Breanna stared at the ceiling. The feeling of sudden awareness filtered through her. A moment ago, she had been asleep, and now she was awake. Listening to the noises of the house around her, she wondered what had woken her? Everything seemed peaceful with no expectation of another attack. Still, she lay going over the path and events that led to today. The decisions, the manipulations, the choices and finally, the stand they had taken. Together. Together, there was nothing they couldn't do. It was a wonderful feeling knowing she was finally free of her sister.

She wanted to believe and hold onto that feeling so much, but her gut still churned, and worry ran along her nerves.

A little after midnight, Jesse's contact gave the final number of bodies removed from the beach. High even for veterans such as themselves. In defending themselves, it had cost much. For some odd reason, Breanna could not reconcile Darcia's insanity driving so many to death, if not extinction.

It was unfathomable.

It was … simply unacceptable.

Darcia was obsessive in everything she did but mostly about her goals. Sitting up, Breanna sighed; was it false hope to think she was free of her sister. If history was believed and undoubtedly repeated, Darcia would not stop until she had succeeded. Something on the hallway table caught her attention.

"Where did you come from?" Breanna slowly rose before padding across the room, "you are not what we would use."

A note under the flash drive read "FOR BREANNA." Cold raced through her veins; she knew that writing. If this was here ... oh course, Tyler had been in the house before he went down to the basement. They would need to do a complete sweep.

Palming the flash drive, she located her laptop and opened the single video file marked with her name.

Forty-five minutes later, Breanna sat staring at the frozen face of her sister. The ultimatum was clear, she handed herself over, or everyone around her or associated with her would die. How much security or preventative measures would it take to stop Darcia?

"She is not going to stop," Breanna muttered, "she's going to keep coming. The last thing I need is for her to come for me and the others get hurt or killed."

Rising, she walked to the open window; the crash of the ocean soothed her stretched nerves. After sterile walls and needles, the colour, sounds and scents drifting to her on the ocean breezes seemed like a moment in paradise. Pulling on a borrowed bathrobe Breanna quietly moved toward the patio door. Disarming the door alarm, she opened it, stepped out onto the terracotta paving and inhaled the smell of salt on the air. Would she ever tire of this? It was hard to imagine not having the ocean on her doorstep.

At the edge of the patio, beach sand dusted the tiles. Breanna stepped onto the sand, pushing her bare feet into the grains. Tipping back her head, she soaked in the feeling of the sand trickling between her toes.

"Feels amazing, doesn't it?" As the breeze played through the trees, Valencia's soft question floated to Breanna.

"Oh, I feel like a child, experiencing it for the first time," Breanna sighed, grinning at Valencia, "it's so good."

"Couldn't sleep?" Valencia stood next to Breanna, sinking her feet into the sand, as well.

"Experienced a reoccurring nightmare … I think," Breanna shook her head, "you?"

"Trying to get my head around the fact that Tyler was here," Valencia looked down at her feet as she picked them up and pushed them back into the sand, "plus I think I have a new ability."

Breanna turned her head quickly, looking at the profile of the subdued woman next to her, "What new ability?"

Valencia inhaled, pushing the breath forcefully between her parted lips.

"I never could remember tiny details. Events? Yes. General information? Not a problem. People? Easy. But not like this," shaking her head. "I remembered everything. What each switch could do, where everything was, what everything was for, even the maps I had glanced at or heard someone discussing." Stark fear and worry shone in her eyes, "what did Darcia do to me?"

"Maybe a memory enhancement. We'll see if it's permanent," Breanna nodded, "but that will come with time."

"You are always calm," Valencia marvelled, "how is it you are not losing your mind?"

"There is no such thing as calm when dealing with Darcia's fallout. There is nothing I can do about what was done to me," Breanna said, "the only thing I can do is learn to live with every new challenge and choose what I do with each new discovery."

Valencia cocked her head to the side, staring at Breanna, "So level headed," sighing she turned her gaze to the crashing waves.

"The stars are so bright out here," Breanna murmured, "they give an amazing display of their twinkling majesty."

"Want to share a bottle of wine while we watch the stars travel the skies?" Valencia asked.

"Why not? It's not like either of us are going to be able to sleep at the moment," Breanna chuckled.

"I'll get the wine and glasses," Valencia turned toward the house, "you pull the recliners over to the edge of the patio."

Smiling at the take-charge attitude, Breanna moved to reposition the recliners. Valencia returned with an open bottle of red wine and two glasses. She smiled as she poured wine, handing one to Breanna and ambling to the other recliner. Raising her drink, she met Breanna's gaze.

"To new beginnings," clinking the glass against Breanna's.

"New beginnings and new friends," Breanna nodded, sipping as she stretched out on the recliner tipping her head back, looking at the inky darkness sprinkled with twinkling stars.

"Why do I feel like something rough is headed our way?" Valencia murmured.

"Darcia isn't finished," Breanna said, "she will continue until she has her way. The only way to get her to stop or even back away is to give an ultimatum, not in her favour. She may relent, hopefully, make her tow the line … even reluctantly."

"An ultimatum like that needs to come from you," Valencia rolled her head in Breanna's direction and sipped her wine.

"You know Darcia is going to try again," Breanna sighed, "my guess will be in the next month."

"Isn't it the duty of every mad scientist to defeat the odds against them?" Valencia said, "In the meantime, we will train and watch for refugees from The Madhouse and do what we can to help them."

"Yes, we will," Breanna nodded, gazing at the twinkling stars in the heavens.

"Darcia," Dr Maden spoke soothingly, "sending more agents is only going to put a strain on resources. How many are you going to waste trying to bring her in?" He sighed gently, "I have another idea."

"Your ideas do seem to have a conservative spin to them," she sighed, "I'm listening."

"Let me manipulate Breanna into connecting with the dark side in her," he whispered, "the one you have been secretly working on. That way, we will own her."

"Then she will have to come back in," Darcia clapped her hands like a delighted child, "she won't have anywhere else to go except here … with me."

"Exactly," he spoke quietly, mimicking a parent with an unruly child.

"When will you do it?" she whispered excitedly.

"When anyone least expects it," he murmured, stroking her head gently, "shall we clean this mess up now?"

He observed as Darcia moved off to clean up after her temper tantrum. She may be the genius, but he was getting everything he wanted … in every way. Darcia had no clue who the absolute master was, but if everything went to plan, she would welcome him to her in every way.

Valencia groaned. Her head ached, her eyes felt dry as the desert, and her hearing was over sensitive. She watched as Breanna raised her head from her arms, resting on the table across from her.

"When is the coffee going to be ready?" Breanna whispered.

Valencia squinted at the coffee pot, "I'm not sure," she whispered back, "can't make it talk to me."

The pair erupted into giggles.

"We have to stop doing this binge drinking at two in the morning," Breanna groaned, rubbing her forehead.

"What should we be doing at two in the morning?" Valencia asked.

"Probably training or something more useful than drinking," Breanna rested her head back on her arms.

"That would be more profitable," Valencia muttered, "it's nearly a week since that attack."

"Yep," Breanna nodded from her perch on her arms, "Darcia will try again, and we'd better be ready."

"Coffee is ready," Valencia said, rising from her seat to pour the much-needed beverage into two over large mugs.

"Thank the heavens," Breanna sighed.

"Once we have had coffee and showered," Valencia whispered, "perhaps we should eat and train."

"Okay," Breanna nodded carefully, accepting a large cup of coffee, sipping the dark liquid with a heavy sigh, "see you on the other side?"

Valencia raised her coffee mug in salute, slipped into the opposite chair, sipped her coffee. The pair sitting in companionable silence.

The following morning - 2am

"Let's do it again," Breanna instructed, breathing heavily, "remember to raise your fists to cover your face; that is your defence against anything incoming."

"Got you," Valencia huffed out a heavy breath, bouncing on the balls of her feet, "ready?"

"Are you?" Breanna countered the question as she stepped in to attack.

"You don't have to attack too aggressively," Valencia ground out as she kept up her defence, "this is only training."

Breanna stopped short, "You have seen what we are up against with those fanatics of Darcia's. Do you think they will take it easy on you because you are a civilian?"

"Probably not," Valencia acknowledged, "okay, let's go."

Breanna launched into another attack without warning.

The sun peaked over the tip of the mountain as two figures ran along the shoreline toward the terracotta patio. They slowed, coming to a stop under the cooling branches of the tall trees.

"We have been training since two this morning," Valencia panted, leaning on her knees, "I know we can go without sleep for a long time. This is a little ridiculous."

"If we engage Darcia," Breanna stood, her hands on her hips, breathing heavily, "we may need to go without sleep longer than we are."

"True, I'm going to shower," Valencia panted, typing a code at the patio doors, "then I have to get to work."

Breanna nodded, turning to the soul-feeding sight of the rising sun skating over the surface of the crashing waves. The looming sense of dread tightened her throat muscles and turned her stomach.

She was not handing herself in as Darcia had dictated. It was manipulation on the part of her sister. Then what was Darcia up to? Breanna could feel whatever Darcia had planned was coming toward her, but what exactly was on the way? Turning, she moved to the open patio door, slipped inside, closed it, punched in the code and headed for her bathroom.

Everything was in place. It was time to move across and become invisible once again. A knock on the door came while checking the take out and bottle of wine.

Opening the door, he found Valencia smiling at him, "I was wondering if I had the right place."

"You do," he stepped aside, letting her enter, "have a look around."

Closing the door, he watched her wander, looking into rooms as she went.

"What is this place?" Valencia asked as she emerged from one of the bedrooms, "it looks like a safe house."

"It was," Jesse nodded. "I hope you're hungry," he called from the kitchen where he poured wine into two glasses, "Mexican take out and wine … no tequila."

Turning, he took in Valencia's comprehending gaze.

"This is goodbye," she whispered.

"Yes," he strode toward her, handing her a glass, "and no," he clinked his glass against hers.

"What is this then?" she sipped at her glass, watching him.

"This," he motioned toward the table, "is a moving-in party."

Valencia giggled, "A moving-in party?"

"Yes," he placed his glass on the table before pulling out a chair for her, "there is no one I would rather celebrate with than you."

"Thank you," she swallowed hard before moving toward him. Leaning in, she gently kissed his cheek, "I would love to celebrate with you."

Jesse felt himself blush as he pushed in her chair, "We even have Mexican on plates."

Valencia's chuckle rippled around them. It was something he would remember as long as he lived.

Pulling the dishes from the warmer, he returned to the table. Placing one at each place setting, he eased into his seat before raising his glass to the beautiful woman sitting across from him.

"To new beginnings," he clinked against hers, "and keeping in touch."

They sipped at their wine, watching each other over the rim of their glasses. With a smile on each face, they began to eat.