I was only dimly aware of what was taking place around us. The captain of the guard was shouting orders, trying to separate us, but I maintained my grip on Chris’ gestalt. I felt Raven’s presence beside me, a steadying influence that shored up our defenses as I focused on dragging Chris into the light. She fought me, tooth and nail, screaming curses and swearing retribution, yet still I held on, more determined than ever to see this through. Surrendering now would likely mean our deaths, and even if we could make her see what we’d discovered, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t simply order our executions anyway.

Raven and I linked, opening up our minds and integrating them both into something larger, something far more than the mere sum of its parts. Weakness and strength found their counterparts in the other like strands of DNA, coalescing in a warm beacon that beckoned out to Chris, still fighting us at the fringes of our combined psyche.

Join us, our minds whispered.

No! she screamed in return, furious at my betrayal, terrified of what we represented. We understood… how could we not?... but the reasons we had initiated this forced unity hadn’t changed. Unless we could allay her fears, Chris would always see Raven as a threat. I… we… couldn’t let that happen. Too much was at stake.

Still, she resisted, not backing down a centimeter. Chris was strong, a fierce champion and protector. I admired those qualities in her, but now they were barriers to the synthesis Raven and I were trying to forge. Her armor was unyielding, her weapons formidable, yet she was at a disadvantage and all three of us knew it. Not only was she outnumbered, this was an arena for which she was woefully unprepared.

Raven and I, however, were fighting on familiar ground.

Chris struck at us, again and again, battling to break free from the bonds we’d ensnared her with, yet instead of trading blows with her we absorbed them, soaking up the damage and pressing forward. She howled with rage, more determined than ever to strike us down, yet we were able to parry her attacks, redirecting them elsewhere and rendering them harmless. That only seemed to infuriate her, which I regret to say had been our plan all along. Every joule of energy she threw at us only weakened her further, while our defensive stance allowed us to conserve our resources. I had known Chris far too well and too long to even consider underestimating her, but that same familiarity had also given me an advantage. By goading her, by deliberately pushing her buttons, I had maneuvered her onto a field of my choosing.

Far too late, she recognized the trap. She turned and tried to escape, only to find us waiting for her. In her panic, she lashed out like a cornered animal, vicious and desperate, but I had finally located the hole in her armor I’d been searching for. We sent our gestalt forward, slipping through the gap, as I tried to assuage her fears.

You’re safe, I promised her. No harm will come to you. Raven sent her assurances as well, though neither of our efforts were well received. I knew full well I was destroying our friendship, but I had no choice. She had to see the truth for herself.

Her struggles grew weaker, less apparent, as Raven and I slowly enveloped her, wrapping her in the gentlest restraints we could manage. We worked carefully, methodically, until we had Chris safely cocooned. She was still in full rage, but we needed her contained before we could take the next step.

This was the critical moment. With our minds linked, we reached out as one and touched Chris’ psyche, as tendrils of thought and purpose latched on to her mind, establishing the connection. She still barricaded her intellect to us, but with nowhere to run, we gently dismantled it, brick by brick. As we removed the last barrier, her gestalt trembled before us, naked and afraid.

It’s okay, we smiled, opening our minds to her. See for yourself.

At first there was nothing, as Chris warily searched for traps. Finding none, as there were none to find, she nervously reached out and made cautious contact with our minds, ready to bolt at the first sign of danger. But Raven and I simply waited, our memories lying open like unread books, as she began pursuing our thoughts with a jaundiced eye. I didn’t blame her, not after our ambush, but as she started digging deeper, we both sensed a growing determination. Obviously we must be hiding something, Chris reasoned, or else why would we have gone to all this trouble?

With the single-mindedness of a bloodhound, she delved into the murky depths of our consciousness, more determined than ever to learn the truth. Somewhere, buried within the abyssal regions of our thoughts, lay the answer, the proof she needed to brand us both as traitors and threats to the clan. She just had to find it, intent on ending this charade once and for all… but by the time Chris had sifted through every last memory and deed, it forced her to confront the reality she’d been denying since our return.

That Raven and I had been telling the truth all along.

We relaxed our bonds, releasing her, allowing her safe passage back to her own mind, free from our influence, while we severed our own connection and retreated as well. As we opened our eyes and found ourselves back in Chris’ office, only a few moments had passed. The guard captain was still shouting at us, his weapon trained at Raven’s head, when Chris abruptly threw up her hand, demanding their attention.

Everyone froze. Us included.

I could tell she was still processing what had happened, trying to make sense of it all. It’s a jarring experience, especially if you aren’t expecting it, and we’d drug her into the meld kicking and screaming. Her eyes came back into focus as she glared at us, before finally turning her attention to the guard.

“Lock ‘em up, until I decide what to do with them,” she snapped.

I rose to my feet, prodded by the business end of a pulse rifle. “I suppose that was fairly inevitable,” I sighed, as we were both led out.

Chris let us stew in separate cells for a few days, before she had us hauled back to her office. Judging by her expression, her mood hadn’t improved one iota. She ordered the guards out with a jerk of her head before turning her attention on us.

“Chris, I…” I began.

“Shut up,” she snarled, “I don’t want to hear it.” I nodded, deciding silence was probably the smarter choice. I could practically feel the anger boiling off her as she stood before us, coiled like a spring in full tension. We sat there, waiting, before Chris finally spoke once more.

“What you did was a complete and utter violation,” she hissed. “It’s probably the closest thing to rape our kind is capable of. So whatever your justification, whatever your reasons, I. Don’t. Want. To. Hear. It.” She stared daggers at us both, just itching for an excuse to strike. I glanced over at Raven, who was wisely restraining herself as well. Smart girl.

So we waited. The clock ticked over from one minute to the next as we sat in tableau, no one moving, no one speaking. Chris folded her arms and waited, silently daring us to cross her. She was sweating us without saying a word, the atmosphere more hostile than even Elder Brother’s best efforts. I finally realized what was going on, bowing my head as contritely as I could.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled.

“What did you just say?” Chris growled.

I lifted my head. “I’m sorry, Chris,” I repeated, “what we did was wrong. If I could have come up with any other way…” I froze, realizing how that probably sounded, shaking my head before trying again. “Look, this is on me,” I continued, “Raven didn’t realize how this was likely to go down. She was just following my lead. Throw the book at me, do whatever you like, but please… leave her out of it. She’s innocent in all this.”

“Innocent?” Chris sneered. “Hardly.” She spared a glance in her direction, but less than a heartbeat later, I had her full attention once more. Hell hath no fury, et cetera et cetera. “You’re right about one thing,” she pressed on, “the lion’s share of responsibility for this… this… dishonor,” she spit out, “lies squarely at your feet.” She stalked back to her chair and sat down, her expression dark and dangerous. “But what cuts the deepest is your utter betrayal to this clan, to humanity… and to me.” The expression behind her eyes shifted, no longer one simply of hate, but now tinged with grief as well.

“I always knew you were arrogant,” she said quietly, “but as long as you got the job done, I was willing to overlook it. But this… from the moment you took the case, you became something I no longer recognized. I don’t know how it happened, but at some point it stopped being an assignment, and became some kind of holy fucking crusade. You were right, everybody else was wrong.” She jabbed her finger in my direction. “You put the clan in jeopardy, trading secrets with the Oivu, handing over our vulnerabilities like they were fucking glass beads. All to play a goddamn hunch.”

I must have dropped my guard and shown my surprise, as she immediately pounced on my momentary weakness. “Please,” she sneered, “ten minutes after you left my domain, I had a team of experts retracing your steps, vacuuming up every scrap of data with a fine-toothed comb. It didn’t take them long to learn what secrets you sold to the merchants. If anyone gets hold of that information, the Avatar clan is finished.”

I didn’t have a response. She was right. I was guilty of every charge and specification. Suddenly, I found it difficult to meet her gaze.

“Which leads me back to my original question, back before you assaulted me,” she said, bringing things full circle. “Just what the hell am I to do with you?”

I didn’t have an answer for that, either. I struggled to come up with something, anything… but someone else beat me to the punch.

“Everything you’ve said is true,” Raven answered, throwing her own hat into the ring. “Alphad is arrogant. And has lapses in judgment. And shows little regard for authority. In fact, he even tried to kill me once.” She kept her focus on Chris, ignoring my wince as the barb struck home. Et tu, Brute?

Taking a deep breath, she plunged ahead. “But he was also willing to risk his life repeatedly, in pursuit of the truth,” she continued. “It was his skill and experience that discovered the Brotherhood. And it was only through his efforts we escaped; not only from the clutches of Elder Brother, but from the Eleexx facility as well. Were it not for him, humanity would be in a far more precarious position, with no knowledge of the Yīqún threat or its origins.” This time she spared me a brief look, one I had difficulty deciphering.

“What are you saying?” Chris demanded.

“That while he may be guilty of the crimes you’ve charged, there are mitigating circumstances,” Raven explained. “Plus, any crime you can accuse him of, I share the blame.”

“Now wait just a minute…” I started, only to get slapped back down.

“If you’ve still got a functioning neuron left in your code, you’ll keep your mouth shut,” Chris barked, before turning back to Raven. “You raise a valid point, regarding your own guilt,” she said pointedly. “My question to him applies equally to you… more so, in fact. Just what am I supposed to do with you?” She started to answer, but Chris stopped her cold. “You’re not a Terran, which means in theory I have no jurisdiction over you. In practical terms, however…”

Her voice trailed off as she drummed her fingers on the desktop, looking as if she’d bitten into something sour. “In practical terms, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. If I decide you have value, I’ll make that stick. If, however, I decide you don’t… I’ll make that stick, too.” She folded her hands, her scrutiny taking on a predatory cast. “I don’t like unknown quantities, Raven. And while I’m forced to admit, after our little ménage à trois...” She shot a dirty look in my direction. I tried looking suitably abashed. “... that while you may currently have no ulterior motives or hidden enmity towards us, how do I know that will still hold true in the future?” she finished.

Raven shrugged. “You don’t.”

Chris leaned back in her chair. “That’s it?”

“Would you prefer I lied? Told you some convoluted rationale?” Suddenly, Raven looked tired. I don’t think I’d seen that before. “The future doesn’t come with guarantees. Today’s hero is tomorrow’s villain.” This time, they both turned and stared at me. I mean, come on. That’s just not fair.

“But if you’re looking for some sort of assurance, the best I can give you is that we have a common enemy. You, me, and anyone else who’s not a Yīqún. They hate me even worse than they hate you.” Raven shrugged once more and slumped in her chair. “It’s up to you. I think I can help. I’d like to try.” She reached out and found my hand, giving it a squeeze. I returned the gesture and smiled.

Chris steepled her fingers, her brow furrowed as she considered all she’d heard. Finally, she reached a decision.

“All right. Whatever my personal feelings on the subject are...” Yet another glare sent my way. “... you are absolutely correct when you point out we’re now at war. The last time we fought the Yīqún, we lost everything. We can’t afford to turn away potential allies. Not now.” Raven and I grinned at one another.

It didn’t last.

“However,” she continued, “both of you are on the tightest, most stringent, most restrictive parole I can devise. You will be under constant supervision, and if either of you so much as thinks about stepping out of line…” She left the threat hanging, letting our imaginations fill in the blanks. “You will both focus your efforts on weaponizing… whatever the hell it was you used to save us. You want to make a difference? Show your worth? That’s how.”

All things considered; it could have been worse. That didn’t mean I was thrilled at the outcome. Raven and I gave each other a half shrug. We’d survived worse.

“I also expect you’ll be asked to go over what you discovered with the other clans, possibly even the Alliance,” Chris continued. “You will cooperate fully, with nothing held back. Is that understood?”

“Completely,” I answered. “Can I ask… just how long our parole is supposed to last?”

She stared at me. “Until I decide otherwise.”

... right. Figures.

Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life.