Darkness surrounded the balcony where Jesse stood leaning against the low wall listening to the deafening silence of the house holding decades of secrets. He was sure the walls could tell them a few interesting stories. Looking out over the shadowed rolling gardens that dropped off the invisible cliff to the sound of crashing waves below, inhaling the smell of the ocean saturating the air, heavy like a heartbreaking secret. He tipped his head back and watched the millions of stars twinkle in the midnight sky above. The advantage of being away from the dense population of a city.

Random sentences from the day ran through his head. He wondered if there was something obvious they were missing. Who was Harvey, Betty and Jenkins? How did they know so much about Breanna, Michael and Craig? Sighing, he shifted his position adjusting his view of the starry world.

The level of mistrust he was experiencing came after years of working with and under people you instinctively knew did not have your back. Another fallout of years of conditioning was keeping any kind of emotion close to the heart. Not admitting how you felt about anyone kept those who meant anything to you safe from being used as leverage. It had taken the possibility of being tracked down and eliminated before addressing his feelings toward Valencia. A low moan came from the bedroom; one of the girls was having a dream. Silence followed. Sighing, he crossed his arms over his chest, soaking in the peace not often afforded.

"Jesse," Birgit called softly, "I need your help."

Rolling to his feet, Jesse headed into the bedroom. Stopping just inside the door. Valencia was... levitating just above the bed. Not much, but she was definitely not lying on the bed. "What's going on?" Jesse asked quietly.

"This is a new thing," Birgit spoke, "she has a nightmare or a disruptive dream of some kind, and we do this."

"Have you tried waking her?" Jesse slowly walked toward their side of the bed.

"Yes," Birgit muttered, "she is dreaming about something I cannot see."

"Perhaps Cara will be able to get through," Jesse said, watching their eyes flickering under closed lids. Lifting the privacy barrier of his mind, Jesse reached out for Cara. She was asleep, so he slowly closed his mental barricade and tried to think of a way to wake Valencia from whatever she was experiencing.

A soft knock on the door drew his attention. Opening it slightly, he found Cara wrapped in her dressing gown.

"You were asleep," he spoke softly, opening the door, "come in."

"Not deeply," Cara whispered, entering the room, "I saw what was happening. You're getting good at lifting that barrier."

"It's not something I practise all the time," Jesse smiled, "she's in there."

Cara moved toward the bedroom door, "Hi Birgit," she whispered, "what's going on?"

"Valencia won't wake, and she had a disturbing dream. Something happened in our mind, and now we're like this."

"Your abilities or Valencia's?" Cara asked.

"Hers," Birgit spoke quietly, "if it were a combined ability, I would not be speaking."

Nodding, Cara moved to the bedside, looking down at their body. She closed her eyes. Jesse stood in the doorway, waiting for what seemed to be an age.

Cara sighed heavily before opening her eyes and turning to Jesse.

"She is having a nightmare," Cara whispered, "the content is frightening her."

"How do we reach her?" Jesse said, coming toward the bed, "if Birgit cannot reach her, how do we?"

"That is the question," Cara nodded, "she dreaming about permanently losing you."

"If Jesse could reach her, perhaps she'll snap out of this," Birgit said, "it's great to know she can move things with her mind, including us," Birgit whispered, "but I'm getting cold."

Jesse raised his privacy barrier once more, this time searching for Valencia. Stepping into the nightmare of her mind. She was lost. Looking for something while chanting inaudibly to herself. Slowly he walked into her space. She was looking at something on the ground. He couldn't determine what it was, but it seemed to distress Valencia. A sob rippled toward him, pulling at his heart.

"Val," he called softly, her head turning at his voice's sound, "what's wrong?"

"Jesse," she frowned, "how? I saw you die... right here."

She pointed to the area he could not see.

"It's a nightmare, Val," Jesse whispered, "not true. You need to wake up."

"But ..." Valencia looked back at the spot frowning a little before standing and turning toward him, "the mark... it's gone."

"Remember what it looked like, and wake up," Jesse whispered again, "I'm alive and in the bedroom with you. Open your eyes."

Jesse opened his eyes, breaking the link and closing his mind again. He found Cara nodding and smiling. They waited.

"Birgit, she may still be disorientated when she wakes," Jesse whispered, "walk her to the table to draw the mark she saw in her dream."

"She is coming around," Birgit said, "now it would be nice if she dropped us to the bed."

Cara and Jesse watched as Valencia opened her eyes and sat up but was still floating above the bed.

"Val," Jesse called, "you awake now?"

Their head nodded, "She is," Birgit added, "but I don't think she is fully aware of what is happening around her."

"Get her to the table," Cara said, "she may be still in that semi dream state to remember the mark."

Birgit lifted an arm, reaching a hand toward the table. Their body floated off the bed and toward the table. The hand grabbed the back of the chair, holding them in place while Birgit reached for the seat and folded their body into it. The right hand picked up a pencil from the glass mug on the tabletop. It then moved to the pad of paper Birgit had put in front of them and started to draw.

"Good job, Jesse," Cara whispered while they watched the two draw on the paper, "if I had gone in there, we would still be having the problem of waking her up."

"I'm more worried about this levitating thing," he sighed, "I've known her for years, and this has never happened."

"Perhaps it has something to do with an equaliser," Cara frowned in thought, "I remember something about that from my time in the madhouse."

"Equaliser?" Jesse frowned, "wasn't that something like a vibration manipulator."

"Something like that, an equaliser brings stabilisation to the cells, which will allow more abilities to come out over time."

"We haven't been around an equaliser for years," Jesse frowned, "Darcia obviously got rid of hers; otherwise, we would be more aware of other abilities."

"When you lifted your barrier just now," Cara turned to Jesse, "was it easier than the first time you did it?"

"Much easier," Jesse said, watching Valencia and Birgit at the table, "it felt as if I have always had it."

"What is it?" Cara asked, "you just thought of something."

"This house," Jesse said, "what is this house was designed to combat the negative side of Darcia's procedures."

"What do you mean?" Cara asked, glancing at the communicating pair at the table.

"Look at the outbreaks we had before coming here," Jesse's brows puckered thoughtfully, "Rose hasn't had an outbreak since she got here. Jeff challenged Breanna physically... what if that was the equaliser working."

"It could be, but it doesn't mean this comes from that," Cara sighed, "there are too many questions and not enough answers."

"We're finished," Valencia said, standing and floating toward them, handing Jesse the paper, "that is what I saw when you died in my dream."

Jesse looked down at the paper. The mark was familiar, but something about it seemed different. "Thanks, Val," Jesse smiled, "do you feel like touching down?"

He looked at their feet, floating a little off the floor. Valencia looked down, gasping when she saw what she was doing, "How?"

"No idea, babe," Jesse shook his head, "but you're freaking Birgit out. Want to see if you can land?"

Valencia closed her eyes for a moment, their hands stretched at her sides, palms facing the floor, slowly lowering to the ground.

"Thank heavens," Birgit whispered.

"That was new," Valencia whispered, looking at her hands before meeting Jesse and Cara's wonder-filled gazes.

"Yep," Jesse nodded, "would you mind if Cara stayed with you a while, I'm going to the basement to look something up."

"One moment," Valencia moved into his arms, wrapping her arms around him, "I just need to make sure you're alive."

Jesse folded her against him resting his chin on her head. She sighed heavily and began to relax. Kissing the top of her fiery red hair, he savoured the feeling of her in his arms.

"You can go now," Valencia smiled, stepping out of his arms.

The space she left felt cold and empty. Smiling and nodding at Cara, he left the room.

Moving quickly through the house, he found the basement tech room. The chill in the air reminded him of the tunnels in Mexico. Stopping in the middle of the room, he turned in a circle taking in every inch of the large cavern. The sand covering the entire floor was from the ocean floor. Not beach sand, but the pure white of the sand washed in on a high tide. The smell of the ocean hung in the air. He could taste the salt on his tongue. The high walls had watermarks at various points up the wall, except for the wall where the computer bank... correction... computer banks stood. Moving slowly toward the four computer banks, Jesse filtered through his memory. When they were down here earlier, there was only one bank of computers. They were relatively recent but somewhat dated by industry standards.

Something made him scan the wall where the tech stood. It looked like and felt like a rock. What was missing?

Scanning every nook and cranny, Jesse finally realised what it was that looked out of place. The tech wall was too clean. The other walls had watermarks on them, but this wall had nothing. Not one mark. All Jesse's hard forgotten military training slammed back into place. This was the answer to Breanna, Michael and Craig's many questions.

Movement on the stairs drew his attention. Turning toward the scuffing sound, his gaze clashed with Jenkin's silent penetrating stare. "We wondered who would figure out the difference with that wall," he spoke quietly as he joined Jesse in the cave, "we hoped we could finish before anyone came down."

"Where do you keep the equaliser?" Jesse asked, observing the tall man.

"How do you know about the equaliser?" Jenkins asked, surprised.

"So, there is one," Jesse nodded, sighing deeply, "Cara was right. What is this place?" Jesse asked.

"Miss Breanna's inheritance," Jenkins said evenly, folding his hands behind his back, "Michael and Craig will not be gaining anything from this house."

"What do you think they will gain from it?" Jesse narrowed his eyes on the man.

"It was a precaution taken by ... Breanna's father," Jenkins said. "He was not certain to the extent Darcia had manipulated the family or what she had done to them or even if she controlled them."

Jesse cocked his head to the side, "You hesitated there."

"Where?" Jenkins looked innocently at Jesse.

"The English Butler act won't work on me," Jesse said quietly, "what don't we know about Breanna's father?"

Jenkins stared blandly at Jesse for a long moment. Before sighing and shaking his head.

"He was right about you," Jenkins nodded, "The Admiral knew you had befriended Breanna in her training days. Your file shows everything about you. Your enhancements. Your natural abilities... everything."

"How did he know it, and why are you calling him the Admiral?" Jesse crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for answers.

Jenkins cleared his throat and looked up at the too clean wall as though looking for approval. Jesse followed his gaze near the top; he was confident he saw a face quickly disappear from a darker rectangle in the rock face.

"What don't we know, Jenkins, or is it, Turnkey?" Jesse braced his feet, propping his hands on his hips.

"My full name is Jenkins Turnkey, and I'm not ..." his words trailed off into silence.

"Authorised to tell me?" Jesse finished the sentence.

"Not without Ms Breanna present," Jenkins sighed, "you can do what you will, but the information will be for her ears first."

"Glad to hear that, Jenkins," Breanna spoke from her position on the staircase, "let us hear what you have to say."

"I told Harvey we should install a bell on that door," Jenkins rolled his eyes heavenward, "he wouldn't listen."

Jesse chuckled. He related to that feeling so well.

"It may be a good thing to do. What did you find out, Jesse?" Breanna asked quietly.

"We were murmuring, Ms Breanna," Jenkins said quietly, "how did you hear what I said?"

Jesse indicated for Breanna to answer the question first.

"We have enhanced hearing," Breanna supplied, "we all have it. Darcia would use it as a standard-issue procedure kit."

"What does that "kit" house?" Jenkins asked, his hopeful expression tugging a smile from Breanna.

"Tell you what," Breanna smiled, pushing her hands into her jeans pockets, "what about an information trade?"

"That sounds fair, but..." Jenkins looked up at the wall again, "I may need to obtain a sign off on that."

"Jesse," Breanna turned her waiting gaze on him.

"Couldn't sleep," he started, "Val had a levitating event. Birgit called my attention to it. Cara ended up in our room. We were able to help Val out of her nightmare. Birgit drew this while Val was still in the transitional stage between sleep and wake," he handed over the paper. "Cara mentioned the similarities between the equaliser at Darcia's madhouse and the events happening here. I came down here to look some things up and started noticing things I didn't before."

Breanna took the paper from his hands, "Do you know what this is?"

Jenkins looked over Breanna's shoulder, shaking his head, "Harvey may."

"There is something about that which I cannot put my hand on," Jesse shook his head, "that's why I came down here only to see four computer banks, not one. The strong smell of the sea and this ocean sand is still wet in some places. The lower level of the stairs where the stones are show areas of hydration. Then there are the walls. There are watermarks on three except the one where the tech is. If I'm not mistaken, there is a peephole near the top of the wall where they probably work from."

Jenkins stared blankly at Jesse as the words were rattled off, "Impressive. A debriefing in a moment."

"He's in full military mode," Breanna nodded, "my best friend and best right hand."

"You trust him?" Jenkins cocked his head, his expression questioning.

"With my life," Breanna whispered, "he is the reason I'm standing here."

Jenkins looked from Breanna to Jesse before nodding, "Yet, you are not together."

Breanna frowned, "Is that a deduction?"

"No," Valencia said quietly before joining the group, "he is level five enhancement."

"Really need to get a bell," Jenkins muttered.

"Darcia, had you in the madhouse?" Breanna stared at him, gauging his emotional level.

"How do you think your father understood the depth of her depravity?" Jenkins sighed, "she didn't start with the family members."

"Harvey?" Breanna asked.

"No," Jenkins shook his head, "he is normal."

Nodding, Breanna looked between Jesse and Valencia, "Everything okay?"

"I ... um ... found something else," Valencia spluttered, pulling the paper from Breanna's hand before moving in front of Jenkins. The man looked at the sheet, closed his eyes and looked up at the wall before shaking his head. Valencia passed the sheet to Jesse. "Plus, there's more."

"We can interchange our abilities," Birgit said excitedly, "that ability V was experiencing was between a five and six."

"How is this possible?" Breanna asked.

"The equaliser," Jesse said, "that is why Cara and I believe Darcia got rid of hers."

"Oh, she didn't get rid of it," Jenkins said quietly, "it was stolen."

"By whom?" Valencia and Birgit asked in unison.

"He's going to need some approval to answer that question," Jesse said quietly.

"How do you know that?" Breanna asked.

"It's in the aura around him," Jesse said, looking at Breanna, "you see auras, don't you?"

"Yes, but for a different thing entirely," Breanna said, "I don't see anything untoward about his aura."

"I'm standing right here," Jenkins looked between the two who seemed to be ignoring him.

Jesse broke eye contact when Valencia grabbed his arm, gasping and folding at the waist.

"Val," Jesse called, wrapping his arm around her, "one of you tell me what is happening?"

"There is an extremely high-level enhancement somewhere close by," Birgit gasped. "She is almost as high as Valencia, and her energy signature is...." the two panted, "high."

Jesse looked toward the wall. He could see a form descending then walking straight, "it's a female, friendly, and she is carrying several weapons on her."

"Where is Betty?" Breanna asked, looking at Jenkins.

Jenkins sighed, looking at Jesse, "You can see through walls?"

"No," Jesse frowned, "I'm not a mythical creature."

"Then what was that?" Jenkins raised his eyebrows while pointing at the wall Jesse had examined.

"You really should get a bell on the stair door," Fiona said absently, walking past the group, "can't sleep with all the noise in this house."

"I do not hear any noise," Jenkins said quietly, frowning as Fiona wandered toward the bank of computers.

"You don't hear frequencies, conversation and the last bit ... everything looks like binary," she nodded at Breanna's surprised expression. "Yep... the only thing that looks normal is unenhanced humans. Devices, computers.... all of it. Binary."

"This is getting weird," Birgit muttered, "are these extra abilities permanent?"

"Yes," Jenkins said, "the equaliser undoes any restrictions Darcia placed on the natural progression of the mutated gene she worked on."

"Is that how you ended up as a level five?" Valencia asked.

"Yes," Jenkins said quietly, "my experience of Darcia was..." Jenkins shuddered hard, his complexion turning a shade of green.

"You don't have to explain," Breanna said, gently laying a hand on his trembling arm, "we have all been at the end of Darcia's insanity."

Jenkins nodded, smiling tightly, "Thank you for understanding."

Jesse watched Breanna smile gently, her expression softening in understanding. He blinked, battling the sudden emotion as he once again saw the caring, reliable, compassionate officer he first met during their training sessions.

"What are you seeing?" Valencia whispered.

"The old Bre is in there," he whispered back, "look at that expression."

"Is that a new expression?" Birgit asked quietly.

"Yes," Valencia said quietly, "that look of understanding and compassion is definitely new."

"That's what made her a great officer," Jesse murmured, "it's good to know she never lost herself to her sister's madness."

"What is behind this wall?" Fiona said, looking at the wall behind the computer banks.

"Why do you ask?" Jenkins walked toward her leaving the trio to watch as he interacted with Fiona.

"He sees something else," Birgit said, suddenly pointing at Jesse, "he has multiple abilities."

"Which one is he using?" Breanna asked.

"Like I know," Birgit huffed.

"Thought you may be able to tell me," Breanna said innocently.

"There," Fiona said, touching the wall, flattening her palm, "there is something different behind here."

"That's just a wall," Jenkins said, his back stiffening.

"That is what is in front," Fiona said quietly, "there is something behind."

Breanna shifted. Jesse noticed her expression become focused as she slowly walked toward Jenkins.

"We may need to intervene," Jesse murmured to Valencia, "she sees something."

"Fiona can hear something as well as see it," Birgit said, "there is no way Breanna is going to take an excuse."

"Jenkins is nervous," Valencia said, her eyes widening, "he's not just nervous .... he is palpitating with nervous energy."

"Why?" Jesse wondered, "what is behind the wall he doesn't want us to know about?"

"What's going on?" Reilly asked, stopping next to Jesse.

Valencia and Birgit jumped a little at his voice, "I'm beginning to see why he wants a bell," Valencia whispered.

"A lot," Jesse said, "right now Jenkins is trying to tell Fiona there is nothing behind that wall."

"He'll never pass that line by her; Fiona can hear something," Reilly nodded but hesitated when Jesse shook his head. "Feel something?" his eyebrows rising when Jesse shook his head again, "see something?"

Jesse nodded, "In a sort of code. Fiona calls it binary, but I doubt that is what it actually is."

"That wall has no watermarks on it," Reilly said, narrowing his eyes. "It's cleaner than the others and..." he stared at the increased number of computer banks, "more computer banks than before. Salt on the air. It's really chilly down here."

Jesse stared unblinkingly at his friend. Waiting.

"I think she is on to something," Reilly said, narrowing his eyes on the situation, "besides, Bre looks like she is going to apply some physical pressure."

Reilly walked toward one of the computer banks. Laying his hand on one and then the next, he went unnoticed until he came to the bank of computers closest to the wall. The set Fiona seemed to be obsessing over.

"Perhaps this will help," Reilly said; his hand moved below the desktop of one of the units, and a click was heard.

Valencia glanced at Jesse, "Oh boy," her gaze skidded past Jesse to the stairs, "Harvey and Betty."

Turning, Jesse found the pair coming down the stairs slowly, "I think Breanna will need back up."

"Cara, Owen and Tania are on their way," Birgit said, "Clio and Craig are having an argument while Tina and her crew are asleep."

"You know this ... how?" Jesse asked, looking askance at Valencia / Birgit.

"I have telepathic abilities," Valencia said, sounding astounded Jesse could forget something like that.

"I have not forgotten you have that ability," Jesse soothed, "you just have never used it at this level."

"Everything seems to be ..." she shrugged, "levelled up?"

Nodding, Jesse moved toward the group at the computer bank. He could feel Valencia/Birgit move with him. The first click was followed by many other tiny clicks.

"Do you think there will be any progress in opening this time?" Harvey asked as he and Betty joined the group.

"This time?" Breanna asked, turning to look at him.

"We have been trying for some time to get past a certain point," Harvey said, watching the proceedings, "we just never seem to be able to progress."

"What stops you?" Breanna asked.

"Some words said in a language we have never heard and frankly cannot track down to translate." Harvey sighed, "your father built this in before his last visit to Darcia and their subsequent disappearance."

"They lived here before Darcia got them into her clutches?" Breanna asked.

"Your father mostly," Harvey nodded, "your mother would visit but couldn't live where everything reminded her of every mistake she had made in life."

"They were separated?" Breanna frowned.

"Heavens no," Betty shook her head, "the Admiral was here mostly maintaining everything and adding this. He would go home to your mother."

"The Admiral?" Breanna's eyebrows rose, "who is the Admiral?"

"You were not the first person in your family to work in any military capacity," Harvey said quietly, "neither was Craig."

"Our father was in the Navy?" Breanna frowned.

"Yes... and no," Harvey hedged.

"You'll have to be more specific," Jesse said quietly, "Bre is running out of "nice". She is about to beat the information out of you."

"Your father started in the Navy," Harvey supplied, finally meeting Breanna's gaze, "he reached the title of Admiral and decided that he would prefer to continue with this passion. Inventing."

"My father was an inventor," Breanna said thoughtfully, "who would have known."

"Michael did," Betty said quietly, "he remembers some of the things he found your father doing."

"That's how he knew about the train, the escape routes... all of it," Breanna said, understanding entering her eyes.

The clacking stopped, and a voice in a language that sounded like something out of a science fiction movie came into the sudden silence. Jesse watched Breanna's expression tighten, her eyes focused on one point as the voice came again. Her expression was laser-sharp as she turned toward the wall.

"Repeat," she whispered before repeating it in the same language the wall had spoken.

"Is she okay?' Harvey whispered.

"Fine," Valencia said, watching Breanna intently, "she can understand languages that no one else has heard. Apparently, she can now speak them."

"She probably could all along," Betty sighed, "I found that when I came from... her facility... it was difficult to adjust."

"How many of you live here?" Breanna asked.

"We have a total of six," Betty said quietly.

"Six?" Jesse frowned, "I've only seen the three of you, a gardener and a cook."

"That is the staff," Betty said, "another person is staying here who has spent most of his life working with your father."

"Betty," Harvey said, the word dripping with a warning.

"One of them is going to detect him," Betty whispered, "if not already and what happens when Trevet starts to feel him... if he hasn't already."

"What has Trev go to do with anything?" Birgit asked.

"The only way anyone could sense another person," Valencia said, "is if they were in the same body, they could feel other people or ..."

Jesse watched Valencia pale, 'Val. Are you okay?"

"... or if they were twins."

"I smuggled him out when I was ... released," Betty shuddered, "he was a little one. He couldn't have been more than three or four."

"That was years ago," Breanna frowned. "Darcia must have been in her late teens when she was first interested in genes and the supposed opportunities working with them could bring."

"A superior kind of human," Harvey muttered, "like some old dictators throughout history."

"How did she get a military contract?" Jesse asked.

"She stole your father's contact list," Betty sighed, "I've never seen him so angry."

"She knew our father was in the military," Breanna frowned again, "I didn't even know."

"She was playing everyone against each other all the time," Jenkins muttered, "the time lapse for the repeat is nearly over."

Jesse followed Breanna toward the wall, "How do you feel about this?"

"Nervous," Breanna sighed, "I have no idea what to expect."

"That's why you have us as a backup," Tania murmured, "we'll extract you, help you, whatever is required to get you answers."

Breanna smiled, "Thanks, guys."

"We really need to get a bell on that door," Jenkins said to Harvey, who grinned widely.

The voice spoke again; Breanna frowned, "We need to type in a code."

"What is the code?" Jenkins asked.

Breanna turned to look around at everyone in the group, "How am I supposed to know the code?"

"Breanna, what you don't know is that this house was designed and fitted with you in mind," Harvey said, "not your brothers or sister, only you."

"The passcode to enter was all three of our names," Brenna said quietly, "this house was sold to my trust, but I didn't inherit it."

"Whatever is behind this wall was fitted knowing you were alive and the manipulations you had been subjected to," Harvey said quietly. "Your father knew you could get into whatever that space is behind the wall."

Jesse watched the comprehension sink into Breanna's mind, "He knew we were alive?"

"He discovered that just before his disappearance," Jenkins said, "we believe he went to "visit" Darcia to get you two out."

"She killed him instead," Breanna murmured, "she knew he knew... but how?"

"That is something we could never work out," Harvey said quietly, "we thought perhaps she had let something slip or someone had told her what he was doing or saying or thinking."

Valencia glanced at Jesse, silently slipping her hand into his, "Will she ever work it out?"

"Breanna is a smart girl," Jesse gently squeezed her hand, "it concerns me that someone sold her father out."

Breanna turned toward the wall, speaking in the language the wall had spoken. A panel appeared on the right-hand side of the wall. Breanna stopped in front of the wall panel, looking at it.

"Seems I need to put in names of some sort," Breanna spoke softly.

Returning to the language of the wall, she spoke once more. The wall answered. Breanna nodded.

"This is like watching a foreign movie without subtitles," Tania whispered.

Breanna pushed buttons on the panel, and a loud reverberating click bounced off the cave walls. Moving a little away from the wall, Breanna reached out a hand and gently pushed. A large doorway opened to reveal the secrets behind the wall.

The group inhaled sharply in unison before a gasp rippled over them.

"It cannot be," Tania whispered.

Jesse straightened, his arms dropping to his sides. Swallowing hard, he stared into the large cavern as it revealed more of its contents, "Sweet heaven," he cleared his throat roughly, "what is that doing there?"