The thumping of the shuttle touching down inside the hanger roused everyone. Snowy let Kita up. Kita gently touched her on the arm as a thank you. For Snowy, she hoped this might be the first stepped toward some kind of recovery. She watched as Kita hoisted up Tina and slowly carried her down the ramp.

Following from a distance, Snowy tried to stay with the group, but not be noticed. The hanger looked similar to the one outside of Leedings, just different colors. A variety of shuttle craft sat parked. Most with markings she didn’t recognize. A few had Legion markings. Everything needed to service the vehicles lay scattered about in an organized fashion. Curiously she watched maintenance robots performing checks on vehicles that probably hadn’t moved since the first time they landed.

Turning around she stopped and look out through the hanger exit into space. A star field like she had never seen before greeted her. The stars hung effortlessly with depth like nothing she’d ever seen from The Mass. Every star showed brilliantly in her eyes against the infantine blackness they rested in.

“Come one you stupid cat. We’re not going to wait all day.” Sarin’s irritating voice grated on Snowy’s ears, ruining the moment.

***

Carrying Tina, Kita led a somber parade through the station to the medical ward. A group of men and woman dressed in various apparel waited for them. An elderly gentleman with gray hair and a white beard dressed in a suit and white lab coat directed Kita to a low table. Kita laid Tina down and stepped back in a defensive manner.

The gentleman smiled kindly. “Do you mind if I take a look?”

Kita shook her head.

The gentleman took out a flashlight and peered into the orange pupil. Finished he looked up and said, “She’s alive and responsive. An excellent place to start.”

“Who are you?” Kita asked the gentleman.

“Let me do the introductions,” Omega chimed in. “The gentleman before you is Doctor Alvin Harper. He’s a comprehensive human specialist with an unbelievable understanding of how you’re put together.”

Light illuminated a woman with black hair and Asian features in a white jumpsuit with a red cross on the chest.

“This is Doctor Ama Hoo. She is a neurologist. She developed the technology to grow the entire nervous system and graph it back into the body.”

The light shifted to a lanky and grumpy looking man dressed in shoddy clothes with a white coat leaning on a cane.

“This delightful individual is Doctor George Casa. If you can get around his prickly exterior, he’s a genius at diagnostic medicine.”

A large fit man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a pinstripe three-piece suit illuminated next.

“This fine fellow is Ammaina De Vanouse. He knows more about human-computer interaction and interfacing than anyone, ever.”

A man wearing a plain button down shirt, brown pants, with an untrimmed beard and hair sat on a chair under the light.

“If you need an expert in human psychology for deep space, accident, and childhood trauma Doctor Benine Amadajhn is the best ever.”

Omega paused for a few moments before continuing. “I’ve brought in two more specialists, and I believe their professional experiences will be beneficial. I don’t condone their actions, but I think it’s important to have their input. Both men come from the Time of Wars on Earth. Unlike everyone else here, they were cryogenically frozen so their governments might be able to access their knowledge later. There brain scans were taken while they were frozen so there might be some glitches. So without further ado…”

A wrinkled man with black hair wearing thick black framed glasses, a shirt, tie, slacks and a white lab coat materialized in front of everyone.

“This gentleman is Doctor Harry Harlow. He performed his research in the United States, which became the United Earth Empire. He’s a specialist in isolationism, to put it mildly.”

A second man with dark wavy hair, a rounded face, and a gap between his teeth wearing a long white coat and a gray uniform underneath materialized next to Doctor Harlow.

“I present Doctor Josef Mengele. He performed his research in Nazi Germany. For his research, let’s just say he has an incredible working knowledge of the horrific things that can be carried out on the human body and mind.”

Immediately after Omega had finished the room erupted in an uproar. Objections, threats, demands, and ultimatums were shouted at Omega and the two doctors. The two doctors stood and took it admirably, impressing Kita.

“Enough!” Kita yelled over everyone. “I don’t care what your personal feelings are. My sister is in this metal box. I don’t care what these two have done. It’s what they will do that I care about. If these two have the knowledge to get her out and make her well, then I want what they know.”

Omega gave a computerized chuckle. “How did I know you would be the only person who wouldn’t object?”

Doctor Harper stepped forward. “I must protest what these men have done is unethical and immoral. It’s evil in every sense of the word.”

Kita walked over to him and looked down at him. “My little friend, you know nothing of evil.”

“My dear child, I don’t think you know of what you speak. The work they have done is unspeakable. What’s worse is they have shown no remorse for what they’ve done,” Harper replied sounding contemptuous.

Kita’s eyes narrowed. “Normally I might agree with you, doctor. One of my jobs is to hunt down and punish the unremorseful evil, but my understanding is these two are long dead. We might as well get something useful from them.”

“I still can't do it. What they did was evil and in no way medically ethical,” Harper said with finality.

“Doctor you speak of evil as you know it. Let me show you what evil really is.” Kita brought her face close to his, and the blindfold disappeared.

“Good God child, what happened to your eyes? How can you see…?” Doctor Harper trailed off as images and feelings began to show in Kita’s eyes. It lasted less than two seconds, but Doctor Harper witnessed all of Kita’s life and a fraction of her inner soul.

“That was you?” He asked out of breath and sweating profusely.

Kita nodded.

Omega noted that making a computer program sweat was an accomplishment, especially since they weren’t programmed to.

“You’re beyond a psychopath. How do you even function?” Harper asked amazed.

“I have my ways. One is to deliver the retribution of the innocent to the wicked and evil. Here is an innocent who’s suffered at the hands of a wicked being because of my mistakes. I will deliver retribution for her and all the innocents that have suffered under them.”

“Who do you think you are?” Harper asked curiously.

Kita vanished and reappeared with her oversized hood up, her wings spread wide, and Dusk and Dawn drawn. In a flash, she burst into flame. Her voice became higher, musical, and more menacing.

“It’s not who I think I am it’s what I am. I am the Fallen Angel.”

“I think you’ve created an alter ego help you cope with personal trauma. We could help you overcome these issues so you can live a more normal life,” Doctor Harper offered.

Kita’s laugh rang through the chamber. “My wings dear Doctor are not a costume, but very real. Unlike you, I’m not even human.”

Suddenly Doctor Harper began to choke.

“I found out years ago it’s possible to choke a computer, Doctor. I have not questioned what you are because I respected you. I will not tolerate you questioning me or my punishment, understand?” Kita had moved so her hood touched the doctor’s forehead.

Harper continued to struggle while nodding. Releasing him, she growled her annoyance at no visible signs of the doctor’s strangulation. If she did kill him, he’d just disappear. Oh well, what can you do? She mused unhappily.

Vanishing, Kita reappeared as her usual self. “Now Doctor, let me ask you this question. Before you lies an innocent whose only crime was doing what her sister asked.” Kita waved to Doctor Mengele and Harlow. “These two men may have the key to saving her. If you refuse to work with them to help her, and she must continue to live a life of pain, sorrow, and despair, who is the bigger monster, you or them?”

***

Doctor Harper looked at Kita dumbfounded. He’d been backed into a corner by an uneducated barbaric psychotic woman who sided with mad men. His medical colleagues seemed to back him, but these others didn’t. The cat woman seemed troubled, but her body language said she agreed with this mad woman. So did the other…angels. The giant bear sat in the corner, gods only knew what was on its mind. Even the stations computer sided with her, and it shouldn’t side with anyone. Could she be this charismatic to sway all these people to her psychotic delusions?

***

Vanouse stepped forward and spoke with a slight Germanic accent, “I don’t care what your personal qualms are Doctor Harper. Your wish to work with them or not is your choice. This looks to be the challenge of a lifetime. An utterly alien biomechanical interface like what has been presented before us seems to be fascinating.”

Casa chimed in, “Who cares what they did to get what they know now? It's seven hundred years in the past…”

Omega interrupted, “a million years in the past, Doctor.”

“Even better," Casa continued. "Why limit ourselves when what’s been done is done. You can disapprove of their methods all you like. Let’s not ignore their results because of it.”

Shaking her head Hoo offered a rebuttal, “I must respectfully disagree, Doctor. If we use what they know, then we condone what they did. Others will take it as a sign that it’s ok to do such things.”

Casa limped over and rapped on Tina’s metal chest. “Others are already doing it, you nimrod. You think the magical fairies did this to her? Just because you don’t like it, or I don’t like it, doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. We need every available tool and knowledge base we can get, including these two.” Casa pointed at Mengele and Harlow.

Hoo’s face screwed up. “There’s no need for insults, Doctor.”

“You’re right, there wouldn’t be if you’d listen to me the first time.”

A soft voice came from Doctor Amadajhn, still sitting on his chair. “You all bring up valid, worthwhile points. Unfortunately before us lies a young girl slowly dying a most horrific death while we have an academic debate best saved for the classroom. We are here to help her, not pass judgments on events so long past. This looks to be a most challenging case that will require all our talents and knowledge. It might require us to be inventive as well.”

Harper and Hoo looked like they’d rather go out the airlock but finally conceded. The doctors set to work examining the suit, taking in as much as they could. Kita stood and watched, stone-faced.