As Lidda lay hidden in the van, an hour seemed like an eternity. She wondered if this was what it was like to be a wanted criminal, life on the run. She was about to drift off to sleep when she heard the sound of another engine approaching the loading bay and cautiously peeked out the van's side window. The heavy outer garage doors creaked as they lifted to admit a vehicle.

It looked like another van, but she ducked down before she could get a good look for fear of being seen. Now what? She knew they should have left while they had the chance. At the same time, in the rear-view mirror she could see the doors above the loading dock open as Hal and the new android version of Conner stepped into view. Great.

Breathless she waited for the worst, an alarm to go off calling the guards or police. Instead, it was Hal's voice, "Father Pen! What are you doing here?"

Lidda sat up, not believing her ears. She recognized the familiar image of Father Pen getting our of the other vehicle.

"As luck would have it, I heard you might need a little help and was coming to give you a ride." Father Pen replied.

"You are just in time to come with us. Five more minutes and you would have missed us," Hal said.

Lidda stepped out of the van. "How can you two be so calm? We need to hurry and get out of here."

"Lidda!" Father Pen walked over to her and gave her a hug. "I'm ready to roll."

Hal came down from the dock with his new android. "Father, Lidda, I want you to meet Conner, the first of his kind."

Conner looked entirely pleased with himself and it was no wonder. He was rather handsome with dark blonde hair and tawny hazel eyes. He was taller than Lidda expected, and she noted Conner towered over Hal who was about six feet in height.

"Wow, good job, Hal. Conner, you are quite dashing in your new body." she said, almost forgetting the urgency of their situation.

"Pleased to meet you Conner." Father Pen reached forward to shake Conner's hand. Comically, Conner looked almost timid as he explored this new form of social interaction but managed to shake hands smoothly.

"Greetings Father Pen. I must agree with Miss Lidda. It is time we left," Conner said. "The cameras are on a timer and will revert to normal at the top of the hour."

"Conner, why don't you ride with Father Pen so you can both get acquainted. Lidda and I will follow." Hal said and got into the driver's side of their van.

Lidda climbed into the passenger seat, relieved to be getting on the road. They drove out and Hal remotely closed the open bay doors as Father Pen's van sped away. A moment later, she had left her life and potential career at Provendor behind. She could see Conner locked in a lively conversation with Father Pen and realized the wisdom in Hal's decision to pair Father Pen with Conner. She and Hal could still communicate telepathically with Conner if they stayed close enough.

The night stretched into hours, and it was near dawn when both Hal and Lidda received word from Conner that they should pull into the next fuel station ahead. She had been napping and could feel Conner softly prodding her awake telepathically.

"Miss Lidda, we need to pull off shortly, a couple of miles ahead."

Then Hal's more intrusive voice, "Lidda, time to wake up. We are stopping at the next station."

She roused slowly, the pain in her arm getting most of her attention.

"I can help you with that. I brought a few medical supplies."

Conner was going to be in her head and she decided to just get used to it from now on. "Ok, thanks. Are we stopping for fuel?"

"Yes, and we are meeting a friend. I believe you both already know Miss Mara." Conner informed her.

"What is Mara doing here? What's going on Conner?" Lidda asked coming wide awake.

"There has been a security breach at the Gardens. Father Pen and Mara thought it best for them to leave in the interest of protecting the research project."

"Research project?"

"Surely you remember Miss Lidda..."

"The plants?"

"Well, yes. To be more exact, the babies." Conner replied.

"Babies!"

"You have been away from the Gardens for a while Miss Lidda. They've hatched or been born. I'm not really sure what to call it."

"Whoa!" Hal interjected. "How many?"

"I have been informed there are six of them, Master Hal. Miss Mara has been filling me in on the details as we approach. She could use some help."

"I just bet she could." Lidda said, not feeling very helpful at the moment.

"No need to fret Miss Lidda. You may recall that this is one of my areas of expertise. I am programmed to care for humans beginning in infancy."

"Are you saying you know how to burp a baby and change diapers already?" Lidda asked.

"I do. The files are very complete on the subject of care and feeding."

"We are still outnumbered." Hal sighed as they pulled in beside the other Novaland vans and parked at the station.

Mara stepped out to greet them. Conner did not lose the opportunity to practice shaking hands again.

"I can't believe this is happening. What went wrong Mara?" Lidda was not sure she wanted to know the answer. "Is everything alright at the Gardens?"

"Just a precaution dear. We aren't sure ourselves but decided there was enough of a threat to leave."

"What's the plan?" Hal asked. "Where to?"

"I've found a place to stay. It's right up the road in one of the inns frequently used by our drivers," Mara said. "We should travel mainly at night. I'll explain more when we get there."

Conner without a word jumped in the back of Mara's van and she could feel a sense of pride as he surveyed his new charges. We'll see how long that lasts, Lidda thought.

When they arrived at the inn, Lidda found there were two rooms for them with a door connecting the two suites.

"Just pretend we're camping." Hal said.

"Yes, it will be so very cozy." Lidda replied. Once inside they found the rooms to be comfortable suites equipped with kitchenettes, small lounge areas and two large beds in each.

Conner lost no time loading all the infant's provisions into one of the rooms, designating it the nursery. They moved quietly, and in the cover of darkness, carried in the sleeping infants who appeared to Lidda’s inexperienced eye to be five or six months of age. Conner arranged them all on one of the mattresses, then surrounded them with supply boxes and pillows. Mara plopped her suitcase on the other bed and set up a change area on the dining table. Conner was already getting six formula bottles lined up on the counter.

"They seem a little too quiet Mara." Lidda noted. "A little young for your special tea, aren't they?"

Mara laughed. "I admit I modified their formula for the trip. No harm in that, right?"

"Harm? I think it's marvelous!" Hal said as he carried the rest of their luggage in to the other suite. "I am looking forward to getting some sleep."

"I've already had a nap, so I will help out with the kids while you and Father Pen settle in. You must both be tired after driving all night." Lidda took off her hat and rolled up her sleeves to indicate her sincerity, although she was totally dreading the experience. A wave of information passed through her head again as Conner tossed her his complete feeding and care plan to include her exact duties for the next few days. "Ok then, I'm more prepared than I thought."

As Mara and Lidda sat on a sofa across from Conner, all with plump babies feeding in their laps, Lidda finally pressed for some answers. "What are you afraid of Mara? Hal told me something about a probe being spotted."

"Yes. We are now operating under an emergency black out until its origin and nature can be further determined. There was a probe detected flying over the Gardens. We are afraid it was picking up on some of our transmissions. Although they're encrypted, it could still tip someone off that we are on this planet. In the event it may have triangulated our location, we had to leave before things could get nasty. I had to get the babies to safety. Reddge will be contacting us after he locates a secure location."

At the mention of Reddge's name, Lidda tensed. Mara could read her feelings by body language if not through her chip. In all the excitement, Lidda had pushed the recent trauma to the back of her head. Now the anger welled up inside and a few tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Now, Lidda you know it wasn't what he planned," Mara said. "He acted in everyone's best interest. You know what we are up against here and we can't take any chances."

"It wasn't the best thing for our relationship. He could have just told me. Widhbo knew. He could have prepared me for all this. I just don't like being lied to Mara. I'm sick of being left in the dark," Lidda said. "If it weren't for Hal and Conner, you would never have seen me again. And now the babies, what are we going to do with them all?"

Mara remained silent and tension filled the space between them.

Lidda's love for Reddge had withered. Somewhere deep inside of her, she was still vulnerable where Reddge was concerned, but she felt she could never trust him again. Conner had been taking it all in and it was he who finally spoke.

"We will be simply fine Miss Lidda. We have one another and that is enough for now. I am more powerful than you know," Conner said. "I am even greater now that I inhabit my intended form. Reddge knew he was leaving you in my care. So please don't feel that you were abandoned."

Lidda listened but didn't have the heart to discuss it any longer. She took some comfort in the young face looking innocently into hers, then she remembered it was not an ordinary baby and could possibly feel her emotional distress if not already understanding language. This was going to be more difficult than she had imagined. Lidda looked forward to some unconscious bliss.

The infants had been fed, changed, and happily gone back to sleep. It was time for Mara and her to get some rest as well. Conner performed splendidly. Lidda was a little concerned that he would not be able to handle the babies gently enough, but his fine motor skills and highly developed sensor circuitry was impressive.

"You are doing a great job, Conner. The worry it caused may have taken a few years off my life, but I'm glad we took the time to install your program."

"Thank you, Miss Lidda. I am quite enjoying myself. Here's something for the arm discomfort and to help you sleep." He measured some medication into a small cup, a bitter liquid. Lidda drank it with a frown.

Conner pointed to a large box sitting unnoticed in the corner. "By the time you wake up this evening, we'll have another helper. You may recall I had already loaded another prototype in the van before Master Hal took me upstairs for the transfer."

"But how can you activate another android here?"

"You forget, I'm not the old Conner you knew. I can connect and program another android directly now without the need for a laboratory."

"So you can just reproduce yourself like that?"

"Just so. I only have one question for you."

"Yes?"

"What shall we call him? He should have his own name should he not?"

"Well, why don't you name him?"

"I am to name him?"

"Why not? You are creating him."

"But I have no idea, I'm not programmed for naming." Conner said.

Lidda could not help but laugh at that. "Then think outside your box Conner. I'm not exactly programmed for all these undertakings either, but I'm adapting. Please tell me he looks different enough that we can tell you apart."

"Different? Oh yes, he has darker skin and hair. We hardly look alike."

"And you will both need a last name to fit into society."

"Oh, please help me with this. I don't know how to properly name anyone."

"I'm thinking of Castonea Gardens, so how about the family name of Castonea?" Lidda asked. "Conner Castonea. You only have to pick a first name for your brother."

"Conner Castonea. I like it. Yes, I like it very much Miss Lidda."

"Goodnight Mr. Castonea. I will look forward to meeting your brother when I awaken."

She slipped quietly into the adjacent suite. Father Pen was out cold and snoring lightly. She could see her suitcase by the other bed, with Hal already occupying it. He was wide awake however, and watching her.

"You should be asleep." she chided.

As she moved closer, he rolled up on one arm and patted the bed beside him. "Nope. I've beem waiting on my lady friend."

"Really. When is she expected to arrive?"

"Any minute now." Hal grinned wide enough she could see it clearly in the low light of the motel room. "I think she needs a hug."

She crawled in beside him and welcomed his arms surrounding her. Silly as it was, she felt safer snuggled up next to Hal. She must have fallen asleep a moment later, as that was the last thought that went through her head.