Cold Phoenix

Gazelles, however, do not possess otherworldly powers.

A blast of pure aura energy stunned the bikers for a moment and she lashed out on all sides, sending riders flying hither and yon.

Done and done.

She skidded to a stop, turned around, and blasted off at top speed, headed for the hospital.

The doctor had come back and injected her IV with the medication to induce her labor even further, against her wishes nonetheless. She was worried about her babies, worried that the Genestealers had done something to her but of course did not tell the doctors this. A woman who had been subjected to Genestealers was like a person who got AIDS; you did not want to mess with them for fear of getting hurt yourself. She was scared that the Genestealers had induced this labor and was afraid her babies might be too early. She stroked her belly, whispering softly for the babies to stay in a little bit longer. But they didn’t hear and she felt another contraction, this time they came regularly as the drug triggered them and triggered her cervix to open wider. She moaned and tears flowed down her face

The Genestealers had done something to her, indeed, but Sarah had informed the doctors of this. They'd found the problem almost immediately and corrected it, so there was no fear there.

Sarah hurtled down the highway at an excessively dangerous and deadly speed of 480 miles an hour, ramping off cars and guardrails to keep from becoming a pavement stain or worse. A grapnel lashed out and grabbed a light posts she went by, and she used it to circle around the post, using a kinetic dampener to kill her speed enough to enter the hospital parking lot. The E-grapnel dissolved as the power to it faded and she coasted into the parking lot, left the bike to fall over, and dashed into the hospital, diving through the door to the delivery room, gasping for breath and leaning heavily against the wall as she tried to catch her breath.

She'd made it in time.

Dana's eyes lit up but then another contraction came. She smiled as she held onto the bars, her hands shaking as the medication forced her contractions to come longer and harder. Then she felt the first baby slip past her cervix and down her birth canal. As the contraction faded she felt the need to push but was censured by the nurses, telling her only to push with a contraction. She tried to calm down

She finally managed to catch her breath and stood beside the girl she'd saved, one arm on the girls shoulder. With all the drugs they'd pumped into her, she figured that Dana would be too out of it to notice much.

A wave of calm, peace and comfort washed through Dana. The contractions came closer together, though the pain became less intense. Sarah smiled a pained smile, and waited.

There were too many people around, and the emotional, physical, and magical roller-coaster ride she'd just endured was straining her mental control a little. Every once in a while, out of the corner of their eyes, a doctor or nurse would see the pregnant girl and a LUNERIAN FLIER standing behind them- but then they'd look and see two people, though the one standing would be very tall and pale and muscular. Lunerian fliers weren't allowed on Terra without a special license from the World Government anyway, despite the fact that they were doing almost all the space construction and work for the people on Terra. So seeing a flier was rare on Terra- the humans there called it Earth- and rare enough that people often asked questions.

Dana gripped Sarah's hands tightly, a grip that would cause a normal human much pains but if it did, Sarah didn’t show it. The doctor was in between her legs with a nurse ready to receive the child. Then after one strong contraction and one large push, she screamed and the baby’s cries filled the room. Relief washed over her until she remembered she was carrying twins and a contraction took over her body. This time the drugs helped and pushed this one out a little faster. In about 5 minutes time, she heard the cries of another child, one that she had brought into the world.

She collapsed, still holding Sarah's hand tightly and she fell unconscious. The doctors came and shook her awake, and she looked around for Sarah who had been pushed aside for a moment. She smiled sweetly at her savior and sighed as she held her babies.

The parents came in about an hour later after she had fed them their first milk and they doted on their new children. She signed the papers, releasing them into the parents’ custody and curled up on her gurney, watching Sarah with love and admiration

Sarah was dead tired. She couldn't fall asleep here, so she discreetly reached into her pocket and took the hypo-stimulus there and pressed the injector to her arm. There was a soft hiss and then the synthetic caffeine flowed into her bloodstream. She pocketed the injector and managed to walk over to Dana without stumbling. "C'mon, you- you need rest. You want to stay here or go back to your apartment?"

Sarah smiled at Dana, the tired girl going to sleep. She politely asked the doctor if it was all right to take Dana home. After a moment of reluctance, Sarah produced her LEO badge and the doctor told her it was fine. She smiled and carried the sleeping Dana out to the parking lot. The car was back, and she strapped Dana into the passenger seat, driving her home. The uneventful trip went quickly, and once she got out of the car, she took Dana into her arms again and went into the building. Sarah stood outside Dana's apartment door, and nudged the girl. "Wake up, Dana."

She woke up, slightly groggy. Then looked around and saw the door to her apartment complex. She smiled sweetly and walked with Sarah to the main door, up the stairs and to her door.

She had several locks on her door and each required a different key. She worked from the top to the bottom, each lock clicking. She jiggled the key in her doorknob and flung it open. Her surrogacy paid her well, covering all of her living expenses; therefore she could afford a small loft apartment with high vaulted ceilings and plush furniture. She stumbled towards the living room, passing the bathroom on the right and the kitchen on the left. The kitchen had a lot of modern amenities, including a large refrigerator and freezer, stocked with all the things a pregnant woman would crave. She set her keys on a table and curled up in a little ball on the couch. Her TV controls were set to her own voice and she said "TV on" and the screen clicked on. Then she said "Channel 1" and it turned to the channel but this was not a normal television broadcast... this was security linked to her apartment. She made sure the coast was clear and then said "Channel 819" and soothing music filled the air. It seemed as if she had always done the same thing; gone into her loft, put her keys on the table, checked the security and changed the channel to something more entertaining. Tonight she needed rest, more than anything.

"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable Ms. Whitmore. There's plenty to eat in the fridge."

The whole house was painted very well with rich colors, the kitchen, using a palette of deep cobalt blues offsetting a bright sunny yellow. Her living room was a dark gray, but lit well enough to seem warm and inviting. The exposed pipes and ventilation ducts were painted a muted silver to contrast and make it seem kind of like a warehouse. Her couches and chairs were all very full and comfortable adding to the cozy feel of it all. Off to the side was the door leading to her bedroom, which was done in a rich, sexy dark red, almost the color of fine wine. Her bed was decked out in creamy colored blankets and deep red pillows. A classical French-styled chair sat in the corner, the cushions cream but the accents and beading red. She had a small wardrobe and an immaculate desk that housed her computer; top of the line machine with all the software imaginable.

The screen flashed. A shot of the outside of her apartment where a man in business attire walked by, looking innocuous, as if he where going home as well. Then a shot of the back of the premises, all clear. Several more shots came across the screen all security cameras hooked up to her computer. Dana was paranoid about her safety. Her abduction had probably torn her up inside and left her questioning everything.

Sleep beckoned, the stimulus was wearing off. "I'm sorry Dana, but I can’t stay. I've got to go write up a report on everything that happened tonight, and then I got to go take care of Mercy. I'll see you tomorrow okay? Drop by the station for the usual statement stuff."

Dana sighed and whimpered as she got up and escorted Sarah out, locking every lock after the door was shut. She went into her room and pointed the computer screen towards her bed so that she might watch out for danger until she fell asleep from exhaustion

Sarah went home, checked on mercy, and went to bed.

Elsewhere....

"She's not human. It's confirmed."

"You’re sure?"

"Highway security picked up surveillance footage a few hours ago. Nothing but flier aura abilities could have done what she did."

"Inform LEO?"

"She's on LEO. They'll let her go."

"You sure."

"Yes.

"All right. Consider it done."

Sleep beckoned, the stimulus was wearing off. "I'm sorry Dana, but I can’t stay. I've got to go write up a report on everything that happened tonight, and then I got to go take care of Mercy. I'll see you tomorrow okay? Drop by the station for the usual statement stuff."

Dana sighed and whimpered as she got up and escorted Sarah out, locking every lock after the door was shut. She went into her room and pointed the computer screen towards her bed so that she might watch out for danger until she fell asleep from exhaustion

Sarah went home, checked on mercy, and went to bed.

The next morning, Dana's alarm clock rang from her bedroom but the sound carried all throughout the apartment. She woke up, feeling groggy and curled into a tight ball, knowing that her protector was not there to look over her. She began to whimper. The loss of the babies, the loss of her security, the loss of the one woman she had trusted. But life goes on and she got up tentatively, stretched and took a hot shower. When she came out she remembered that she had told Sarah that she would be over to make a statement and began to feel a bit more lighthearted.

Of course, finding an eviction notice on her door was quite enough to sour her mood. She arrived at the police station to find everything there in an uproar. Everyone was staring at Sarah, who was having a shouting match with another officer, and in general things were not good. Spotting Dana, she cut the argument short, said that she'd finish it later, and hurried over, walking silently with Dana to the recording room.

"What was that about? Why were they shouting at you?" she said, still a little perturbed about her current living situation. "Do you know much about the law?" she asked, not waiting for an answer, "This morning I went out and found an eviction notice on my door and I paid my rent, didn’t bother anyone... what's the deal?!"

"Dana, I'm a LEO officer. Of course I know about the law. Apparently the radio officer last night was ticked because I radioed for backup using something other than a standard LEO radio- because the goons chasing us _had_ LEO radios and were listening in." This was odd- Dana didn’t remember Sarah radioing at all while in the car- but then again, she could have radioed before breaking Dana out of the tube, or after she left Dana at the hospital- or she might not have noticed due to labor pains”

"I'm not sure why they'd kick you out- I'll go with you back to your place and talk to your landlord, okay?"

She nodded softly.

"Now about this statement... What should I tell you? I don’t remember much, just being knocked unconscious outside my apartment building and then I woke up in the tube. I'm sorry I'm not a good witness but they had me out cold"

She shrugged, and they talked about the previous night's events, and after ten minutes, Sarah shut the recorder off.

"I'll sort through that and use what I can. Shall we go out to deal with your housing problem?"

"Ohh, you don’t have to do it right now Officer. I don’t want to interrupt you any further. You seemed to be having loads of fun arguing with your fellow officers," she said sarcastically

"Pfah. C'mon, let's blow this Popsicle stand." She walked to the exit, knowing Dana would follow.

She strode behind the lovely officer as the older of the two led the way.

She strode into the parking lot and Dana recognized the car they'd used last night. The grill had a DMC logo on the front, and classic car fanatics would note that it was a restored and heavily modified Delorean. Sarah pulled the driver's side door open. "Hop in!"

Dana did as she was told and got comfortable in the seats easily.

"Last time I was in here, I was much bigger," she said, reminiscing somewhat, "I miss them," she said downhearted. The gull wing doors closed and she strapped herself in. "So are we going to my apartment now?"

Sarah nodded. The engine started with a low rumble and She drove to the apartment complex. A half hour of talking, confusion and general anger on Sarah's part later, the end result was the same- Dana had been kicked out due to some legal loophole for reasons unknown.

The stress of everything had left her emotionally unstable and she was quick to tears when things were settled. She would not be living in her house any longer. Her landlord wanted all of her things out by tomorrow because he already had a perspective tenant.

"Where am I supposed to find a place to live on such short notice? If given a week or two I could have made arrangements but I have to be out in a little over 24 hours! If I go to a hotel for a while, where will my things go?" She was obviously upset, and distraught and her whole life had come crashing down upon her. Had she still had the babies in her, the parents would be legally obligated to put up down payment and hire a moving service to get her things. She was basically shit out of luck and sat on the front stoop, weeping softly

Sarah shrugged. "Well, I've got a spare room. How much stuff do you need to take? Can we sell any of it or put it in storage?"

She looked up at the busty pale woman and spoke meekly, "I couldn’t ask you to do that... you have done enough already and you don’t even really know me"

She chuckled. "Better than you think." She shrugged. "C'mon, It'll give Mercy someone to talk to when I'm at work."

"Who is Mercy? I heard that name the other night also," she asked.

"Mercy's my friend. She's cool. So, do you or do you not want to stay with me?"

Well, Sarah WAS hot, even if she wasn't les or bi she was still damn good to look at, and in the ten months since Dana had seen her last, her breasts had gotten a bit bigger.

She smiled, "How can I pass up such hospitality?" and she embraced the woman warmly, resting her head on the soft mounds of breast flesh for a brief moment. "I don’t have much, my laptop, cameras, clothes, and a ton of food in the fridge. The couches and other furniture go with the apartment. That was part of the lease agreement; I buy the furniture for a lower rent rate. Stupid landlord backed out of his deal, I should too!" she huffed. "But, I'm sure we could get it all in one trip, even in your little car."

"Food? We can get you food at my place. Leave the food there to rot. The landlord's an ass." She walked upstairs, gathered Dana's things, and put them in the car. "To the Sarah-cave!" She shouted, and grinned ass she gunned the engine and drove away from the curb.

She looked out the window and stared at all the blinking lights on the dashboard. "So, how did you get started in law enforcement?"

"Ehh, I've always had a strong sense of justice. I did menial jobs for a while, took the aptitude test, and scored high enough to be a Freelancer."

"No, how did you get all of this cool stuff? I've never seen ANY LEO with all of the cool gadgets you have"

"I built what I needed if LEO wouldn’t supply it. Not exactly legal, but it's used for legal purposes, so..."

She smiled and let out a small chuckle and then got serious. "I know I may be going on a touchy subject but I was wondering... how are you an albino when there are genetic labs now that remove such 'undesirable' traits? I'm not saying I don’t like it or think you are weird, you seem more alluring now that you are different... very special."

She smiles. "Ehh, call it fate or an accident. Ah, here we are." She pulled into a driveway driving past trees- TREES! -and stopping in front of a house made of stone, masonry, and with vines creeping up one side. A short lighthouse was attached to the two-story building, and the bottom floor was almost all garage- and the area that wasn't had power generator vents in it/ A place with it's own power supply AND on the power grid? Very odd. Sarah parked and got out. "MERCY! I'm HOME! We've got a civvie guest, so clean out the spare room and lock up the classifieds!"

The vice that came from the house was female, cute and sounded six years old. "OKAY!"

She gently tugged on Sarah's police vest, "You said Mercy was your friend... do you have many children for friends?" she asked, and then realized that was really rude and apologized profusely. "I meant only that she sounds really young"

She laughed. "Mercy's 18, looks ten, and acts and sounds six. She’s hyper enough for any three children and an absolute mechanical genius." She grinned. "She's been known to wear out ADHD kids at the daycare when she goes there to supervise."

She giggled, picturing a little child watching after and being responsible for other children, "She sounds sweet Sarah. I can’t wait to get settled and get some much needed rest, and maybe some food," she said, rubbing her flattened tummy.

She chuckles. "Food is one thing we have plenty of." She walks in, carrying Dana's stuff. The main area, the living room, is two stories tall, with a skylight at the roof. There was a projection TV on one wall, with a nice couch in front of it, and about ten video game consoles and three computers hooked up to the TV. A door off to the left gave a glimpse of a kitchen, and there was another door on the right, marked "Storage" with enough security gadgets to thwart Houdini, James Bond, and Garrett all put together. Ahead was a hallway with one door on either side, and a staircase at the end of it that had a gate with a palm & bio-sign reader attached to it. Sarah took her security seriously.

"HEY MERCY! Where are you?"

"I'm in the stooorage roooom! Moli will let me out when I'm done! What's for dinner, Sarrie?"

"Not sure. Probably macaroni casserole and some veggies."

"MACARONI CASSEROOOOLE! WOOOO!"

"I'm guessing this macaroni casserole is a family favorite! What goes in it?" she asked quizzically

"Onions, four kinds of cheese, penne pasta, a little olive oil, garlic, breadcrumbs..." She grins. "It's REALLY good."

She rubbed her stomach and moaned softly, the combination sounding really good. She lifted her shirt just a bit, revealing a tummy that, even though had just held twins, was perfectly flawless. She had rubbed cocoa butter into it every day to keep the skin elastic, resilient and scar-free. Just then her tummy rumbled and she blushed, "I guess I'm really hungry”

She chuckled. "Moli, make an extra three servings of the casserole, would you?" She said, speaking aloud to the empty living room. A warm female voice spoke from nowhere, her voice smiling. "Sure thing, Sarah. Who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is Dana. Dana, meet, Molina- she's the Sheen AI construct we have here at the house- she's everywhere- if you need help with anything, just call out and she'll answer."