly gave the command that lit the candles around her room. As the lights came up, she saw a brilliant flash come from the direction of her altar, and she frowned as she hung up the coat then crossed the room. Nothing looked out of place on the altar itself; humming quietly, she began to change out of her uniform, and waited for an explanation to present itself.

She had not yet made tea when Davos appeared, robes in disarray and a harried expression on his face. "Where have you been?" he demanded without preamble. "Something's come up and I've been waiting for you to return. You need to deal with this, now."

Cende sighed and poured water over her tea leaves. "Phones, Davos. We're going to have to find some way to get at least one working phone to you. They're terribly invasive, but at least if you need to get a message to someone in an emergency, it's faster than waiting for them to show up at the right place. I nearly didn't come home tonight." She turned and faced his transparent form, sighing, "The snow's gone above the roof in both places, has it? What's happened there, then?"

Davos frowned and studied Cende for a moment, then shook his head, "Endaruta announced in council that he has arranged your marriage. It's to take place in five days, and if you're not here, he'll arrange a proxy for you, then send your new husband to come collect you."

"He's done what?" Cende stared in disbelief at Davos, "Marriage? To whom?"

"Vijeta." Davos said the name flatly.

"One of the deadliest of the Maryanni. Should I be flattered?" Cende crossed to the desk and sat down, turning on her laptop as she did.

"I'd be terrified, personally. Vijeta's a strong supporter of Endaruta, and they have said that Indra blesses the union. "

Cende looked up sharply, "They haven't claimed that he's an avatar of Indra, have they?"

"Not to my knowledge, why?"

"Something Endaruta said when I was young. He told me that whichever of us - Rata or I - were to fulfill the Prophecy would be the queen of Indra."

"I remember that, actually, now that you mention it." Davos frowned, "No, so far, all they've said is that it's blessed."

"Well, they can say it's blessed by Indra all they want, but I'm a priestess of Ratri - until She blesses it, it's not going anywhere." Cende's tone was firm. "All right, the first flight I can get on isn't until late Thursday. That cuts it a little closer than I'd like, but there's no help for that. If you could let Khadka know I'm sending the information, I'd appreciate him making the rest of the arrangements."

"I'm not sure coming here is the wisest course of action," Davos replied. "This is something you have to deal with, but it may be best to do so by seeking asylum there. Your Marcus -"

Cende cut him off, "All that would do is free Endaruta to use the people I care about in the valley against me." She sighed. "Besides, it's... a little complicated right now. I'll explain when I see you. It's all right, Davos. I wasn't really expecting this, but I already have a plan. I just wasn't prepared to put it into use yet. I guess we'll see if I've thought it all the way through sooner rather than later."

"And you're not going to tell me what it is?"

"Not yet."

Davos shook his head, "I hate it when you keep secrets."

A smile flitted across Cende's face as she went into the kitchen and poured the strong tea into a waiting thermos. "Consider it partial payback. Now go; even I need sleep, and if I'm to leave in a little over forty hours, I have quite a bit I need to do. Watch your back - I expect that things are going to be a little chancier than usual for the next little while."

"You do the same, Dina. Ratri's blessings on you, and on your dreams." Davos' form faded out, and Cende watched him go. Once he had vanished completely, she sighed tiredly, placing her hands over her face. Several muffled breaths, almost sobs, escaped her before she regained her fraying control and straightened up again.

Wiping the tears from her cheeks, Cende took the few steps to her bed and wearily lay down. Whispering the word to extinguish the lamp flames, she stared into the darkness, praying for the dreams to pass her by that night, until exhaustion finally claimed her and she fell into a restless sleep.

Stupid, stupid logout bug. I really need to remember to make copies of what I'm trying to post.

So most of the next few chapters was actually written a few weeks ago (and then chapters 51 and 52 were written months ago), but I got hung up on chapter 50, and I didn't like the way several things flowed, so everything has been stalled for the last three weeks while I tried to figure out how to fix it.

It's fixed.

I've been assured I'm cruel.

Do I even have to say anything here?

OK, I'm now caught up in time to where I wanted to be.

Michelle, wonderfully evil woman that she is, has agreed to write the Paragon Caper article that has everyone in story worked up. I have no idea what it's going to say, but she was grinning madly when I last spoke with her about it.

Posting will now slow down considerably. The story isn't over - not by a long shot - but writing is once again being interspersed with real life.

Since this story is very long, comments go into a separate comment thread. The comment thread can be found here.

-------------------------

Chapter 47.

Marcus had gone to his office to get an early start on the morning's reports. After reading the first one, though, he had found himself heading back home, stopping only long enough to leave a note for his admin to arrange lunch. It wasn't until he was back in the kitchen that he realized that he was still carrying the report, and he had resolutely set it down on the counter before it got further creased.

Now, leaning on the counter over the sink, Marcus stared out the window across the backyard. He was peripherally aware of Alexis stopping in the kitchen door to study him. He wasn't particularly looking at anything, being primarily absorbed in his own thoughts, but he chose not to turn around as she approached.

"Morning, Dad," she said neutrally as she moved to pour herself a cup of coffee. Nodding toward the report he'd left on the counter, she asked, "So, what's she done this time?"

Marcus gritted his teeth. "Lead a group in taking down an Arachnos strike force. I imagine you'll have your own copy of the report when you get in." And next she's going to the Rogue Islands.

Alexis picked up the report and glanced over it briefly, "I assume she's all right, though?"

Marcus looked at his daughter then nodded shortly. "She's fine, and Star Patrol has received yet another commendation for taking leadership action in times of immediate need." He sighed. "Which means the Star Patrol leaders won't ask her to turn over Arachnos issues to someone else when they come to her attention. She's effective, and they appreciate that."

Alexis nodded and reached for the granola, then paused and set her cereal and coffee down. Crossing to Marcus, she rested her hip on and counter and looked up at him, "Dad, it's more than just that, isn't it? What's wrong?"

Marcus was quiet for a long moment then shrugged lightly. "I've been thinking about the next sixty years. Am I supposed to simply go from one young woman to another?" He shook his head, "I can't do that. Perhaps eighty years ago I could have, but that was before your mother and before Statesman. I've changed, and I think it's for the better."

Alexis frowned, and Marcus could see that she was doing the math in her head. "I don't think anyone is suggesting you just hop from woman to woman." Her expression cleared then, and he could see that she had figured it out. "You really care about her, don't you?"

He turned up a clenched fist and opened his hand. His wedding ring gleamed on his open palm, catching the morning light from the window. "I could love her, if I let myself. I can see myself spending the rest of her life with her... but what then? I lose her, like I lost your mother, and I spend another twenty years grieving and missing them both?" He shook his head, then took her hand and placed the ring in Alexis' palm, folding her fingers around it gently. "Could you please put this in your mother's memory box for me, sweetheart? I don't think I can right now."

Alexis nodded, and her face wore an expression of concern as she placed the ring in her pocket. Wrapping her arms around him in a hug that he returned with one arm, she asked softly, "It's not that you could love her, is it, Dad? You already do."

Nearly inaudible, even to himself, the response was slow in coming. "Yes, I think I do."

"Are you going to tell her?"

"Not yet."

"Can you give her up?"

Even more slowly and softer than before, Marcus finally answered, "No."

Alexis had no words of comfort to offer as she hugged him tight.

*****

Cende dodged around the last of the office workers in the hallway and lightly ran up the stairs to the executive offices. Stepping into Marcus' outer office, she knocked on the doorframe and offered a soft greeting to the administrative assistant behind the desk there. Mrs. Monticello - Auggie, Cende reminded herself - looked up from her computer and smiled.

"Oh, good, there you are. I was just waiting for you. He had to go downstairs to handle something that came up and asked me to make sure you knew where he was. Go on in and wait for him, he shouldn't be much longer." Auggie had started shutting down her computer and locking her desk as she spoke, and now she stood, "Do forgive me for not waiting with you, but my eldest is arriving this afternoon and bringing the grandbaby. I'm so excited; I finally have a little girl to spoil!"

"Congratulations," Cende offered. "And I completely understand... I would never wish to keep you from your family. Thank you for passing on the message. It will be nice to have a few minutes of quiet."

Auggie laughed, gathered up her possessions, and bustled out the door. Cende watched her leave, then slipped into Marcus' office and settled onto the floor under the window, her back against the wall. She was, in fact, grateful for a few minutes of peace in which to gather her composure; while she normally enjoyed acting as bodyguard for the Crown Prince of Morocco, the morning had been unusually trying. The prince had been recently married and had scheduled an impromptu visit to the city to show his new wife where he'd been ambushed by Nemesis and to take her on a whirlwind tour of some of his favorite places in the area. The newlywed couple was very much in love, and watching over them as they had gushed at one another had strained her sense of well-being. It had been with relief that she'd waved the couple off at the airport before coming here.

Before she was quite ready for them, she heard footsteps approaching the door and the handle turning. Taking a quick, deep breath, she stood just as the door opened and Jessica Duncan came steaming through, a report in her hand and a determined look on her face.

"Granddad..." Jessica stopped as she saw Cende, and her face clouded in anger. "What are you doing sneaking around in here? Where's my grandfather? You need to get out of this office, right now!" Moving purposefully towards Cende, Jessica reached out to grab the other woman's arm.

"I'm not sneaking around, I'm waiting. He's downstairs, but he was expecting me." Cende avoided the grab, sidestepping away from the enraged blonde. Not wanting to get into a fight, she carefully backed out of the offices to the hallway beyond, now wishing that Auggie hadn't needed to leave so soon and wondering what was keeping Marcus.

"I've heard all about you, and I won't have you leeching off of him! He doesn’t need someone like you hanging around, looking for attention." Jessica planted herself in front of Cende, hands on her hips and eyes flashing. She was about to continue when Alexis appeared from her own office.

"What on earth? Jessica, what are you doing?"

Jessica turned to face her mother, and Cende took the opportunity to step back and glance over the balcony railing to the floor below. It was more crowded than it had been when she'd come in, and she only hoped that Jessica hadn't been loud enough to acquire the notice of the people below.

Jessica pointed to Cende. "She was in Granddad's office. She's been around him enough that people are beginning to talk. There are rumors going around in Longbow and Freedom Corps about them now. He doesn't need that and he doesn't need some fame-hunting bimbo hanging on his reputation!" As she spoke, her voice became steadily louder and more strident.

*

None of the women had seen Marcus come up the stairs, and he paused at the top as he heard Jessica's voice. His jaw firmed as he heard her comments, but before he could speak, Alexis took her daughter to task.

"Jessica Megan Duncan, that is enough! You apologize to Cende this instant, and you'd better mean it, young lady, because I won't have you calling a perfectly respectable and respected heroine a bimbo. And when your grandfather gets up here, you're going to apologize to him for the disrespect you're showing him as well. He does not need you to protect him, to approve of his friends, or give him permission to see or care for whomever he chooses."

Jessica latched on to the only part of her mother's words that completely caught her attention and she raised her voice even further, "You mean to tell me that Cende is Granddad's girlfriend? She's younger than I am!"

For a moment, all noise from the floor below ceased. Marcus covered his eyes with one hand for a long moment before moving forward to join the three women. Alexis stared at her daughter in shock and then looked over to Cende.

Cende glanced once more over the railing before meeting Alexis' eyes. "Well, it could be worse," she said as lightly as she could manage. "It could be Wednesday morning."

"How bad is it?" Alexis sighed.

"Well, only six reporters that I recognize," Cende started.

"That's not too terrible -"

Cende shook her head, cutting Alexis off and continued, "But the one from the Paragon Tattler is already on the phone. I don't think even Synapse could stop that story from going out."

"What's the problem?" Jessica demanded. "So the reporters know. It's not like the gossips haven't been hinting about it for weeks now!"

"The problem," her mother answered, "is that Cende is a member of Star Patrol's Special Operations division. As such, she is sent into the Rogue Isles on a regular basis - and you just painted a target on her for Arachnos. Not to mention every social and gossip columnist in the county, which she decidedly did not deserve."

Cende looked up at Marcus, her eyes sad. "I'm sorry."

Moving past Alexis and Jessica, Marcus stepped closer to Cende and placed his hands lightly on her shoulders, "It's not your fault. There was always a chance this could happen."

"There is a way out of this," Cende sighed quietly as Jessica began to splutter anew.

Marcus ignored his granddaughter, looking down at Cende intently. "I don't quite see how. The papers will print whatever they think is the story."

A slight shrug and a nod acknowledged his comment. "They will. Then other reporters will ask you about it. You'll say that Miss Duncan misunderstood something she was told, and reiterate that we're only friends." She looked away again as she continued more softly, "And then we don't spend time together for a while, until they're done looking at us. If there's no story to print, they'll go away, won't they?"

Marcus closed his eyes for a moment. His fingers tightened on her shoulders as he resisted the urge to tell her that they could admit that they were actually dating. Finally, he nodded and dropped his hands, stepping back to watch as she did her trick with the shadows and vanished from sight. Without a word to his daughter or granddaughter, he walked into his office and shut the door.

*****

Cende gathered the shadows around her and slipped down the stairs. Moving quietly, she went out through the doors just as a group of Freedom Corps analysts came through, then immediately took to the skies above. She knew she needed to go to the Star Patrol base and check in, but she wanted a chance to regain her composure first. Landing lightly on the roof of the nearby Hotel Geneva, she leaned against the retaining wall and took several deep breaths, letting her mind go blank.

She had no idea how long she'd been standing there trying not to think when her phone rang. Pulling it out and glancing at the screen, she sighed and answered it, "Yes, Commander?"

"Would you happen to know why the Paragon Times just asked me for a comment on the new relationship between you and Statesman?" Sharpe's voice was mild as he asked, but the tone was pointed.

She checked the time. "It's only been twenty minutes, that's faster than I thought they'd be. I'm coming back to the base now." She lifted off the building and headed for the base portal in the Freedom Corps plaza below.

"That doesn't actually answer the question."

"Yes, I know why the Times just asked you for a comment." She passed through the portal and stepped out into the Patrol's entry hall, to see not only Sharpe but also Andrea Blake waiting for her. Hanging up her phone and sliding it into her pocket, she came down the stairs. "I apologize for not warning you first. I thought I had more time. "

"That doesn't sound like a reporter caught you two having a quiet lunch together," Andrea remarked. "What happened?"

"I think we'd all like to know that." Eli Bowman's smooth voice came from the direction of the conference room. "Are you actually conducting a relationship with Statesman?"

"We are... we're friends," responded Cende. She steadily ignored the sharp look Andrea gave her and continued, "We were to have lunch today. I was waiting for him, and Miss Duncan found me. She said several intemperate things quite loudly, one of which indicated that she thought I was Marcus' girlfriend - and that she strongly disapproved. There were a number of reporters that heard."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, then Sharpe shook his head, "That's sufficient for both Nova Dominion and Arachnos. We can't send you to the Rogue Isles now, you'd be in too much unnecessary danger. "

Cende nodded, subdued. "I didn't mean to be the cause of difficulties."

To her surprise, it was Bowman that waved away the apology. "You're not the cause. It's not your fault that people can't remember that personal lives are personal. Your relationship with Statesman, whatever it actually is, should be between the two of you and not made into fodder for the general public. Whatever comes up, we'll deal with it." He nodded to Sharpe, "Let's go figure out who we can send in her place."

Andrea waited until the two men had left before turning to Cende. "Friends, huh?"

"That's what he's been saying. That's what he's going to say."

"And what are you going to say?"

"Nothing."

"That's probably a good choice." Andrea began to head back to her office, "I have an email I have to get out in the next five minutes, but if you want to talk, you know where to find me."

Cende attempted to smile, knew she failed, and settled for nodding, "Thank you, Andrea." Turning away, she headed toward her own desk deeper in the base. She knew she was behind on reports; if she was going to hide, at least she could do something useful while doing so.

*****

Looking up, Marcus glared at the door as it opened. In the first hour after Cende had left he had answered calls from four different reporters before finally sending his office phone directly to voicemail. He'd then picked up a technical review as the one thing most likely to require his full concentration for the rest of the afternoon, and he was not in the mood to talk to anyone.

Shalice slipped in and closed the door, then crossed the room and placed a cup of coffee on the desk in front of him. "Alexis told us what happened. There's media set up all over the place again, and they've been trying to get comments from anyone they can reach in the Phalanx or the Star Patrol. Justin said that all of the news outlets have now requested Cende's public FBSA file."

Marcus tossed the report down with a growl. "Her FBSA file is practically empty, which means some of the rags will just take anything people say about her and make up a story to fit." He picked up the coffee and stood, turning to stare out the window. Behind him, he heard the door open and close again.

"We still haven't been able to get hold of Positron to warn him," Justin's voice was quiet and its usual edge of sardonic amusement was missing, "And Commander Wright confirmed that Star Patrol hasn't reached Doctor Tavarisch, either. Cende, however, is safely at their base and out of reach of the media for now. Synapse got a call and went to go look into something, but he dropped off the first printings of the afternoon editions. "

Marcus turned around, "How bad is it?"

Justin shrugged, "You're news around here, so it's not good. The Paragon Times isn't bad, really." He held up the CITY LIFE section of the paper, which started with the headline Has The Statesman Found a New Love At Last? "At least they didn't front-page you. They just moved LIFE up to the second section."

Shalice took the article and scanned it. "It's a retrospective on your more recent life, Marcus. When were you romantically linked with me? I missed that."

"When was I what? Oh, that. You were injured, I was worried. People will see romantic inclinations in anything sometimes."

"I see." She hummed softly, then continued. "The good news is that while there's very little information on Cende herself, the interview comments are generally positive and she comes off in a good light. Although... oh." She glanced up, for a moment, then read out loud, "Brief investigations have turned up multiple instances of the couple spending time together, with many more unconfirmed reports on hand. It would appear then that this is not a new relationship but one that has been quietly growing over time, casting doubt on Statesman's comment that "The young lady and I are just close friends." Confirmation of their status was unable to be obtained from Cende, as she has made herself entirely unavailable for comment."

Marcus sighed. "What's the next one?"

Justin held up the Paragon Tattler, emblazoned with the headline Statesman In Love With Mystery Woman, Ms. Liberty Disapproves. Beneath it was a slightly blurry copy of Cende's FBSA ID picture.

"She's helped out Harvey in the past," Marcus noted, referring to the owner of the Tattler.

"It shows, actually," Justin replied. "There's less about you, more about her, all of it anecdotal. This reporter might want to look into writing political thrillers, actually; he's done a good job of making her look as mysterious as an international spy."

"Wonderful," Marcus groaned. "Was it a particularly slow news day? Is that why it's caught so much attention?" He shot another glare at the door as a quick knock sounded.

"Not necessarily," Shalice answered, as Justin handled the door. "It's just that with the bomb showing up in City Hall, the timing is particularly awkward. That's one of the reasons we've been trying so hard to get hold of Ray."

Marcus nodded and reached into his pocket, "I'll give it a try." He'd pulled out his phone and started to dial when he heard Justin's voice raise at the door.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Justin's comment was disbelieving, and Shalice turned in her seat to stare at her husband's back. "No, go on Steve, we've got things handled here. I'll show him." The archer stepped back into the room, and silently held up the last paper for the other two to see.

Marcus looked at the paper in shock. The Paragon Caper was the city's largest tabloid and well known for getting pictures of heroes in questionable positions. On the front of the evening edition, in full color, was a picture of himself and Cende on the dock from the evening before. A small, rational corner of his mind wondered where the photographer could have been have gotten that particular shot.

Peripherally he heard Positron answer, "States? What-"

Marcus erupted. "Where the hell have you been?" Turning away from the picture in Justin's hands, Marcus stared unseeing out the window and struggled to contain his temper. This was just one more thing in a series of difficult events; it was time to start getting all of it under control.

Congrats, EM, and good luck.

Since this story is very long, comments go into a separate comment thread. The comment thread can be found here.

-------------------------

Chapter 46.

The Family underboss hit the warehouse wall with a solid thump and fell over unconscious. Robinson's armored head turned at the sound, then he looked back at Cende. "They can't talk if they're not awake. The point is to get information out of them."

"I know." Cende's response came out a bit more terse than usual, and she turned to one of the remaining Family goons while removing her dark glasses. Her eyes glowed darkly as she advanced on the man, directing her next words to him while he began to back away. "It's really quite simple. We're not here for you. We're here to find out where and when the fight between the Family and the Tsoo is going to take place tonight. Tell us that, and we leave - without any of your bones getting broken." Behind her, Cende heard most of the team fall silent at her words and icy tone.

The goon's eyes grew wide. "New Sparta district," he blurted. "But they've already left. It's probably already started! It's not my fault!"

"Good. Now sit there and wait for the police to come in an arrest you. They'll be here in a few moments." Cende spun and headed for the door. "We've got what we need; let's go before someone gets hurt. Helena, call the Talos PPD district and get someone over to pick up whomever stays around to be arrested." She slid her glasses back on, wondering which Agent was going to say something.

To her surprise, it was Robinson. The normally taciturn agent opened a private channel on the communicators as they made their way to the New Sparta district. "Cende, are you all right? That was not normal behavior for you. It came pretty close to crossing the line, in fact."

"I know, Rob, but I have the feeling we are running out of time. We just need to take care of this before it gets out of hand. I'll be all right."

"If you're sure you can handle it, we're here - it looks like the Outcast have joined the party, and it's already getting out of hand."

"Of course it is." Before Cende could continue, a beep indicating a priority transmission override sounded in her ear, and a moment later, Sorina Tavarisch's voice came through.

"This is Commander Tavarisch, requesting Star Patrol backup in the New Sparta District on Talos. A turf war has broken out between then Tsoo, Family, and Outcast."

"Commander Tavarisch, this is Cende. We're about to land on top of them, actually. Give us a moment, please." Switching to the team channel, Cende called out the team's attention to the Chinese restaurant that had become the centerpiece of the fight. "Flux, see what you can do about causing the fighters inside to take a nap while we keep the fight from going any further. No sense in letting the property damage spread. Everyone be advised that we are on display - Commander Tavarisch and members of the Phalanx are in that restaurant."

The team landed and soon had the majority of the brawl quelled. As some of the remaining combatants took off running, Cende dispatched half her team to round up those they could safely catch and to check for hot spots in the immediate vicinity; she and her remaining teammates then turned to the thugs inside the building itself. Helena Collins concentrated a moment and half the Tsoo, Outcasts, and Family were transported from the restaurant to a spot between Cende and Robinson; she then made sure the remaining fighters were safely held out of the fight while Cluster Flux put out the fire and stepped into the building to check for injuries among the patrons.

Finishing with the group Collins had brought outside, Cende, Collins, and Robinson stepped back into the building. While Collins and Robinson dealt with the remaining gang members, Cende stepped over to speak with Commander Tavarisch. "I apologize for our tardiness in arriving, Sorina," she said, giving an abbreviated salute to the individuals standing there. In addition to Sorina and her Raymond Keyes, there was also Justin and Shalice Sinclair, as well as Steve Barry and Marisa Valentino, a woman Cende recognized from the Star Patrol but did not know well.

"Cende, you want to explain to me what's going on?" Sorina sounded caught between annoyance and relief.

Cende looked around the wreckage of the restaurant and sighed internally. This had been her team and her mission; the only directive she had been given specifically other than to stop the turf war had been to keep it away from Tava's dinner party. When she answered, it was with the embarrassment of partial failure. "Well... Sharpe mentioned you were having dinner in the area, and, um..."

"And he just 'happened' to assign a field training team to the vicinity?" Marisa guessed, overhearing this as she came forward. Greeting Robinson and Collins, she began to speak with them about the other members of the team. Flux took the opportunity to excuse herself and tend to wounded patrons. Tava looked at Cende expectantly.

"We wanted to get here before it even started, but we couldn't find anyone who knew anything about it until it was too late. The Tsoo who weren't involved had gone to ground, and they're good at hiding." Cende's voice was low, quiet, as she explained to Sorina what had delayed them. "We had to go up the chain in the Family to find out exactly when and where - and then we found out it was here and now. It took far too long to get the information." She looked up as the rest of Tava's dinner group stepped forward to join them, then glanced outside where the PPD and paramedics had arrived. "Please excuse me - there are details to attend to. Good evening, Sorina."

As she answered the last of the questions for the PPD, she noticed Talek and Moon Tide coming around the corner of the alley, examining something intently. Nodding a farewell to the officers, she joined the others around the two men and peered at what they held. "What is it?"

"It's an Arachnos bio-sample jar," Moon Tide answered grimly. "It's broken, so the sample inside is contaminated. It came out of a dumpster along with one of the Outcast we had to fish out. The problem is that it has a Crey inventory label on it. If Crey's stealing bio-samples from Arachnos, it's likely something big - and I don't think we want them to have it. I can't imagine this is the only sample they have, or they wouldn't have thrown it out even if it was contaminated."

"If I can get to a Crey internal computer, it wouldn't take much for me to track down which lab the samples are being held in," offered Talek. "We could go get them from Crey and turn them over to the science geeks at DATA for proper storage and evaluation."

Robinson crossed his arms. "If it's that big a deal, Arachnos is probably sending their own retrieval team. We can't let them land in Paragon."

As Cende considered the problem, a signal buzzed in her ear indicating a new message from COUNTERMEASURES. She pulled out her communicator and glanced at the screen, then sighed and called to the potential recruit. "HAV1C, COUNTERMEASURES says that you have a power fluctuation in your shield generator."

HAV1C nodded. The small, armored form was feminine, as was the voice that emitted from the encompassing helmet, "I was hit. It knocked loose a previously damaged coupling and now my shield generator is losing power rapidly. I will not be able to properly protect myself or my brothers in another firefight." She indicated the robots surrounding her defensively.

"COUNTERMEASURES agrees. Go back to base; we're not going to put you or your brothers at risk unnecessarily." Cende turned back to Robinson, Talek and Moon Tide and looked at the sample jar. Considering the group, she finally came to a decision and nodded. "Talek, query COUNTERMEASURES on the location of the closest known Crey lab. Go with Moon Tide, get the information on where this came from, and go get the rest of the samples over to DATA. Take Cluster Flux and Pistoleer with you for additional support."

"Pistoleer I can see, but Cluster?" asked Moon Tide, dubiously.

"Oh, definitely," responded Talek. "Once I finish hacking out their systems, she'll turn them into slag. And she'll be absolutely gleeful while she's doing it. If we can get their backup systems, too, there won't be anything left in Crey's entire system about any of this bio-goo of yours, and that's a good thing. Let's go."

Robinson watched them go and asked, "You split them off onto their own team so that COUNTERMEASURES is tracking them separately?" When Cende nodded, he responded with a nod of his own, and made sure the others were out of earshot before continuing. "That leaves you, Collins, and me to go after the Arachnos team. Are you in control enough to do this?"

Cende paused, then nodded. "This. No more than this, though. You and Helena are off after this mission anyway, and I want to be by myself tonight."

Helena, coming up in time to hear this, looked at Cende in concern. "Are you all right? If something's wrong, I can stay on over shift and come with you."

"No Helena, I really need to be alone right now. I appreciate the concern, I do, but I'm on edge. If I don't get some time to think, something unfortunate will happen, and I would really rather avoid that."

"All right," Helena's response was reluctant. "In that case, let's go take care of this Spider infestation."

*****

In the end, finding the right ship had taken nearly as much time as clearing out the strike force on it, and had been accomplished largely due to Robinson knowing who to talk to on the docks. Afterwards, when the Arachnos soldiers had all been arrested and the ship they were on impounded for inspection, Robinson and Collins had both offered to stay with her if she had changed her mind about company. Thanking them, Cende had sent them back to base to check in and go off duty.

For herself, Cende had sought out one of her favorite spots - a ledge high up on one of the tallest buildings overlooking the city. From here, she could see the night pass by in relative quiet ; the noises of the city didn't reach this high up, and she was able to think. Before she was able to do much more than settle into place, however, her communicator buzzed in her pocket, and with a sigh, she pulled it out to look at the screen.

IMMDT CONFRM RCPT RQD: SCHEDULE CHANGE. Cende frowned slightly. Immediate confirmation? She opened up the text message to read fully, then shook her head and sent the requested receipt. She didn't mind being taken off duty for the rest of the night, she was just surprised to be put on bodyguard duty with only eight hours of notice. Shrugging slightly, she put the phone back into her pocket and returned to her contemplation of the night.

*****

Marcus lay in bed, staring at ceiling in the dark. Glancing at the clock, he sighed. 5:19. Laying here wasn't making the time go by any faster, and he'd been awake for close to an hour now. Reaching over, he turned off the alarm, then got out of bed and got ready for the day.

Stepping out into the morning, he shrugged into his jacket and considered the sky. Given the weather, where is she most likely to be? Thinking about it for a moment longer, he made a decision and headed off for a spit of land overlooking the ocean.

Looking around as he landed, Marcus hummed softly. Either I'm lucky and early, or I guessed wrong. We'll see. There's a little time yet. He moved under the tree, leaning against the trunk and watching for a tall, slim young woman to arrive before the dawn.

Several long minutes passed, and he was beginning to think he had actually guessed wrong when Cende's lithe shape landed on the spit before him. Standing with her back to him, facing out over the ocean, the young woman held herself very still for a long, quiet moment before finally settling down onto the ground. Marcus gave her another minute, then moved forward to sit down beside her. He sensed more than heard her quiet sigh, and guessed that she wasn't quite ready to talk to him.

He wasn't willing to give her the time to become ready. "I took you by surprise yesterday. I'm sorry." His voice was quiet in the dawn air, his breath barely disturbing the mists that rose around them from the ground and water.

She wouldn't look at him, her eyes downcast. "I reacted badly. Foolishly."

He reached over and took her hand in his. "Not necessarily. I've been saying we're just friends, but that's not how I've been treating you. It's not how you feel, either, is it?"

"Marcus..." his name came out in a whisper and she turned her head away.

He tugged on her hand gently until she looked at him. "Did it ever occur to you that I couldn't treat you as more than a friend if I didn't feel that way?" She shook her head, and he smiled slightly. "That's fair. It didn't occur to me, either, until I was required to actually stop and consider what I was doing." He reached out with his free hand and brushed a lock of her hair back from her face, then lightly stroked his fingers through the strands.

She closed her eyes and turned her cheek into his hand for a moment, then began to shake her head. "Marcus, Marcus, please don't."

"Cende..."

"No, Marcus." She shifted so that she was facing him, half kneeling with one leg under her. Turning the hand he held, she clasped it with her other, holding his hand between her palms and lifting it to place a feather-light kiss on his fingertips. "You don't have room for me."

"I don't understand what you mean."

Cende turned her hands so that his palm rested above one of hers, and lifted the other off. "Your heart is full," she said simply, as she traced the wedding band on his finger, then laid her free hand against his chest. "You don't have room for me." Lowering her hand, she began to stand. With a quiet sigh she said, "This wasn't the best time. I have to be at the airport in thirty minutes."

Marcus caught the hand beneath his before she could fully pull away and climbed to his feet beside her. "We're not quite done yet, though. Shall I pick you up for dinner tonight, or do you want to stay in?"

She started to answer, then caught her breath. "I'm being sent to the Rogue Isles tonight."

"You're what?" His back straightened, and he looked down at her. "Why?"

"Because they need me to go, Marcus, and it's my job. It's also my job to get to the airport now. This bodyguard detail is only for the morning; can you get away for a late lunch?"

"I'll arrange it. It'll be on my schedule, just come up to my office." Cende nodded and began to step away. Before letting go of her hand, however, Marcus gave it another gentle tug to get her to look at him once more. Raising her hand to his lips, he kissed it gently. "I'm glad you're here," he said softly, then released her, and stepped back. He watched after her until she was past even his ability to see before he turned back to the city.

As promised, two chapters to make up for missing Wednesday. They are not, however, much shorter.

Chapter 45 is the first part of the section I've been calling Tactical Error. Unlike major parts of the last ten chapters, Tactical Error has actually relatively easy to write through (the last several in particular have been pulling teeth to get out for some reason).

I don't know at this time if I'll have posts for the weekend or not. In part, it's having time to write but in much LARGER part, it's having my proof-reader available to me. He's currently working a coding competition for the rest of the weekend and proofing is not high on his agenda.

Since this story is very long, comments go into a separate comment thread. The comment thread can be found here.

-------------------------

Chapter 45.

Statesman stopped in the hallway long enough to let the rest of the Phalanx pull ahead of him into the elevator lobby that led down to their headquarters. Shaking his head slightly as Sister Psyche caught his eye, he waited until the others had cleared out before moving forward and pressing the button to call the next car. Lost in thought he nearly ran down the young Freedom Corps intern exiting the elevator as he stepped into it. It wasn't until he heard her gasp as she retreated back into the elevator that he realized she was there, and he stopped short to look down at her.

"Ah. I beg your pardon, I wasn't paying attention. Are you all right?" He reached out to press the door-open button, holding the elevator at this floor for her to get off.

The girl nodded vigorously, staring up at him with big eyes. He guessed her age at about sixteen, and vaguely remembered Alexis saying something about starting an outreach program for at-risk teens. He hadn't remembered teenagers looking so star-struck the last time he'd encountered them, however.

Gesturing at the folder the girl was clutching to her chest, he tried again. "Where do you need to take that?"

The girl looked down at the folder in surprise, then back up at him. To his dismay, her eyes filled with tears and her lips started to tremble. "I'm n..n..not sure, sir. It's my fi..first day, and I'm lost. Analysis said to take it to the briefing room and give it to the assignment officer, but there was nobody there, and now I'm not sure how to get back!"

Holding out a hand Statesman nodded. "Give that to me; I'll take care of it." He smiled encouragingly at her as she hesitantly held out the folder, and then he motioned down the hallway. "Analysis is at the end of the hallway, and they're probably wondering where you are. There's a restroom on the way - you'll probably want to stop in and rinse your eyes before you get there."

The girl smiled tremulously at him as she scampered past. Statesman let the door close and pressed the button for headquarters floor, opening the folder to peruse its contents on the way down. By the time he stepped out into the headquarters level, a plan was beginning to form in his mind, only to be interrupted by Jessica calling to him from a conference room with an edge to her voice.

*****

A half-hour later, after storming out of yet another fight with Jessica, Marcus Cole approached the residence of the one person he wanted to see. He was sure that her presence would help calm him down, and she would be able to help with the plan he had in mind. In his irritation, it didn't occur to him that his plan was only partially formed; he just wanted to get away before something else went wrong.

"Oh, Mr. Chuckles, please come down from there. You got up there, you should know how to get down by now."

Marcus paused as he approached the apartment building and listened to the old woman scolding as she stared into a tree. Recalling what Cende had said about her landlady's cat, he slowly moved forward. "May I help?" he asked. The old woman peered suspiciously around the tree. Recalling that this area had a regular problem with Hellions, he added, "My name is Marcus. I'm a friend of Cende's."

The old woman stepped closer and looked intently up into his face, then beamed. "Well, if you can get Mr. Chuckles out of the tree that would be a tremendous help. He's all the way at the top again, the idiot cat!"

Marcus smiled and lifted lightly into the air. Mr. Chuckles seemed perfectly happy to be taken off the branch, and it was a matter of seconds before man and cat were back down.

Nodding, the landlady had him drop the cat just inside the building's main door, then she gave Marcus a shrewd look. "My name is Rose Purdue. Screaming Rose I was, a long time ago. Never had much power, but my Charlie and I, we kept the neighborhood clean. I know who you are. My son fought beside you on Alpha Team." Marcus started to speak but Mrs. Purdue shook her head to cut him off. "Not many sons and daughters made it back from that, but they made things safe for a while, and that's what they fought for. It's not your fault, and I'm not blaming you." She then fixed him with a stern look, "But Cende, she's a good girl. Sweet, innocent. She deserves to be taken care of, so you take care of her, and you treat her right. I'll be watching over her like she was my own granddaughter." Mrs. Purdue nodded sternly. "Thank you for rescuing my cat." Nodding again, she turned and walked into the building, closing the door firmly behind her.

"She's seen you come by a few times now, and asked me who my gentleman caller was." Cende's voice came from the shadows of the building, and she stepped out into the light a moment later. "She's certain that any man who is young and good looking must be up to what she refers to as shenanigans, and she has warned me to be on my guard. I pointed out that you did not precisely qualify as young, but she just said that pretty is as pretty does. I honestly have no idea what she meant."

"It's good advice if you start dating." Something in him didn't want to examine that line of thought too closely, and he turned his attention to the reason he had come. "I know you're on patrol tonight, but do you have time before you have to report?" At her nod, he smiled. "Good. I was hoping I could get your help in cleaning up a small mess over in Founder's, and then I could take you to a small Chinese place in Talos I've heard is decent. I want to talk with you about something that happened this weekend." Stepping back, he looked her over. Her sapphire-blue blouse and black slacks were slightly dressier than his jeans, grey shirt, and brown leather jacket, but it still worked for what he had in mind.

"Do I need to bring anything to help with this mess?" Her face wore its usual serene expression, but he thought he was getting better at detecting amusement in her eyes and voice. "If not, then I am ready to go. I had been leaving to get food when I saw you."

With a short laugh, Marcus once again took to the air, heading toward Founder's Falls with Cende close behind.

In Founder's Falls, Marcus led Cende to land on a relatively quiet street. Nodding to a nearby plaza he remarked, "There's one of Justin's attempts at social engineering." At her puzzled look, he smiled. Leading her on foot along the paths abutting Hutchinson Park, he explained. "Manticore occasionally tries to make a difference as Justin Sinclair, playboy billionaire. Although I guess, he's now happily married billionaire. Fountains, statues, public works... he has money, and he throws it at problems."

"To what end?"

Marcus shrugged and started down a wooden walkway to the pier beyond. "An attempt to find social solutions to the problems in the city. Sometimes they work. Neighborhoods find renewed pride based around a park he sponsors, and they're able to clean up. Sometimes it doesn't, and a fountain is destroyed by the gangs that infest the area. That statue... was a mixed result. Because of it, this one section of Hutchinson gets cleaned out regularly, which allows regular people to use this part of the park, but it didn't do anything for the rest of the place. It's a good thought, but unless we somehow manage to get all the supers and all the normals to work together towards the same goals, we're just going to keep reacting to the symptoms rather than fixing the real problems."

Cende glanced around, taking in the boathouse that loomed up before them and the river beyond. "So what are we doing now? I don't think I've been to this section of the park before."

"I'd be surprised if you had, actually. This is where young couples come to, ah, spend time together alone." He suddenly realized that it hadn't occurred to him that he would probably have to explain the concept of lover's lane to her, and the suspicion that he had possibly made a tactical error began to form in his mind.

"I see. And why are we here now?"

"One of the gangs - Freakshow, most likely - have been attacking couples who come here, terrorizing them, and stealing all of their valuables. Longbow has sent out patrols, but they don't find anything under the trees."

"So we hope to have better luck?" Cende had paused on the dock and was looking out over the river, her face in shadow.

"I hope so. After all, we should be able to look like a couple."

"Oh. And, ah... how will we do that?" Marcus wasn't sure if he detected a hint of uncertainty in her voice, but he put it down to unfamiliarity with the situation.

He hesitated a moment, then gently turned the young woman, pushing her backward until she bumped up against the boathouse wall. "Well, we pretend to act like one," he answered quietly. Placing his hands on either side of her head, he leaned over her, his body a few scant inches above hers. His eyes met hers, and there was something in her clear green gaze that drew him in closer than he'd intended, until their breath mingled and he could feel the heat of her lips close to his.

Her hands came to rest on his shoulders. "Marcus..." She said his name in a whisper, but before he could respond, the air around him crackled with static electricity and sneering laughter filled the air.

Marcus felt a brief flash of fury pass through him, and he turned to deal with the intruders. As expected, the muggers were Freakshow, easily handled, and the fight lasted only a few moments before the two thugs still standing after his first few strikes, caught between him and the river and unable to run away, surrendered. Turning to check on his companion, he found her still standing by the boathouse, her skin ashen, and eyes wide. "Cende?" He took a step toward her in concern.

Cende shook her head and held out a hand to stop him. "I have to go." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I can't... I have to go." She pulled the shadows around her, disappearing from his sight, and the rush of air as she took off was the only indication Marcus had that she had flown off. He frowned, trying to work out her strange behavior, and turned back to start tagging the gang members, some of whom were now beginning to come around.

*

Cende flew high, needing to get away. The pretense of intimacy had been unexpected; taken by surprise she had very nearly shown her feelings for him. She needed a chance to think and get some perspective, and that meant taking herself off the active list for the evening before she was assigned to any teams. Retaining the shadows cloaking her, she headed for the closest base portal she knew of. She was relieved to see the entry clear of people for a change as she stepped into the base and slipped into the locker room to change into her spare uniform. Moving quietly into Dispatch she reached for the available list, but before she could remove her name she was caught by Sharpe.

"Cende, good. We have a potential new member, and I want you to lead a field training team to evaluate her. The team's in the briefing room waiting for you. COUNTERMEASURES has determined there's a potential turf war on Talos; I'm assigning your team to go look into it. Incidentally, Tava and Positron are having dinner in that area with Valentino and a few others - keep an eye out for them. If you see them, try to keep them out of the action.

"Yes, sir," Cende restrained a sigh and checked the list to see who was on her team. With any luck, the ops evaluation wouldn't take very long, and she could reasonably turn the team over to someone else afterwards. Considering the likely possibilities, she removed herself from the active list, then went to collect the others and head into Talos.

*****

Marcus landed by Monica's grave, absently noting that there was once again a stem of purple hyacinth in the holder. Kneeling by the stone he began to speak softly, laying out the situation the same way he always had when she was alive - the problem in Founder's, his plan, and Cende's strange reaction. "I don't think she was expecting the near kiss -neither of us was - but she's usually quite professional, and we're friends. Her reaction was completely out of character. So how do I determine what was wrong?"

Intent on his narrative, he hadn't been aware of someone approaching from further down the row of headstones. It was a surprise, then, when a woman's voice floated out of the dusk. "Marcus Cole, I love you dearly but sometimes you're an idiot." He looked up, tensing, only to relax again as he identified the older woman leaning on the headstone and looking down at him. Maria Jenkins smiled slightly as she continued, "We've been friends for going on fifty years now, and in all that time I thought I'd seen you do it all. I was wrong; this is new. You're an idiot, and it's because of a young woman."

Marcus stood and, after patting Monica's headstone farewell, offered Maria his arm. "Thank you, Maria, for that stellar summary of my failings. Now if you could help me out by explaining why I'm an idiot, I'd be in your debt."

"Again," Maria laughed. She took his arm and they began to walk out of the cemetery together. "I heard most of what you said, and it's fairly simple, really. The only reason a professional, competent, seasoned young heroine reacts in a panicked, out of character fashion when a friend nearly kisses her... is because the friend in question is not just a friend to her."

"You're saying she has a crush on me?"

"No, I'm saying that she has feelings of some sort for you that are stronger than friendship. Without knowing the young woman - I assume this is the redhead that you've been seen keeping company with occasionally?" She waited for his nod of confirmation before continuing, "Without knowing her myself, I couldn't tell you if she even realized how she felt before the incident. I feel safe in saying she knows now, however." Maria stopped at an older car and turned to look up at Marcus. "You need to decide how you want to handle her feelings for you. You also need to decide if what you feel for her is really just friendship, or if there's something more there - it's been noticed in some circles that you've stopped your dating experiment, and there's rumors starting about you and this girl."

Marcus was quiet for a long moment, then bent and placed a light kiss on Maria's cheek. "Thank you. That was the direction I was looking for, and you've given me quite a bit to think about. I appreciate it." He handed her into the car, then bent down, "Drive safely. You'll have to come over for dinner soon; I know Alexis would like to see you."

Maria smiled. "Goodnight, Marcus. Go do your thinking. I'll call Alexis and set something up."

Marcus waited until Maria had turned the corner and then headed home, where he could find the quiet he wanted to think.

Since this story is very long, comments go into a separate comment thread. The comment thread can be found here.

-------------------------

Chapter 44.

Cende stopped in surprise at the top of the stairs leading down to her apartment and looked at the man leaning against her door. "What are you doing here so early this morning?" Balancing her basket of laundry on one hip, she came down the stairs, pulling her keys out of her pocket.

Marcus gave her a lazy smile and pushed off the door. Cende felt her heart beat faster in response to his smile, and forced herself to focus on his words. "The rest of the Phalanx is pursuing individual investigations, and all I have are reports. If I get another Longbow report across my desk I'm likely to have a blowout with Jessie, and we don't need that right now. Instead, I'm spending the day out of office. I'm on call if I'm needed, but I came to see if you had plans for your day." He reached out and relieved her of the laundry basket, then stepped aside so she could open the door.

"You have my finished plans in your hands," she responded wryly. "Otherwise, I want to go to the bookstore. What did you have in mind?"

He put the basket on the kitchen table and turned to face her, still with that lazy smile. "Have you ever planted a tree?"

Cende shook her head. "No, I have never planted a tree. Or anything else, for that matter."

"Well, some work crews are placing trees today." Marcus laughed and continued, "It seems like a perfect opportunity to correct that oversight."

They went into the construction zones of New Overbrook and spent a couple of hours with a volunteer crew placing small trees along the newly restored buildings. Marcus, still grinning, made sure that Cende got to place one of the trees into the ground herself.

After finishing work and having lunch with the volunteer crew, they slipped into Phalanx headquarters through the back door for a quick shower. When she came out to meet Marcus on the green before the Freedom Corps building, Cende found him showing a group of boys how to bounce a soccer ball. She stood to one side and watched the demonstration until he handed the ball back and the boys ran off. "You made that look very easy," she complimented him.

"It just takes practice, and they had the basics already. They'll go off and practice, then show off for each other." He caught her look and laughed. "Jessie was on a soccer team when she was a little girl. I was her designated practice dummy back then."

As they crossed the street toward the bookstore, Cende glanced over to him. "Why do you call her Jessie? Everyone else refers to her as Megan. Well, when they refer to her name at all."

"I'm pretty sure she'd like it if we'd switch to Megan as well," he admitted. "We being the Phalanx and her mother. Her name is Jessica Megan. She decided she wanted to be Megan when she was a teenager, and that was that. She's never protested those of us who've known her since she was a child calling her Jessica, though, so we've never switched." He reached ahead and pulled the door for her. "What are you getting here, anyway?"

Cende headed down the social science aisle, peering at titles, "There's a new volume in Wallerstein's Modern World-System series, and I also saw a treatise on India I wanted to look -" she stopped as he stepped in front of her. "What are you doing?"

He held up a book, "Modern World-System series." Reaching out, he turned her around and gently pushed her toward the other side of the store. "However, you're also getting something a little lighter. We've talked about your reading habits."

"But I'm learning so much!"

"You also need to learn how to relax." He steered her to a shelf labeled Classics in Literature. "Do you want to pick one, or would you like me to?"

Cende glanced at the shelf, then up at his face. That lazy smile was back in place and she felt an answering spark of amusement bubble within her. "You pick, but..."

"But?"

"You have to read it to me."

Laughing, Marcus agreed. Reaching over her head, he selected a book, then carried it and the larger volume to the counter. As Cende paid, Marcus arranged to have the books delivered to his office. When they left the store, she turned and looked at him quizzically.

"Flying with packages is annoying. We can pick them up later, but... I'd like you to come with me, if you don't mind." His face had become serious, and he added softly, "Please."

Cende caught herself from reaching out to him, and simply nodded. "Of course I'll come. You lead, I'll follow." Moments later they were airborne and heading into the north end of King's Row.

Following Marcus' lead, Cende quickly began to get an idea of where they were headed. It was with a slight sinking feeling that she saw the fenced green come into view below them; resigned, she landed slightly behind him as he approached a grave with a stone bearing the name Monica Richter Cole.

Marcus knelt by the grave, and brushed away the grass clippings from the recent mowing. "Hello, darling," he said softly. "I see your admirer hasn't been by in a while." He reached out to take a wilted bundle of purple flowers from the side holder, then looked up to Cende. "I don't know who brings these or why. I just find it regularly. It's always the same flower and the same color."

"Purple hyacinth," offered Cende. "They indicate sorrow by the giver and request forgiveness from the recipient." She shrugged slightly at his look. "Flowers come up in dreams a lot, and so we're taught their symbolic meanings. Some of them are different between your culture and mine, but that's one that's the same between both."

"I can't imagine who would be seeking her forgiveness now, after all these years. She would never withhold it, though. She was a good woman who always saw the best in everyone. Without her, I would never have become Statesman, would never have been the man I have become, and Paragon... I don't know what Paragon would have become, honestly." Marcus stood and looked down at the grave, then back at Cende. "I just wanted you to see. She's an important part of me."

Cende reached out to touch his arm gently. "Thank you," she offered, quietly. Marcus smiled, and escorted Cende down the path to the gate, pointing out other people he'd known on the way and telling her short stories about each of them.

When they reached the entry, he paused for a moment. "Actually, there's one other person I'd like to tell you about. Come with me to the tram." He lifted into a hover for a moment; waiting just long enough to make sure she was following, he then flew south and landed in front of the statue of Cyrus Thompson. "Do you know the story behind Breakneck?" he asked as she landed.

"I've seen the statue before, certainly, but I don't know the story behind it," Cende responded.

Marcus smiled, "Cyrus was a super speeder with a big heart, but he became a hero's hero a few years ago..." Standing beside the statue, he related the story of how the old man, long since retired from the heroing business, had sacrificed himself to save a boy and a young woman from death by the Circle of Thorns.

"That's why the inscription, and the Memorial Center," Cende noted.

Marcus nodded, and took a breath. "Since you mention the Memorial Center," he started, turning to face her and placing his hands on her shoulders. "I know it's short notice, but there's a charity ball on Saturday. The Sinclairs are hosting. Would you care to attend with me?"

Cende looked up at him in surprise. "Oh... Saturday?" She bit her lip, then shook her head, "I'm sorry, I cannot. I am required to be in the Shadow Shard from tomorrow morning through midday Monday. Commander Sharpe is leading a security detail for a UN inspection of the base there."

Marcus was quiet for a moment, then nodded briefly. "Well. That's the trouble with short notice. It's getting late, we should be getting back."

Cende quietly agreed, and the two set off, flying above King's Row, connecting to Skyway, and heading towards Atlas Park. She wasn't entirely certain how or why the day, which had started so cheerfully, had turned so quiet, but she was unhappily positive that her inability to attend Saturday's gathering with him had something to do with Marcus' abrupt decision to end the day.

They were over a plaza just south of the Atlas Park War Wall connection when Marcus suddenly landed. In concern, Cende landed next to him, then nodded in understanding as he pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. "Positron," he said simply, as he opened the device and pushed the button to return the call.

Cende stepped aside, giving him privacy to make the call, and looked out over the park. Shivering in a suddenly chill breeze, she closed her eyes and sought inward for peace and clarity.

I love him, and I won't deny that to myself, even if I never tell him. But Davos says that something is about to happen at home. Do I have room in my life for the complication of him, or for the sake of my people, should I just walk away? Glancing over her shoulder, she saw him listening intently to what the Freedom Phalanx's resident scientist had to say, and she turned to look at him while he was focused elsewhere. I know that walking away will require me to give up something of myself. Staying with him will require strength, and I don't know if I have that. Strength to quietly love him even without his love in return; can I do that?

Marcus hung up the phone and walked over to stand next to her. "Something's come up. You said your team is due in the Shadow Shard tomorrow?"

Cende nodded.

Marcus frowned. "You'd better come to Trident Base with me, then. I'm supposed to be meeting Positron and Synapse there; apparently, something is happening near one of the human settlements in the Shard and they're going to need help. You should get the information and take it to Star Patrol in case your team is needed as well."

"Of course." Cende stepped back, preparing to take flight.

"Cende," Marcus' voice was soft, and she paused, looking up at him. "It was a good day today. Thank you."

Cende felt the smile light up her face, saw it reflected in his eyes even after her expression had returned to its usual serenity. I have the strength to stay. For him, I have the strength to stay.

*****

Cende waited in the upper story alcove of Trident Base, watching the activity below. After excusing herself to the women's locker room, she had whispered the soft words that activated the single-use charm she kept in her pocket for these occasions; shadows had gathered densely around her, then dissipated slowly. When they were gone, her Star Patrol uniform had replaced her casual t-shirt and jeans; reaching into the pocket of her heavy leather coat, she pulled out the dark glasses she habitually wore on duty and slid them into place. Quietly stepping forward, she made her way down the stairs and stopped a few paces below Statesman, who was now discussing Positron's findings with him and Synapse.

"You're sure of these readings?" Statesman was saying as she approached.

"As sure as I can be of anything coming out of the Shadow Shard. More to the point, however, Dr. Boyd is convinced that the storm is going to significantly impact that settlement and they'll be overwhelmed with Rularuu."

"Can any of your team get to the Shard early?" Statesman directed the question to Cende.

She nodded. "I've already gotten the go order, actually. Talek and Moon Tide will meet me at Portal Corp. Sharpe will handle the delegation on this side of the portal tomorrow, and we'll form back up after the emergency is over."

"Six of us should be able to handle this, no problem." Synapse bounced a little in place, "I'm going ahead, get an idea of the evacuation path, see what the problems are. I'll meet you with a report when you get there." In a blur of red and blue, the speeder was gone.

Cende glanced down at the communicator in her hand, then back to Statesman, "Sharpe wants me to pick up something from him before I go; I'll notify Talek and Moon Tide that they're to accompany you through and then I'll meet you on the other side myself."

Statesman nodded, "Let's get moving, then. It's going to be a long night."

Since this story is very long, comments go into a separate comment thread. The comment thread can be found here.

-------------------------

Chapter 43.

Cende sat on her couch, pensively thinking. Her tea sat cooling, forgotten, on the table before her, the remains of her simple breakfast next to the cup. The morning light filtered in through the high windows, providing a pale illumination to the shadowy room. After a few moments, the young woman stood, crossed to the small empty space between the bed and the seating area, and gracefully began to move. Slowly, carefully, she stepped through the motions of the most formal of the kata she knew, trying to use the movement to clear her mind. In the dim room, her skin glowed against the black of her abbreviated top and shorts and her red hair was a splash of vibrant color that caught the eye of her quiet watcher. As she reached the midpoint of the kata series, her eyes opened and the clear, forest green had been replaced with a darkly glowing black. Suddenly, abruptly, she stopped, and fell to her knees, her head falling forward, and her shoulders shaking.

Davos, watching from the deepest shadows of the room, nodded to himself. Coming forward, he settled his astral form in front of her, waiting for her to notice him and talk.

*

Losing herself in the kata was easy; she had been doing so since she was a child. If meditation didn't work to clear her mind, the kata usually did, and the more complicated and formal it was, the better. Cende needed to clear her mind, to regain some of the composure that was steadily becoming harder to maintain. As she settled into the routine, she thought that perhaps this time, it might work.

She had known Marcus for nearly two months now, and at first, they had only passed occasional hours together. In addition to the two evenings they had gone out - friends and colleagues spending a pleasant time together, he had called it - he had helped with her literature and history studies for her general education degree. Cende took a breath and shifted position to the next stage of the form - and in her mind's eye, the image of Marcus in his suit coalesced, and she remembered him telling her about Hero One.

She faltered slightly, but picked up the movement again, and kept going. As she slid into the next stance, the image faded and changed into the afternoon he had taken her to a small, quiet bar and shown her how to play pool. She had seen it in a movie a few nights previous and asked about it; since they'd both had the time he'd decided that teaching was easier than explaining. She remembered the feeling of his body against her back, his arms on either side of her as he'd shown her how to hold the cue, and his patience as she learned to aim. They'd finally left when a number of sailors came in and made the bar considerably less quiet.

She opened her eyes, not seeing the apartment around her - or the watcher in the shadows - as the image faded and changed again, this time becoming a simple image of one of the many times she'd found him leaning against her door, reading, while he waited for her to arrive.

Feeling herself stumble in mid-move, she stopped and fell to her knees, allowing her hands to drop to her side and her head to fall forward. The hot prickle of unshed tears gathered behind her eyes and she took a shuddering breath, fighting back the sobs that threatened to break through. Although a few hot tears escaped to trail down her cheeks, she acquired the control she fought for and sighed softly, shifting to sit cross-legged on the chill floor. Glancing up, she was unsurprised to see Davos seated in front of her, waiting for her to speak. She looked away, not meeting her friend's eyes, and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "This is an unusual time for you."

"I've been checking up on you a little more frequently," he admitted. "You have been distracted and unhappy. I thought it a matter of time before you finally wanted to talk. I didn't expect this, however. Dina, what's wrong?"

Cende folded her hands in her lap, and centered her seating so that she was straight and even, with only her head bowed. Almost completely still, the only motion she made was breathing, and she concentrated for a moment to make certain that was even and calm. Finally, reluctantly, she looked up. "For the last four years, I have dreamed of Marcus Cole every night. We thought this meant that he was my heart's desire and match." Davos nodded, slowly, and Cende smiled briefly. "I've met him now. I spend ... considerable time with him, I talk with him, and I learn from him, and I know that he is, indeed, my heart's desire, yet the dreams have not yet stopped." Davos looked surprised, but before he could speak, Cende continued, "I do not know why the dreams continue, what they mean to show me, but I know that I have learned one very important lesson."

"Which is what?"

"That just because someone is your heart's desire does not mean that you are theirs." Cende unfolded herself and stood, then crossed to pick up her tea and breakfast dish. "He says we are only friends. There are times when it almost seems more, but then something happens and the distance returns."

"Perhaps he is merely uncertain of his own heart. Have you spoken with your friends here about it?"

Cende shook her head. "I haven't really mentioned the time he and I are spending together to anyone else, actually, just you." As she spoke, she moved around the apartment, gathering her uniform and making the bed. "I think he's kept it fairly private, as well. There is enough going on between the Star Patrol and the Phalanx right now, I think both of us just felt it would be better if we just went on quietly."

Davos cleared his throat and Cende glanced over at him. "Dina," he started, looked somewhat uncomfortable, "of all the things you've been through and will encounter, this is the one thing that I am fundamentally incapable of advising you on. However, if I had to make a guess... Dreaming Night is about finding mates and vocations. I believe the reason you are still dreaming is that you have not yet fulfilled the purpose of the Dreaming Night's dream." Cende turned to look at him in puzzlement and he cleared his throat again, "Ah. That is to say, you haven't been... um. Romantically intimate with him."

Cende blushed, "Davos! He's married."

"He's a widower."

She turned away, "I'm not sure his heart is willing to hear that yet."

Davos' voice behind her was gentle but firm, "Then you need to decide if you're willing to be persistent, or if you're going to walk away. We're not sure what, or when, but something's happening here. You may be out of time to decide sooner than you would like." Davos paused, then said simply, "Ratri's Blessing keep you, Papahai Dina."

When Cende turned back, Davos was gone. Well, she thought with an irritated sigh as she went to get ready for the day, at least that gives me something else to think about.

*****

Statesman paused with his hand on the knob of his private office in the Freedom Phalanx headquarters and concentrated. Extending his senses, he could hear the heartbeat and breathing of someone in the room beyond, and a moment later, he caught the scent of a familiar perfume - Sister Psyche. He felt her brush his mind with her amusement, and opened the door to see her seated in his guest chair, laughing softly.

"What made you decide to check?" she asked.

He shrugged lightly on his way around the desk. "I didn't remember closing the door all the way when I left last. Ever since the Nova Dominion attack on Positron and Synapse, I've been a little more cautious about such things. I'm not particularly worried for myself, but it'd be unfortunate for any innocent bystanders. It's one of the reasons Alexis and I moved out of the apartment and into the house when the Phalanx reformed all those years ago, if you'll recall."

"I remember. I remember thinking it was a good idea, too, which is why I moved to a supers-only building the year after. It's hard to believe we used to not worry about the bad guys attacking our homes; looking back now, I can't decide if we were naive or if the bad guys have just gotten worse."

"A little bit of both, I think." He sat and leaned back in his chair. "I doubt you came in early on a Monday to reminisce with me about our early years. What can I do for you this morning, Shalice?"

"I wanted to ask if your date would prefer a vegetarian menu for the dinner on Saturday. There's a few who do, and I'd like to let the caterers have a final count." Psyche's tone was casual and she pretended to examine a fingernail as she spoke.

"You can stop scanning me and just ask what you really want to know."

"Are you bringing Cende to the charity function?"

"I don't honestly know. I don't know if she'd be willing or able to come, and I haven't asked her."

"Are you going to?"

Marcus idly rubbed his wedding band with his opposite thumb, "I haven't decided yet. On the one hand, I enjoy her company. On the other, she prefers avoiding publicity and showing up with me could be the worst exposure possible. Why are you so curious about it?"

Shalice smiled. "Because she's good for you," was her blunt answer. "I've confirmed with Justin that the others aren't really aware your relationship with her, and neither of us are going to change that, but they've all noticed that you're calmer, less prone to overreacting. Your response to Ray and Sorina blowing up the lab last week was proof enough of that."

Running his hand through his hair, Marcus sighed. "First Alexis, now you. Maybe I ought to invite her to this party so you can see for yourself; Cende and I aren't in a relationship. We're just friends." Dropping his hand and meeting her eyes, he repeated firmly, "Shalice, I mean it. We're just friends."

Shalice said nothing. She simply nodded, then excused herself to go find a cup of coffee.

*****

"Helena? Help!" Cende's voice preceded her rush into Dispatch and Analysis, and Helena Collins looked up from the computer she was working at in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Spotting the smart-phone in Cende's hand, the slender, petite brunette began to grin, "They gave you one of the new communicators."

"Yes. Please help. I finally learned the last one, and then I was given this one. It's supposed to be more applicable, although I don't know what that means, but I have no idea how everything works, and now I can't find the text message I received earlier." Cende handed the phone to Helena with an air of pleading.

"More applicable? Oh, you mean it has more apps. Well, it does, and it integrates with COUNTERMEASURES better." Helena expertly began manipulating menus on the small screen as she spoke. "I noticed you're on duty but not specifically scheduled this afternoon. Could I get your help with something? And afterward, I can give you a tutorial on how to use this thing."

"Of course I'll help. And a tutorial would be welcome."

"Cool." Helena's eyes widened. "You're having lunch with Director Duncan? Does Commander Bowman know?"

"I don't know what I'm having lunch with Director Duncan for, so no, Commander Bowman doesn't know. If it becomes relevant, I'll make sure he's told, but she contacted me. If it's about my position as liaison for Nepal, it has nothing to do with Star Patrol, and it would be inappropriate for him to be there."

"Wait, liaison for Nepal?"

Cende glanced at the screen and read the information there. "I'll explain this afternoon, but I'm going to be late if I don't go. Thank you for rescuing this for me."

"Anytime!" Helena watched Cende stride out of Dispatch, then added under her breath, "and you bet you're going to explain."

*****

Cende waited at a table at the McCormick and Schmick's in Galaxy City, wondering again why Director Duncan wanted to meet with her. She had run into the Director the previous Friday after dropping by a retirement party for Barb, the office manager in the Longbow administration office who had helped Cende when she had been new to the city. The Director had been on her way in, and had stopped Cende in the hallway.

"Excuse me, you're Cende, with Star Patrol, aren't you?" At Cende's nod of agreement, the Director had smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Alexis Duncan, I'm glad to run into you. I've been meaning to meet you." Cende had shaken the woman's hand in some surprise, and murmured a polite greeting as the older blonde had continued, "I'd like to spend some time talking with you, although now's not really good. As it turns out, my lunch meeting on Monday was cancelled, would you happen to be free then?"

Cende had confirmed that she usually had Monday mornings free, and Alexis had scheduled the time immediately. "Great. I have the reservation information at my desk, I'll text it to you on Monday morning. I look forward to seeing you then." The Director had gone on into the administration office at that point, leaving Cende to wonder for the next several days what the meeting was for.

"I'm sorry I'm late, I hope you weren't waiting long. The last meeting was with a Senator, and the old gasbag just wouldn't stop talking." Alexis slid into the seat across from Cende, tossed a pair of sunglasses onto the table, and grinned, "Fortunately, Dad came in and rescued me. He and the Senator knew each other years ago - Dad introduced the Senator to his wife, actually, so they'll probably spend the afternoon talking, and Dad will finish getting the bill I spent all morning pitching before the Senator's subcommittee. I'm sure you'll hear more about it from him tomorrow."

Cende shook her head, "I'm sorry, I don't think I followed all of that," then her eyes widened slightly. "Tomorrow?"

"Don't you usually have dinner with him on Tuesday?"

"Yes, but how...?" Cende paused as the server came, and both ladies placed their orders. When they were alone again, she regarded Alexis steadily, "This isn't about Star Patrol or Nepal, is it?"

Alexis looked surprised, "Nepal? Why... oh, that's right, I'd forgotten about that. No, it's just because I wanted to get to know you. He's relaxed since he's met you, gotten back some of his patience. I think you're reminding him that he's human, and that's a good thing. Getting into this relationship with you has been one of the best things that's happened to him in years."

Cende looked down at her hands. "I... oh. Thank you. I'm very glad to hear I've been good for him." She looked up and her smile flashed across her face. "Unfortunately, you may be under a slight misapprehension. Marcus and I are only friends."

"That's what he says. Is that really how you feel, too?"

"It seems to me that for something to be more, both people must wish it be so. Does it matter how I feel, if he wants only friendship?"

Alexis shrugged, "It matters. See, when Mom died, Dad shut down. I thought we'd lose him for a while - not that he'd die, but that he'd just leave. There's been a few times since then when he's come close to it, as well, times when he's shut himself from humanity and feeling. Something's always brought him back, but each time, he's been just a little further away, a little closer to being permanently gone. In a lot of ways, he started shutting down even before she died, just a little, because he could see her dying in inches as she got older and he didn't." Alexis took a sip of water and continued, "Now you're here, and for the first time in thirty years, I'm watching my father really come alive. So yes, it matters how you feel."

Cende sat very still and stared at her hands. "I do not have the means to adequately convey how I feel for him," Cende's voice was quiet when she eventually responded to the other woman, "other than to simply say I love him. However, he still loves your mother, and there is not room for me in his heart."

Alexis smiled, and relaxed into her chair. "There is room in his heart for you, and if Mom's still in there, she'll make sure he understands that. You just have to know how to recruit her help - so let me tell you about Mom..."

*****

When Cende got back to Star Patrol base, Helena was waiting for her. "Was it about Nepal?"

"What?"

"Your meeting with Director Duncan. Was it about Nepal?"

"Oh. No, it was personal." Seeing Helena's look, Cende shook her head, "We have people in common and she wanted to meet me, that's all. What did you want help with?"

"Part of an investigation I'm working on. I need help recovering some information." Helena set the coordinates for the transport system, and shortly afterward the two women stepped out into Dark Astoria.

"What are we looking for?" Cende asked, "And do you happen to have a tracker for it? These are not the sorts of shadows that I would care to hunt in for long."

"It's a book that the Circle stole from a witch on Talos." Helena got out a small crystal on a chain and focused on it for a moment. "The Banished Pantheon stole it from them, but the crystal from the clasp dropped off when they did. The witch found the general location a half hour ago and said the crystal would lead us to the specific location once we got there. Or, that is, here." The crystal stood straight out on its chain, pointing to a boarded up building. The boards on one of the double-doors had been recently ripped down and the frame broken, leaving the door banging slightly in the ever-present wind.

The women exchanged dubious looks, then cautiously entered through the broken door into the dimly lit building. "So why are you investigating magical mysteries?" inquired Cende as they moved forward. "I thought your expertise was technology."

"It is," confirmed Helena, "but I'm trying to find out more about where my powers come from. Ever since I nearly died from the Rikti infection and then recovered, I've been getting stronger and discovering new abilities. I want to know why and how."

"Well, that makes sense. And you think this book will help?"

"I think the witch might have some answers for me, but recovering this book is her price." They moved into a tall, open space with multiple staircases. Out of the shadows, several desiccated forms lurched into view. "Oh, ugh - zombies. That's the main problem with this case."

"At least they're dry zombies and not wet zombies. Vahzilok are worse," Cende observed calmly as she began to fight.

Once the room was clear, Helena checked the crystal again to make certain the book hadn't been moved. As they continued deeper into the building, she casually asked, "Do they have zombies in Nepal?"

"Not that I've noticed, no."

"So... what does a FBSA liaison for Nepal do?"

Cende glanced over at Helena and a smile ghosted across her face. "Usually? Sit in on seminars and see how they can be culturally translated for use back home. Strangely enough, Nepal and India have both instituted something similar to the FBSA now, and the training seminars have proven useful."

"So how come you're liaison to Nepal?"

"I think perhaps because I'm the first hero that's come to Paragon from Nepal, honestly. Being the first, they've been trying to get as much out of my being here as they can. I don't mind, as long as it helps people. It's allowed me to do more than I otherwise would have." Cende reflected that what had started as true enough in the liaison to Nepal story had oddly become actually true; somehow, Khadka's cover for her had found its way into the official Nepalese records. Several months ago, the Nepalese Office of International Affairs had noticed their Superhero Liaison had not filed any reports and had demanded a full set of updates for her time in Paragon. Since then, she had been required to attend rather more meetings than she'd expected and found herself grateful for her ongoing studies on world affairs.

The conversation was suddenly interrupted by a surprise wave of Husks dropping on them from the overhanging balcony. Above them, they could hear a steady chanting, and a sheen of sickly green light illuminated the walls. "I think we're here," Helena noted, indicating the crystal that was now pointing straight up. "Let's get this over with."

*****

An hour and a half later, in the dim light of the Analysis lab, Helena held out Cende's communicator. "Okay, I've reprogrammed the menus so that it's similar to the old one. Take a look, see what you think."

Cende accepted the small phone back and began to poke at it gingerly. "I wish you could rescue my Longbow files as easily as you rescued my text message."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, Medical told me a couple of weeks ago that Longbow still hasn't forwarded my complete medical records over. They've sent a partial, but not everything. It's the only thing they're holding on to, and when I've tried to get someone over there to talk to me, they lose my messages or forget to call me back. Somehow they always seem to have conflicts when I try to schedule appointments, and mysteriously, nobody's there when I show up - no matter when that is."

"OK, that's weird." Helena turned to the computer. "But it's Longbow. I know their system inside and out already. The files should just be under your name... and... yeah, here they are. I'll just copy them over to our system. They're your files, and that's what you want, right?"

"You can do that? Yes, if you can, I'd like them here. Can you delete them from Longbow's system?"

"I can, but it's not a good idea. They'd just be restored from backup for one thing, and for another, I'd rather not have people looking to see who took them out. I can put access locks on them, though. I can restrict it to you, and Director-level. That means only the Star Patrol commanders, Freedom Corps and Longbow Directors, and emergency medical override can see it."

"Then yes, please if you would. Thank you, Helena."

Helena grinned. "No problem."

Due to Real Life (pesky thing that it is) there will be no chapter today. It didn't quite get finished, and definitely didn't get proofed. Two of the next three are shorter, so I'll post two of them together either tomorrow or Friday.

On the up side, if I pay attention to what I'm doing tonight and tomorrow, I'll have the next several done quickly.

Normally I don't post over the weekend, but if I finish this lot and Talek gets it proofed before he starts his competition, I might just do a run straight through. Doing so would make the storyline current to Samuraiko's Course of Superhero Romance by... either Monday or Tuesday night's posting.

Then I get a break while we wait for her.

Since this story is very long, comments go into a separate comment thread. The comment thread can be found here.

-------------------------

Chapter 42.

The next few weeks passed slowly, and Marcus found himself getting steadily more annoyed by the ongoing string of first dates. Finally, he stopped Sister Psyche one evening as they both prepared to leave headquarters. "Enough." His voice was firm. "No more suggestions of eligible heroines, please, Shalice. I appreciate the assistance, but I believe I'm done for now."

Psyche gave him a look he couldn't quite identify, but nodded in apparent agreement, "Of course. If you change your mind, just let me know." She paused and smiled at Manticore as he joined them, then looked back to Marcus. "Would you care to come with Justin and me for dinner?"

Marcus shook his head, "No, thank you. I think I'm going to walk a while." Nodding to Shalice and Justin, he made his way out to the street and began to walk aimlessly, pausing once to arrest a mugger who'd mistaken him for easy prey and once again to interrupt a trio of Hellions as they started to break into an office. Lost in thought, he had stopped for several minutes before he realized it, and he looked around in surprise to discover himself on the top step before Cende's door. After their single evening out, he had regularly stopped by to assist her with her history and literature studies, but they had scheduled each of those times. He had no idea if she would be available for an unexpected visit, and he wondered if she'd mind. Shrugging slightly, he headed down the stairs; he wanted to talk to her, so he'd see if she were in. After all, there was no harm in trying.

For a few moments after he knocked, there was silence on the other side of the door, and he concluded she wasn't in. He had just headed up the stairs when he heard the door behind him open, and he turned, looking down to the opening below. Cende stood framed in the opening, wearing what appeared to be some form of dress and her long hair was slightly mussed. Her smile flickered across her face, and she stepped back to wordlessly invite him in.

Marcus came back down the stairs. "Did I wake you?"

Cende shrugged lightly. "Not noticeably. I was almost awake anyway. Several things happened all at once, so some of us wound up on duty for nearly twenty hours. Most of us expressed the intention of sleeping after that. Is everything all right?" She began to move toward her kitchen, but Marcus put out a hand and stopped her.

"I woke you; I'll make the tea." In the soft light of the apartment her saw her curious look, then she nodded and went to the couch. As she tucked her feet under her and he moved around her kitchen, he considered her question. "I suppose it depends on your definition of all right. You know all those dates I've been going on?" She nodded, and he sighed. "I've put a stop to them. Some of the women were interesting in their own right, of course, but there was never anything there. I had been worried, when this whole thing started, that I would be comparing every one of them to Monica, but that never happened." He brought the tea over to her, then settled into the only chair and stretched out his legs.

"Why not?" Cende had wrapped her hands around her mug and was cradling it for warmth while she sipped the tea.

Marcus idly turned his own mug around in his hands while he thought about the question. "There was something missing. I was looking for something that none of them had, but I don't know what it was. Without that something, the dates could have been interviews or business meetings, except with personal topics. Comparing them to Monica made about as much sense as comparing them to the thugs I've beat on. In a couple of cases, less - a few of those women made the thugs look downright reasonable. I'm still trying to figure out how Flambeaux managed to sneak onto my calendar. Are you all right?"

Cende, coughing, nodded. After a moment, she had caught her breath and was able to ask, "So, ah... how did the date with Flambeaux go?"

"Blessedly short," Marcus replied with a groan. "The Phalanx got an emergency call partway through and I had to leave. She wanted to come along, but she's not cleared through Portal Corp so that put an end to that. Of course, we returned to find she had gotten a group of Freakshow together and were chasing down a bunch of Family on Independence Port docks. She claimed she was trying to arrest them for extortion, but the Freaks were causing as much damage as the Family, and it was just a mess. It's almost a tradition, though, some Family or other being on the docks - back in the early thirties, it was the Castillos." He leaned back in the chair, quietly remembering out loud the changes over the years as the various gangs came and went. After some time, he realized he was out of tea. Looking up to check with Cende, he saw her eyes were mostly closed and recalled what she had said about her duty shift the day before.

"I'm sorry... I'm rambling and I woke you. I should leave, and let you get back to sleep." Marcus couldn't say why, precisely, he was reluctant to go but he set down his cup and started to stand, only to stop as her smile briefly lit her face when she opened her eyes and looked at him.

"No, I'm awake, and I'm not falling asleep. I was simply listening. I must admit I like your voice." She took a sip of her tea to hide a slight blush at this admission. Marcus sat back in his chair, somewhat surprised, as she continued. "Yes, you were rambling, but that's all right. I think it means you feel safe here, and that's a good thing, isn’t it?"

He scoffed slightly. "I'm invulnerable and immortal. I feel safe pretty much everywhere."

Cende shook her head, "That's not what I meant." She considered for a moment before continuing. "Almost everyone around you sees you as The Statesman - a symbol, an icon, and an example, but none of them really sees you as Marcus, as just a man. They've grown up with you in the Statesman role, and nothing has challenged that for them." She glanced away, hesitating. "On the other hand, I grew up in a temple that had minimal contact with the outside world. Until a little over two years ago, I had no idea that Paragon City, Statesman, or Marcus Cole even existed. I've barely met Statesman, but I've spent time with Marcus Cole, so to me, Statesman isn't quite real. As a result, nothing in this apartment has any expectations of you, because I only see you... as yourself. Statesman may be invulnerable out there, but it's safe here for Marcus to just come and talk to a fri... a colleague."

Marcus smiled. "A friend," he responded, firmly, "And as such, I have to insist that if you're awake, and I woke you, it's my responsibility to feed you. Go get changed and we'll go to that Italian place in Faultline. Besides, aren't your tests tomorrow?" She nodded as she passed him on her way to the armoire and he gave a slight shrug as he stood and collected teacups. "Well, I expect you'll be up most of the night studying then, and you should do that on a full stomach."

*

Dinner was been a quiet, surprisingly uneventful affair. After leaving her apartment, they had walked down to the tram for the quick trip into south Skyway and then walked through the war-wall connection to Faultline. Marcus' earlier rambles led Cende to ask questions about changes in the way the Family thugs operated over the years, and that fed into a discussion on politics that took up the entire meal. As they began to head back to her apartment, he complimented her on her remarkable insights into the dangers faced by the people under the rule of a dictator.

Cende glanced up at him. "Ah. Thank you." She looked away, and Marcus wondered briefly if there was more to follow. Suddenly however, she stopped, and looked down the street before turning back and pointing. "What is that? I've been wondering for over a year now."

He looked at where she was pointing, "What is... oh that? It's a doughnut shop." He considered her lack of expression for a moment, then shook his head. "Come on. I have no idea if you'll like it or not, but we'll have one for dessert." As he escorted her the block and a half to the Drenched Doughnut, he asked, "If you've been wondering for over a year, why haven't you asked someone else?"

"I'm not down here often enough to remember," she replied, "and when I am down here, it's not usually with someone who understands."

He had nodded to that, and taken her inside, watching with amusement as she took in the concept of a doughnut. When she'd turned wide eyes to him, he'd laughed and ordered for both of them, then handed her the basic frosted-with-sprinkles he'd gotten. She'd gamely made it through half of the sticky thing before looking around for a trashcan; he'd relieved her of it and handed her the tea he'd known she'd want.

By mutual consent, they ambled past the old buildings of Skyway, walking the few miles back to her apartment. Twice more on the way she'd stopped and looked at something and then asked him to explain it to her. The first time had been Super Lanes - bowling had been relatively easy to explain, and Marcus had been rewarded with a description of a similar game the acolytes had played in the temple when Cende was a child. The second stop, however, had been even more rewarding - a revival movie theater was playing Nightmare City and Marcus was obliged to explain the concept of rubber-suit and model-city monster movies. Cende listened in disbelief as he explained, and as he finished up, a soft, brief laugh had escaped her. She'd caught herself quickly, but her eyes had been sparkling and dancing in amusement at the concept. The conversation had been slow and comfortable after that, with neither of them finding it particularly necessary to fill the silences with random chatter, and he had left her at her door with an agreement to meet for lunch in a few days, once she had her test results back.

Marcus realized as he walked up the path of his own home that, given Cende's association with Star Patrol, he'd been expecting something unpleasant to happen and he was rather relieved that thus far there seemed to be no hint of trouble. The young lady herself was a pleasant companion who provided him with a fresh perspective on the world; one that he increasingly found himself seeking out. He also found it entertaining to introduce her to aspects of Western culture that she hadn't yet encountered. While it might not be the sort of companionship that he was being encouraged to find, it was sufficient for now.

Entering his house, Marcus heard movement in the kitchen. As he locked the door, Alexis looked around the corner, and smiled, "Hi, Dad. Did you have a nice walk?" He looked at her in surprise and she shrugged as she went back to the counter. "I saw you when I dropped Laurence off. Who's the redhead?"

He followed her into the kitchen and waved off the coffee she offered him. "Just a friend I had dinner with." Noticing her expression, he sighed to himself. "Her name is Cende and she's in the Star Patrol. We met when she filled in for you while you were sick and we did that ridiculous test for Brawler. She's an interesting young woman and I enjoy her company, that's all."

Alexis hid her expression behind her cup. Between sips, she casually observed, "She seemed rather pretty."

Green eyes sparkling with amusement came to mind and Marcus responded without thinking, "She has beautiful eyes." Hearing his own words, Marcus gave Alexis a stern look. "Stop that. She's a pleasant young lady, but don't get any ideas." He stood and kissed his daughter on the top of her head. "Cende and I are just friends, and that's all we're going to be. Goodnight."

Alexis' speculative gaze followed her father as he left the room.

Since this story is very long, comments go into a separate comment thread. The comment thread can be found here.

-------------------------

Chapter 41.

For the next week, it seemed to Marcus that there were twice as many official functions as usual - and that he ran into Cende at all of them, usually acting as a bodyguard to one of the attendees. He found himself standing next to her one evening after she had turned her client over to another team and inquired about it.

"I'm not sure about the number of official functions," Cende responded, "it's hard for me to tell the difference between them most of the time. You're right, though, that I'm not usually at the same ones you are, and that I've been getting a lot of bodyguard work this week. My schedule changed six times in five days, and that's not usual." She paused to consider, then continued, "I don't mind, though. I'd rather keep them from getting kidnapped than rescue them afterward, and at least these last few figured out that being in Paragon is more dangerous than their usual security group can handle."

"You don't get to enjoy the function you're attending if you're working, though."

She looked at him, and Marcus got the impression of a raised eyebrow behind the dark glasses she wore with her uniform. "And you do enjoy it? You're working as much as I am at these, it's just a different sort of work. At least I get to fade into the background."

Marcus looked away, slightly nettled. After a moment, he turned back to her. "What are you going to do about dinner? It's gotten rather late."

One of her brief smiles lit her face. "I have an order in with a restaurant I know. It's on the way home, and there's usually enough for several days." She paused a moment, then softly added, "If you'd like to join me, you'd be welcome."

"I'd like that." He paused a moment, considering. "Will a half hour be all right? I need to check in back at the base and change out of uniform."

She nodded, "Time enough for me to get the food and get home. I'll see you in a half-hour, then." She gave him another brief smile and was gone.

*****

Cende paused outside of her apartment and checked the tree for Mr. Chuckles. The cat wasn't there, and she sighed in annoyance. She wasn't entirely positive how the black-and-white tom got around, but she was ready to get one of Star Patrol's resident psychics to take a look at him and confirm the suspicions of most of the building's residents.

Landing, Cende unlocked and opened her door, then spoke the word that triggered the candles and oil lamps within the studio apartment to flicker into life. Crossing to the kitchenette, she started speaking in her native language as she put the bags of food on the counter. "All right, cat, just because I brought home Tandoori chicken does not mean you're permitted to invite yourself to dinner. You really need to stop letting yourself into the apartment whenever you feel like it - it's not your home. You have your own place upstairs, and your owner feeds you just fine without your trying to get extras from me."

"Ah. I was wondering why you had gotten a pet. You hadn't - it got you." Davos' light tones came from the bed, and Cende turned from the counter, eyes wide, to see him hovering above the bed next to the sprawling Mr. Chuckles. "I take it from your comments that it is a part-time pet, only here on occasion?"

"Only here when he thinks I have something interesting to feed him. He always seems to know when I'm bringing his favorites home, and is waiting here when I get in. He does this to all the residents." Cende started water for tea and partially opened the window closest to the door to let air in before starting to change out of her uniform. "I didn't lose track of when you were going to be here, did I?"

Davos shook his head. "No, Dina, you didn't lose track, I’m here off schedule. It's about Rinchen." As he expected, Cende - half changed - stopped moving and stared at him. He took a breath. "She's all right. Endaruta's gotten tired of her already and given her to a husband."

"How can she be all right if he's given her to someone he thinks deserves a reward like that?" demanded Cende.

"Well, that's the strange thing. The husband he chose for her was Gephel." Davos' tone was slightly amused underneath the gravity of the news, and he waited for Cende's reaction.

Cende sank down onto the edge of the bed, her shirt in her hand. "Gephel? But he's been a confirmed bachelor his entire life."

"Indeed. He's in shock; he's married to the trials and has no real use for a wife, much less one that is a quarter of his age. Still, he's a good man and he'll be gentle with her. We're all very suspicious about Endaruta's motives, but at least we have Rinchen back where we can help her."

Cende nodded and was about to reply when a firm knock came on the door. Her eyes again opened wide, and she hurried into her shirt. "It's Marcus. Davos..."

Davos smiled. "Finally. You can tell me everything next time. Blessings of Ratri on you, Papahai Dina." His astral form flickered and vanished just before Cende opened the door.

*

Marcus approached the basement apartment and hoped Cende wouldn't mind that he was a few minutes early. Checking in at headquarters hadn't taken quite as long as he'd thought it would, and he'd left before anything could come up to delay him. As he went down the steps to her door he slowed, hearing voices from within - listening for a moment, he realized that he didn't understand the language, but he definitely heard a man's voice speaking with her. He paused, then knocked firmly; she was expecting him after all. Moments later the door opened onto a candlelit room and she stood aside to let him in.

"Please, come in. I just have to put the cat back in his own home." She crossed to the bed, where a large black-and-white cat looked indignant as she unceremoniously lifted it off the covers. "He thinks he is sharing dinner. I think he is mistaken tonight." Marcus followed her out the door and watched as she pushed the cat through a second-story window and came back down. Her quick smile came and went as she led him back into her apartment.

"Who does the cat belong to?" he inquired as he seated himself at the table

"My landlady, Mrs. Purdue. The cat is Mr. Chuckles. I have no idea how he gets in; none of us do. He shows up in all of the apartments whenever he pleases, regardless of locked doors and closed windows. Mostly when we have something he wants to eat, I think." Cende lapsed into silence as she made tea and finished putting the food on the table.

"Is everything all right?" Marcus watched her carefully. "I thought I heard voices as I came up to the door; did something happen?"

Cende turned to look at him, somewhat obviously startled, and he found himself pleased to have temporarily banished her usual serene expression. "All right? Well... yes, actually, I suppose it is. I just received some unexpected news." She placed the tea on the table and sat across from him. "One of my students has been married to one of my teachers."

Marcus wondered briefly at her odd phrasing. "I take it they hadn't been seeing each other for very long?"

Cende tilted her head for a moment, then softly said, "No, Marcus, you misunderstand. They weren't seeing each other at all; that's not how it's done in my valley. She was old enough to marry, so she was given to him as his wife."

Marcus put his fork down and looked at the woman across from him intently. "Given to him. Because she was old enough." Cende nodded, and his jaw clenched. "How old is 'old enough'?"

"Most of the girls in the valley are married or have a vocation by the time they are sixteen." Cende's voice was calm and her gaze steady. "The ones with vocations usually marry within a few years. I am unusual in that I am now twenty and unmarried."

"Sixteen! That's still a child!"

"Not when you're raised to it."

"What?"

Cende sighed. "Marcus, what was your first job, and how old were you when you had it?"

Marcus looked puzzled for a moment, then sighed himself. "I was a dock worker at fifteen," he replied, somewhat grudgingly.

"Were you a child at the time?"

"No. Because, as you put it, I was raised to it. Point taken. But you said she was given to him. Do these girls have a choice?"

"Usually, yes. I would say that the majority of the young women in the valley have some say in who they marry. It's not like it is here, but it's an entirely different culture; you can't expect it to be the same." Cende paused, crumbling a bit of naan into powder as she considered her next words. "The situation with my student is a little unusual, however, and not something I may speak of."

"Don't you trust me?" Marcus had meant the question to come out teasing, but he thought it had come out challenging instead.

"Implicitly." Cende poured tea for both of them as she answered him calmly. "But I still have to follow the temple's rules."

Marcus sat back and considered the young woman across from him for a long moment before abruptly asking, "Are you working tomorrow evening?"

Cende shook her head, "I have tomorrow off."

He smiled. "Good. You should see these functions from the other side of the street, as it were."

She looked puzzled, "What do you mean?"

"The Chilean Ambassador is hosting a small reception and charity fundraiser to thank the volunteers who went down to help after their recent earthquake. I'd like you to come with me."

Cende glanced away and he thought she would turn him down. After a brief silence, she asked, "Why?"

It wasn't a response he was expecting. "Why what?"

"Why are you asking me?"

Her voice was unusually soft, and Marcus wondered what she was thinking. "I like talking with you; your point of view is different and you make me stop to think. It would be a nice to change to have someone enjoyable to talk to at one of these things. Besides, as I said, you really ought to see one of these events from the attending side - it'll give you a better perspective from which to do your job on the bodyguard side." Suddenly remembering her desire to avoid questions at the summer picnic, he wondered if that were the problem, and tried reassure her, "Don't worry about the press bothering you. Pretty much everyone's accepted that I wouldn't bring a date to one of these. There's too much going on for that. They'll all understand that you're a colleague."

"I... I see." She took a few small bites of her dinner before nodding briefly. "Yes, I'll come with you."

Marcus smiled again. "I'll pick you up at six, then."

"Could it be... would you mind just a little bit later? Not much, just a few minutes, but I won't be home until just after six." At his curious look, she waved toward her bookcase. "I mentioned the test I am to take in a few weeks? I'm in a final set of study sessions to prepare. It's only a few blocks away."

"Six-thirty, then, and we won't worry about traffic that comes up." When she agreed, Marcus leaned forward and changed the subject, pointing to one of the dishes on the table and asking her to describe it. After that, the conversation drifted from food to travel, and Marcus found himself relating stories of the various state dinners and global functions he had been invited to over the years.

Relaxed for the first time in months, he didn't realize until he'd gotten home that he never asked her who the man's voice he'd heard belonged to or how she got the information about her student from her technologically deficient home. Shrugging to himself, Marcus decided that it could wait. It was unlikely to be important anytime soon.

*****

Cende stood near the door of the embassy and waited for Marcus to finish speaking with the Ambassador. Their arrival together three hours earlier had caused a minor stir, but as he had introduced her merely as a "colleague from the Star Patrol," interest in her had died down, exactly as he predicted. It had dropped far enough, in fact, that several women had actually stepped in front of Cende to flirt with Marcus. Cende had watched each of these occurrences with a mix of amusement and annoyance, until she had finally asked Marcus what the women were doing.

Marcus had sighed. "They're trying to get me to ask them out; some for the first time, others for the second. The last few years have been a little like this, but it's been worse ever since word got around that I've started looking for a companion."

Cende nodded slightly, "The dates you've been going on."

He'd snorted softly at that. "The string of completely unproductive, frustrating first dates, yes." Shaking his head, he changed the subject, "It's not worth talking about right now. Here, we have chips. I'm willing to bet you've never played blackjack before, have you? Come over here, and I'll teach you. We can lose some money for charity."

To her own surprise, Cende won a few of the games she played once she understood the rules, and Marcus applauded her efforts. She gave him a quick, pleased smile that was nearly the equivalent of a cheer for her, and handed him the modest pile of chips. When he quirked an eyebrow at her, she explained, "I don't know what to do with them now." It took them close to a half hour to choose between the various charities that were collecting chips, then another half hour to make their way to the main lobby of the embassy, where Marcus was stopped by the Ambassador for a brief conversation. Cende moved to the vestibule to wait away from the noise.

As she waited for him, she studied him. At 6'2", he was taller than she, even when she was in heels. His gaze was open and forthright, showing no signs of impatience as he listened to the Ambassador speak. She remembered the first sight of him in her dream, when he approached her in a similar suit to the tailored black he wore now, and she thought it looked even better on him now than it had in the dream. The slight taper to the cut of the suit emphasized the fact that his broad shoulders neatly filled the jacket without need for padding. The pants hung nicely straight, with a slight cuff at the ankle. And the contrast between the white of the shirt and the black of the jacket just… Shaking herself slightly, she stepped forward to meet him as he finally broke away, and firmly reminded herself that to him, they were merely colleagues.

Marcus held the door for her to precede him out, "I apologize for that. The Ambassador wanted to discuss the possibility of sending Freedom Corps trainers down to teach some of their up and coming heroes the ropes."

"Are you going to?" Cende glanced up at him as he handed her into his car.

"It's more Alexis' department than mine, but I think it's a good idea. We lost a lot of heroes in the War, and we need to train more." He sighed softly, "It seems we always need more."

They drove in silence through the night toward Atlas Park. Cende kept her eyes shut; on the way over, she had tried to look out the windows or at the instruments on the panel in front of Marcus and found herself feeling rather queasy; she wasn't eager to repeat the experience now. Eventually, she felt the car slow, then stop. When the car turned off, she opened her eyes and found that they had parked behind City Hall. Turning her head, she met Marcus' gently amused eyes.

"You don't like being in cars, do you? Why didn't you say something - do you get motion sick?" He reached out a hand to take her wrist, and she could feel him gently checking her pulse. She knew it was faster than normal, but it would settle soon.

"I've never been in one until tonight," she admitted, "so I didn't know riding in one would make me ill, but no, I don't like travelling inside of vehicles. Why are we here?"

"I thought you might appreciate walking the rest of the way to clear your head. Also," Marcus paused, and looked at the darkened building before them for a moment, then back to her, "have you been in the Omega Team Memorial since it opened?"

"Not the official one, no. But it's after hours, it will be locked."

Marcus got out of the car and came around to her door. As he gave her a hand out, he smiled. "Not to me. Let me tell you about Hero One..."

Since this story is very long, comments go into a separate comment thread. The comment thread can be found here.

-------------------------

Chapter 40.

While neither of them spoke as they fought, Cende was acutely aware of the man fighting beside her and a small, quiet part of her mind was devoutly grateful that it had happened in so many dreams. She was able to focus on her part of the battles without too much distraction, and he didn't seem to notice the few times her attention slipped.

They had made it through half the cave system and were taking a brief rest when he commented, "I don't believe I've seen your style of fighting before. Which school were you trained in?"

Cende shook her head, "I wasn't trained in any of the nationally recognized martial arts schools. I was taught at the temple I was raised in, in the traditions they maintain there."

"You were raised in a temple?" Marcus asked in surprise, and hummed when Cende nodded. "You said in the mountains of Nepal? No wonder you have to ask about cultural references. Are you a Buddhist, then, or Hindi, or something else?"

Cende smiled. "Something else. I'm a priestess of Ratri. She's the Vedic Goddess of the night, and of dreams, but I think most of Her worship has been forgotten."

Marcus gave her a strange look, then started forward, "We should keep moving."

*

Marcus started, and looked hard at Cende. A priestess of dreams, showing up in his life just when his dreams started getting strange was a little too coincidental, but he wasn't prepared to think it was her doing. So far, she seemed to be innocent enough, but he'd give her a chance to prove herself one way or another. He started forward, "We should keep moving."

More disturbing to him was the constant feeling of forgetfulness he felt just being near her, as if he was on the verge of remembering something important. It was distracting, although fortunately she hadn't seem to notice the few times his attention had slipped. Equally distracting was the growing feeling that the entire situation was somehow familiar, although by the time they reached the final cavern, Marcus had almost convinced himself that it was simply the fact that he was working with a female martial artist - something he hadn't done since Alexis had stopped actively taking missions years before. He put the thought firmly out of his mind as they paused at the entry to the final cavern and looked at the milling throng within.

"I don't think we're going to be able to take them all on at once." Cende's voice was hushed, and he glanced over at her. She looked back at him. "Even you can't hold the attention of that many, and I don't want to chase the rest down."

"Not to mention, you're not unbreakable. No, I agree, not at all once, but we should be able to handle a third at a time. Let's go in. Try to stay near me." Marcus wondered at the odd glance Cende shot him, but moved in to his first target.

Each of the three groups went down, although stragglers from the first and overly excited guards from the third unexpectedly complicated the second group. They were just mopping up the last of the Rularuu in the cave when a gasp of pain came from behind Marcus. He turned to see an Honored Brute knock Cende out of a shadowed alcove with a focused burst of energy, and she went flying across the cavern to land gracelessly on the floor. Marcus grimaced and charged the Brute, hoping to get its attention and give his companion a chance to recover. Several times as he fought it the beast tried to retreat, but shadows reached up and wrapped themselves around it, holding it in place. Once the thing finally fell, Marcus took the time to check the cavern thoroughly before returning to Cende, now gingerly testing one ankle.

"The shadow tentacles that held the beast - those were yours?" He offered her an arm to lean on while she checked to see if her ankle would hold her.

Cende nodded and accepted the arm, taking a few steps before coming to a complete stop and closing her eyes. After a moment, she calmly answered, "The shadows were a gift from my Goddess when I became Her warrior." She opened her eyes again and released her hold on his arm, then began to walk normally. "I think that's everything here, though. We should get back to the base."

*****

Dressing in a pair of slacks and a blouse after her shower, Cende considered the morning's events with wonder. It had been strange enough that he had been there at all, but to have Marcus all to herself for the morning must have been due to the intervention of Ratri, and Cende offered a quiet prayer of thanks to her Goddess. She had absolutely no idea what was going to happen next, but at least something had begun.

They had checked in with General Hammond and been assured that, for the time being, clearing out that nest of Rularuu was sufficient. Cende had apologetically informed Statesman that she wasn't actually on duty just then and had an appointment she needed to get ready for. She had really hated excusing herself, but the twice-weekly class sessions were important and there were only a few weeks left before the test. She had promised herself that becoming eligible to enter the university would mark the beginning of her next life change. She could only hope that whatever was to happen with Marcus wouldn't depend on her going with him right then.

It apparently didn't, because he had simply nodded and indicated that he had a backlog of paperwork that he was going to take an unexpected opportunity to get through. Before they had parted, however, he had smiled at her - one of his Marcus smiles, not the over-confident macho smiles he usually gave from behind the mask - and said he'd like to work with her again sometime.

Cende sat, lost in thought, until her communicator's alarm beeped to remind her of the time and she had to rush to class.

*****

Marcus leaned back in his chair and sighed. It had taken several hours worth of uninterrupted work, but he was finally caught up. He glanced out the window, and wondered when full dark had fallen. Checking the clock, he realized he was going to have a hard time finding much open for dinner, and he contemplated cooking with disfavor. As he put a few final files into his completed basket, a slip of paper fell to the floor. Curious, he picked it up and looked at it - a single name, in Synapse's impatient scrawl, was written above a partially unreadable phone number. He fingered the paper for a moment, before bringing up the FBSA registry to key in her name and affiliation. What the hell. Synapse is right, I did like talking to her, and it would be a nice change. We worked well together this morning, and I'd like to get to know her better.

As he waited for the database to spit out the information he wanted, he finished getting ready to leave. A beep let him know his query had completed just as he sat down again and he glanced over the file as he copied down her contact information and address.

CENDE
SUPERHERO ALIASES: NONE
CITIZENSHIP: NEPAL
VISA: DIPLOMATIC, NEPAL
KNOWN AFFILIATIONS:
FREEDOM CORPS (DIVISION: STAR PATROL, RANK: CAPTAIN), 2009-PRESENT
FREEDOM CORPS (DIVISION: LONGBOW, PARTING RANK: LIEUTENANT), 2008-2009
FREEDOM PHALANX (RANK: RESERVE MEMBER), 2010 - PRESENT
VANGUARD (VOLUNTEER RESERVE), 2010 - PRESENT
TRAINED ABILITIES: MARTIAL ARTS
INHERENT POWERS: UNKNOWN
SECURITY LEVEL: 50
CLEARANCE LEVEL: OMEGA
NO FURTHER INFORMATION AVAILABLE.

He frowned. That was all? Normally, by the time someone reached those security and clearance levels, there was rather more information collected on them. Although, the diplomatic visa made collecting some information rather more difficult - and how did she have one of those in the first place? Marcus turned off the computer and headed out.

Twenty minutes later, he was walking down the steps to a basement apartment in Atlas Park, a chicken and mushroom pizza in hand. It wasn't until he knocked that it occurred to him that she might not even be there.

*****

Cende was curled in the corner of her small couch, working her way through a book a Star Patrol trainee had enthusiastically handed her. While the knock on her door came as some surprise, it was also a faint relief to put the book down. Her surprise turned to astonishment as she recognized the person on the other side. "Oh! Mr. Cole, hello. Is everything all right?"

Marcus offered forward the pizza. "Everything's fine. I'm sorry for dropping in like this, but... well, I found myself at loose ends this evening, and I was hoping you would share an informal dinner with me. And please, call me Marcus."

Taking the box doubtfully, Cende stepped back and invited her visitor in, "It smells interesting. I'll be happy to share with you. What is it?"

"Pizza. You've never had pizza before?" He stepped in and closed the door behind him, glancing around at the small studio.

Cende had placed the pizza box on the table, and was now making tea in the kitchenette as she answered him. "I've heard of pizza, but never had it. Every time they get it at the base, it has beef or pork on it, and I have to be careful about what I eat here."

"I wasn't sure, but I noticed you had chicken the other night, so I got a chicken pizza. I thought it would be safer." That brief flicker of a smile crossed her face, and he wondered what it took to get a full smile from her. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked doubtfully, as she got down plates and cups. Unsurprised when she said no, he bent and picked up the book that had fallen off the couch. "Dianetics?"

Cende sighed. "One of our trainees was very enthusiastic about it and handed it to me to read. He said it changed his life. I am beginning to wonder if I am missing something fundamental to understand it."

"I don't think so." Marcus had moved over to stand in front of the bookshelf. "The book makes no sense to most people, so you're in good company. You have quite a varied shelf - history, general science, basic mathematics, psychology, law. Are you taking classes at the University?"

Cende's answer was a quiet and brief, "Not yet." After pouring a cup of tea for herself she paused, hovering over a second cup. "I don't have much to drink. Will tea be all right? I'm afraid it's that or water."

Turning back to the table, Marcus smiled. "Tea's fine. Why not yet on classes?" He waited for her to be seated, then claimed the chair across from her.

Watching Marcus as he began to eat, Cende hesitantly tried a little of the pizza before answering his question. "I'd like to take classes, but my background education is not yet sufficient. The temple I was raised in was not... did not provide quite enough of that sort of instruction." She shrugged slightly. "There is a test I am to take in a few weeks. If I pass, I will have the functional equivalent of a diploma from a secondary school. Then I may apply to attend the university."

As they ate, Cende watched him from beneath lowered lashes. The other evening, at the restaurant, he had been outgoing, engaging, and charming as he had answered her questions about the things he'd seen and done. Tonight, like this morning, he was quiet, almost introspective, and she wondered why he'd come to her apartment without warning.

"Why did you disappear from the clearing?" The question was spoken quietly, and Cende looked up to find Marcus' blue eyes intent on her from across the table.

"I didn't want to answer questions." Cende's response was uncomfortable.

"You knew who I was." He made it a statement rather than question, and Cende nodded confirmation. "It's a fair concern. Anyone seen with me is subject to questions." He looked as if he were about to add more when the communicator sitting on the counter began to beep urgently.

"I'm on call tonight," Cende explained as she reached for the device and peered at the screen. "I'm very sorry, but I must go."

Marcus stood. "Do you need help?" he offered. For a brief moment, he thought her eyes glowed as she looked at him, then she shook her head.

"It looks as though COUNTERMEASURES summoned enough of us to deal with most things. Thank you, though." She disappeared into the bathroom, carrying her uniform. "The coordinates I have to go to are near here. It's probably the Circle again; they seem to like the caves under the park to the west."

"Everybody likes the caves under the park to the west." Marcus closed the pizza box and put it in the fridge, noticing the scarcity of real food in the unit as he did so, then moved the plates and cups to the sink. When Cende came out of the bathroom, he was standing by the door with her phone in his hand. "I've put my number in here. If you run into problems, please call me."

Shrugging into her coat, Cende accepted her phone back from Marcus with a simple "Thank you." Following him out and locking the door, she wished him a goodnight, and set off to the coordinates given to her by the Star Patrol's resident AI. It took all of her self-control not to look back at him, to see if he was watching her or just walking away.

Since this story is very long, comments go into a separate comment thread. The comment thread can be found here.

-------------------------

Chapter 39.

Positron waited for Star Patrol's communication system to put Sorina Tavarisch on the screen as Sister Psyche, leaning on the desk next to him, raised an eyebrow at her husband on the other side of the room. "Andrea, Steve, you, me, Sorina, Ray, Marcus, and Alexis," Shalice repeated doubtfully, "in a timed race against Jessica and friends?"

Justin shrugged. "Michael's been testing this hologram thing that the Architect Entertainment company's been providing, and he thinks he's come up with an interesting... what did he call it, 'arc'... that can be used for training. At least we don't have to hold back, since everything is hard light holograms, which has the advantage of letting Marcus work off some aggression on something other than the landscape."

"That's not a bad thing," Ray contributed. "The only problem is that Alexis has some sort of flu and isn't able to make it tonight." He paused as Steve poked his head into the room.

"Next snag up - Brawler won't let us spot them one, he says it has to be fair, and he'd like them to be full, 8 person teams. Citadel and Numina are on night watch, so they can't join us. Ray, check with Sorina to see if Star Patrol can provide someone. Andrea already said yes and she'll meet us there." The words all came out in a rush, and then the speedster was gone again.

Shalice stared at the door a moment. "That’s the one thing I hate about speeders. They're exhausting."

On the screen, the Star Patrol waiting pattern cleared to show Sorina Tavarisch seated at a console and smiling. "Raymond! Privet. I was about to call and check where we were going to meet."

Returning the smile, Ray nodded. "We only just got told to go to the Skyway branch ourselves, so I wanted to make sure you go the message. Listen though, it seems we've hit a bit of a bump - Alexis is sick, so we're down one. Would there happen to be anyone in Star Patrol who might be able and willing to make it on short notice? "

"Let me check." Across the console, Ray heard the rapid clicking of keys as she brought up the appropriate Star Patrol roster. "It'd be nice if Andrea were here to give an opinion. We frequently lead entirely different teams, so we see different aspects of our members," Sorina commented. "Oh, now, that's interesting. She's in the base and off duty? Raymond, I have to go - I want to make sure I catch her before she leaves. I'll see you shortly." Sorina signed off, and Ray was left looking at a blank screen.

Justin chuckled in the sudden silence, "Well, hopefully, the person Sorina brings doesn't set Marcus off, or this is just going to be one hell of an evening."

Ray's expression clearly indicated his opinion of that.

*****

"What is it this time?"

Cende looked up at the question, a brief flicker of smile appearing and smoothing the puzzled expression from her face. "I am still trying to understand American sports," she answered as Sorina stood in the doorway to the lounge. "This one is football. A group of grown men grab a strangely shaped ball and run around a field, while jumping on one another?"

Sorina laughed, "I'll explain it later. I came to find you to see if you'd like to join Andrea and me tonight. We've been invited to participate in a training race at the AE, and our team is down a player due to illness. Would you like to fill in? We could use your skills."

Standing, Cende turned off the television and shrugged into her coat. "If you're certain I'd be welcome, I would very much like to come." As she fished a pair of dark glasses out of her pocket she added, "Lead the way, I'll follow."

*****

Marcus waited impatiently in the Architect building lobby. Nearly everyone was already there; they were just waiting for Positron's lady to show up with someone to take Alexis' place. Andrea Blake was keeping most of the participants in this event laughing with a description of her day; Marcus was looking out over their heads when he saw Dr. Tavarisch walk in, followed by a tall, brilliantly red-haired young woman in the black and red of the Star Patrol's special ops division. He was noticing the young woman had not bothered to remove her dark glasses when he overheard Miss Blake's next quiet comment to Synapse.

"Oh, wow. I didn't expect Sorina to bring Cende. That could be interesting. I wonder if Sorina even thought... no, she probably doesn't know."

"Know what?" The question actually came from Shalice, on Andrea's other side, "And have we met her? She looks familiar."

Andrea shook her head quickly, "Later. She might be familiar because you've seen her working as a bodyguard or at some of the functions we've helped provide security for. She's good."

Synapse's question was rather more to the point, "Is whatever it is that you're not saying going to be a problem?"

Andrea glanced back over her shoulder at Marcus, and he got the impression that what she wasn't saying had something to do with him. "I doubt it. She won't let it."

By that time, the young woman had been introduced to everyone else, and was in front of him. Marcus automatically held out a hand and offered a non-committal "Pleasure to meet you." Was it his imagination, or was there a brief hesitation before she placed her hand in his? Then the question flew out of his head as she spoke.

"The pleasure is mine. I appreciate the invitation to join you." There was nothing particularly special about her voice, but her accent - that was no British accent, regardless of her classically Irish looks. Something about it teased the back of his head, as if trying to remind him of something he'd forgotten.

"Where are you from? If you don't mind my asking."

There was a flicker of what might be called a smile, had it stayed on her face, "Not at all. It is not an uncommon question for me. I was raised in the mountains of Nepal." She glanced around and noted, "Everyone else seems to be heading upstairs now."

"After you."

*****

The feeling of something familiar which had been forgotten remained with Marcus for the rest of the evening, and he watched the young woman covertly, trying to figure out what it was that she brought to mind. He was distracted enough that before he quite realized it, he had agreed to join the rest of what they were jokingly calling "the adult team" for dinner. With a purely internal sigh, he realized there was no way to get out of it, and he prepared himself for a long evening.

Once they reached the restaurant, a new Italian place not far from the Architect building, he secured a seat at the end of the table, and was surprised to find Cende across from him, looking around the room with mild curiosity. Once they were seated, she leaned forward to him and asked in a soft voice, "I heard Agent Bowman recommend this place to Andrea. He said they had some great pictures of a... rat pack?" Her voice was a bit dubious on the last phrase. "I’m missing another cultural reference, aren't I?"

The question finally triggered his memory, and Marcus smiled briefly as he recognized her from the summer picnic. "Yes, but it's one that's aging rather more rapidly than I like to think of." He then proceeded to explain Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr. to the fascinated young woman. This led to a discussion of movies and he found himself looking back over the years he had experienced with a new eye as she asked him about films, the pictures on the walls of the restaurant, and the music played over the speakers.

At the other end of the table, Andrea viewed the pair with a concerned expression on her face. Steve put his arm across the back of her chair and bumped her head with his. "So... spill. What didn't you want to say before?" Across from Andrea, Shalice widened her eyes and leaned forward to listen.

Andrea gave another glance down the table, making sure that not only were the two on the end occupied, but that Justin, Ray, and Sorina were involved in a conversation of their own. "It's just... look, I don't want to break a confidence here, but this has the potential to become really difficult. She's in love with him. I have no idea how, since she's never actually met him before, but it's real, honest love, not just a crush. I know he's been looking for someone to date, but everyone he's gone out with has been older than she is. She's about the same age I am; actually, I think she might be a few years younger. "

Shalice winced. "And if he starts treating her like a granddaughter..."

Andrea shook her head, "Honestly, that would almost be better. She's already asked me how to stop feeling for him; his treating her like a kid might help that along."

Steve had gone off in a different direction, however. "She's good looking, and she fights well. She could keep up with him that way, anyway, and he could take her places without the gossip papers ragging on it. The question is can she stand up to him?" Shalice and Andrea stared at him in disbelief. "What? He's enjoying talking to her. This is better than any of the dates he's been on so far. Why not encourage it?"

Shalice returned her attention to the other psi. "Why does she want to stop feeling for him? You have to admit that's a little unusual. Anyone one else would be trying to get his attention." She gave a small laugh, "Truthfully, right now, there's a large number of women trying to get his attention who aren't in love with him, which makes it that much stranger."

Andrea gave a small shrug and a frown. "It was before everyone found out that he was looking, but she just said it was impossible." A brief hesitation, then, "I'm not entirely sure she wanted to just stop loving him, I think she wanted to stop feeling entirely. It's hard to tell, though - she doesn't give much out. She has this whole power of Zen thing going on, I'm rarely able to pick up much from her."

"He can be the same way sometimes: annoyingly inscrutable." Shalice paused as her meal was placed in front of her, then she glanced down the table to where something that Marcus was explaining apparently required the use of a salt shaker, the pepper mill, and a water glass. "You realize, of course, that we can't actually do anything except wait and see what happens? They're both adults, they're able to take care of themselves. All we can do is give advice when we're asked for it."

Steve grinned, "And watch. That'll be the fun part."

*****

"Anything else?" Marcus looked around the conference table at the other members of the Phalanx. At the general negative consensus, he continued, "then we're done. Barring emergencies, the Phalanx is officially off duty for the next seventy-two hours; try and get some rest."

As everyone else moved away from the table, Marcus paged through a report handed to him just before he came in. He knew Jessica would be upset that he'd kept it from getting to her, but he didn't trust what she'd do with it. He considered his options for a moment, then stood and went in search of Manticore.

He found the archer in the communication room, having just finished a call. "Justin, a moment?" He still felt strange, calling these kids by their names, rather than their call signs, but Justin Sinclair was married to one of Marcus' oldest friends, and some exceptions you just made.

"Sure, what's up? Oh, and we just got a message for you. Your date for the evening has come down with that damned flu going around, and had to cancel."

"That's... too bad." Truth to be told, Marcus actually found himself rather relieved. The ongoing attempts at first dates had become more than a little annoying, and he was just as happy not to go through another one. "I wanted to get your opinion on this. Keep it on the down low for now, but we'll talk about it later. I don't feel comfortable giving it to Jessie, but it's something that needs attention."

Manticore took the report and nodded. "No problem. I'll go over it tonight."

Marcus nodded. "Thanks." He left the communications room, and stopped by Positron's lab. The serious, earnest scientist was just heading out. "Positron... hold up. Do you have set plans with Dr. Tavarisch tonight?"

The other man shook his head, "We weren't even sure until about an hour ago if we were going to be able to get together. We're probably going to drop in one of our usual places and hope we get lucky."

"Well, as it turns out, there's a private table going unused tonight at Three Sisters. I'll call and have the reservations put into your name, if that'll suit you."

"Oh, yeah, thanks! That would be great."

"Yeah, I heard your date fell through due to flu." Synapse had come up from behind Marcus, apparently about to join his roommate on the way home.

Positron shook his head, "How do you hear these things so fast?"

Synapse just laughed, and handed Marcus a slip of paper.

"What's this?"

"Phone number for Cende. You know, the girl from Star Patrol you spent a few hours talking to the other night. You could try asking her out."

"Goodnight, Synapse. Positron." Marcus moved off, shaking his head.

*****

Cende lifted her hair off her neck and sighed, leaning against the cool concrete of the military bunker while she marshaled her thoughts. She understood the concern that the people in charge here in the Shadow Shards had for the safety of the registered heroes who came to assist, but their chronic insistence that she should take someone with her for her own safety was somewhat annoying. Her dreams had been particularly vivid since her last unexpected encounter with Marcus Cole, and she was frustrated. She wanted an enemy she didn't have to hold back against as she fought, and the Rularuu were ideal in that regard. Tamping down her frustration and annoyance, she went to check in with the base general.

"Well, yes, my scouts have confirmed that there are Rularuu gathering in a medium-sized cave system." General Hammond indicated a position on his map display. "They are likely building up forces to overwhelm our lines. It must be dealt with before it gets out of hand. However, while I'm certain you'd be able to handle this efficiently, I would suggest taking some help along if at all possible."

Before Cende could reassure the general that she'd be fine, a rich, baritone voice rolled smoothly into the conversation. "She has help, General. We'll take care of it." Startled, she turned to see Statesman standing nearby, gazing at her steadily. With a slight nod, he indicated the path out to the main part of the Shard. "After you, Agent Cende."

*

Marcus lay in the pre-dawn light and once again tried to remember his dreams. The second day of his three-day vacation was not starting any better than the first did, and while he'd managed to get a number of things done around the house that had needed fixing yesterday, Alexis had threatened to throw a fit if he did the same today. With a muttered oath, he got up and started getting ready for the day, intent on finding something to work off the building frustrations.

Less than an hour and a half later, guided by some instinct he wasn't entirely conscious of, he found himself in uniform and entering the Shadow Shard. As he approached General Hammond on the base's series of stairs and catwalks, he heard a half-familiar voice with a distinct accent ask if there were any necessary tasks. Turning the corner, he came up behind the red-haired woman in the Star Patrol Special Ops uniform in time to hear the General's response.

"...would suggest taking some help along if at all possible," the general finished up.

Prompted by the same inner instinct, Marcus spoke without thinking. "She has help, General. We'll take care of it." Cende turned to look at him, apparently surprised to find him there, and he nodded to her. "After you, Agent Cende." As he followed her on the path out toward the main Shard, he realized that Rularuu might be exactly what he was looking for - something he could hit as hard as he wanted.