Sarin sat on a rock complaining about the pain. Kita wished she’d be quiet. Most of the cuts and lacerations had healed. The bones would be good as new within the hour. So her continued complaining grated on Kita.

“Oh, will you be quiet,” Kita snapped. “You think she cut off your arm or something.”

Snowy gave a slight smile at the harsh reprimand.

Kita turned her attention to Snowy. “I’ve had a year and a half to get over what you did. I don’t care that you did it. Whatever you needed or I couldn’t give you, I hope you found it. Just answer me one question, why him? Out of a camp of thousands, you picked him. I could live with, even understand, any other. But you chose to sleep with him. Why Snowy…Why?” Sparkles of tears formed in her eyes as she waited for an answer.

***

Snowy’s rage and aggravation dropped away at the question. Wishing she had an answer better than, ‘she didn’t remember,' she looked at the ground, hoping she could find the answer down there. When she looked up again, she saw the biggest tear drops she’d ever seen falling down Kita’s face. Gulping, Snowy knew Kita hadn’t gotten over it, no matter what she said.

***

Kita tried to keep her emotions in check and was failing miserably. Snowy’s hesitation to answer could only mean one thing; she hadn’t done it for power, or influence, or even money. At the very least it'd been for lust, if not more from what the other videos had shown. Whatever she hadn’t done or did do to drive Snowy to him she’d probably never know the answer. She now knew the one person in the entire world she loved had betrayed her.

Kita’s heart fell to pieces, and the falling tears exploded into a waterfall. Wrapping her wings around her, she put her head down too embarrassed to cry in front of Sarin and Anthrax.

Kita’s muffled sobs didn’t go unnoticed. Anthrax rushed over to see what had happened with Sarin hobbling after her.

“What in Neptune’s rings did you do to her, cat?” Anthrax snarled.

Walking away, Snowy shook her head. Giving Snowy a rude gesture, Anthrax attended to Kita. Together the two angels tried their best to sooth Kita’s broken heart.

***

Omega wasn’t about to let Snowy get off so easy. He would not put up with another go around of Kita with a broken heart. Once had been enough for an eternity.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he demanded, moving in front of Snowy.

“I’m not wanted here. That’s clear. So leave me alone.”

“You’re right; I don’t want you here. Nell and Jane don’t want you here. But Kita does. Why do you think you’re the first one she’s sought out? You have caused her the most pain and anguish and are also the one she’s wanted to see most for the past three years. Even after she found out about your indiscretion, she didn’t give up hope that there was something more to it. Now you’ve dashed that hope. What was the actual reason?” Omega roared so loud the speaker squealed.

“I don’t remember,” Snowy whispered.

“What do you mean you don’t remember? Was it that good or the bad?” Omega’s electronic voice did its best to relay the sarcasm of the statement.

“No, I mean I don’t know. I can't remember. One minute I’m eating, the next I’m waking up.”

“So why didn’t you tell her that?” Omega growled in annoyance.

“How do I tell her that? ‘Hey Kitten, sorry I didn’t mean to sleep with your brother. I just don’t remember what happened’,” Snowy hissed.

A long, loud roar echoed off the mountainside. A giant white bear in full armour decorated with ornate etchings and inlays lumbered out from behind some rocks. Half a dozen smaller bears in armour followed.

The color drained from Snowy's pink nose as her ears lay flat against her head.

***

Kita looked up from the embrace she shared with Sarin and Anthrax. A smile broke through her tears at the sight of the giant bear. Wiping away her tears, she led the others to greet Frostbane. She gave him a big hug around the neck, which he returned by wrapping a big arm around her.

Still teary Kita greeted him. Before she could say anything else, the giant bear began to change. His massive size shrunk down to that of a large extremely muscular man with blue eyes, long white hair, and chiseled features. The armor disappeared, and he stood before them nude. Sarin and Anthrax stood in awe for a few moments. Kita yawned.

“I want one of those for my bunk,” Anthrax whispered in awe.

Kita and Sarin burst out laughing.

“Oh shove it you two. Go play with your cats,” Anthrax retorted.

“Careful, he may bite,” Sarin teased.

“Oh, I hope he does.” Anthrax said longingly.

“Enough,” Kita whispered, trying to suppress a giggle.

“Greetings Friend,” Frostbane smiled. “We happy you return to us. It has been long time. I see you found betrayer. Big man with big sword say we need protect her for you. He say she need learn forgiveness and responsibility. We not know forgiveness, we do know responsibility. Hope you punish. Many good men, cat, and bear died that day.” His loud deep voice sent a shiver down Kita’s spine.

“Protect me?” Snowy screamed coming over with Omega to confront the man. “You held me prisoner and treated me like I was some mangy diseased vermin. I had to fight for every scrap and bone I could get from you bastards, even if I made the kill. I was picked on, bitten, and even mauled by you oversized throw rugs.”

“You deserve,” Frostbane said flatly.

“So the queen of the cats goes to the pauper of the bears?” said Kita lightly.

Suddenly Snowy’s face and whiskers drooped. “My cats won’t even speak to me,” she whispered.

Kita winced internally. That had to be killing Snowy inside. She knew how much the war cats meant to her. Kita tallied up the score in her head. Snowy was taking a beating on all sides. She had no friends. Does she deserve any?

“So what am I supposed to do with her?” Kita asked Frostbane.

“Not know. Have to ask big man big sword.”

“I hope he saw us when we overflew his islands.” Kita hoped she’d get to see Zidin again. After Snowy, he was in a tiny group of people she loved in the world.

“Other friends wait for you. Meet in place called The Forges.”

“What other friends?” Kita asked curiously.

Frostbane listed of the people waiting for her, “blue men, shadow men, horsemen, war cats, villagers.”

“I didn’t realize so many people were waiting for my return,” Kita said awed.

Frostbane pointed to an armband that Snowy wore. “This symbol of you. Anyone who has black feather friend.”

“You couldn’t get this thing off me, could you?” Snowy pleaded to Kita.

“I think it looks good right where it is, for now,” Kita said with a smirk. “I wasn’t planning on leading an army, but I’ll gladly meet with them and offer what help I can.”

Frostbane nodded satisfied.

A loud screech echoed off the mountains; Kita looked up excited. “Prometheus, down here!”

A big black falcon dove toward the group. With big powerful flaps of its black wings, it arrested it’s fast decent and landed on Kita’s shoulder. Pulling a live mouse from her belt, Kita gave it to the bird. When Prometheus finished, Kita rubbed under its black beak.

Snowy started to say something, but Kita yelled for the group to scatter. Snowy dove behind some rocks. The bears backed away and rolled up into defensive balls. Kita and Prometheus took flight. Sarin and Anthrax didn't react fast enough and were caught in the incoming barrage.

Four tiny missiles streaked in from above, exploding around the area where everyone had stood. From above, Kita watched as the black and red, metal creature from earlier landed in the middle of the dust cloud.

“It Demon!” Frostbane cried to his fellow bears. Three of the bears rushed forward to attack. Turning to face the threat, Demon felled the first bear with shots from a minigun around its wrist. The second bear reared up to slam down on Demon. Reaching up, Demon plunged its claws into the underside of the bear. It's hand started to spin rapidly, ripping up the bear apart.

Kita yelled for the third bear to retreat. No need to lose a third. Recovered from the initial impact Sarin and Anthrax joined the fray.

Flying above the melee, Kita watched with interest as the new angels moved in. Both drew their weapons and started to attack. To her disgust, they attacked using techniques for a soft target. It was embarrassing to watch them attack and then look puzzled why their attack bounced off. Their inability to adapt frustrated Kita even more. They kept trying the same thing over and over again. Kita frowned sourly; it would be back to basic training again.

Catching Anthrax's leg, Demon slammed her hard against the ground. Stomping down, Daemon crushed Anthrax’s pelvis. The Angel shrieked in pain. Sarin charged forward. Turning, Demon fired a net from its forearm ensnaring Sarin.

Deciding she had to act, Kita hovered between Sarin and Demon.

“Alright big boy, you’ve gone and pissed mama bird off. Welcome to the big leagues.”

Kita punched Demon in the chest. Demon flew backward and crashed into a rocky cliff face. Not giving it a chance to recover, Kita drew Midnight, knelt and fired a series of arrows. The first penetrated a wrist, causing the hand to go limp. The second and third stuck the upper arm and chest. The arrows penetrated, but to no visible effect.

The speed of Demon surprised Kita. Before she could react it wrapped her in a massive bear hug. It pushed Kita against the spikes on its chest.

“I didn’t realize your kind was so affectionate,” Kita said with a laugh, as a little blood trickled down from the corner of her mouth.

Close enough to get a look at Demon’s face; Kita studied it for a moment. Constructed from cast and welded parts, and covered with a bad paint job, Kita wondered who built it. The craftsmanship didn’t compare with the work on the station. Curiously she looked down through the orange pupil.

What Kita saw inside amused her. A tormented soul lay within the metal prison. What the person had done to deserve this peaked her curiosity. The eye she saw in the pupil broadcasted pain. The person lived in constant agony. A raging determination percolated through the pain. Something caught her attention, a glimmer of something else, hope? Seen only for the briefest of moments, it disappeared.

For a moment, Kita thought her vision could be playing tricks on her. Looking again, she didn’t see hope. What she did see, she hadn’t seen in over three years. Even through the orange lens, Kita knew that big soft brown eye. Kita suddenly felt very sick. That eye should never have had to know what it felt now.

Kita saw Snowy running over to help.

“Snowy, wait! It’s Tina!” Kita yelled loud enough to echo off the mountains.

“Are you sure?” Snowy yelled back, sounding unconvinced.

Kita put her arms on Demon's chest and pushed, forcing the arms back and herself off the spikes. With a flap of her wings, she was above Demon and phased next to Snowy.

“I’d bet my wings on it.”

Snowy gave Kita a dirty look.

“What did you think I was going to let you have this trick all to yourself?”

Snowy rolled her eyes. “Nothing is ever mine. Ever.”

Kita winced a bit from Snowy’s unhappiness.

“Keep her distracted. I have an idea,” Snowy growled.

Kita nodded and went to taunt Tina.

***

Snowy waited for Tina's back to turn. When Tina she did, Snowy studied the lights, fans, plugs, and nozzles covering the backpack. Judging by what she saw, Tina needed some serious life support. If she needed all of that to survive in there, what would she need out here?

Pushing the thought from her mind, Snowy concentrated on the task at hand. With Tina’s back to her, she phased next to Tina’s knee and placed her hands on it. Within a few seconds, the suit's knee joint froze. Hydraulic lines, servos, and even electronics ceased to function. When Tina turned to look, Snowy had phased to the next joint.

She froze both knees, elbows, shoulders, the neck, and waist. Tina fell over backward onto the hard rocky ground causing Snowy to wince. Landing on Tina’s massive chest, Kita started to pry at the helmet.

“Wait,” Snowy yelled to Kita. “She’s on a life support system. If you open her here, she’s going to die.”

Kita turned to look at Snowy. Snowy watched as Kita’s face went between the urge to pry Tina out and save her, and rely on Snowy's experience. Finally, Kita got off of Tina.

“We need to get her someplace with medical facilities that can handle this kind of trauma.” Snowy looked down worriedly. “I just don’t think there are any left.”

“Omega,” Kita yelled, “get the shuttle here, now. We’re taking her back to the station.”

“I read your mind. It’s on its way. I’m going to take personal control to make sure it gets here in one piece. I will contact the station and have it start pulling the necessary brain scans of people we might need.”

Kita nodded her acknowledgment, and the little ball floated back to her. She caught it and put it back on her belt.

“Shuttle? Station? What are you talking about?” Snowy asked, a tinge of hope in her voice that maybe a childhood fantasy might be about to come true.

Instead of an answer, Kita looked away ignoring everything around her. Snowy backed away. She’d only seen that face one time before. Kita wore it during a drag down fight with Jeffrey. Then it had been maniacal with a horrible laugh. The face had been horrible then, but now Kita looked to have it under control, terrifying Snowy to the core.

Snowy’s grandmother’s religious teachings came back to her. Whoever had done this to Tina wasn’t going to be visited by Kita's Fallen Angel persona, but by the original Fallen Angel. She hoped the person had made right with the world because the Devil was going to get her due.

***

When Kita realized Snowy had been looking at her, she immediately changed her expression. Folding her arms across her nearly healed chest, she turned around. In silence Kita waited for the shuttle.

The shuttle appeared overhead ten minutes later. The massive machine floated downward, touching the ground light as a feather. The back ramp lowered.

Kita started to give orders. “Sarin get Anthrax in if she cannot walk yet. Frostbane, you’re welcome to join us. I don’t know how long we’ll be gone. It might be a day; it might be a week.”

“I come.” The man shifted back into a bear. He gave orders to the remaining bears. Frostbane trotted up the ramp and sat down next to Anthrax. Sarin had placed Anthrax on a stretcher and began talking to Frostbane for comfort.

Kita called for Prometheus. The big black falcon came diving in from up high and flew right into the shuttle landing on a perch made just for him.

Kita lifted Tina’s massive body, moved it up the ramp, and placed it on the floor of the shuttle.

***

Snowy hadn’t been invited to come along. She wondered if Kita blamed her for Tina. She grimaced at the thought. Unfortunately, asking would be the only way to find out.

“What about me?” Snowy yelled from the base of the ramp.

“What about you?” Kita yelled back annoyed.

“I want to come. She’s my little sister too.”

“I think you gave up that claim,” Kita replied as the engines began to spool up.

Snowy desperately tried to find something Kita couldn’t take away from her. “Fine, but I am your junior, and you cannot take that away.”

“There is no more Legion,” Kita replied.

“There is according to Frostbane, and as long as you or I live, there will always be a Legion. You want it to exist or not.”

“Kita, make up your mind. We need to get moving,” Omega called over the speaker.

Kita nodded. “She stays. Close the ramp so we can get out of here.”

Snowy jumped on the ramp. “I’m going. So, unless you’re willing to throw me out, deal with it.”

“I’ll throw her out,” Sarin called.

“Shut up you little hatchling, before I come back there and really whip your ass,” Snowy retorted.

“Close the ramp Omega. If she can keep from getting squished, she can come,” said Kita.

The shuttle started to lift off. Snowy moved forward and took a seat across from Kita, careful not to make eye contact and remain as unnoticeable as possible. Snowy didn’t want to blow this chance to be in space or be thrown out by Kita.

The shuttle began to pick up speed and climb out of the atmosphere.

Kita sank to her knees next to Tina. Her large black wings spread the length of her sister’s body. Kita fell forward onto the massive black and red metal suit. Her arms covering her head.

Snowy watched as Kita started to weep and beg the forgiveness of Tina. As far as she could remember she had never seen Kita this upset over anything. Trying hard to suppress her desire to cry, she knew she should be down there next to Kita. Tina’s condition was her fault, not Kita’s.

Snowy remained distant as Sarin and Anthrax came aft to try and comfort their friend. Violently Kita shrugged them off. They persisted and each time Kita wanted nothing to do with them.

After a fourth attempt, Snowy couldn’t take it anymore. These two knew nothing about anything, especially how to take care of Kita. To see Kita like this made her heart hurt. No matter what was going on between her and Kita right now, this had to transcend that. She stood up and walked around Tina. Grabbing Sarin by the wing, she tossed the angel out of the way. Anthrax started to protest, but Snowy reached over Kita and shoved her back.

The two junior angels out of the way, Snowy gently moved a big black wing and sat next to Kita. She reached out and lifted Kita’s head and guided it against her chest. Snowy’s heart jumped when Kita didn’t resist her. She let Kita cry it out.

After a bit, Kita began to calm down. Hoping to ease Kita further, Snowy started to stroke her soft blonde hair. The more she stroked the calmer Kita became. Kita quieted and snuggled up against Snowy.

In a very tiny voice, Kita looked up and spoke to Snowy. “It’s my fault. It’s all my fault. I’ve destroyed her. She didn’t deserve this. She didn’t do anything to anybody.”

Snowy gulped hard. “No Kitten; it’s my fault. I put her in charge and let her go out by herself. Don’t blame yourself, blame me.”

Kita shook her head. “No, you did exactly what I was going to do. I can’t, won’t, blame you for that.”

Kita sat silent for a little while. “How am I going to live with myself?”

Snowy wished she knew the answer. “I don’t know Kitten. I’ve been searching for the answer for fifteen thousand years.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“Nothing to be sorry for. It’s a statement of fact, nothing more.”

For the rest of the ride, Kita stayed snuggled up against Snowy. Once, Snowy took a moment to look around while Kita seemed to be asleep. Frostbane was looking very nervous in his corner, not sure what to make of the constant rocking and moving shuttle. Anthrax had returned to lying on her cot; pain creasing her face. Coming to comfort Kita must have hurt. Snowy commended her on her desire to help. Sarin gave her the look of death. To emphasize, the point a tiny white whiff escaped from her hand. Snowy was thankful the shuttle had efficient circularly systems. Whatever she produced Snowy didn’t know if she was immune to it or not.